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Im seeing the issue with Subclassing now.

ArchMikem
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I ran a random Normal last night to grind my Assassination tree on my Ice Mage Warden, and my PuG was enlightening.

Two Arcanists, and a Warden Subclassing in Arcanist. Tentacles and Beams everywhere. Things were dying so fast Bosses couldn't even leave their starting phases. I just hung back and watched.

I normally always pull my own weight in Dungeons, but I had joked here that the new Beam builds could start carrying me for all I cared. Now it's not a joke. The numbers being pumped out are so high I'm being carried regardless what I do.

This is kinda gross.
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  • Cooperharley
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    Yea ultimately (and I enjoyed Arcanist before), what subclassing has done for me is make me enjoy Arcanist much less because now every single person and their cousin is basically playing it.

    It's cool for making fun off-META builds and stuff, but in reality, if you want to be very effective, you're turning any of your characters into an arcanist essentially. I don't think it'd be nearly as noticeable with any other class though. Like if arcanist gets the sledgehammer, which it likely will, the META will shift to the next combination obviously, but I don't think it'll be nearly as in your face as arcanist is just due to cephaliarch's flail & the beam.

    Also, them not balancing anything else in the game and just zooming the power up like this was an interesting choice. The game just got MUCH easier.

    Certainly way too rushed - it's just not something they can feasibly implement properly in their tiny 5 week - 6 week PTS window. Their approach to testing has to change drastically if they're going to do big game-changing things like this. Especially given that we're locked in like this for 3 months since they don't do any combat updates (hardly any, if at all) in between the updates like other MMOs do.
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  • Rungar
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    see what happens when you remove light weaving from the equation. Beam is the easiest dps that pretty much any player can do. This isnt a subclassing issue as much as it is a combat system issue. Players will avoid having to weave like its a plague.
  • ESO_Nightingale
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    Rungar wrote: »
    see what happens when you remove light weaving from the equation. Beam is the easiest dps that pretty much any player can do. This isnt a subclassing issue as much as it is a combat system issue. Players will avoid having to weave like its a plague.

    honestly i dont think its as black and white as you're portraying it. i think its a reasonable mixture of both.
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  • gamergirldk
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    What is shows, people want easy rotations. The dont want to keep track of skill times and bar swaps.
  • Major_Toughness
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    We need a Vengeance PvE.
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  • Avran_Sylt
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    Rungar wrote: »
    see what happens when you remove light weaving from the equation. Beam is the easiest dps that pretty much any player can do. This isnt a subclassing issue as much as it is a combat system issue. Players will avoid having to weave like its a plague.

    Light weaving isn't as much of an issue as
    What is shows, people want easy rotations. The dont want to keep track of skill times and bar swaps.

    the need to upkeep as many DoT's as possible in conjunction with your main spammable.
  • Rungar
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    Rungar wrote: »
    see what happens when you remove light weaving from the equation. Beam is the easiest dps that pretty much any player can do. This isnt a subclassing issue as much as it is a combat system issue. Players will avoid having to weave like its a plague.

    honestly i dont think its as black and white as you're portraying it. i think its a reasonable mixture of both.

    subclassing just gives acces to the easiest play method, making it accessible to everyone, arcanist or not. Players simply choose this method of dps over the weaving method because its easier.

    if i had it my way i would finally fix the game ( performance, gameplay, accessibility) after all these years by putting light attack on the global cooldown, which should of been done 8 years ago and im certain its cost zos millions and millions lol.
    Avran_Sylt wrote: »
    Rungar wrote: »
    see what happens when you remove light weaving from the equation. Beam is the easiest dps that pretty much any player can do. This isnt a subclassing issue as much as it is a combat system issue. Players will avoid having to weave like its a plague.

