100th valid reason to NOT nerf Oakensoul/Empower/Lightning Staff - respect player investment.

Liguar · March 2023

It's very timely that TheJimquisition just happened to upload a video last night about some of the backlash against accessibility options in games and the question of who should be able to enjoy games (as in, why not everyone).

There's a whole slew of quotables from the video and it was very interesting to see the way some developers are taking on the idea of making games more accessible (like the really weird ring system in FFXIV) that but the quote that stuck was:

"The sneering at difficulty and accessibility settings and the argument that you should just be better at games essentially communicate that people who need help are inherently inferior." -JSS

AnduinTryggva · March 2023

Blackbird_V wrote: »

Then they should not nerf any set in the game, or ability. We've invested a LOT of time into getting sets, only for the to be gutted months later. We also spend a lot of time practicing 2 bar rotations, light attack weaving etc. for that to also be nerfed. We get nerfs, so in fairness so should oakensoul. What it provides is far too much.

IMO either outright remove empower from Oakensoul, or give Empower the Minor/Major Treatment - 10% increased heavy attack damage with Minor Empower, and 20% increased heavy attack damage with Major Empower.

1 Mythic, 2 active abilities and heavy attacking really should not do 100k DPS imo.

I really don't get this. NOTHING is taken away from you.

While I not yet have unlocked Oakensoal I think it is a great addition to make content available to players that pay a lot of money so that ALL people can enjoy new content. It is these people who pay and can do so because they have to WORK!

And WORK means little time available for practicing.

Also, as discussed in other threads, some people just have some disabilities or simply are no longer 16 years old with teenage reflexes. Should they be deprived to enjoy a content because previously people had to practice LA weaving?

But there is much more to that:

I for instance am trying to get into a vet trial group since three years in my guild but no chance because vet groups are always full and raid only when I have zero time. So my only chance is going into random groups. It really has become difficult to get into random vet trial groups because people now request achievements. Which is understandable. However, this has a nasty side effect: This request for achievements has led to an explosion of carry run sales (I put these people to ignore list right away). So a group of people make insane amount of money from people who cannot get the achievement otherwise. Considering that gold wealth is extremely unevenly distributed (and let's not forget that during early years I've heard there had been some legal ingame tricks to earn huge amounts of money no longer available - do you hear me complain about that?) it makes it even harder for a lot of players. And in the end you end up with a lot of players who have the achievement but don't know the mechanics. Which is harmful for people looking for a random group for vet trials.

Anyhow: A high dps alone will NOT help to clear hm content if you cannot play the mechanics and do not work as a group.

It is really a zero problem. In fact this will just help improve the situation for a lot of players even for those who don't wear Oakensoul like myself. I really hope hard that we have more players really ready for vet content so that it is easier for me to find a decent vet trial random group.

AnduinTryggva · March 2023

Blackbird_V wrote: »

biminirwb17_ESO wrote: »

Again you are missing the point of Oakensoul for many players, I can't run top tier dungeons normally with one arm but can do a reasonable job with oakensoul.

Maybe the distinction is some of us need it, while others don't?

Oh I am fully aware there are those with comorbidities, other disabilities or age factor that require/need it. However, there are those that really do not need it, but use it because of how strong it is for how little you need to do. That is the part I disagree with, and unfortunately that is down to Heavy Attack builds, particularly Empower.

I believe you.

But to make an analogy: Because a ramp makes it easier for lazy people to get access to higher ground floors we should not build ramps for people in wheel chairs and just leave it up to them to use the stair case somehow - or not.

May I recall that ESO is not about winning gold medals in the Olympic Games but about having fun on a GAME.

Runefang · March 2023

Let's buff Oakensoul instead, there will still be people who use it and can't get vet trial trifectas. Think of those people, they're being left behind!

FrancisCrawford · March 2023

SkaiFaith wrote: »

@Araneae6537 Glad you found it useful!
To answer you, sure no one would take Bastian to a Trial, but he has the Skill Searing Weapons which grants 15% bonus damage to Light and Heavy Attacks. It's a very welcome buff for players who generally run Dungeons in solo, especially paired with Oakensoul, but you have to level him to unlock it and to have him not die immediately.
If it's someone's use case I highly suggest it; I've recently swapped him in instead of Isobel and I have an easier life with DPS on WBs.

