Is a ranged necro DOT character possible?

arcsureb17_ESO · April 2019

Hi,

I dont have much experience in TESO, i only played a few months during the release of the game but i stopped. I want to decide if i want to return for Elsweyr but since i dont know anything about the games' current state, i would like to ask for some help here.

I enjoy the gameplay of ranged multidotter characters. Switching targets, applying dots to as much of them as possible and rotting them to death, thats what i like.

As far as i can see, the upcoming necromancer will not have a single traditional "apply and debuff the target kind of dot" (like warden-swarm or nightblade-cripple) so if necro skills stay as it stands and necro wont have any dot debuffs, will it be possible to build a character with ranged dot spells and be effective?

Im talking about a character that have at least 3 traditional ranged dots that need to be maintained on multiple targets. Is it possible to build something like that once necromancer arrives?

Or if not as a necro, is it possible to do something like this at all in this game?

Thanks for the kind answers.

idk · April 2019

Every competitive end game DPS guild in ESO has multiple DoTs. So basically there will likely be a build along those lines.

With that, no all DoTs are placed on the target. Many DoTs in ESO are placed on the ground. Also, builds use DoTs from class and weapon skills. Sorc uses WoW from the dStaff and Liguid Lightning from their class skills (or pets).

arcsureb17_ESO · April 2019

Ye but the dots that are placed on the ground are not really fun for me because they dont involve target switching. They are usually just put circles on the ground and forget. You cannot even put multiple copies of the same spell on multiple places. Kinda dull gameplay for my taste.

The reason i like DoTs that you place on multiple targets is because you have to keep switching targets and it adds a certain skillcap to the gameplay. I hate to only have one focus target, its boring for me.

Thats why i dont like when a single spell dots everyone in a cone or circle or whatever shape, because it removes the excitement of being able to keep up all your rot on all your targets one by one and watching them rot slowly.

exeeter702 · April 2019

arcsureb17_ESO wrote: »

Ye but the dots that are placed on the ground are not really fun for me because they dont involve target switching. They are usually just put circles on the ground and forget. You cannot even put multiple copies of the same spell on multiple places. Kinda dull gameplay for my taste.

The reason i like DoTs that you place on multiple targets is because you have to keep switching targets and it adds a certain skillcap to the gameplay. I hate to only have one focus target, its boring for me.

Thats why i dont like when a single spell dots everyone in a cone or circle or whatever shape, because it removes the excitement of being able to keep up all your rot on all your targets one by one and watching them rot slowly.

As usual, people in eso completely misunderstanding the type of inquiry that you are making here. Let me ACTUALLY help you here, yet unfortunately it may not be the answer you want to hear, as I learned really early on in this games lifespan.

Playing a dedicated ranged caster with an emphasis on mutli target dotting much akin to affliction locks, shadow priests, madness sorcs etc etc. ufortunately is not really a thing in eso for a number of reasons.

Your best option for a ranged caster with an emphasis on dots is a magblade since they have cripple, a relatively strong single target dot, layer that with something like destruction staffs fire reach or clench. In pve most of your damage is going to be based around floor aoe damage over time effects so you aren't going to fufill that multi target dot application playstyle.

For pvp, you arent going to very strong since in order to get to a point where your dots become truly lethal means sacrificing much self defense (because most dot builds are enabled by gear sets) and with how ranged kiting is not a realistic defensive option makes it very hard to make the playstyle work. The reason such playstyles work in other mmos has alot to do with how gap closers, snares and hard CCs operate on specific cool downs and diminishing returns, enabled proper balance of ranged dot builds. This is not even considering the existence of cleansing.

Necromancers from what we know, have very little inherent mobility and seem to be designed around a tankier slower magicka build archetype. They dont have any strong dot oriented offensive pressure and are moreso going to be tanky turret styled burst based around corpse mechanics.

Again your best bet is magblade running cripple which to my knowledge is the highest damage single target tooltip dot in the game. One morph allows you to apply it the unlimited targets, the other is only one at time with more damage and a root. Couple that with destructive reach, sloads, skoria and soul assault and you have the ranged wittle down enemy health build.

idk · April 2019

arcsureb17_ESO wrote: »

Ye but the dots that are placed on the ground are not really fun for me because they dont involve target switching. They are usually just put circles on the ground and forget. You cannot even put multiple copies of the same spell on multiple places. Kinda dull gameplay for my taste..