    Light weaving isn't as much of an issue as
    What is shows, people want easy rotations. The dont want to keep track of skill times and bar swaps.

    the need to upkeep as many DoT's as possible in conjunction with your main spammable.

    it is though because weaving allows you to stay as close as possible to the gcd for all other skills. Otherwise youd have to wait for the animation to clear. So its not the damage weaving does but its the great increase in overall apm it can give you which lets you put out more dots etc.

    the weaving requirement also makes classes less competetive vs arcanists or arcanist hybrids since they dont have to do that so the correct course is to make all playstyles less reliant on weaving.

    theyve put a number of boons in the game already like increasing dots to 20 seconds and increasing buff durations, velothi, oakensoul etc. They might as well finish it off so other classes can be competetive again.





  • Xarc
    Xarc
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    We need a Vengeance PvE.

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  • Vaqual
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    I think this might also be related to people leveling skill lines in dungeons. It is just convenient to have sustainable cleave and single target while leveling defensive/support lines outside of a coherent build. I'd expect to see it a bit less in dungeons as more people finish the subclass leveling process and return to fully configured builds.
  • ceruulean
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    Yeah we'd need skills that have an AoE cap of 1 if that makes sense, something like a spammable that doesn't require an active target. So something like the heavy attack animations. Jabs/arc have AoE spammables. However, the majority of spammables are instant cast spammables which need a target or else they're disabled. This makes combat feel weird and less action-y. I can't just cast Surprise Attack for fun in the middle of town.
    Edited by ceruulean on July 1, 2025 3:32AM
  • WrathOfInnos
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    What is shows, people want easy rotations. The dont want to keep track of skill times and bar swaps.

    I would love to have a rotation that required tracking skill times and bar swaps. Unfortunately a near one-button beam build outperforms everything else.

    Subclassing could be great, but Arcanist and specifically fatecarver is a problem infecting every build.
  • RebornV3x
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    What were seeing with subclassing is a symptom of a much larger issue and its fundamentally the combat system in this game.
    Combat is this game is clunky, switching weapon bars is janky combat in general in this game isn't fun to interact with and simple solutions are what people will gravitate toward in order to in inteact with combat less.

    The only solution would be to buff similar skills to Arcanists Fatecarver while reducing the need to switch bars constantly. By increasing timers on some buff and AOE abilities.
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  • Avran_Sylt
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    Rungar wrote: »
    Rungar wrote: »
    see what happens when you remove light weaving from the equation. Beam is the easiest dps that pretty much any player can do. This isnt a subclassing issue as much as it is a combat system issue. Players will avoid having to weave like its a plague.

    honestly i dont think its as black and white as you're portraying it. i think its a reasonable mixture of both.

    subclassing just gives acces to the easiest play method, making it accessible to everyone, arcanist or not. Players simply choose this method of dps over the weaving method because its easier.

    if i had it my way i would finally fix the game ( performance, gameplay, accessibility) after all these years by putting light attack on the global cooldown, which should of been done 8 years ago and im certain its cost zos millions and millions lol.
    Avran_Sylt wrote: »
    Rungar wrote: »
    see what happens when you remove light weaving from the equation. Beam is the easiest dps that pretty much any player can do. This isnt a subclassing issue as much as it is a combat system issue. Players will avoid having to weave like its a plague.

    Light weaving isn't as much of an issue as
    What is shows, people want easy rotations. The dont want to keep track of skill times and bar swaps.

    the need to upkeep as many DoT's as possible in conjunction with your main spammable.

    it is though because weaving allows you to stay as close as possible to the gcd for all other skills. Otherwise youd have to wait for the animation to clear. So its not the damage weaving does but its the great increase in overall apm it can give you which lets you put out more dots etc.

    the weaving requirement also makes classes less competetive vs arcanists or arcanist hybrids since they dont have to do that so the correct course is to make all playstyles less reliant on weaving.

    theyve put a number of boons in the game already like increasing dots to 20 seconds and increasing buff durations, velothi, oakensoul etc. They might as well finish it off so other classes can be competetive again.