I'll add on a side note to this topic - you are always playing solo if you play on Xbox EU servers at times other than evening or weekends. I've done 30 WBs for the Endeavor today, Bosses that drops Golden Leads, and all day nobody was there, only 3 people in Malabal Tor. So Oakensoul is really appreciated for helping with solo play...

Do you think that 15% is additive to or multiplicative with other buffs?

For if it's additive, that puts it below 7% as a true buff to HA DPS, and that would be only when it's actually up.

FrancisCrawford · March 2023

It seems there are 2 or 3 groups of issues here. I come out consistently on the side "Don't mess with our fun just because other folks want to keep feeling as special as they now do."

1. An Oakensoul simplification of a 2-bar build vs. the original 2-bar build it's based on. That seems pretty balanced to me. Indeed, I haven't figured out yet which is stronger for me on various characters.

2. The latest version of Empower, and the one-bar heavy attack builds they enable. I've been playing since open beta. I'm also over 60 years old. I'm delighted by the new heavy attack possibilities.

I can see the argument for nerfing Sergeant's Mail or whatever, but I hope such arguments don't carry the day.

3. The now-obvious synergy between Oakensoul and 1-bar HA builds. Yay ZoS for thinking of that. The self-backpatting when they first announced it was well-deserved.

SkaiFaith · March 2023

To put it gently, as the Xbox social account often does, "beating the game at the lowest difficulty it's still beating the game".
If this sounds controversial to you, then it probably means you've been more lucky than others not having to deal with impairments, but don't worry, there's a solution for that: aging.

Nice comments @FrancisCrawford, I'm not sure how to respond to your question because I'm on console and I can't test DPS precisely. What I can tell you is the Buff lasts 8 seconds and with blue quickened gear the cooldown is 11,5 seconds, so you only have a 3,5 seconds downtime.
I've noticed a big jump in damage but I've swapped Bastian in at the same time I've swapped the Lightning staff over the Frost staff, so I don't really know how much increase is thanks to Searing Weapons, but I still see enemies die faster when I slot Bastian instead of Isobel, even if both don't really have any attack skills on.

Tia413 · March 2023

Vulkunne wrote: »

None of that is really the point. No one should have OS. It is still over the top and never should have been added to the game.

OS is the answer to a question no one asked. What happens is players get OS and they get stop learning. If you want to be strong and good at this game, drop OS, delete it, walk away from it and learn how things really work.

For example, in every one of my builds, I get everything I need without OS and have another bar that's useful as well. OS is wasteful and leads to power creap because people have buffs that they don't even need or will rarely use. OS is like ZOS apologizing for players not being smart enough to make a build, so they give you a (1)pc set that is so over powered and not grounded its not even funny. No critical thinking, problem solving or real work involved. Not to mention as I've seen before many OS users have no idea what half of those buffs even do or how they relate to gameplay.

To me when people go on about OS it means you don't know how to make a proper build. You don't know what you're doing, you don't want to learn and you want to spend a short, very very brief amount of time and work tracking down (1) Mythic so you can have it do the thinking for you. I don't mean to be smug here however I have such a low opinion of OS its not even funny and anyone who gets too comfortable using it does themselves a great disservice in the long run. Especially if certain things change in the game you will not understand how to adapt.

Just like with DK Wings from back in the day, I shoot down folks all the time thinking OS is the big answer and it lets them down every... single... time. Just like back in the day with those other DK who thought DK Wings was the big answer to everything. They died even faster.

[edited to remove quote]

People like you make me so very angry! Where is the respect for people with Disabilities in anything you said? Why don't you direct your anger over the misuse of the Oakensoul ring at the people in the game who are misusing it and aren't disabled?

You speak like you expect nothing but Non Disabled people to be allowed to play this game. Correct me if I am wrong.

Not all of us live Normal lives....some of us were born with Birth Defects, some of us had RL things happen to us that caused our Disabilities (accidents at work, car accidents, injuries incurred by the aggressive acts of another person... to name a few), and some of us have had Strokes (which a person has no control over preventing happening at any age).

It does not make us so stupid that we can't play a video game nor less capable of being able to play a video game. It just means we have limitations to how we can play said video game. And some games, some of us just can't play at all.

