Reflecting on all the class nerfs from Zenimax / ESO becoming a garbage game for casual gamers

Excaltic · April 2019

I'm making this post to reflect on on-going class nerfs in Elder Scrolls Online. It's all NERF NERF NERF an hardly any YAY YAY YAY...

Message to Zenimax game design:
Every patch, Elder Scrolls Online becomes less fun to play for casual gamers. You might want to make your game MORE enjoyable for casuals instead.
- Trials = Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DLC dungeon's = (Veteran) Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DPS difference between casual gamers (just spamming some dots & attacks) and addicts with macro-rotations/animation cancelling is about a 500% difference in DPS, which is absurd and completely unbalanced = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- Ongoing nerfs only harm the casual gamers, not the addicts who just change their macro-rotation a little.

If you look at the recent changes to Night Blades for example. There are HARDLY any good fun skills to use anymore (especially in PvP). Why are you destroying your own game?

Assassination Skills

Soul Harvest (Ultimate) - Not Ultimate worthy
- Single target (lol...)
- 5 meter range (lol...)
- Dodgable (lol...)
- About the same damage as Ranged / AoE / Undodgable Ultimates from other classes...

Impale - Useless
- Only works when players are below (not even at) 25% health
- Using any other good skill / ultimate will finish them anyway at that point...

Lotus Fan - Useless
- Weak initial damage
- Weak DoT damage
- Minor Vulnerability for 8 seconds (7 seconds after GCD) "buff" is useless, because using other skills than this still does more damage in total
- Why would magicka users want a gapcloser anyway when they have ranged attacks...

Mirage / Double Take - Useless
- Major Evasion is way too situational to be usefull in PvP
- Minor Resolve and Minor Ward only award a mere 2,2% less damage taken which is useless (Mirage)
- Major Expedition for 4 seconds is useless (Double Take)
- Become a red glowing sphere on the battlefield, as a stealth player... sigh....

Piercing Mark / Reaping Mark - NERFED to Useless
- Major Fracture and Major Breach is the only acceptable thing about this skill
- Can only put it on 1 player at a time
- Stealth detection for 5 seconds, means 4 seconds after cast + global cooldown = useless since last NERF (Piercing)
- Major Berserk only after killing a player and only for 5 seconds... What are you going to kill in 5 seconds after killing a player?!?
- Elemental Drain (Destruction Staff) does the same but adds Magicka Steal as well...

Merciless Resolve - NERFED to Useless
- NB's last self-cast damage buff NERFED AWAY
- [BUGGED] Skill is bugged and doesn't work most of the time anyway or doesn't register on hit (Arrow shooting)
- Magicka morph is only 20 seconds, which is too short for a pure 5x heavy attack rotation in PvP, either make it 30 seconds, or lower it to 3x heavy attack
- Heal only works within 7 meters, while magicka players use ranged attacks

PROBLEM: Hemorrhage (Passive)
- You need to slot one of these useless skills to get an increased Critical Damage by 10%.

SOLUTION: Hemorrhage (Passive)
- Remove the need to slot an Assassination skill to get increased Critical Damage by 10%.

Shadow Skills

Consuming Darkness - Ultimate has no use in PvP
- When a NB's uses this skill in PvP, other players think that it's a memento, because it's that useless...

Concealed Weapon - First non-useless skill
- Magicka skill with 5 meter range (lol...)
- Dodgable (lol...)
- Off Balance only works when sneaking or invisible which doesn't work in PvP resource sustain fights

Shadow Cloak - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades, yet only 1 usefull morph... lol
- Stealth class needs this skill (Shadowy Disguise) to hide because most other skills are useless
- Tradeoff choice between stealth and (mediocre) healing is a no-go for good combat design for a stealth class (Dark Cloak)

Path of Darkness - NERFED to Useless
- Not even going to comment about whatever use this cloud have in PvP (Read: None)

Mass Hysteria / Manifestation of Terror - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades
- Ok, good skill, now works on 6 targets

Shadow Image / Dark Shade - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades
- Ok, good skill, yet skill quit buggy on teleport activation (Shadow Image)
- Dark Shade, duration is too short for a melee summon, make this at least 30 seconds. Ok on damage buff though.