    Or perhaps the arcanist beam is overtuned in the sense that it's based around numbers including light weaving when it shouldn't. (Since it's targeted at a casual audience not Vet HM Trials audience)

    Especially when Velothi Ur Mages amulet is already part of the BiS gearing for arcanist anyway... A Mythic that amplifies damage at the cost of Light Attacks, and Arcanist Beam isn't using Light attacks anyway, it's double-dipping in effectiveness.
    Edited by Avran_Sylt on July 1, 2025 11:06AM
  • Joy_Division
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    90% of it has nothing to do with weaving, rotations, or anything like that. The perception is that Beam is the strongest DPS (indeed the PTS forums wouldnt shut up about it) and it does get good results so that's what people use. If ZOS nerfed Beam tomorrow, you'd see as many Arc beamers in PvE as pure Necros in PvP.
    Make Rush of Agony "Monsters only." People should not be consecutively crowd controlled in a PvP setting. Period.
  • Zodiarkslayer
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    What is shows, people want easy rotations. The dont want to keep track of skill times and bar swaps.

    I would love to have a rotation that required tracking skill times and bar swaps. Unfortunately a near one-button beam build outperforms everything else.

    Subclassing could be great, but Arcanist and specifically fatecarver is a problem infecting every build.

    I don't think it is Fatecarver per se. It is the immense passive power, that comes with using Herald of the Tome.
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  • Oblivion_Protocol
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    90% of it has nothing to do with weaving, rotations, or anything like that. The perception is that Beam is the strongest DPS (indeed the PTS forums wouldnt shut up about it) and it does get good results so that's what people use. If ZOS nerfed Beam tomorrow, you'd see as many Arc beamers in PvE as pure Necros in PvP.

    Except ZoS already nerfed beam. Twice. As long as people have easy access to buffs, bonuses, and boons from the heavens, nerfing beam won’t matter, unless they nerf it into the ground like they did Jabs and Magicka blastbones.
  • AdmiralDigby
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    What is shows, people want easy rotations. The dont want to keep track of skill times and bar swaps.

    Yes and no. People do want easier builds/rotations I agree. However alot of it is the absolutely insane DPS it can output. Were lots of easier builds and rotations prior to Arcs arrival & Subclassing. However the easier builds came at the cost of DPS ceiling. As it should. Complex rotations/builds should be more DPS than flail flail beam tralalalla.
  • MincMincMinc
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    Wait power creep and design for lazy players using the notion of "accessibility" is bad for the game. I can't believe it.

    I'm glad there is so much more diversity in today's game. You could beam, or beam, or play that new beam build, ooh i saw this great you tube vid where he runs this totally unique build centered around beaming enemies.

    Even PvP is so diverse now with its crit builds or other crit builds mixed with the occasional crit build, running that new crit mythic.
    We should use the insightful and awesome buttons more
  • dark_hunterxmg
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    Even PvP is so diverse now with its crit builds or other crit builds mixed with the occasional crit build, running that new crit mythic.
    This is accurate. It's pretty easy to tell when someone is wearing Monomyth Reforged. Crit damage is so high now that crit resistance is almost a wasted stat unless you have ~4500+
    At 3000 crit resistance and 38k armor, I'll still take 12k hits.
  • Islyn
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    ArchMikem wrote: »
    I ran a random Normal last night to grind my Assassination tree on my Ice Mage Warden, and my PuG was enlightening.

    Two Arcanists, and a Warden Subclassing in Arcanist. Tentacles and Beams everywhere. Things were dying so fast Bosses couldn't even leave their starting phases. I just hung back and watched.

    I normally always pull my own weight in Dungeons, but I had joked here that the new Beam builds could start carrying me for all I cared. Now it's not a joke. The numbers being pumped out are so high I'm being carried regardless what I do.

    This is kinda gross.