I myself suffer from 2 sets of those above mentioned types of Disabilities and it caused me to lose a vast majority of my Motor Impulses (hand to brain connection). 1 I will discuss, the other I won't.

At 31 yrs of age I had a Stroke ...I lost the ability to ever be a 4.0 student again. My IQ even now is lower than what it was. I had to re-learn how to Speak, Walk, do simple Math, Read, Write, Drink, Feed myself, to do normal every day things, etc. And I couldn't even recognize my own children. I used to be able to type 80WPM without looking at my keys. Now I can barely type 40WPM and I have to look at my keys to even type. I use to be able to play Console games, but I lost the ability to use a Controller. But I accept that! I could have just sat there and felt sorry for myself and let myself wither away or I could fight to regain as much of my old self as I could and appreciate the fact that I was still alive. And I chose to fight it.
****
I am not writing this to get you to feel sorry for me...I don't want your sympathy. I am just hoping that I can get you and others to realize LIFE is hard enough for Disabled people already...that doesn't mean you have to make it even harder for us

It does not mean I am stupid, it just means I am limited in how my Neurological responses are received in my brain and my reaction time is slower because of that and I have to find other ways to do things I used to be able to do.

And I definitely SHOULD not be limited on being able to play a online game just because I am disabled and am unable to use 2 bars to play the game the way YOU think I should play it ( My Way or the Highway form of thinking)or my build isn't the Preferred or w/e ya'll call it build! Nor because I can't use WASD to move and have to use my Up and Down Arrow keys on my Keyboard to only move Forwards or Backwards. And my Mouse to turn my Camera Angle. My NUM keys for my skills. Nor because my Neurological responses don't afford me the time to Block or Dodge incoming attacks.
I accept that I will never be able to do Trials and Group Dungeons, because of the One Way form of thinking so many people like you have in this game. So.....IDC.

I still enjoy the game. I still enjoy running my 1 bar build(as I have since starting the game back in 2016) and swapping out skills from time to time just to see which is a more viable skill. And because of my Trial and Error method I managed to find 2 sets of gear that work out wonderfully for me and I am not only a 1 bar build....I am also a pet-less MagSorc build who just got the Oakensoul Ring a week ago. The Oakensoul Ring opened up new possibilities for me that I had been afraid to try Solo like WB's and PD's. It gave me more things to do now and I love it.

(EDUCATE YOURSELF) Here in the USA the Disabled have Rights by this ......Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act, both of which require accessibility and are meant to prevent discrimination of individuals with disabilities.
According to data provided by Sayfarth Shaw, since 2015, the number of accessibility lawsuits has increased by almost 10-fold, with almost half of those relating to organizations in retails and online sales.

The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 requires accessible communication options to be available in television, video, and streaming services. It wasn't until 2019, however, that this act finally applied to video games.
[url="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/05/09/passionate-video-gamers-dont-let-their-disabilities-stop-them/3661312002/[/url]
https://accessibility.com/blog/the-state-of-accessibility-in-gaming-in-2021
[url="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lakenbrooks/2021/10/13/disabled-gamers-are-using-video-games-for-self-care/?sh=390914ce6884tp://[/url]

Embrace us instead of Shunning us because.....Disabled people are here to stay like it or not!
And I applaud ZOS for creating a way to make it easier for those of us with Disabilities to be able to play TESO!

Heelie · March 2023

The splash from tri focus should just be halved. And not scale on the model, this would fix all empower problems. The 2nd problem is tankyness, I think it should just receive the sneak function where oakensoul has one set of buffs or the other. This way you don't have 100k dps tanks, which is really the bigger problem. Many of the buffs are buffs 2 bar dds in no way has access to like aegis. The tankyness and splash is what makes oakensoul preferred for trials like AS over any other type of build atm. 100k single target dps with little to no effort is fine, as said a million times, 2 bar has more ST at the top. 100k aoe dps the size of the entire room while having more damage mitigation than the main tank, is problematic. Because tri focus does 100% splash damage mini bosses in AS die extremely quickly, therefore you can now forgoe the OT role and bring an extra dd, this could mean that an oakensoul group might take the AS World Record, and that defeats the entire Oakensoul narrative.