Siphoning Skills

Soul Shred - Best NB skill tree ultimate, actually the only one
- Soul Siphon heal range is too short in PvP, make this at least 20 meters like templar's healing ultimate
- Soul Tether is ok

Funnel Health / Swallow Soul - NB's Only acceptable damage skill, yet only 1 usefull morph... lol
- Funnel Health is ok, although casting is still too slow compared to other damage skills
- Swallow Soul - Nerfed into oblivion - Just delete this skill

Malevolent Offering - NERFED to Useless
- Not even going to comment about whatever use this cloud have in PvP (Read: None)

Debilitate / Crippling Grasp - Mediocre bugged skill
- [BUGGED] Skill's initial direct damage is not critical when casting out of stealth
- [BUGGED] Skill is near useless in PvP because of the ultra slow travel time of the projectile, most casts don't register miss or plain don't work in Cyrodill
- Skill is very marginal on usefulness in PvP because of above flaws

Siphoning Attacks / Leeching Strikes - Mediocre skill
- Skill is very marginal on usefulness, could have been a passive skill, yet it is an active skill with 2 morphs...

Sap Essence - Mediocre skill
- Skill (AoE) is very marginal on usefulness in PvP, still damage buff is ok.

Total of usefull skills in PvP: 6
Total of useless / mediocre skills in PvP: 12 <-- Really... Good work Zenimax!!

Please start making ESO a great game for casual gamers instead of destroying it for them Zenimax.

Stop listening to demands of the "pro's" and start thinking about casuals which keep on leaving the game like this... and will lead to the closing of ESO servers in the end...

dazee · April 2019

Agreed a million percent with the OP. the point of a nerf is to bring hardcore players down in power to be closer to the casual players, not to hurt the casual players.

Any nerf must be designed with this in mind.

anitajoneb17_ESO · April 2019

Excaltic wrote: »

Stop listening to demands of the "pro's" and start thinking about casuals which keep on leaving the game

Quoted for truth.

ThanatosXR · April 2019

Its already casual, this game was always casual, shouldnt u be praising them for giving you a challenge?

StormeReigns · April 2019

In your opinion. I agree with some of your points, but as well disagree with the rest. I am very much 110% casual. You dont speak for me, i dont speak for you.

Also very misleading / click bait title.

dazee · April 2019

I've seen what happens when devs start listening to the demands of the "pro" players over the voice of the general playerbase. the game goes south very quickly after becoming a really crappy game. I've seen it happen elsewhere and I'm not gonna sit by and be silent as it happens here.

WickidMexican · April 2019

I thought you were going to post for all classes. Title a bit misleading.

Reverb · April 2019

Nightblade tears, disguised as advocating for new and casual players. Nice twist.

dazee · April 2019

Reverb wrote: »

Nightblade tears, disguised as advocating for new and casual players. Nice twist.

It's almost as if some new and casual players like playing nightblade! that's impossible right?

Reistr_the_Unbroken · April 2019

I don’t have a nightblade character yet, but can people stop with the nerf train?

Ratzkifal · April 2019

Just going to put it here again because I feel like it is not getting enough attention.

There are 5 very boring passives on the 4 original classes (DK has two) that are an easy opportunity for ZOS to give us an easy "yay" instead of another nerf, while also making future balancing easier.

All these passives only add duration to some class skills (and one of them adds 3% damage to some class skills). If we give the corresponding skills the duration (and damage) on default, each of the original classes could have a completely new and unique passive that could be used to make gameplay more enjoyable and perhaps allow different mechanics to shine on different classes. The other benefit this brings is that ZOS doesn't need to consider that, say, earthen heart abilities get a 20% duration boost when nerfing or buffing a single skill. It's one less factor in the equation to worry about.

The passives are Dark Veil (even after the change), Eternal Mountain, Searing Heat, Enduring Rays and Pesistence. Remove them and give us something meaningful instead! There are also some weapon passives like this.

