THE NEW DK SPIKES

MXVIIDREAM · January 14

iyx wrote: »

MXVIIDREAM wrote: »

iyx wrote: »

Agreed, I went owerboard with knuckles (honestly I've always wanted also leg spikes, but we need to stay reasonble, have we). And with assymetry, pattern must stay symmetrical for simplicity sake, but with the new effect its looks really jarring.

Some spikes down the back of the legs would be dope but let’s not push it, you made a really cool design though think you’ve captured what we all want to see they’re not obnoxiously big like they used to be but still big enough to keep that iconic look

Thanks, all people here have left so many detailed descriptions of how they want the updated spikes to look like, so it's easy to put together something similar to the desired result.

😄

What you’ve done here is more than just a cool design — it’s a perfect example of what the community wants to see. It clearly shows how the spikes can retain their iconic Dragonknight identity while still working with the new animation. This is the kind of reference that the team can use as a target to work towards, helping ensure the final visuals really satisfy the community

Well minus the hand spikes as we all agreed 😂😂

ArchangelIsraphel · January 14

iyx wrote: »

Well, the more I squint and stare at the new effect, the less I like it. As many in this thread saying, it's simply not iconic enough. DK is my favorite class which I've been playing since 2017, and I'd really want it to retain its visual and overall identity in the updated version.

Here I tried to mash:
1. old look
2. The new pinecone aesthetic~
3. draconic spine (most frequently mentioned by other players in this thread)
4. hot obsidian spikes (my personal preference)

Sorry if the image isn't legible enough, I made it quickly.

This, this right here is exactly what I have in mind. Maybe a bit more lava looking towards the bottom of the spikes, but definitely a gigantic improvement. Thank you for taking the time to make this. I love the way the arm spikes look. Very dragony, which is what I want to see.

(like everyone else I think we can do without the hand spikes, though I will say you made them look pretty cool)

ZOS_Erin · January 14

Thank you all for the detailed feedback regarding the refreshed visuals for the Dragonknight's Earthspike Mantle. We've heard your concerns and updated certain aspects of the design to better align with the Dragonknight's visual identity:

- The spikes have been elongated and curved outward to better express an aggressive stance
- The spikes are now larger and extend further down the back

There were certain changes that we could not make due to the nature of the model - specifically, we could not remove the baseplate from the spikes without requiring a full remodel and rework of the asset. The team is hard at work on our future refresh efforts, so we wanted to do our best to find a solid compromise with the Earthspike Mantle visuals that we could turn around quickly within the PTS window without delaying other work.

You can view the new changes coming to PTS 2 in this video:

https://youtu.be/d6XYK-4uaFQ. The sound design for the ability is unchanged.

The team will continue to do our best to make adjustments to the Dragonknight's visuals within the PTS window based on player feedback without delaying other refresh efforts. We appreciate your continued feedback and patience as we work through the Combat Refresh.

Radiate77 · January 14

ZOS_Erin wrote: »

Thank you all for the detailed feedback regarding the refreshed visuals for the Dragonknight's Earthspike Mantle. We've heard your concerns and updated certain aspects of the design to better align with the Dragonknight's visual identity:

- The spikes have been elongated and curved outward to better express an aggressive stance
- The spikes are now larger and extend further down the back

There were certain changes that we could not make due to the nature of the model - specifically, we could not remove the baseplate from the spikes without requiring a full remodel and rework of the asset. The team is hard at work on our future refresh efforts, so we wanted to do our best to find a solid compromise with the Earthspike Mantle visuals that we could turn around quickly within the PTS window without delaying other work.

You can view the new changes coming to PTS 2 in this video: https://youtu.be/d6XYK-4uaFQ. The sound design for the ability is unchanged.

The team will continue to do our best to make adjustments to the Dragonknight's visuals within the PTS window based on player feedback without delaying other refresh efforts. We appreciate your continued feedback and patience as we work through the Combat Refresh.

