All tests were done on the same character with same gear on PTS and Live. These are not perfect tests because DPS-wise, I am the wrong race (Nord), I have the wrong CP distribution (I PvP), I use Luminous rather than Blazing Shards (I heal), and use the Radiant Glory morph (because my magicka pool is perpetually empty since Morrowind and thus would have hardly any bonus damage). But everything is relative so I think my points still stand.

"ZOS_GinaBruno wrote:

Radiant Destruction: Increased the maximum bonus execute damage dealt by this ability and its morph to 400% from 330%.

This sounds like a lot, but I don't think it's enough. The problem is the base damage was nerfed by too much in the past (21% IIRC) and is not subject to diminishing returns as it occurs *before* and multipliers and such (i.e. it's a 21% reduction of a large amount). This PTS version is bonus damage and thus is a % on top of other %s, which I think are subject to diminishing returns).

In any event, I don't think I will use it because:



This is best case scenario: under 5% health (and thus max damage) and the increase we are seeing is still a lot smaller than the light attack(s) Templars lose when using a channeled ability.

A useable and efficient Radiant Destruction will always be a problem because the damage has to be *really* high since 1) it's an execute, 2) it's a channel and thus also include the damage from missed light attacks 3) PvP players will always look at the absolute worst case scenario (the last damage tick when they have 5% health) and then come onto the forums and whine & complain while they misrepresent the ability and claim it's best-case scenario is always the case. In general, I find the cries for "separate PvE and PvP" oversimplified and wrong - the game was at it's absolute best in 1.5 when PvE and PvP worked great together and nobody uttered such a thing - but in order for this ability to be any good in PvE it has to do so much damage that it's going to induce a lot of complaining in PvP. My suggestion would be thus either:

1. Remove the ability altogether and give Templars back Blinding Flashes (Templars currently DPS without this skill right now so they don't need it)
2. Make this the second ability in the game to have a special PvE component (Nightblade Ambush is the other) that would amp the damage. Once this is done the base version STILL needs a damage boost because it is not efficient in PvE or PvP
3. Make a concerted effort to educate the PVP community that mathematically it is necessary for Radiant Destruction ticks to be high because Templars cannot weave in Light attacks with that execute that Sorcerers, Nightblades, and Two-Handed users can.

What I would not do is:

• Lower the range (PvPers favorite suggestion). Do you promise not to post misleading screenshots of 10K radiant destruct ticks when I beam you at 15 meters? What's that, yes? I don't believe you at all.
• Make the beam dodgeable (Stam NBs favorite suggestion). Umm, no. Been there, done that before Thieves' Guild patch and the spell sucked so bad many Templars stopped using it in PvP.
• Make the spell traditional instant cast. Homogenization. No thank you.

"ZOS_GinaBruno wrote:

Solar Flare
Dark Flare (morph): Decreased the duration of the Major Defile debuff to 4 seconds from 6 seconds.
Solar Barrage (morph): Removed the cast time from this ability, and decreased the damage done by approximately 40%.

I do not like Dark Flare because it does not do enough damage (find me a good DPS parse that uses it) and no longer empowers itself (which means it does even less damage), so that morph is irrelevant to me.

I do like that ZOS has listen to the community feedback removing the Solar Barrage cast time, but after my testing, I have to conclude that 40% nerf is way more than the 1 Global coodown that templars are gaining.

I have run about 15 DPS parses on Live and PTS and they are roughly the same (the PTS averaged like 400 or so higher). I think this is how ZOS arrived at the 40% number, they wanted to make the Templar DPS equivalent, but with a smoother rotation. However, the DPS is the same *only* against a single target dummy. Please do not tell me it is the only DPS that matters because I PvP, I do battlegrounds, I run vMA, I like DSA, I do (and like) the Sanctum Ophedia trash pulls, the cleaves on bosses like the Twins, etc.

Here is what Templars are losing:

Live Barrage parses:



PTS Barrage parses:




That's 4K a tick on every target with a PvP spec with no raid buffs at all.

I set up 2 target dummies together, which makes the point more visibly. This is without using an ultimate

Live:



PTS:



Edit: Let me save you some time. If you believe using two 6 million dummy parses would make the test more valid and representative, go onto the PTS and try it yourself and see what happens. Unless they die at the same time, one will re-spawn and completely mess up the parse. Also, all the game's encounters are not bosses with 6 million health. If I am in cyrodiil, on the 3rd wave of stage 5 in vMA, grinding Skyreach, I want to roughly know what is my non-ultimate AOE capabilities are.

If I'm in a Battleground where I got multiple people Sloading me, Zaaning me, defiling me, etc., I would much rather have what's on Live because the PTS version' does not do enough damage to justify slotting. If I wanted the Empower so badly I'd still rather have what's on Live because 1) the skill is better and 2) getting off a cast time (especially from a spell which does not snare me) is not nearly as difficult as it's made out to be, especially now that ZoS has included anti-interrupt mechanics. Indeed when Radiant Destruction was good, I used this spell *all the time*, channeled or not.

