I mean, as a not-ultra-competitive player, I'd call it more of a high end meta sort of thing yeah.

I have multiple characters that are using dual staves and can clear any content without issues (though sure, I'm not trying to, nor am I in contention for, setting any records here lol).

If we're talking pvp, that's not my thing and I can't speak to that so much.

One-bar oakensoul + lightning staff is also a thing, and I have a couple of those builds that I love, and I've been high on the solo leaderboard for a couple different classes in EA with them.

There are certainly still many ways to play if you're not trying to compete at the highest levels.

EDIT to add: as was mentioned below, the big thing that's changed I think is hybridization, so you're not locked into mag vs. stam as you once were - most things will scale off the higher of either your mag or stam dmg / stats.

My most successful build lately is actually built fully into stam, but uses oakensoul + a lightning staff and mostly mag abilities (for which the attacks all scale off of my max stam and weapon damage).

Staves are still OK weapons, just crit increase from daggers + Deadly Cloak's damage is just too good to pass if you min-max. Probably only exception is Warden with dual ice setup that is pretty viable with their Chilled status scaling.

Thanks for all the replies, I know in every game there will be a meta, just not a fan of playing melee. We will see how it goes

SmellyUnlimited wrote: »

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

I mean, as a not-ultra-competitive player, I'd call it more of a high end meta sort of thing yeah.

I have multiple characters that are using dual staves and can clear any content without issues (though sure, I'm not trying to, nor am I in contention for, setting any records here lol).

If we're talking pvp, that's not my thing and I can't speak to that so much.

One-bar oakensoul + lightning staff is also a thing, and I have a couple of those builds that I love, and I've been high on the solo leaderboard for a couple different classes in EA with them.

There are certainly still many ways to play if you're not trying to compete at the highest levels.

EDIT to add: as was mentioned below, the big thing that's changed I think is hybridization, so you're not locked into mag vs. stam as you once were - most things will scale off the higher of either your mag or stam dmg / stats.

My most successful build lately is actually built fully into stam, but uses oakensoul + a lightning staff and mostly mag abilities (for which the attacks all scale off of my max stam and weapon damage).

So, does that mean if stamina is my main resource, but I run concealed weapon, that it’ll scale off of weapon and stamina instead of magicka? Also, why would someone not just take the stamina morph Surprise Attack since it would be pulling from their largest pool to cast from, and not from their smallest resource pool? What’s the though process behind that?

the damage scales off stamina/magicka and weapon/spell damage.
not the cost of casting a skill.

JackSmirkingRevenge wrote: »

Hello all!
I played this game from launch until around elswyer. Ive decided to come back and noticed one major change (I know theres alot more for example the CP system etc) but on all the build guides, it seems magicka characters (which are what I mostly played, necro/magblade) are using DW melee setups. Im not that found of playing melee characters, is that just a high end meta thing, or are dual staves no longer that competitive.

Thanks!

It depends upon what content you want to do. IMO, Daggers are way more for stack-and-burn bosses in trials and parse-flexing than for things like dungeon achievements and arenas.

Doing complex mechanics in a dungeon is still way easier playing ranged with a Staff that it's more than worth the few thousand theoretical DPS that you're "losing" by not adopting Daggers and playing melee.