Reverb · April 2019

dazee wrote: »

Reverb wrote: »

Nightblade tears, disguised as advocating for new and casual players. Nice twist.

It's almost as if some new and casual players like playing nightblade! that's impossible right?

New and casual players will be able to complete casual content just fine with a Nightblade. I promise.

PeterUnlustig · April 2019

dazee wrote: »

Agreed a million percent with the OP. the point of a nerf is to bring hardcore players down in power to be closer to the casual players, not to hurt the casual players.

Any nerf must be designed with this in mind.

lol have you played eso Pvp in the last years? Solo and smallscale players have got nerfed more and more. Now the Dmg /Cheese Gap between an exceptional good player and someone who can open Youtube to check for builds is smaller then ever.
The biggest Problem with new Players vs. Veteran Players is really CP as plain and simple as that. There are to much CP for a healthy balance between no-CP, low Cp and max CP. CP passive Potency must be nerfed hard and Base stats of sets and other passives need to be buffed.

Guardna · April 2019

The game is already too easy as it is and they keep nerfing harder content to the point where for a veteran players there is no challenge in this game anymore.You dont speak for the whole casual playerbase,not all casual will stay like that and might want harder content in the future,not every casual is so bad at the game that those nerf affect them.The game is not all about damage nb got more healing now and survival is more important to casuals,In your words every skill that does not do big damage is bad but there are nb tanks and healers too and casuals like to play such niche builds too.Since you only mention nb nerfs here and not the positive changes and other classess buffs and nb is not the only class in the whole game which casuals play it lets me to assume that you that you are a butthurt nb main who doesnt like his op class getting in line with others.The nb pvp nerfs were needed even though they are not that severe and as for pve its a really small nerf if at all since you still get minor berserk in groups and major fracture and you even give you group and yourself more pen now so everyone can takeout some points from pene cp or are you just mad you cant have insane dummy parses now to show off self bufffed?You mention pvp too for casuals and that doesnt go hand in hand since casuals that stay casuals will not do pvp since its not fun to get one shotted every single time and those who invest time and effort into the game to be better at it and research and get sets are no casuals no more.

NirnChaos · April 2019

Excaltic wrote: »

I'm making this post to reflect on on-going class nerfs in Elder Scrolls Online. It's all NERF NERF NERF an hardly any YAY YAY YAY...

Message to Zenimax game design:
Every patch, Elder Scrolls Online becomes less fun to play for casual gamers. You might want to make your game MORE enjoyable for casuals instead.
- Trials = Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DLC dungeon's = (Veteran) Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DPS difference between casual gamers (just spamming some dots & attacks) and addicts with macro-rotations/animation cancelling is about a 500% difference in DPS, which is absurd and completely unbalanced = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- Ongoing nerfs only harm the casual gamers, not the addicts who just change their macro-rotation a little.

If you look at the recent changes to Night Blades for example. There are HARDLY any good fun skills to use anymore (especially in PvP). Why are you destroying your own game?

Please start making ESO a great game for casual gamers instead of destroying it for them Zenimax.

Stop listening to demands of the "pro's" and start thinking about casuals which keep on leaving the game like this... and will lead to the closing of ESO servers in the end...

+1 I completely agree, all these repeated changes is exhausting me a lot and several friends of mine have already left.
this is a pity for me I can not really speak English but I ask ZeniMax to think of us. I really like this game but I'm afraid of having to abandon it the day that I will not be able to play properly because all the skills will be tampered with nerf.

mocap · April 2019

you listed 5% of real hard content in game. The rest 95% is incredibly casual overland questing. So you want make that 5% of content for casuals too?

Garack · April 2019

100% agree on nb Berg.

NirnChaos · April 2019

Browart wrote: »

If u dont know how to play, just dont do it. There is button called "unistall".

with "bas tard" answers like that ...

DarkPicture · April 2019

NirnChaos wrote: »

Browart wrote: »

If u dont know how to play, just dont do it. There is button called "unistall".

with "bas tard" answers like that ...