Already looking much better! Thank you for the amazing work and for giving us a preview!

iyx · January 14

ZOS_Erin wrote: »

Thank you all for the detailed feedback regarding the refreshed visuals for the Dragonknight's Earthspike Mantle. We've heard your concerns and updated certain aspects of the design to better align with the Dragonknight's visual identity:

- The spikes have been elongated and curved outward to better express an aggressive stance
- The spikes are now larger and extend further down the back

There were certain changes that we could not make due to the nature of the model - specifically, we could not remove the baseplate from the spikes without requiring a full remodel and rework of the asset. The team is hard at work on our future refresh efforts, so we wanted to do our best to find a solid compromise with the Earthspike Mantle visuals that we could turn around quickly within the PTS window without delaying other work.

You can view the new changes coming to PTS 2 in this video: https://youtu.be/d6XYK-4uaFQ. The sound design for the ability is unchanged.

The team will continue to do our best to make adjustments to the Dragonknight's visuals within the PTS window based on player feedback without delaying other refresh efforts. We appreciate your continued feedback and patience as we work through the Combat Refresh.

Thank you very much for taking the steps toward achieving a result that can satisfy both players and developers. We truly appreciate your hard work and hope that through ongoing feedback, we can achieve a significantly improved gaming experience.

iyx · January 14

The look of the back has definitely improved, although I think the texture could use a bit more darkening and contrast for a more solid "lava" look, as it's currently looking a bit washed out. The arm spikes still need some improvement; their baseplate should fit more snugly to the arm, the spikes themselves could be slightly more curved to complement the look of the spine spikes, and they don't necessarily look too long. I hope this small changes can be done easely.

For example look after:

and before:

Radiate77 · January 14

Just want to give some feedback on the Spikes from the perspective of someone who did not like the previous one, yet loves the rest of the kit.

I’ve been looking at Skill Lines through the lens of Subclassing, and would appreciate if we kept the Dragon to Draconic Power.

When I think of Earthen Heart, I don’t think of Draconic Spikes. I think of rock, metal, lava.

While spikes can exist, I would rather them styled towards something that would synergize more with metal plate armor. I’m just confused where we are getting the Knight in Dragonknight.

Destai · January 14

ZOS_Erin wrote: »

Thank you all for the detailed feedback regarding the refreshed visuals for the Dragonknight's Earthspike Mantle. We've heard your concerns and updated certain aspects of the design to better align with the Dragonknight's visual identity:

- The spikes have been elongated and curved outward to better express an aggressive stance
- The spikes are now larger and extend further down the back

There were certain changes that we could not make due to the nature of the model - specifically, we could not remove the baseplate from the spikes without requiring a full remodel and rework of the asset. The team is hard at work on our future refresh efforts, so we wanted to do our best to find a solid compromise with the Earthspike Mantle visuals that we could turn around quickly within the PTS window without delaying other work.

You can view the new changes coming to PTS 2 in this video: https://youtu.be/d6XYK-4uaFQ. The sound design for the ability is unchanged.

The team will continue to do our best to make adjustments to the Dragonknight's visuals within the PTS window based on player feedback without delaying other refresh efforts. We appreciate your continued feedback and patience as we work through the Combat Refresh.

I'm just blown away. Solid communication, adjustment to our feedback. Just - thanks.

I wasn't even that bothered by the original update, but just seeing this makes me so happy. Thanks for the hard work!

aetherix8 · January 14

ZOS_Erin wrote: »

Thank you all for the detailed feedback regarding the refreshed visuals for the Dragonknight's Earthspike Mantle. We've heard your concerns and updated certain aspects of the design to better align with the Dragonknight's visual identity:

- The spikes have been elongated and curved outward to better express an aggressive stance
- The spikes are now larger and extend further down the back

There were certain changes that we could not make due to the nature of the model - specifically, we could not remove the baseplate from the spikes without requiring a full remodel and rework of the asset. The team is hard at work on our future refresh efforts, so we wanted to do our best to find a solid compromise with the Earthspike Mantle visuals that we could turn around quickly within the PTS window without delaying other work.

You can view the new changes coming to PTS 2 in this video: https://youtu.be/d6XYK-4uaFQ. The sound design for the ability is unchanged.

The team will continue to do our best to make adjustments to the Dragonknight's visuals within the PTS window based on player feedback without delaying other refresh efforts. We appreciate your continued feedback and patience as we work through the Combat Refresh.