    Didn't basically everyone say that would happen?
    Vaqual wrote: »
    I think this might also be related to people leveling skill lines in dungeons. It is just convenient to have sustainable cleave and single target while leveling defensive/support lines outside of a coherent build. I'd expect to see it a bit less in dungeons as more people finish the subclass leveling process and return to fully configured builds.

    Exactly. It's like when you have most bar full of mismatched janky skills - u gonna witness a lot more beam abuse.
    Member of the Old Guard - Closed Betas 2013
  • MincMincMinc
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    Even PvP is so diverse now with its crit builds or other crit builds mixed with the occasional crit build, running that new crit mythic.
    This is accurate. It's pretty easy to tell when someone is wearing Monomyth Reforged. Crit damage is so high now that crit resistance is almost a wasted stat unless you have ~4500+
    At 3000 crit resistance and 38k armor, I'll still take 12k hits.

    Whats funny is the people still running reinforced chests. Impen is worth like 2% crit dmg mit. Reinforced heavy chest is only like 0.65% mit. So long as the enemy has 33% crit you are better off with impen. Everyone sits at 40-50% by default now in PvP or they are at 100% crit chance.

    Its just funny the illusion of choice that people cant grasp. Hilarious when there are dozens of systems in place for making builds, but 90% of them are just all defaulting to one vastly better "choice". Yeah..... so much more diversity than vengeance. Just imagine what the game could be if the stat system wasn't made a joke in favor of dlc proc set power creep.
    Edited by MincMincMinc on July 8, 2025 2:06PM
    We should use the insightful and awesome buttons more
  • alpha_synuclein
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    What was glaringly obvious since the PTS for subclassing is exactly what we're seeing now. How is that surprising?
  • lostineternity
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    What was glaringly obvious since the PTS for subclassing is exactly what we're seeing now. How is that surprising?

    Yes it was for everyone who plays this game on a level a bit higher then erp in Riften, but when I wrote about this 3 months ago on reddit I was downvoted to hell because "hater that don't understand zos genius ideas"
  • Versalium
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    I don't see an issue with subsclassing, but I do see an issue with some people using overpowered DLC classes while others, who don't have the DLC's, can't use them.
    Edited by Versalium on July 13, 2025 10:04PM
    PC EU
  • pinkpom
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    Versalium wrote: »
    I don't see an issue with subsclassing, but I do see an issue with some people using overpowered DLC classes while others, who don't have the DLC's, can't use them.

    In PvE, the basic class alone is strong enough.
    In PvP, you will have to kill your emotions.
  • nb_rich
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    Yea ultimately (and I enjoyed Arcanist before), what subclassing has done for me is make me enjoy Arcanist much less because now every single person and their cousin is basically playing it.

    It's cool for making fun off-META builds and stuff, but in reality, if you want to be very effective, you're turning any of your characters into an arcanist essentially. I don't think it'd be nearly as noticeable with any other class though. Like if arcanist gets the sledgehammer, which it likely will, the META will shift to the next combination obviously, but I don't think it'll be nearly as in your face as arcanist is just due to cephaliarch's flail & the beam.

    Also, them not balancing anything else in the game and just zooming the power up like this was an interesting choice. The game just got MUCH easier.

    Certainly way too rushed - it's just not something they can feasibly implement properly in their tiny 5 week - 6 week PTS window. Their approach to testing has to change drastically if they're going to do big game-changing things like this. Especially given that we're locked in like this for 3 months since they don't do any combat updates (hardly any, if at all) in between the updates like other MMOs do.

    I was thinking the same thing. Everyone is a Archanist now and its boring. There is no balance with any of the other classes so everyone is just using fatecarver. In my opinion a spammable that provides a damage shield, can be used from range and hit multiple targets in no way should be the strongest. Realistically this should be the weakest for balancing.