Tia413 · March 2023

Vulkunne wrote: »

TaSheen wrote: »

I have no interest at all in "going further". Oakensoul enables me to deal with combat that's not intuitive, or interesting, or viable for me.

Some of us - like me - just want to have fun in this game. Without elitists attemptiing to put us down for not "going further".

Which brings us full circle to yet another problem OS brings, something I wrote about originally, is how OS degrades existing content and makes the game not as worthwhile because all you need is one item. Think about all those sets and all those things you don't need to learn or care about now because all you have to do is go get one thing.

Anyone remember Solid Snake from NES? Legend of Zelda would never have played it this way either. If you want something, time to man up and quest for it and then go find the other things at the far corners of the world.

Ah those was the good ol days.

@TaSheen I happen to 100% agree with you.

@Vulkunne
Did you pay for my Base game or for any of my DLC's since it? Or anyone elses for that matter? No, you did not!
FYI....I didn't buy it to play the Group Dungeons, Trials or to PVP!
My game, my money...My Prerogative on how I want to play it.

Tia413 · March 2023

Vulkunne wrote: »

You're not happy about combat so you lean on your ring to prove a point to the rest of us who do find PvP intuitive, interesting and viable.

There is a difference. Its not just all about you and 'your fun' when it stacks the odds against other players. Moreover, just because you have Oak doesn't make up for not understanding how PvP works, esp if you hate it to begin with you're going to really hate losing to ppl who know more than you without the ring.

for 1) PvP is not mandatory in order to play the game
For 2) For those of us who do have the Oakensoul Ring and don't PvP....how are we a threat to you if we never go to IC or Cyro?

Liguar · March 2023

Tia413 wrote: »

for 1) PvP is not mandatory in order to play the game
For 2) For those of us who do have the Oakensoul Ring and don't PvP....how are we a threat to you if we never go to IC or Cyro?

I agree with you, but I'm pretty sure that the person you're quoting is just using pvp as a strawman. I don't think there are many people here wanting to use the ring to trounce others in pvp (also, since empower only works in pve it doesn't even seem like it it's a thing right now). But that's the point, they're just trying to make you angry by making silly claims about people using oakensoul ruining the game for others.

Edit: my spouse just shouted something about Brandolini's law
Perhaps it is a bigger comfort to know that people resort to falsehood when they have no valid argument.

Red_chimera_oni · March 2023

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

"... "Don't mess with our fun just because other folks want to keep feeling as special as they now do." ...."

All the noise about oakensoul is only about that.

They use 2bars and they can be better then any 1bar player. Sadly they don't wanna train and be better then 1bar users.
They talk about easy builds but they ask to nerf oakensoul so they can keep easy bad rotation. Lol

SkaiFaith · March 2023

Heelie wrote: »

this could mean that an oakensoul group might take the AS World Record, and that defeats the entire Oakensoul narrative.

Stay with me with the following reasoning, I'll make it "simple and clean":
There is a colorblind person that can't get trifectas because he dies in AoE.
Devs add a "colorblindness correction" option, and this person gets to achieve the most impossible trifecta. Moreover, a party of 12 colorblind people get that trifecta. But still you are incapable of achieving it...
Would you consider this something unfair that hurts you?
Because that's the whole point of Oakensoul!

Nobody is forcing anyone to use Oakensoul as nobody is doing it for the colorblindness feature. If both these things help players get something that otherwise they wouldn't be able to achieve... I'm glad they can be happy, even if I personally will never get it.

Claiming that enabling people to be more competitive is damaging the game or player-base sound quite nonsense to me... Maybe feelings would get easier if regular people would try to "put themselves in other's shoes"...

(Thank you for your sharings @Tia413 )

Tia413 · March 2023

SkaiFaith wrote: »

(Thank you for your sharings @Tia413 )

You're very Welcome

I am actually a very nice person but I really can't stand it when people who aren't Disabled attack things that are designed to help Disabled people.

Some of us, no matter our Disabilities still want to live. To take part in things we used to be able to do, but can't do as well now. Or we are limited to our Homes, and so thereforth the Internet and all it has to offer has became our new form of life.

Even though we know we may never be able to play all parts of a game it is both Healing and Therapeutic. And ofc, much more fun than sitting in a rocking chair and twiddling our thumbs or feeling sorry for ourselves

I refuse to just throw in the towel on life and sit in a rocking chair twiddling my thumbs. I am a fighter and I will fight for my Rights as a Disabled person whom lives in the USA.