Thank you for these changes! These more prominent spikes look better, although I agree that they would look even more awesome with some contrast and darkening.

Faulgor · January 14

I'm astonished by the speed and scope we are seeing changes here.
While I didn't have issues with the skill myself, that seemed worth pointing out.

Desiato · January 14

It's much better now. Thank you for the update.

MXVIIDREAM · January 14

First of all, thankyou for turning this around so quickly. It genuinely means a lot, and I think it goes a long way with the community as a whole. Seeing feedback reciprocating with updates and even acting as fast as you have on like this incredible

It feels like, within the limits of this PTS window and the existing time restraints, you’ve done everything realistically possible to get the skill as close to perfect as it can be right now and it’s gone beyond what many of us expected. So thank you, sincerely, for that.

I just wanted to check that I’m understanding things correctly on behalf of everyone else as well. Is the remaining lava plate element something that couldn’t be revisited within this timeline technical constraints, rather than a firm long-term visual decision and is something you’ll address later on and patch in ? Or should we consider this the final look going forward?

I also want to say the updated spikes look fantastic ,genuinely didn’t think the original could be improved on, but this version actually looks better. The plate is less noticeable now, though it does still stand out a little, particularly around the arms, which is why I wanted to ask for clarification rather than assume either way.

Either way, thanksyou sincerely again for the effort and the quick turnaround it really is appreciated and it’s made such a difference I wasn’t sure it was possible and you went above and beyond

@ZOS_Erin

MXVIIDREAM · January 14

Faulgor wrote: »

I'm astonished by the speed and scope we are seeing changes here.
While I didn't have issues with the skill myself, that seemed worth pointing out.

Absolutely worth acknowledging and thanking them for well done

xAlucardx92 · January 14

@ZOS_Erin

can you post a screenshot of Spikes with the "Earthspike Mantle, Azure Blue" Skill Styles?

J18696 · January 14

iyx wrote: »

Well, the more I squint and stare at the new effect, the less I like it. As many in this thread saying, it's simply not iconic enough. DK is my favorite class which I've been playing since 2017, and I'd really want it to retain its visual and overall identity in the updated version.

Here I tried to mash:
1. old look
2. The new pinecone aesthetic~
3. draconic spine (most frequently mentioned by other players in this thread)
4. hot obsidian spikes (my personal preference)

Sorry if the image isn't legible enough, I made it quickly.

This is exactly what I want its pretty much perfect when I envision what I want spike armor to look like

Drackolus · January 14

ZOS_Erin wrote: »

The team is hard at work on our future refresh efforts, so we wanted to do our best to find a solid compromise with the Earthspike Mantle visuals that we could turn around quickly within the PTS window without delaying other work.
...
The team will continue to do our best to make adjustments to the Dragonknight's visuals within the PTS window based on player feedback without delaying other refresh efforts. We appreciate your continued feedback and patience as we work through the Combat Refresh.

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

ZOS_Kevin · January 14

Drackolus wrote: »

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

Just wanted to follow up here. The DK is a bit of an outlier. While we did take player feedback for DK, we had to start the process of DK changes much earlier than we could announce at the time due to development timelines. We did take player feedback from the class survey that we posted back in October to help inform DK work. Additionally, we have gotten input from other sources like here on the forums, Reddit, and content creators from various backgrounds of play.

Now that we have formally announced the plan for changes, we have a much more lead time for the other classes to get as much feedback as possible. We are starting with the Warden in a few weeks and will have various points for feedback over the coming months.

J18696 · January 14

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Drackolus wrote: »

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

Just wanted to follow up here. The DK is a bit of an outlier. While we did take player feedback for DK, we had to start the process of DK changes much earlier than we could announce at the time due to development timelines. We did take player feedback from the class survey that we posted back in October to help inform DK work. Additionally, we have gotten input from other sources like here on the forums, Reddit, and content creators from various backgrounds of play.

Now that we have formally announced the plan for changes, we have a much more lead time for the other classes to get as much feedback as possible. We are starting with the Warden in a few weeks and will have various points for feedback over the coming months.