Those arguments are so bad, game already is too much casual. They delete many things in past because of people like you u cant press more than 2 buttons, its really sad. Game without advantages is boring and will die faster.

And u tried to offense me when u dont even know how game works... it only shows how toxic are casuals. Its not the first time when I met people like you.

Veinblood1965 · April 2019

NirnChaos wrote: »

Excaltic wrote: »

I'm making this post to reflect on on-going class nerfs in Elder Scrolls Online. It's all NERF NERF NERF an hardly any YAY YAY YAY...

Message to Zenimax game design:
Every patch, Elder Scrolls Online becomes less fun to play for casual gamers. You might want to make your game MORE enjoyable for casuals instead.
- Trials = Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DLC dungeon's = (Veteran) Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DPS difference between casual gamers (just spamming some dots & attacks) and addicts with macro-rotations/animation cancelling is about a 500% difference in DPS, which is absurd and completely unbalanced = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- Ongoing nerfs only harm the casual gamers, not the addicts who just change their macro-rotation a little.

If you look at the recent changes to Night Blades for example. There are HARDLY any good fun skills to use anymore (especially in PvP). Why are you destroying your own game?

Please start making ESO a great game for casual gamers instead of destroying it for them Zenimax.

Stop listening to demands of the "pro's" and start thinking about casuals which keep on leaving the game like this... and will lead to the closing of ESO servers in the end...

+1 I completely agree, all these repeated changes is exhausting me a lot and several friends of mine have already left.
this is a pity for me I can not really speak English but I ask ZeniMax to think of us. I really like this game but I'm afraid of having to abandon it the day that I will not be able to play properly because all the skills will be tampered with nerf.

Seriously agree with this statement, I started playing about this time last year, rolled a Mag Pet Sorc got to about 600 CP and then rolled a DK Tank, was having fun and just learning how to play the tank and then S&B got changed. Not a huge change, probably beneficial in some ways but just got tired of the constant changes, spent two months getting him to 50 with S&B and then BAM overnight it's changed.

It's a beautiful game, highly detailed, time taken to create wonderful zones, different play styles if you like but playstyles and characters becoming more cookie cutter every week just the constant tampering with playstyles ruined it for me. I played every single day then about three weeks ago after a patch I totally quit, gave my gold to my favorite guild and have not logged on since, probably going to unsubscribe which make me sad actually. Just don't have the heart to roll another toon or keep playing the ones I have. On my Sorc Pet my DPS was abysmal at first mash one or two buttons, then learned rotation and next thing you know my DPS is sweet, learned how to run two pets at same time and run vet dungeons and trials. But seriously just not in to putting more time in when things change so much.

BTW I consider myself a casual gamer, and it's not about balance. Hey someone else's toon type is OP? So what, if I want I can roll one and then play that style. That's WHAT I like about the game it has so many different choices of play styles.

BNOC · April 2019

Trials and DLC dungeons have different difficulty levels, so your issue is that you can't casually rock up to endgame content and faceroll it - Non issue, do normal, who else is it there for but people who can't do the veteran stuff?

DPS requirements are reflected in those two difficulties, if you don't want to get to the top or haven't got the time, don't expect to be there.

Balance changes aren't always in your favour, no, but then it wouldn't be balancing.

deadsheepb14_ESO · April 2019

The new stuff should always stay hard/challenging; the old stuff should be made easier with time (casual/solo content) with vet/hard modes still available if you want.

Skwor · April 2019

LoL your subject say all class nerfs but you are just complaining about NB.

Just as nother NB nerf complaint. Like we needed one more...ugh

Suck it up buttercup. It is balance, not nerf.

StormeReigns · April 2019

Browart wrote: »

NirnChaos wrote: »

Browart wrote: »

If u dont know how to play, just dont do it. There is button called "unistall".

with "bas tard" answers like that ...

Those arguments are so bad, game already is too much casual. They delete many things in past because of people like you u cant press more than 2 buttons, its really sad. Game without advantages is boring and will die faster.