I appreciate Game Companies like ZOS who try to find a way to include us Disabled people in their game.

JJMaxx1980 · March 2023

Tia413 wrote: »

…things that are designed to help Disabled people.

I keep seeing this argument. Can you link me where ZOS said that Oakensoul was created specifically for disabled people?

AnduinTryggva · March 2023

JJMaxx1980 wrote: »

Tia413 wrote: »

…things that are designed to help Disabled people.

I keep seeing this argument. Can you link me where ZOS said that Oakensoul was created specifically for disabled people?

Maybe it was designed for disabled people, maybe it wasn't.

But I would like to kindly ask you and others to have enough trust in your fellow players to believe them when they say that OS ring helps them a lot to access stuff that has not been accessible to them prior to that due to their disability.

kypranb14_ESO · March 2023

JJMaxx1980 wrote: »

Tia413 wrote: »

…things that are designed to help Disabled people.

I keep seeing this argument. Can you link me where ZOS said that Oakensoul was created specifically for disabled people?

@JJMaxx1980

I don't believe they specifically said disabled, I believe they said something about accessibility. I believe it was stated in the high isle PTS notes, I could be wrong though.

Also, regarding accessibility. I view it like Wal-Mart electric scooters. They are there for those who need them, and abused by those who don't. lol

Liguar · March 2023

kypranb14_ESO wrote: »

Also, regarding accessibility. I view it like Wal-Mart electric scooters. They are there for those who need them, and abused by those who don't. lol

I've heard this before. But unless you know their personal history, you don't know if they need it or not. Not all reasons are blatantly visible. Just the same as people asking for the accessibility seats on the bus.

JJMaxx1980 · March 2023

kypranb14_ESO wrote: »

JJMaxx1980 wrote: »

Tia413 wrote: »

…things that are designed to help Disabled people.

I keep seeing this argument. Can you link me where ZOS said that Oakensoul was created specifically for disabled people?

@JJMaxx1980

I don't believe they specifically said disabled, I believe they said something about accessibility. I believe it was stated in the high isle PTS notes, I could be wrong though.

Also, regarding accessibility. I view it like Wal-Mart electric scooters. They are there for those who need them, and abused by those who don't. lol

No. What ZOS said was that they wanted to decrease the delta between those who can ‘successfully interact’ with the LA mechanic and those who cannot. Not being able to properly LA weave doesn't not mean you’re disabled. Some people have natural rhythm and some people don’t. I have a friend who was absolutely amazing at Guitar Hero. It was uncanny. The kinetic playstyle of the game suited their natural abilities. I was rubbish at Guitar Hero because I didn’t have that specific natural talent.

Likewise there are ESO players who take to pressing a specific button every 0.3 seconds very easily. It’s just a fast game of whack-a-mole where they can intuitively rotate between 15 buttons, and are comfortable with a ridiculous APM. Other players, such as myself, cannot but it’s not because I’m disabled. Most of the players I know using Oakensoul aren’t disabled, they just lack the natural right-brained talent that would allow them to interact successfully with the LA mechanic.

Tia413 · March 2023

JJMaxx1980 wrote: »

Tia413 wrote: »

…things that are designed to help Disabled people.

I keep seeing this argument. Can you link me where ZOS said that Oakensoul was created specifically for disabled people?

I think you need to re-read the quote of mine that you so nicely included in your post......It says the word "help" in it. Not the word "specifically".

And the Ring helps me be able to do more in Overland Zones like Solo WB's and doing PD's alone, than I was able to do previously?
As does the release of Companions. Wanna nerf them too or take them away also?

Is that a problem?

JJMaxx1980 · March 2023

Tia413 wrote: »

JJMaxx1980 wrote: »

Tia413 wrote: »

…things that are designed to help Disabled people.

I keep seeing this argument. Can you link me where ZOS said that Oakensoul was created specifically for disabled people?

I think you need to re-read the quote of mine that you so nicely included in your post......It says the word "help" in it. Not the word "specifically".

And the Ring helps me be able to do more in Overland Zones like Solo WB's and doing PD's alone, than I was able to do previously?
As does the release of Companions. Wanna nerf them too or take them away also?

