THE NEW DK SPIKES

BardokRedSnow · January 13

Execution looks amazing also, although it feels a bit slower/delayed.

The spikes on their own dont look great but when you're doing a rotation and multiple effects are on you and spewing from you, it all looks incredible. I'd still rather have the spikes be bigger like before but its not a big net loss like the poor quality pics people are sharing shows. Pictures dont really do any of these justice.

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Gonna redownload the pts myself n take a look n see how I feel, definitely important enough to do so.

Check out the new elder heal (older coag) that looks like it’s bugged and the heart floats above your head a lot of people have said about this skill aswell it looks odd and people would rather the heart removed, it’s kind of like having a group icon forced above your head

the heart above the head is odd yea i hope thats not intentional, would rather have it centered and your body go shadowy like before. Not too much a fan of that, and the wings is killing me also because the animation for leap, and wings buffet look great itself, but the side bacon lmao xD Very bugged and I wanna see what sprouting my wings feels like with the new stuff x3

All in all tho these just need tweaking, the spikes are not the end of the world.

Whats really badass tho is the new two hander animations, rally is sickkkk, I wont hate having to go back to using that at all.

Yeah it’s all really weird I can’t play with a parasite hanging off my back I want my spikes back eagerly awaiting the update from jessica

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

Someone said they look like a 4year olds back pack haha

Pretty big post about it on Reddit aswell https://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/1qbe378/the_dragonknight_animation_changes_look_great/

NuclearPath · January 13

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Someone said they look like a 4year olds back pack haha

Pretty big post about it on Reddit aswell https://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/1qbe378/the_dragonknight_animation_changes_look_great/

You just gave me a whole new perspective on the way it looks. I always have on back armor so it didn't feel so bad but wow that looks really bad if even a little bit of the back is showing, also incredibly tiny. Definitely would rather the older spikes upon seeing this.

freespirit · January 13

I really hope you guys get the changes you want, hopefully the new version of "we will listen to you and communicate more" will provide satisfactory results.

As a Templar player, I personally wouldn't hold my breath!!

NuclearPath · January 13

freespirit wrote: »

I really hope you guys get the changes you want, hopefully the new version of "we will listen to you and communicate more" will provide satisfactory results.

As a Templar player, I personally wouldn't hold my breath!!

I really hope they're listening too, and for now I'm also holding my breath. I feel it's best to at least put stuff in here though in the hopes that they are actually listening closely unlike before.

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

freespirit wrote: »

I really hope you guys get the changes you want, hopefully the new version of "we will listen to you and communicate more" will provide satisfactory results.

As a Templar player, I personally wouldn't hold my breath!!

That’s a totally fair concern, and the Templar Jabs situation is understandably why people feel cautious. That said, with a newer team and a stronger focus on communication and player feedback, I’d like to stay hopeful.

Even something like offering an alternative classic Skill Style for visual-only changes would go a long way in showing the wider community that feedback is being heard and can lead to meaningful adjustments

BardokRedSnow · January 13

Alright guys, Ima be honest. Ima take back what I said, I love all the animations lmao. Aside from the glitchy wings lol and other small visual issues like aoes tilting sideways.

I went through every one with various outfits, and once you get used to them you grow to love it. At least I did. I think once people get used to the smaller spikes they'll actually enjoy its sleeker look. When you hyper focus on em yea they dont look that great but on my ten different outfits looking at em during various animations, fire going etc, especially my shirtless outfits, it just looks so sleek...

I am happy either way, big spikes, little spikes, they have their pros and cons, but the more I play the more I love the changes, so thats a good sign.

I dont wanna show pics or make videos, instead I encourage people to download the PTS and try for yourself if you havent already, but I was very impressed by what Ive seen

Even the heart above the head, while a change, I like because it has this badass bone like fire ribcage on you during. You get used to it. And above all, all the animations are so damn smoooooth to use, I did some work on the dummy and whip to light attack, heavy attack weaving etc is so easy to do, and building damage stacks is also a breeze. I didnt change my build up from what its at right now, just kept the typical wretched vitality rallying, bloodspawn and or roksa, and that alone with rally not procing since i was in my house was hitting an easy 6k damage on top of the damage done buffs etc from the perks, with about 8k pen not counting fire breath etc etc.

This will definitely be a wonderful change for pvp, and likely pve also. I'll be pure dking for sure.

It will be interesting to see, I really cant wait for this to go live and hate that I tried this out so early lmfao.

