Vandril wrote: »

What's the alternative? If you don't nerf overperforming mechanics down to a reasonable level, then you need to buff reasonable mechanics up to an overperforming level to achieve balance. The latter leads to power bloat problems, where everything becomes extremely overpowered.

So how do you solve the fact that everyone is now overperforming without nerfs? Why, you buff all the mobs, bosses, combat mechanics, environmental effects, etc!

So where does that leave us? Let's see... Everything was buffed to be the same level of overperforming, all enemies were buffed by a roughly equal amount to compensate for this, and... We're exactly where we started, except we have larger numbers and that initially overperforming mechanic is no longer overperforming.

This end result is exactly the same as if the initially overperforming mechanic was nerfed, but instead of requiring one step to accomplish, it required exponentially more steps and there are meaninglessly larger numbers everywhere.

From a development efficiency standpoint, the correct course of action would be: nerf what is overperforming and buff what is underperforming.

You can argue what is and is not over/underperforming and thus what should/should not be nerfed, but nerfs are a positive act of balance and should not blindly be thrown out the window.

tactx wrote: »

Isn't it strange that instead of wanting something that they play buffed, they request nerfs to everything else instead? We all play the same game. We can play the same race, class, have the same armor, etc. but instead of playing something that they think seems so good they just call for nerfs.

The reason they do it, is it's allowed and even rewarded by the game company. It's shocking how such a minuscule percentage of a population can come to a forum, essentially whine about something that someone else has that they don't have or are just being emotional about at the time with zero data and get it nerfed into oblivion. Having zero data to back up a claim and it getting attention is kind of like the news lately... but I digress.

If ESO just put a stop to nerfing threads, it would end. If the only balance threads allowed were improvements based on your own race and class with actual supporting details it would be much more constructive. But that's too hard for the "cry nerf" people to run comparative tests, analyze data, provide constructive feedback, etc. Meanwhile the people that do all those tests largely get ignored because it takes people comprehending the data, understanding what's being shared, having an actual discussion, and in short there are just not as many people with that much interest in improving something when it's so easy and rewarded by just coming and crying nerf to anything and everything.

Allowing nerfing threads breeds negativity for a game and can actually kill the game. Look to so many previous MMOs that had 1m+ players that went the nerfing route... It blows my mind that it's even allowed and then rewarded. I hope some day it's not so we can begin focusing on constructive topics to balance.

VaranisArano wrote: »

ruikkarikun wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

In PVP, people want nerfs for builds they can't kill and builds that kill them.

In PVE, people want nerfs for builds that get invited to all the trials, like the popular and athletic kids who always got picked first in gym class.

Okay, thats not entirely fair. Most people want their own class buffed to the same level as the top-performing class. But what they dont realize is that ZOS wants to keep a lid on the power creep and so ZOS buffs rarely and nerfs with an unsparing hand.

Magicka nightblade facerolling content and we see sorcerer nerf. Reason? What veteran trials were dominated by sorc?

Because, if you've paid any attention whatsoever to what ZOS has been saying about it, they think damage shields make it too easy to survive PVE content.