The damage is bad. Here is a comparison between the Templar AoE options on the PTS:



And this is Luminous Shards, the lesser damaging morph. When the two components are added together, it comes out to 246,145 roughly the same AoE damage as Barrage. And this skill returns *both* resources to allies, which Barrage does nothing of the sort.
.
The Blockade will even be higher Vs a boss because it will be amped by Engulfing Flames.

All a Templar gets from Barrage is 51 empowers, which comes out to 129,183 additional *single* target damage, if I can maintain light attacking. which is fine, except Luminous Shards gives me 262,717 single target damage that I'll get even when doing mechanics and unable to light attack. And it still returns resources.

Point: If a skill is not used or not very popular, that is because players do not feel the skill is effective or efficient enough. To get us excited about potentially using them, a mixed bag of well it's sort of a buff if used like this, but a nerf if used like that is not the way to go. Would I rather have what's on the PTS Vs. a single target dummy? Yeah, because it is more convenient. Would I rather play the actual game with what's on the PTS? No, because the spell is worse in a lot of situations and for all its convenience isn't good enough.

"ZOS_GinaBruno wrote:

Rune Focus:
This ability and its morphs now apply Major Ward, Major Resolve, and all morph effects to you directly for 15 seconds.
Standing within the area of effect now increases the Major Ward and Major Resolve effects by 50%.
Increased the cost of this ability and Restoring Focus to 2700 Magicka from 1890.
Channeled Focus (morph): Increased the cost of this ability to 1891 Magicka from 1080.
The new design of Rune Focus more closely matches the fast action combat, while still preserving the original feel of an area of protection.

Another mixed "sometimes it's a buff and sometimes it's a nerf" situation. Ugh. So, some templars are going to like it and some are going to hate it. Can't we just come up with changes in which everyone will be excited for the upcoming patch?

I think the Restoring Focus change is OK, I guess. Players who go for that morph aren't in it for the magic regen in the first place so the extra cost is worth the trade off for the guaranteed 15 seconds of effect. Full disclaimer here, I don;t use this morph, I'm just going by what some people have told me. It should be noted that the spell is potentially noticeably worse on the PTS because you don't get the 8 seconds of after effect when leaving the Rune and it's quite a bit more expensive. That would leave a bad taste in my mouth because even I'm paying a real price for that convenience. That's not a buff in my book; that's quid-pro-quo.

The problem comes with the Channeled Focus morph, the one which players use for magicka sustain. By nearly doubling the cost and cutting short the potential duration, the changes are counterproductive and defeat the purpose of taking this morph in the first place. Here is a chart of the difference between what's on Live and PTS:



You are only *little* better off in the absolute worst case Live scenario and potentially a lot worse.

No thanks. Even for me and I spend the most of my time PvPing (I also PvE and the change is a lot worse in 99% of those situations). The whole point I use this morph is because templars have terrible regen and no, sorry, a net return of 2000 regen over 18 seconds, which is about the same I'll get from a single regen glyph, defeats the whole purpose of using this ability in the first place. You may never go back into the Rune, but I do sometimes and I'd rather be rewarded for being a conscientious player by getting 5000 regen over 25 seconds.

As for the extra resistance bonuses, it comes out to 4%. It's a nice attempt, but that is hardly worth the effort to stay in the Rune.

What I would do:

• Ideally untie templars only source of magicka sustain from an active skill that does not do much of anything and look back at how The Restoring Spirit passive worked in Beta. That way Templars have the resource management that "more closely matches the fast action combat" and thus frees them to take the defensive morph they actually would rather have.
• For Restoring Focus, remove the cost increase. Why is the cost being increased anyway? What's on the PTS is not mechanically superior to what's on Live (and it's potentially worse) in anyway except an extra 4% mitigation, if you happen to stay in the Rune, which the changes acknowledge we probably won't.
• For Channeled Focus, removing the cost increase is not enough: you'd only get 2800 regen over 18 seconds (a little more than a regen glyph) and missing out on the potentially 5000 over 25 seconds. If this particular morph is somehow going to be our only source of magicka sustain, it's actually got to accomplish that function. The best case scenario on Live still wasn't as good as what a Nightblade has so, yep, even getting rid of the cost reduction is still going to mean this is a pain point for templars. Which is why I recommend unnerfing Restoring Spirit because the "your magicka sustain is attached to the hip of channeled focus" idea is full of potential pitfalls.
• As a temporary measure, I would recommend removing the cost increase, making the rune last 8 seconds, and putting back the "+8 seconds after you leave" condition. What this will in effect do is put us right back to Live, with the guarantee that a Templar will get 15 seconds, which I think is 1000% fair and all templars were asking for in the first place,