I give the changes an A-/B+ since theres some bugs but an easy A- when the wings are fixed. Maybe an A+ If they change the spikes and theyre bigger but rn they're fine. I think I kinda agree now with what @Radiate77 said with seeing your character more because it looks great letting the fire do the talking instead of the spikes, theyre incredible changes.

BardokRedSnow · January 13

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hey all, just wanted to hop in here and say we see your feedback and have raised it with the team who is working on these visual updates. We'll update with the info they provide, tomorrow.

I really appreciate yall being transparent and on the ball with this, its pretty huge and goes a long way to restoring trust with players.

I wanna ask, if they can't reverse it which is understandable, could they just make the spikes bigger, or simply make a refurbished version of the old original spikes? I think all DK enthusiasts for the most part, old and future really only want the spikes to look cooler, and fresher, not totally different.

This to me is definitely a downgrade, no one will be intimidated seeing that. I know there's been some opinions that the spikes are too much but overall thats not from people who arent fully signed on to loving the class, its iconic for the class to have big mean dragon spikes the same as it is for necromancers to have their spiney back ornament.

edit: I downloaded the pts and looked for myself, and I do think the spikes will look better bigger like before but honestly its not so pertinent that a change has to be done imo, I like it the more I use the skills.

So I will defer to y'alls judgement, good job love the changes.

Updated original statement to reflect new opinion, sometimes seeing it for yourself is really necessary.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom · January 13

Hi everyone! As an update to this, the team who has been working on the refreshed visuals and animations for the Dragonknight is reading your feedback in this thread and others, and are investigating a few options. We will follow up with more details about what the team is considering as we have them.

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Alright guys, Ima be honest. Ima take back what I said, I love all the animations lmao. Aside from the glitchy wings lol and other small visual issues like aoes tilting sideways.

I went through every one with various outfits, and once you get used to them you grow to love it. At least I did. I think once people get used to the smaller spikes they'll actually enjoy its sleeker look. When you hyper focus on em yea they dont look that great but on my ten different outfits looking at em during various animations, fire going etc, especially my shirtless outfits, it just looks so sleek...

I am happy either way, big spikes, little spikes, they have their pros and cons, but the more I play the more I love the changes, so thats a good sign.

I dont wanna show pics or make videos, instead I encourage people to download the PTS and try for yourself if you havent already, but I was very impressed by what Ive seen

Even the heart above the head, while a change, I like because it has this badass bone like fire ribcage on you during. You get used to it. And above all, all the animations are so damn smoooooth to use, I did some work on the dummy and whip to light attack, heavy attack weaving etc is so easy to do, and building damage stacks is also a breeze. I didnt change my build up from what its at right now, just kept the typical wretched vitality rallying, bloodspawn and or roksa, and that alone with rally not procing since i was in my house was hitting an easy 6k damage on top of the damage done buffs etc from the perks, with about 8k pen not counting fire breath etc etc.

This will definitely be a wonderful change for pvp, and likely pve also. I'll be pure dking for sure.

It will be interesting to see, I really cant wait for this to go live and hate that I tried this out so early lmfao.

I give the changes an A-/B+ since theres some bugs but an easy A- when the wings are fixed. Maybe an A+ If they change the spikes and theyre bigger but rn they're fine. I think I kinda agree now with what @Radiate77 said with seeing your character more because it looks great letting the fire do the talking instead of the spikes, theyre incredible changes.

I get what your saying but your whole idea and thought process is around comprimse

Right long one here that I hope you can appreciate and agree with
I really appreciate you taking the time to actually test everything and come back with a thoughtful take — and I agree, the gameplay side of these changes feels fantastic. The smoothness, flow, and overall feel of the class is a big win, and that’s why so many of us care so deeply about getting the visuals right too.

I think what your post actually highlights really well is the core point of this thread: a lot of us are enjoying the good enough to overlook the parts we don’t love. But ideally, we shouldn’t have to compromise. If players could enjoy the smoother animations and have stronger, more iconic spikes — or choose to remove things like the heart visual if they don’t like it — that would let everyone fully appreciate the changes without any lingering “I wish this was different” feelings.

This is a rare moment where Dragonknight is being meaningfully reworked, and it may be the last major pass for a long time. That’s why people are being so vocal now — not to reject the changes, but to help shape them into something the whole community can be genuinely happy with for years to come. Giving players choice or refinement here would turn a good update into a great one.

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone! As an update to this, the team who has been working on the refreshed visuals and animations for the Dragonknight is reading your feedback in this thread and others, and are investigating a few options. We will follow up with more details about what the team is considering as we have them.

