Sure, a passive could work too. The only thing about the passive is that some players slot rapid maneuvers and that would mess with their build. I personally don't but trying to think of the least invasive way to make things easier.

As a side note RM is so easy to get. Making it a passive would force players to level up the alliance skill lines more than they probably would like. For PVP players that is no problem, for PVE players that just want the speed boost it would be a barrier. Honestly, RM is used in both PVP and PVE everywhere because of the add-on and I'm not entirely sure it needs to be an Alliance skill anymore. But like with Vigor, we are getting into a bigger discussion about skill/class rebalancing that ZOS should fix.

lol

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

But how would we launch people into the abyss in vAA by giving them an unexpected speed boost?

Its also great fun to wait until your PVP raid is heading up the stairs to jump off the outer wall of a keep, then hit rapids and watch as someone fails to make the switchback on the stairs. Or laugh when I'm the one who misses the turn and goes flying off thanks to someone else's well timed rapids.

I've thought for a while that they should implement a mounted skill bar. You could slot rapids in there and whatever combat openers you like to use, for those that like the instant dismount of a skill cast. Yes, it would give people room for a limited use of skills that don't normally fit on their bars, but it wouldn't break the game. Or, hear me out: a riding skill line to accompany that bar.

@Extraegis I'm glad someone likes the idea! I think if it happened, major gallop and shadow rider (from the Dark Brotherhood line) should move there. I think there should be at least one free space for a combat opener, too. I thought a mounted loot/activation would be a good one. It'd have to be a channel that requires you to stay near the node/corpse/container for as long as it'd require you to loot/activate things normally. Another idea I had was an ability to sacrifice some of your own stamina or magicka and give stamina to your mount (more useful for lower level toons, obviously). Do you have any ideas?

Interesting thought. A couple of initial questions/concerns, mainly revolving around technical issues:

I haven’t tried recently, but wouldn’t activating a synergy while mounted automatically dismount you? Even if they made this synergy a "rule-breaker" in that regard, synergies are much more finicky on a gamepad, since they require pressing two ability buttons at once, and not infrequently the game will interpret that at one ability or the other rather than the synergy. That means you could easily get dismounted instead of activating Rapids, which then of course require getting back on the mount to try again. I’m not sure I’d want to rely on chancy things like that any more than necessary. Rebinding would also be prohibitive, in my view, since controllers already have comparatively limited buttons and combinations. Finding ones that don’t overlap with abilities (to avoid the previous scenario) would be difficult, especially when the game refuses to accept a lot of valid combinations. For example, the game does not register holding block and pressing another button during the rebinding process, even though the devs somehow programmed that in for roll dodge. Many other valid combinations, such as long or short presses, are likewise not recognized without the more nuanced rebinding of another program like Steam. I don't think a synergy would be a viable replacement for a skill in gamepad mode until and unless the issues regarding technical reliability are addressed.

Second, more a curiosity: How would this work on foot? While Rapid Maneuvers is often used for riding, it is not exclusive to riding. How would the game know when to make the synergy available if we wanted to use this for Major Expedition? If that would require slotting the skill, then one could argue the same about the riding situation. Alternatively, if the synergy were always available, then it would likely interfere with activating other synergies, both those in combat and the blade of woe and vampire feeding mechanics. I would not want to see M.E. removed from the skill without a comparable replacement, as Rapids are easily accessible for all characters from level 10 with effectively zero combat required. Skill-based M.E. is not otherwise available to a third of classes without 1) being a vampire; 2) running dual wield; or 3) investing in and grinding the Psijic line, which is pay-walled. Alternatively, give those two classes class access to M.E., and then I wouldn't mind it being dropped from Rapids quite as much.

I appreciate that you have all platforms in mind here. I’m just not sure synergies are reliable enough to be a solution. Ideally I'd like to see ZOS figure out how to implement adding Rapids automatically while mounted, a la the add-on. The idea of a whole dedicated riding bar is intriguing and is something we know they should be able to do from Overload and Werewolf.

Edited to clarify M.E. = Major Expedition

@virtus753 so to your first question. Yes a mounted synergy is unprecedented. It doesn't necessarily have to be a synergy but rather a prompt that appears when mounted.

To your concern about pressing two buttons at the same time I don't have a solution to that really. I mostly play with a controller on PC and don't really have issues with activating synergies very often. I think issues often arise because of zoning. Multiple synergies in the same area or the game has trouble seeing you as in the area to prompt the synergy.

On to your next question my proposed change really is to address RM while mounted. To use the skill on foot for ME you will have to have it slotted. I am really just suggesting to do what Fast Ride or Assist Riding already does but to do it with a prompt instead of a skill swap. That way we don't run into those issues where the skill gets stuck because of combat and also the convenience of using RM in this way is available to console or gamepad users. I am not proposing to have the prompt always available.

It would literally play out like this.

You have a skill point in RM. You mount on your horse, a prompt appears, "press X (or X + B for gamepad) for Major Gallop", you press it and the FX appear, when MG expires the prompt reappears and you use it or ignore it. That is it. The prompt only appears when mounted otherwise you can slot RM and use it like normal.

If you think that just having a skill point in RM to use it without it being slotted seems broken please realize this is already exactly what is happening when we use these RM add-ons.

@idk I am suggesting a prompt similar to a synergy. I'm sure ZOS could get around that limitation if they wanted to.

Extraegis wrote: »

It wouldn't even be the first time ZOS added in a feature that add-ons previously took care of. Buff timers come to mind.

Buff timers haven't always been part of settings? I wouldn't know, since I only joined last year; I was just curious.

Just add major gallop to sprint function now by default. And remove it from rapids. You want it activate sprint as you already normally do. For what ever reason you don’t want it then don’t sprint to activate it. Be a nice gift to console users since PC has a add-on that does it for them.

Be safe and have fun.

If Rapid Maneuver gave other players a synergy opportunity to get the speed buff, we'd finally see a a good use for the constant usage of this skill (which is the Undaunted synergy returns) being used in PvE Dungeon content by players racing in front of everybody pulling mobs...

Couldn't they also just dedicate one button to major gallop while mounted once you've unlocked it?

I just had that thought.

@Zyrudin didn't think about the undaunted passive. When I posted this idea on Reddit there was some pushback from PVP players saying that being able to give Major Expedition to players on foot would break PVP. Now if you just mean it gives Major Gallop to others that are mounted that how I envision this "synergy" to work.

@Lamiai I personally feel like a passive would work but there would be some pushback from players that slot RM. But the repair kits idea I feel everyone could get behind. Unfortunately, your lack of faith in ZOS is not entirely unfounded.

@Versispellis yes exactly, that's what my vision is essentially and just have a prompt to tell you what that button is. But if you mean have a dedicated hotkey you could configure in settings. IDK maybe, are there enough bavailable keys in that scenario?

@MajThorax slotting unslotting or the use of add-ons. It is something that everyone is doing all the time and it just makes you think, "maybe this should be easier? Why do we need an add-on to do something every "x" seconds I play this game?" And also, "There is a whole population of the player base that is left out of this same convenience of "free speed"?"

Should just be added as part of battle spirit in Cyrodiil.