Is that a problem?

But... you said this?

Tia413 wrote: »

People like you make me so very angry! Where is the respect for people with Disabilities (the very reason ZOS created the ring) in anything you said?

I'm simply asking what information you are using to make this claim, because I have not seen it.

TaSheen · March 2023

I'm not disabled. I never said I was. I'm old (mid-70s) and I've been playing computer games since the mid 1980s - but now, my reflexes (which used to be good enough for raiding in WoW) aren't very good any more. Also I have only satellite for a connection, which means my ping is generally astronomical, and believe me, that does NOT help with twitchy fast combat.

So yes, Oakensoul makes the combat more "accessible" for me. For me, it's a win. I'm sorry it upsets you much better game warriors. I don't do group content (because it would be entirely unfair to drop 750+ ping on others) and I never pvp any more, so I'm not harming your game in any way.

SkaiFaith · March 2023

@JJMaxx1980

"Mythic Items
Oakensoul: This item set now also grants you Minor Slayer, Minor Aegis, and Empower.
Developer Comment:
Spoiler
We’ve been keeping a close eye on Oakensoul’s heated debates throughout the PTS cycle where the nerfs were noted as justified in PvP environments, but ultimately hit the set a bit too hard in some PvE scenarios. We opted to avoid enabling too much damage on the set by adding the Major versions of Slayer or Aegis, as those buffs are meant to be sourced from trial sets and to encourage coordinated behavior for groups. Instead, we went with the much more readily available Minor versions to help out players who may not have access to trials gear (or just have other sets they’d rather run!). In addition, we wanted to add the new Empower buff, which is by design now focused on helping accessibility – just like this ring is – so it was a stars aligning moment that we think will drastically help the set claw back some of its power, without showing up on veteran player’s bars as frequently as we saw."

Source: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/613645/pts-patch-notes-v8-1-3

You're very much welcome

Tia413 · March 2023

JJMaxx1980 wrote: »

kypranb14_ESO wrote: »

JJMaxx1980 wrote: »

Tia413 wrote: »

…things that are designed to help Disabled people.

I keep seeing this argument. Can you link me where ZOS said that Oakensoul was created specifically for disabled people?

@JJMaxx1980

I don't believe they specifically said disabled, I believe they said something about accessibility. I believe it was stated in the high isle PTS notes, I could be wrong though.

Also, regarding accessibility. I view it like Wal-Mart electric scooters. They are there for those who need them, and abused by those who don't. lol

No. What ZOS said was that they wanted to decrease the delta between those who can ‘successfully interact’ with the LA mechanic and those who cannot. Not being able to properly LA weave doesn't not mean you’re disabled. Some people have natural rhythm and some people don’t. I have a friend who was absolutely amazing at Guitar Hero. It was uncanny. The kinetic playstyle of the game suited their natural abilities. I was rubbish at Guitar Hero because I didn’t have that specific natural talent.

Likewise there are ESO players who take to pressing a specific button every 0.3 seconds very easily. It’s just a fast game of whack-a-mole where they can intuitively rotate between 15 buttons, and are comfortable with a ridiculous APM. Other players, such as myself, cannot but it’s not because I’m disabled. Most of the players I know using Oakensoul aren’t disabled, they just lack the natural right-brained talent that would allow them to interact successfully with the LA mechanic.

And if you had read Post #69 thouroughly....I also said that I suffer from a lose to a vast majority of my Motor Impulses (hand to brain connection). Thanks to a Stroke I had when I was 31.

Hence why I can't use a controller anymore to play Console games and why I have to look at my keys while typing when I use to not to.

My response time from my brain to tell my hand to do something is slower than normal peoples. Lots slower.

And I also said this in Post 69.....And I applaud ZOS for creating a way to make it easier for those of us with Disabilities to be able to play TESO!

And it does help ME!

I don't owe anyone but ZOS an explanation as to why I want to play TESO.

Thank You and Have a Nice day!

Remathilis · March 2023

Tia413 wrote: »

JJMaxx1980 wrote: »

Tia413 wrote: »

…things that are designed to help Disabled people.

I keep seeing this argument. Can you link me where ZOS said that Oakensoul was created specifically for disabled people?