And u tried to offense me when u dont even know how game works... it only shows how toxic are casuals. Its not the first time when I see people like you.

Just FYI, the vast majority of casual players do not seek, nor ask for "easier" content, nor does casual mean bad, terrible or similar.

Casual = Limited play time, aka may play 2 to 6 hours at a time per week versus a day. To 30mins to 3hrs a day every other day.

Casuals does not mean toxic. Toxic (which has lost all meaning by now) affects all play styles and players. Generalizations are "toxic" would be an appropriate response.

Generalizations, only makes you look like the fool, not anyone else. So before you, or the op have set their foot down on Generalizations, look in the mirror first, cause most likely, youre speaking Bout yourself versus others.

Jamdarius · April 2019

Excaltic wrote: »

I'm making this post to reflect on on-going class nerfs in Elder Scrolls Online. It's all NERF NERF NERF an hardly any YAY YAY YAY...

Message to Zenimax game design:
Every patch, Elder Scrolls Online becomes less fun to play for casual gamers. You might want to make your game MORE enjoyable for casuals instead.
- Trials = Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DLC dungeon's = (Veteran) Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DPS difference between casual gamers (just spamming some dots & attacks) and addicts with macro-rotations/animation cancelling is about a 500% difference in DPS, which is absurd and completely unbalanced = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- Ongoing nerfs only harm the casual gamers, not the addicts who just change their macro-rotation a little.

If you look at the recent changes to Night Blades for example. There are HARDLY any good fun skills to use anymore (especially in PvP). Why are you destroying your own game?

Assassination Skills

Soul Harvest (Ultimate) - Not Ultimate worthy
- Single target (lol...)
- 5 meter range (lol...)
- Dodgable (lol...)
- About the same damage as Ranged / AoE / Undodgable Ultimates from other classes...

Impale - Useless
- Only works when players are below (not even at) 25% health
- Using any other good skill / ultimate will finish them anyway at that point...

Lotus Fan - Useless
- Weak initial damage
- Weak DoT damage
- Minor Vulnerability for 8 seconds (7 seconds after GCD) "buff" is useless, because using other skills than this still does more damage in total
- Why would magicka users want a gapcloser anyway when they have ranged attacks...

Mirage / Double Take - Useless
- Major Evasion is way too situational to be usefull in PvP
- Minor Resolve and Minor Ward only award a mere 2,2% less damage taken which is useless (Mirage)
- Major Expedition for 4 seconds is useless (Double Take)
- Become a red glowing sphere on the battlefield, as a stealth player... sigh....

Piercing Mark / Reaping Mark - NERFED to Useless
- Major Fracture and Major Breach is the only acceptable thing about this skill
- Can only put it on 1 player at a time
- Stealth detection for 5 seconds, means 4 seconds after cast + global cooldown = useless since last NERF (Piercing)
- Major Berserk only after killing a player and only for 5 seconds... What are you going to kill in 5 seconds after killing a player?!?
- Elemental Drain (Destruction Staff) does the same but adds Magicka Steal as well...

Merciless Resolve - NERFED to Useless
- NB's last self-cast damage buff NERFED AWAY
- [BUGGED] Skill is bugged and doesn't work most of the time anyway or doesn't register on hit (Arrow shooting)
- Magicka morph is only 20 seconds, which is too short for a pure 5x heavy attack rotation in PvP, either make it 30 seconds, or lower it to 3x heavy attack
- Heal only works within 7 meters, while magicka players use ranged attacks

PROBLEM: Hemorrhage (Passive)
- You need to slot one of these useless skills to get an increased Critical Damage by 10%.

SOLUTION: Hemorrhage (Passive)
- Remove the need to slot an Assassination skill to get increased Critical Damage by 10%.

Shadow Skills

Consuming Darkness - Ultimate has no use in PvP
- When a NB's uses this skill in PvP, other players think that it's a memento, because it's that useless...