Thanks for the update, Jessica! I really appreciate the team taking the time to read the feedback and consider options — it means a lot to the Dragonknight community and the wider ESO player base.

This is such a rare opportunity to meaningfully shape a class rework, and just seeing the team listen makes a huge difference. Even something as simple as removing the shell and making the spikes a bit bigger would go a long way toward restoring the iconic Dragonknight look. Right now, the spikes feel tiny and less intimidating, and the shell makes it look more like something plonked on the back rather than a defining feature of the class.

BardokRedSnow · January 13

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Alright guys, Ima be honest. Ima take back what I said, I love all the animations lmao. Aside from the glitchy wings lol and other small visual issues like aoes tilting sideways.

I went through every one with various outfits, and once you get used to them you grow to love it. At least I did. I think once people get used to the smaller spikes they'll actually enjoy its sleeker look. When you hyper focus on em yea they dont look that great but on my ten different outfits looking at em during various animations, fire going etc, especially my shirtless outfits, it just looks so sleek...

I am happy either way, big spikes, little spikes, they have their pros and cons, but the more I play the more I love the changes, so thats a good sign.

I dont wanna show pics or make videos, instead I encourage people to download the PTS and try for yourself if you havent already, but I was very impressed by what Ive seen

Even the heart above the head, while a change, I like because it has this badass bone like fire ribcage on you during. You get used to it. And above all, all the animations are so damn smoooooth to use, I did some work on the dummy and whip to light attack, heavy attack weaving etc is so easy to do, and building damage stacks is also a breeze. I didnt change my build up from what its at right now, just kept the typical wretched vitality rallying, bloodspawn and or roksa, and that alone with rally not procing since i was in my house was hitting an easy 6k damage on top of the damage done buffs etc from the perks, with about 8k pen not counting fire breath etc etc.

This will definitely be a wonderful change for pvp, and likely pve also. I'll be pure dking for sure.

It will be interesting to see, I really cant wait for this to go live and hate that I tried this out so early lmfao.

I give the changes an A-/B+ since theres some bugs but an easy A- when the wings are fixed. Maybe an A+ If they change the spikes and theyre bigger but rn they're fine. I think I kinda agree now with what @Radiate77 said with seeing your character more because it looks great letting the fire do the talking instead of the spikes, theyre incredible changes.

I get what your saying but your whole idea and thought process is around comprimse

Right long one here that I hope you can appreciate and agree with
I really appreciate you taking the time to actually test everything and come back with a thoughtful take — and I agree, the gameplay side of these changes feels fantastic. The smoothness, flow, and overall feel of the class is a big win, and that’s why so many of us care so deeply about getting the visuals right too.

I think what your post actually highlights really well is the core point of this thread: a lot of us are enjoying the good enough to overlook the parts we don’t love. But ideally, we shouldn’t have to compromise. If players could enjoy the smoother animations and have stronger, more iconic spikes — or choose to remove things like the heart visual if they don’t like it — that would let everyone fully appreciate the changes without any lingering “I wish this was different” feelings.

This is a rare moment where Dragonknight is being meaningfully reworked, and it may be the last major pass for a long time. That’s why people are being so vocal now — not to reject the changes, but to help shape them into something the whole community can be genuinely happy with for years to come. Giving players choice or refinement here would turn a good update into a great one.

I wouldnt say its compromising per say, its more like I have a hard time deciding which I prefer lmao because I see the pros and cons of the new look xD Like before on low res pictures I hated it, yea it looked terrible of course.

In 4k though on my screen I see all the details and their thought process of displaying the skill without taking away from the outfit youre wearing. So it doesn't do what the old spikes did visually but it does something else, that is augmenting the look rather than taking away.

Incoming a lot of photos to convey what I mean better, I still think they look much better in game but I'll do my best.. and yea a lot of these are with the rally ability i know, its so clean I had to show tho while spiked lmao:

BardokRedSnow · January 13

Do you see what I mean? Visually it just goes better and takes up less... honestly that works better for the series' look imo than before. I can rock this, and be happy. Big spikes, little spikes, Im good either way.

iyx · January 13

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone! As an update to this, the team who has been working on the refreshed visuals and animations for the Dragonknight is reading your feedback in this thread and others, and are investigating a few options. We will follow up with more details about what the team is considering as we have them.

Thanks for keeping in touch with us DK enjoyers, it's always nice to know your opinion is at least being noticed.

I think I agree with many in this thread that even if the overall shape of the new spikes remains the same, they should be longer, more aggressive looking, and a few shades darker, because right now they look like something made from plastic or cement.