Yes and just as loud, no.

NB, Templar, Warden and dStaff all have a DoT that can be placed on a target. I have not looked at the Necro information enough to see if they have a ranged DoT, but pretty certain they will not have more than other classes do.1

If that is not then you are playing the wrong game.

MashmalloMan · April 2019

Honestly what your looking for isn't in this game, that being said.. Necro's look like the closest thing to that vision.

What your looking for is interactive gameplay, well so far, Necro looks to accomplish that with the corpse mechanic.

1 skill requires positioning because you create a 12 second beam between you and a corpse, anything in between takes DMG a second. Explodes if sta at the end.

Your pet lasts 16 seconds instead of forever, explodes if mag at the end.

A summon that explodes after running to a target. Creates a corpse.

Aoe dot that does more DMG if consuming corpse. (Mag)

A spammable that bounces between targets every 3rd cast (mag) or extra single target dmg (sta, stacked from other abilities from the same line)

A passive for 10% extra dot DMG.

You can consume corpses to gain ult via an aoe skill.

Looking fun to me.

arcsureb17_ESO · April 2019

Ye, tho in every game that offered necromancer as a class, i played it, but i dont play it for the name, i play it for the playstyle.

And this TESO necromancer doesnt seem to offer something that i look forward in a necromancer. It might as well be called a "dark knight" or "shadow ranger" it would fit those names as much as it fits the "necromancer" name. It looks like the name given to this class is just misleading for people who look for some classic necromancer gameplay, which is fine, almost all asian MMO class names are misleading as well so gamers are kinda used to it, its just something uncommon in the west.

As far as i know the TESO necromancer doesnt have a single target apply-debuff dot so far, tho it might change at some point.

I played nightblade during the release of the game, but it was unsatisfying for me for the same reason (and at that time it still had agony too, which was another CC/DOT). Not enough dots, not enough target switching, put circles on the floor and have fun gameplay. Well its no fun for me so i stopped.

And if necro skills stay as they are, meaning pets that you cant pick a target for (skeletal mage), no single target based dot, lazy ground based dots (boneyard), exploding reskinned fireballs (blastbones), and not even reskinned firebolt spells (flame skull), so if these types of things stay, i may as well just play a wizard in any other game, bc this necro has more in common with a wizard than a necromancer.

So i might just skip coming back.

Thanks for all the info and the kind replies tho.

LeonAkando · April 2019

This entire thread just feels like a veiled way to complain about necromancers and eso combat design.

ESO is not a tab target game, why would you expect tab target gameplay? Ppl don’t go to FF and expect action combat.

Also necromancers are very true to the necro theme, more so than most games. They just don’t the same trite “shadow = dot” gameplay other games present.
In eso necromancers utilize fresh corpses like D3, and npcs react to the use of forbidden magic.
In every other game iteration you just play a summoner who’s pet is a zombie /sleep

arcsureb17_ESO · April 2019

Leon, no one was talking about tab targeting or poor combat mechanics. First of all, yea i agree tab targeting sucks, and im glad TESO doesnt have pure tab targeting, its actually a hybrid, there is no problem with that.

TESO even have target based debuff dots like cripple or entropy. I just wanted to know if it will be possible to make a build with necro around those spells. But it seems its not possible because necro doesnt have a single skill like that and there are not enough spells like this on the other skill lines that are accessible for everyone.

On your other point: there are many games where necro's pets are not just a "zombie pet". There are MMOs where you can actually build your necro pet from dead body parts and customize it for your taste, and in other games you can decide what kind of different undead creatures consist your undead army. So there are many quite creative variations out there.

Im actually not a big fan of pet gameplay, i just wanted to clarify this so you dont live in an illusion that other games handle necro design choices poorly around undead pets. Because there are some pretty badass necro designs in the gaming world. I know it bc i tried most of them.

Kikke · April 2019

No, you will not manage to get the feel of a WoW Warlock in this game, sorry. Not the same game mechanics at all =\