Concealed Weapon - First non-useless skill
- Magicka skill with 5 meter range (lol...)
- Dodgable (lol...)
- Off Balance only works when sneaking or invisible which doesn't work in PvP resource sustain fights

Shadow Cloak - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades, yet only 1 usefull morph... lol
- Stealth class needs this skill (Shadowy Disguise) to hide because most other skills are useless
- Tradeoff choice between stealth and (mediocre) healing is a no-go for good combat design for a stealth class (Dark Cloak)

Path of Darkness - NERFED to Useless
- Not even going to comment about whatever use this cloud have in PvP (Read: None)

Mass Hysteria / Manifestation of Terror - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades
- Ok, good skill, now works on 6 targets

Shadow Image / Dark Shade - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades
- Ok, good skill, yet skill quit buggy on teleport activation (Shadow Image)
- Dark Shade, duration is too short for a melee summon, make this at least 30 seconds. Ok on damage buff though.

Siphoning Skills

Soul Shred - Best NB skill tree ultimate, actually the only one
- Soul Siphon heal range is too short in PvP, make this at least 20 meters like templar's healing ultimate
- Soul Tether is ok

Funnel Health / Swallow Soul - NB's Only acceptable damage skill, yet only 1 usefull morph... lol
- Funnel Health is ok, although casting is still too slow compared to other damage skills
- Swallow Soul - Nerfed into oblivion - Just delete this skill

Malevolent Offering - NERFED to Useless
- Not even going to comment about whatever use this cloud have in PvP (Read: None)

Debilitate / Crippling Grasp - Mediocre bugged skill
- [BUGGED] Skill's initial direct damage is not critical when casting out of stealth
- [BUGGED] Skill is near useless in PvP because of the ultra slow travel time of the projectile, most casts don't register miss or plain don't work in Cyrodill
- Skill is very marginal on usefulness in PvP because of above flaws

Siphoning Attacks / Leeching Strikes - Mediocre skill
- Skill is very marginal on usefulness, could have been a passive skill, yet it is an active skill with 2 morphs...

Sap Essence - Mediocre skill
- Skill (AoE) is very marginal on usefulness in PvP, still damage buff is ok.

Total of usefull skills in PvP: 6
Total of useless / mediocre skills in PvP: 12 <-- Really... Good work Zenimax!!

Please start making ESO a great game for casual gamers instead of destroying it for them Zenimax.

Stop listening to demands of the "pro's" and start thinking about casuals which keep on leaving the game like this... and will lead to the closing of ESO servers in the end...

Sorry to say this to you but ESO was ALWAYS a casual gamer friendly game, the grind is not hard compared to previous games I have played, it is solo friendly etc etc. Don't wanna be rude BUT are you even sure we play the same game?

dazee · April 2019

PeterUnlustig wrote: »

dazee wrote: »

Agreed a million percent with the OP. the point of a nerf is to bring hardcore players down in power to be closer to the casual players, not to hurt the casual players.

Any nerf must be designed with this in mind.

lol have you played eso Pvp in the last years? Solo and smallscale players have got nerfed more and more. Now the Dmg /Cheese Gap between an exceptional good player and someone who can open Youtube to check for builds is smaller then ever.
The biggest Problem with new Players vs. Veteran Players is really CP as plain and simple as that. There are to much CP for a healthy balance between no-CP, low Cp and max CP. CP passive Potency must be nerfed hard and Base stats of sets and other passives need to be buffed.

I'm not talking about pvp? lol.

Lab3360 · April 2019

Excaltic wrote: »

I'm making this post to reflect on on-going class nerfs in Elder Scrolls Online. It's all NERF NERF NERF an hardly any YAY YAY YAY...

Message to Zenimax game design:
Every patch, Elder Scrolls Online becomes less fun to play for casual gamers. You might want to make your game MORE enjoyable for casuals instead.
- Trials = Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DLC dungeon's = (Veteran) Content not meant for casual players / pug groups ==> Too difficult to get rewards / gear = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- DPS difference between casual gamers (just spamming some dots & attacks) and addicts with macro-rotations/animation cancelling is about a 500% difference in DPS, which is absurd and completely unbalanced = NO REASON TO PLAY (READ: PAY FOR) OR RETURN TO THIS GAME
- Ongoing nerfs only harm the casual gamers, not the addicts who just change their macro-rotation a little.