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Do you see what I mean? Visually it just goes better and takes up less... honestly that works better for the series' look imo than before. I can rock this, and be happy. Big spikes, little spikes, Im good either way.

Haha, I totally get what you’re saying — the new animations do look great in action, and skills like Rally really sell them.but not this one at best it’s a distraction and That actually kind of proves my point too: even when you’re focused on gameplay, the spikes themselves are too small and don’t have the same iconic presence. But there’s enough to distract you to where you don’t really notice them, you should. The animation is excellent, but the spikes should always look good on their own, not only when paired with other skills.

Even just making the spikes a bit bigger and extended down the back a bit further removing the shell look more like they’re part off you while keeping the great new animation That way we could fully appreciate the improvements without feeling like there’s any compromise remember this is it for visual changes for as what could be another 14 years let’s do duty get them so we are all besotted with them all

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

iyx wrote: »

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone! As an update to this, the team who has been working on the refreshed visuals and animations for the Dragonknight is reading your feedback in this thread and others, and are investigating a few options. We will follow up with more details about what the team is considering as we have them.

Thanks for keeping in touch with us DK enjoyers, it's always nice to know your opinion is at least being noticed.

I think I agree with many in this thread that even if the overall shape of the new spikes remains the same, they should be longer, more aggressive looking, and a few shades darker, because right now they look like something made from plastic or cement.

I think remove how they sit how it looks like it’s on like a shell and just increase the size of the spikes a bit and we are good, I’d like to see them potentially extend a bit lower I think that would remove the feeling they’ve just been plonked on the back like a shell a lot I really want to get this right they’ve done so well with the changes so far if we can nail this one the whole dk community will be over joyed with all the changes for the next potentially 14 years

Cerbolt · January 13

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Lmao that looks more like a turtle shell than anything dragon related.

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

Cerbolt wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Lmao that looks more like a turtle shell than anything dragon related.

Exactly why we are all speaking so loud to try and get this addressed before it’s too late and to their credit they are responding and listening

BardokRedSnow · January 13

Cerbolt wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Lmao that looks more like a turtle shell than anything dragon related.

here's a better pic, that one's very misleading:

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Cerbolt wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Lmao that looks more like a turtle shell than anything dragon related.

here's a better pic, that one's very misleading:

Still yours is misleading due to the colour of you clothes hiding the shell look and how zoomed in you are mine is just from gameplay how we will see it as we play and you’re actively trying to photograph them as good as possible and even then still not quite right, if the was a bit bigger less shell like and extended down the back a bit lower like into a point they would be incredible just help push this change so we can all be content for the next how ever many years

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

The top one looks like a school kids back pack hahahaa see how bad it gets just zooming out slightly

BardokRedSnow · January 13

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Cerbolt wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Lmao that looks more like a turtle shell than anything dragon related.

here's a better pic, that one's very misleading:

Still yours is misleading due to the colour of you clothes hiding the shell look and how zoomed in you are mine is just from gameplay how we will see it as we play and you’re actively trying to photograph them as good as possible and even then still not quite right, if the was a bit bigger less shell like and extended down the back a bit lower like into a point they would be incredible just help push this change so we can all be content for the next how ever many years

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Alright guys, Ima be honest. Ima take back what I said, I love all the animations lmao. Aside from the glitchy wings lol and other small visual issues like aoes tilting sideways.

I went through every one with various outfits, and once you get used to them you grow to love it. At least I did. I think once people get used to the smaller spikes they'll actually enjoy its sleeker look. When you hyper focus on em yea they dont look that great but on my ten different outfits looking at em during various animations, fire going etc, especially my shirtless outfits, it just looks so sleek...

I am happy either way, big spikes, little spikes, they have their pros and cons, but the more I play the more I love the changes, so thats a good sign.

I dont wanna show pics or make videos, instead I encourage people to download the PTS and try for yourself if you havent already, but I was very impressed by what Ive seen

Even the heart above the head, while a change, I like because it has this badass bone like fire ribcage on you during. You get used to it. And above all, all the animations are so damn smoooooth to use, I did some work on the dummy and whip to light attack, heavy attack weaving etc is so easy to do, and building damage stacks is also a breeze. I didnt change my build up from what its at right now, just kept the typical wretched vitality rallying, bloodspawn and or roksa, and that alone with rally not procing since i was in my house was hitting an easy 6k damage on top of the damage done buffs etc from the perks, with about 8k pen not counting fire breath etc etc.

This will definitely be a wonderful change for pvp, and likely pve also. I'll be pure dking for sure.

