Whatever happened to the Maelstrom Bow??

SmellyUnlimited · November 2023

We all worked so damn hard to get the thing, it did wonders for our dps with hail, and now it’s just….not a thing anymore!? How dare you!! For that matter, where did razor caltrops and poison injection go!? In its place we just have stampede and carve, which are great skills don’t get me wrong, but I’m still not seeing the parse numbers reflect a damage differential. Is it because fights have now become much more mobile?

ElderSmitter · November 2023

I use Caltrops for 100% everything i do in regards to Solo. I switch it up in Group Content based on what i see going on.

Necrotech_Master · November 2023

i still use the maelstrom bow on my stam templar dps as a back bar weapon

i also use poison injection on the same character

i actually run 2h front bar and bow back bar on that character

my stam arcanist dps is actually using bow/bow, though im not actually using any bow skills on my front bar right now

LunaFlora · November 2023

I'm confused by the problem?
Thunderous Volley and all those skills still work just fine

SmellyUnlimited · November 2023

LunaFlora wrote: »

I'm confused by the problem?
Thunderous Volley and all those skills still work just fine

Okay. I guess I was asking from the “theorycrafter” perspective, where a lot of the BIS builds I’m seeing now no longer include the maelstrom how anymore, instead choosing the maelstrom 2H for stampede.

Necrotech_Master · November 2023

SmellyUnlimited wrote: »

LunaFlora wrote: »

I'm confused by the problem?
Thunderous Volley and all those skills still work just fine

Okay. I guess I was asking from the “theorycrafter” perspective, where a lot of the BIS builds I’m seeing now no longer include the maelstrom how anymore, instead choosing the maelstrom 2H for stampede.

my guess is that "meta" stuff uses 2h back bar because stampede starts dealing dmg instantly compared to volley which takes 2 sec before it starts dealing dmg

but for me personally, the change to the 2h maelstrom weapon was a massive nerf by removing the extra bleed on stampede

i still use stampede on my front bar on my stamplar, because its a better gap closer than the templar class one due to having a dot component

colossalvoids · November 2023

Let me just say I also prefer things before homogenisation, probably around ten of my chars are still wearing those and rocking various builds from past years because I'm not gonna chase the last candy every single patch on every and each of them playing mostly just main.

Rkindaleft · November 2023

Those weapons and skills are still very viable and in some cases meta in some scenarios (like people still bring Bow to vAS) but if you're looking for the absolute best damage in most situations they have been powercrept by 2h in terms of single target DPS on most builds/parses as a backbar weapon, so they're not the "go-to" skills like they were 3 years ago.

Anti-Cavalry Caltrops is still really valuable as cleave for both Mag and Stam DPS and sees tons of use in raid and in solo it's very useful for classes like Stam Sorc that don't get a source of breach in their kits if you take the other morph.

tsaescishoeshiner · November 2023

I started using backbar Maelstrom Inferno on my stam chars instead--also gives you a nice burning proc, and helps with sustain to use a mag skill.

Maelstrom Bow could use some help.

MudcrabAttack · November 2023

From a theory crafting perspective maelstrom bow is still very useful for trash pulls in any kind of content. As you run from one group of mobs to another you can drop endless hail or arrow barrage on a targeted spot from 28m away. Since it doesn’t deal damage right away you can cast it right before doing anything else and running closer, drop it right before the tank aggros anything and it essentially buys you 1 more free skill cast with big aoe damage. An alternate to this is casting fire rune, but it has a tiny area of effect. Trash fights might only last 5-10 seconds, so 1 free skill cast is theoretically like a 10-20% damage buff

I think maelstrom 2H is more used for buffing direct damage now, which tends to come up more in single target fights. It’s pretty strong on a class like nightblade, but not so much for a class like Arcanist wearing Velothi Amulet

El_Borracho · November 2023

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

I started using backbar Maelstrom Inferno on my stam chars instead--also gives you a nice burning proc, and helps with sustain to use a mag skill.

Maelstrom Bow could use some help.

Same, once they restored the damage to Wall of Elements, its back to being viable, especially on a stam Arc. And you get the penetration buff. Might have to compare it to the bow some time.

SandandStars · December 2023

try running a bow build in pvp these days 🫤

Zodiarkslayer · December 2023

Was it in U33 or U34, where they gave the backbar arena weapons the once over?

Bow and Staff were seen as too powerful and TwoHand was brought up too much as a result, then got nerfed a couple o patches later.
And so on ... And on ...

I think, you'll notice that all backbar options these days are roughly on par. And it is a matter of your class and playstyle, if the Maelstrom Bow is your best choice.

ElderSmitter · December 2023

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

I started using backbar Maelstrom Inferno on my stam chars instead--also gives you a nice burning proc, and helps with sustain to use a mag skill.

Maelstrom Bow could use some help.

This

> "backbar Maelstrom Inferno on my stam chars" 100%

SmellyUnlimited · December 2023

ElderSmitter wrote: »

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

I started using backbar Maelstrom Inferno on my stam chars instead--also gives you a nice burning proc, and helps with sustain to use a mag skill.

Maelstrom Bow could use some help.

This
> "backbar Maelstrom Inferno on my stam chars" 100%

Wow really?? A Maelstrom Inferno on a stam?! That seems so counter-intuitive, but then again, ESO builds always surprise me.

You know I probably destroyed a number of 2Handers from Maelstrom back in the day because the traits sucked (this was before trasmute). I finally managed a sharpened bow when that was the thing, then I take a many year break, only to come back and now having to get one of those 2Handers I destroyed back lol.