If you look at the recent changes to Night Blades for example. There are HARDLY any good fun skills to use anymore (especially in PvP). Why are you destroying your own game?

Assassination Skills

Soul Harvest (Ultimate) - Not Ultimate worthy
- Single target (lol...)
- 5 meter range (lol...)
- Dodgable (lol...)
- About the same damage as Ranged / AoE / Undodgable Ultimates from other classes...

Impale - Useless
- Only works when players are below (not even at) 25% health
- Using any other good skill / ultimate will finish them anyway at that point...

Lotus Fan - Useless
- Weak initial damage
- Weak DoT damage
- Minor Vulnerability for 8 seconds (7 seconds after GCD) "buff" is useless, because using other skills than this still does more damage in total
- Why would magicka users want a gapcloser anyway when they have ranged attacks...

Mirage / Double Take - Useless
- Major Evasion is way too situational to be usefull in PvP
- Minor Resolve and Minor Ward only award a mere 2,2% less damage taken which is useless (Mirage)
- Major Expedition for 4 seconds is useless (Double Take)
- Become a red glowing sphere on the battlefield, as a stealth player... sigh....

Piercing Mark / Reaping Mark - NERFED to Useless
- Major Fracture and Major Breach is the only acceptable thing about this skill
- Can only put it on 1 player at a time
- Stealth detection for 5 seconds, means 4 seconds after cast + global cooldown = useless since last NERF (Piercing)
- Major Berserk only after killing a player and only for 5 seconds... What are you going to kill in 5 seconds after killing a player?!?
- Elemental Drain (Destruction Staff) does the same but adds Magicka Steal as well...

Merciless Resolve - NERFED to Useless
- NB's last self-cast damage buff NERFED AWAY
- [BUGGED] Skill is bugged and doesn't work most of the time anyway or doesn't register on hit (Arrow shooting)
- Magicka morph is only 20 seconds, which is too short for a pure 5x heavy attack rotation in PvP, either make it 30 seconds, or lower it to 3x heavy attack
- Heal only works within 7 meters, while magicka players use ranged attacks

PROBLEM: Hemorrhage (Passive)
- You need to slot one of these useless skills to get an increased Critical Damage by 10%.

SOLUTION: Hemorrhage (Passive)
- Remove the need to slot an Assassination skill to get increased Critical Damage by 10%.

Shadow Skills

Consuming Darkness - Ultimate has no use in PvP
- When a NB's uses this skill in PvP, other players think that it's a memento, because it's that useless...

Concealed Weapon - First non-useless skill
- Magicka skill with 5 meter range (lol...)
- Dodgable (lol...)
- Off Balance only works when sneaking or invisible which doesn't work in PvP resource sustain fights

Shadow Cloak - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades, yet only 1 usefull morph... lol
- Stealth class needs this skill (Shadowy Disguise) to hide because most other skills are useless
- Tradeoff choice between stealth and (mediocre) healing is a no-go for good combat design for a stealth class (Dark Cloak)

Path of Darkness - NERFED to Useless
- Not even going to comment about whatever use this cloud have in PvP (Read: None)

Mass Hysteria / Manifestation of Terror - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades
- Ok, good skill, now works on 6 targets

Shadow Image / Dark Shade - The one of very few good skill of MagBlades
- Ok, good skill, yet skill quit buggy on teleport activation (Shadow Image)
- Dark Shade, duration is too short for a melee summon, make this at least 30 seconds. Ok on damage buff though.