I think you need to re-read the quote of mine that you so nicely included in your post......It says the word "help" in it. Not the word "specifically".

And the Ring helps me be able to do more in Overland Zones like Solo WB's and doing PD's alone, than I was able to do previously?
As does the release of Companions. Wanna nerf them too or take them away also?

Is that a problem?

I mean, I've seen people bemoaning currated item drops and Arena weapons on normal because they grinded vet maelstrom for months before getting an inferno staff, so anything that makes it easier is unfair!

Never underestimate how much the notion of "I have suffered and so should you" that runs deep in our society.

JJMaxx1980 · March 2023

SkaiFaith wrote: »

@JJMaxx1980

"Mythic Items
Oakensoul: This item set now also grants you Minor Slayer, Minor Aegis, and Empower.
Developer Comment:
Spoiler
We’ve been keeping a close eye on Oakensoul’s heated debates throughout the PTS cycle where the nerfs were noted as justified in PvP environments, but ultimately hit the set a bit too hard in some PvE scenarios. We opted to avoid enabling too much damage on the set by adding the Major versions of Slayer or Aegis, as those buffs are meant to be sourced from trial sets and to encourage coordinated behavior for groups. Instead, we went with the much more readily available Minor versions to help out players who may not have access to trials gear (or just have other sets they’d rather run!). In addition, we wanted to add the new Empower buff, which is by design now focused on helping accessibility – just like this ring is – so it was a stars aligning moment that we think will drastically help the set claw back some of its power, without showing up on veteran player’s bars as frequently as we saw."

Source: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/613645/pts-patch-notes-v8-1-3

You're very much welcome

ZOS is not referring to accessibility in the way that refers to disability. In the context of the game, ZOS refers to accessibility as newer players or players with less optimized builds having the same 'access' to content as veteran players.

See this video by Dottz to show you what ZOS is speaking about.

https://youtu.be/EU_rpgIU1vA

FrancisCrawford · March 2023

SkaiFaith wrote: »

To put it gently, as the Xbox social account often does, "beating the game at the lowest difficulty it's still beating the game".
If this sounds controversial to you, then it probably means you've been more lucky than others not having to deal with impairments, but don't worry, there's a solution for that: aging.

Nice comments @FrancisCrawford, I'm not sure how to respond to your question because I'm on console and I can't test DPS precisely. What I can tell you is the Buff lasts 8 seconds and with blue quickened gear the cooldown is 11,5 seconds, so you only have a 3,5 seconds downtime.
I've noticed a big jump in damage but I've swapped Bastian in at the same time I've swapped the Lightning staff over the Frost staff, so I don't really know how much increase is thanks to Searing Weapons, but I still see enemies die faster when I slot Bastian instead of Isobel, even if both don't really have any attack skills on.

My thinking is that Empower is a +100% buff. Minor Berserk and Minor Slayer are +5% (everywhere) plus +5% (in some places). Sorcerers get +5% to Lightning and +0-9% to everything. CP may add a bit more.

So if it's additive in the usual way, Bastian's buff, even when up, is effectively divided by at least 2.1, and really somewhat more than that.

FrancisCrawford · March 2023

By the way, @SkaiFaith -- are you causing a lot of Off Balance? That can certainly be done with skills; the combo of LIghtning Wall (either morph) and Elemental Susceptibility gets me pretty close to the theoretical maximum of uptime (a little over 30%). And that's important because it gives +80% to heavy attack damage.

If you're not, Isobel will do it for you with Gallant Blitz.

Mirri has such a skill too (Shadow Slash). That said, the downside of having your companion be in melee range is well-known, as will be demonstrated by our future Argonian companion Stands-In-Stupid.

Uh, actually Bastian has one too (Ardent Warrior). So maybe he's still ahead.

Red_chimera_oni · March 2023

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

My thinking is that Empower is a +100% buff. Minor Berserk and Minor Slayer are +5% (everywhere) plus +5% (in some places). Sorcerers get +5% to Lightning and +0-9% to everything. CP may add a bit more.

So if it's additive in the usual way, Bastian's buff, even when up, is effectively divided by at least 2.1, and really somewhat more than that.

Even with all that buffs, we can't have same/more dps then players with a good weaving. Never in any situation!
If we talk about "perfect weaving" .... only nubs will argument Oakensoul is one problem.