    The only way this gets fixed is if they heavily increase the damage of other skills. Single target close range spammables should be the strongest in my opinion if not, they are completely useless. I think they also got to move around some skills to different skill lines and rework some passives. Either Harold of the Tome, Grave Lord & Assinatation is on every PvE player skill lines that is dps cause they have the most (useful) offensive passives.
    nb_rich
  • Neloth
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    actually in PvP subclassing leads to quite diverse builds.

    Nowadays on my sorc I have around 10 builds, which use skill lines of all other classes, and rotate between them.

    1) pure MagSorc (just 3 skill sort skill lines)
    2) nighsorc - assassination + storm calling + daedric
    or variation of assassination + storm calling + necro skill line with blast bones

    both have burst on demand, mobility from streak, delayed burst and sinergize with critical

    3) shadowsorc - dark magic + shadow magic + Daedric

    same, but mobility with clock instead of streak and more bar space

    4) dk sorc - storm calling + draconic power + Daedric summoning or necro skill line

    undodgable burst with DK ult + delated burst here + mobility and execute from storm calling

    5) spear sorc - dark magic + templar line with spear + dadric

    no mobility here, but fine in BGs where you sit behind the group and do curse - meteor - spear - frags

    6) warden sorc - dark magic + shalks + necro

    7) bomb build with necro and roa

    and I have not started playing with dot builds yet.

    before subclassing, I could play only (1), now I have like 10 different builds to play with. You can argue that everyone in PvP run streak, but it's just 1 skill line, useful for mobility. and you still have options instead - cloak, swift, mist (jk).
    Edited by Neloth on July 30, 2025 12:39PM
  • MincMincMinc
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    Neloth wrote: »
    actually in PvP subclassing leads to quite diverse builds.

    Nowadays on my sorc I have around 10 builds, which use skill lines of all other classes, and rotate between them.

    before subclassing, I could play only (1), now I have like 10 different builds to play with. You can argue that everyone in PvP run streak, but it's just 1 skill line, useful for mobility. and you still have options instead - cloak, swift, mist (jk).

    Role play wise sure that sounds great, but numerically people are just running the one of two template meta builds

    Either Storm+animal+aedric with acuity onslaught
    Or Storm+animal+assassination with onslaught

    Subclassing is going to force zos to either gut passives to tone down the game, or force passives to be major/minors. One passive may give 100 recovery essentially worse than a 2-4 piece bonus.........while another gives 12% crit damage done+12% block damage done, which is better than 99% of the 5 piece bonuses in the game.

    running 3 lines vs 3 other lines you will either have a build with 300 recovery or a build with 36% crit damage....... no wonder people are stacking the lines that they are.
    Edited by MincMincMinc on July 30, 2025 1:12PM
    We should use the insightful and awesome buttons more
  • Araneae6537
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    What is shows, people want easy rotations. The dont want to keep track of skill times and bar swaps.

    That may be, but arcanist beam as well as heavy attack builds are best if you keep DoTs applied as well (non-issue if things are dying too fast for DoTs to be worthwhile). Personally, I prefer that kind of optimization over trying to perfectly time those light attack weaves.
  • Araneae6537
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    ArchMikem wrote: »
    I ran a random Normal last night to grind my Assassination tree on my Ice Mage Warden, and my PuG was enlightening.

    Two Arcanists, and a Warden Subclassing in Arcanist. Tentacles and Beams everywhere. Things were dying so fast Bosses couldn't even leave their starting phases. I just hung back and watched.

    I normally always pull my own weight in Dungeons, but I had joked here that the new Beam builds could start carrying me for all I cared. Now it's not a joke. The numbers being pumped out are so high I'm being carried regardless what I do.

    This is kinda gross.

    I see your point. I want arcanist to still be a fun and viable DPS option and I also want to be viable for other classes that I feel arcanist suits thematically or because the class DPS has been gutted and/or unfun to play (necro on both counts), but it needs to be in line with other options — ideally, different abilities and/or damage types would be optimal for different enemies/fights/situations.
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