Siphoning Skills

Soul Shred - Best NB skill tree ultimate, actually the only one
- Soul Siphon heal range is too short in PvP, make this at least 20 meters like templar's healing ultimate
- Soul Tether is ok

Funnel Health / Swallow Soul - NB's Only acceptable damage skill, yet only 1 usefull morph... lol
- Funnel Health is ok, although casting is still too slow compared to other damage skills
- Swallow Soul - Nerfed into oblivion - Just delete this skill

Malevolent Offering - NERFED to Useless
- Not even going to comment about whatever use this cloud have in PvP (Read: None)

Debilitate / Crippling Grasp - Mediocre bugged skill
- [BUGGED] Skill's initial direct damage is not critical when casting out of stealth
- [BUGGED] Skill is near useless in PvP because of the ultra slow travel time of the projectile, most casts don't register miss or plain don't work in Cyrodill
- Skill is very marginal on usefulness in PvP because of above flaws

Siphoning Attacks / Leeching Strikes - Mediocre skill
- Skill is very marginal on usefulness, could have been a passive skill, yet it is an active skill with 2 morphs...

Sap Essence - Mediocre skill
- Skill (AoE) is very marginal on usefulness in PvP, still damage buff is ok.

Total of usefull skills in PvP: 6
Total of useless / mediocre skills in PvP: 12 <-- Really... Good work Zenimax!!

Please start making ESO a great game for casual gamers instead of destroying it for them Zenimax.

Stop listening to demands of the "pro's" and start thinking about casuals which keep on leaving the game like this... and will lead to the closing of ESO servers in the end...

Very unstable game. Developers change skills and Nerf Roulete every 3 months. Im already looking at other options. Its like you constently have to worry if youre builds are going to work when you come back from work.

astraelis7 · April 2019

The amount of complaining is actually unreal... Listening to any vocal minority is dangerous and these threads should be included

The reality is that it doesn't matter: the game will progress and people will adapt. This game has always been in a state of change with classes rising and falling but you just have to deal with it.

I don't understand why "casual" players expect to get rewarded for doing basically nothing? These "pros" don't just come to a game and magically have higher DPS: they theorycraft, test and improve... What do you want? An AOE skill which just one shots anything that mildly comes into your vision???? It really doesn't take much to "get gud" even as a casual, but this mentality of the game just handing you what everyone else has worked hard to achieve is absurd. Your knowledge of your class and game is clearly lacking so your qqing is just comes across as uninformed...

All trials are puggable on normal, meaning you can get any gear set you want. The only thing out of your reach are perfected sets such as from Cloudrest, which give a *shocking* 1000 of your max stat!!! (Game-breaking, I know). Other other examples of Perfected Sets have similar minor improvements, perhaps except Asylum Inferno.

You also need to account for the fact that these skills will affect both PvE and PvP (most of your qq is from a PvP perspective). Why you feel like nightblade shouldn't have passive requirements like every other class is just beyond me: either the passive is worth it or it isn't. Your "useless" skills are in fact some of the best abilities in the game, they just require some skill to use them effectively, both in PvE and PvP.

They're hardly "destroying" their own game....you just need to learn to play it

LordTareq · April 2019

Completely agree with the OP. Every other class has much higher potential than nightblade at this point with the exception of gank builds.

me_ming · April 2019

Reverb wrote: »

Nightblade tears, disguised as advocating for new and casual players. Nice twist.

100%. Just goes to show that most NB are casuals who have no clue what they are talking about. The game is casual. Vet mode is not even that hard anymore. FYI if you played launch you have no idea how difficult it was to kill overland NPC in Vet 1 (Cadwell's Silver) zones. Compared to what we have now. And don't get me started with Craglorn. lol. Craglorn now and then is not even close. Now you can easily solo it. Back then a single mob in Craglorn so much smell you, you're already dead!

Also OP it's not macro it's called weaving. Maybe learn it sometime. Then you'd know why they nerfed your class. You're not a casual player, you're a player who thinks you deserve everything handed to you. You want to complete a vet trial or DLC dungeon? Maybe learn how to play the game, instead of being here in the forums crying.

These Nightblades are pathetic. My Templar have been nerfed to the ground, I can't even tell what's a templar from a sorc anymore, but I have managed to survive. And honestly, if "casual" players like yourself leave this game, it would be for the better.

TequilaFire · April 2019

OK, NB adjustments week 1 of PTS.
Which class is on the block next week? bwahahahahaha