It will be interesting to see, I really cant wait for this to go live and hate that I tried this out so early lmfao.

I give the changes an A-/B+ since theres some bugs but an easy A- when the wings are fixed. Maybe an A+ If they change the spikes and theyre bigger but rn they're fine. I think I kinda agree now with what @Radiate77 said with seeing your character more because it looks great letting the fire do the talking instead of the spikes, theyre incredible changes.

I get what your saying but your whole idea and thought process is around comprimse

Right long one here that I hope you can appreciate and agree with
I really appreciate you taking the time to actually test everything and come back with a thoughtful take — and I agree, the gameplay side of these changes feels fantastic. The smoothness, flow, and overall feel of the class is a big win, and that’s why so many of us care so deeply about getting the visuals right too.

I think what your post actually highlights really well is the core point of this thread: a lot of us are enjoying the good enough to overlook the parts we don’t love. But ideally, we shouldn’t have to compromise. If players could enjoy the smoother animations and have stronger, more iconic spikes — or choose to remove things like the heart visual if they don’t like it — that would let everyone fully appreciate the changes without any lingering “I wish this was different” feelings.

This is a rare moment where Dragonknight is being meaningfully reworked, and it may be the last major pass for a long time. That’s why people are being so vocal now — not to reject the changes, but to help shape them into something the whole community can be genuinely happy with for years to come. Giving players choice or refinement here would turn a good update into a great one.

I wouldnt say its compromising per say, its more like I have a hard time deciding which I prefer lmao because I see the pros and cons of the new look xD Like before on low res pictures I hated it, yea it looked terrible of course.

In 4k though on my screen I see all the details and their thought process of displaying the skill without taking away from the outfit youre wearing. So it doesn't do what the old spikes did visually but it does something else, that is augmenting the look rather than taking away.

Incoming a lot of photos to convey what I mean better, I still think they look much better in game but I'll do my best.. and yea a lot of these are with the rally ability i know, its so clean I had to show tho while spiked lmao:

There, plenty more and a few with me shirtless lol, this isnt a slight against you, your pictures are just too blurry to see properly

BardokRedSnow · January 13

I guess people dont check spoiler tags, didnt wanna flood the thread with my pics

Radiate77 · January 13

NGL the new pictures do look a LOT better.
Not to say that I want spikes on my back.

iyx · January 13

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Cerbolt wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Lmao that looks more like a turtle shell than anything dragon related.

here's a better pic, that one's very misleading:

Still yours is misleading due to the colour of you clothes hiding the shell look and how zoomed in you are mine is just from gameplay how we will see it as we play and you’re actively trying to photograph them as good as possible and even then still not quite right, if the was a bit bigger less shell like and extended down the back a bit lower like into a point they would be incredible just help push this change so we can all be content for the next how ever many years

It's just that your Nord looks badass, anything would look cool on this dude.

Radiate77 · January 13

iyx wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Cerbolt wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Lmao that looks more like a turtle shell than anything dragon related.

here's a better pic, that one's very misleading:

Still yours is misleading due to the colour of you clothes hiding the shell look and how zoomed in you are mine is just from gameplay how we will see it as we play and you’re actively trying to photograph them as good as possible and even then still not quite right, if the was a bit bigger less shell like and extended down the back a bit lower like into a point they would be incredible just help push this change so we can all be content for the next how ever many years

Oh no please.
Everyone look away before you can’t un-see it.

MXVIIDREAM · January 13

Radiate77 wrote: »

iyx wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

BardokRedSnow wrote: »

Cerbolt wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

Lmao that looks more like a turtle shell than anything dragon related.

here's a better pic, that one's very misleading:

Still yours is misleading due to the colour of you clothes hiding the shell look and how zoomed in you are mine is just from gameplay how we will see it as we play and you’re actively trying to photograph them as good as possible and even then still not quite right, if the was a bit bigger less shell like and extended down the back a bit lower like into a point they would be incredible just help push this change so we can all be content for the next how ever many years

Oh no please.
Everyone look away before you can’t un-see it.

No why is this literally how it looks god sake

Radiate77 · January 13

Just think of all the pinecone roleplay we’ll get next update; it will be beautiful.

Sluggy · January 13

I wasn't crazy about the original but at least they looked powerful. This looks like my character is dressing up for Halloween!

My opinion: longer and sharper spikes that protrude from the upper back, shoulders, and arms. Maybe not as huge at the original but they should still be visible at a glance in combat. Give them some 'dangerous' looking angles. You can drop whatever that shell thing is entirely. It just makes it look tacked on rather than emanating from within the character.