I hope this is actually true and not just a repeated excuse we constantly get in the future as these reworks happen but its understandable I hope if nothing can be done atm that we get another pass on dk animations in the future because some of them definitely missed the mark such as the armor

BasP · January 14

@ZOS_Erin Thanks for the update! I greatly prefer these new visuals.

Radiate77 · January 14

J18696 wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Drackolus wrote: »

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

Just wanted to follow up here. The DK is a bit of an outlier. While we did take player feedback for DK, we had to start the process of DK changes much earlier than we could announce at the time due to development timelines. We did take player feedback from the class survey that we posted back in October to help inform DK work. Additionally, we have gotten input from other sources like here on the forums, Reddit, and content creators from various backgrounds of play.

Now that we have formally announced the plan for changes, we have a much more lead time for the other classes to get as much feedback as possible. We are starting with the Warden in a few weeks and will have various points for feedback over the coming months.

I hope this is actually true and not just a repeated excuse we constantly get in the future as these reworks happen but its understandable I hope if nothing can be done atm that we get another pass on dk animations in the future because some of them definitely missed the mark such as the armor

When has Kevin ever lied to us???

He has done everything in his power to improve communications between us and his team and look where we are now?

This is the best it has ever been for the PTS.

16BitForestCat · January 14

The revised in-game dragon spikes look much better than the spiky turtle shell Spiny thing they previously had going on. (Though I agree with the others that @iyx's fan-edit looks best of all lol.) I'm super impressed that the dev team listened to feedback and were able to act on it so quickly. Takes me back to the early days of ESO, when the forums could report a bug or a QOL issue and it would often be fixed by the next week, while devs engaged with and updated the community the whole time.

MXVIIDREAM · January 14

Drackolus wrote: »

ZOS_Erin wrote: »

The team is hard at work on our future refresh efforts, so we wanted to do our best to find a solid compromise with the Earthspike Mantle visuals that we could turn around quickly within the PTS window without delaying other work.
...
The team will continue to do our best to make adjustments to the Dragonknight's visuals within the PTS window based on player feedback without delaying other refresh efforts. We appreciate your continued feedback and patience as we work through the Combat Refresh.

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

PTS went live late Monday. They’ve addressed the new Dragon Blood (forgot the name sorry) and are exploring options I actually think this was an update from @ZOS_Kevin himeself Several people I’ve spoken to including myself find the floating heart visually distracting or too much (ADHD) or just wrong for the game some even thought it was a bug because it felt so out of touch with ESO. But most as a whole just don’t like it Such a shame, because the rest of the animation is beautiful. With the DK spike changes being so well received, I have no doubt they’re genuinely looking at solutions here too.

Outside of this and in such a short window what more are you really asking from them they’re doing a fantastic job and the constant feedback updates are really really nice, sincerely thankyou

MXVIIDREAM · January 14

Radiate77 wrote: »

J18696 wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Drackolus wrote: »

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

Just wanted to follow up here. The DK is a bit of an outlier. While we did take player feedback for DK, we had to start the process of DK changes much earlier than we could announce at the time due to development timelines. We did take player feedback from the class survey that we posted back in October to help inform DK work. Additionally, we have gotten input from other sources like here on the forums, Reddit, and content creators from various backgrounds of play.

Now that we have formally announced the plan for changes, we have a much more lead time for the other classes to get as much feedback as possible. We are starting with the Warden in a few weeks and will have various points for feedback over the coming months.

I hope this is actually true and not just a repeated excuse we constantly get in the future as these reworks happen but its understandable I hope if nothing can be done atm that we get another pass on dk animations in the future because some of them definitely missed the mark such as the armor

When has Kevin ever lied to us???

He has done everything in his power to improve communications between us and his team and look where we are now?

This is the best it has ever been for the PTS.

I’m Nothing but in agreement here

Erickson9610 · January 14

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Drackolus wrote: »

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

Just wanted to follow up here. The DK is a bit of an outlier. While we did take player feedback for DK, we had to start the process of DK changes much earlier than we could announce at the time due to development timelines. We did take player feedback from the class survey that we posted back in October to help inform DK work. Additionally, we have gotten input from other sources like here on the forums, Reddit, and content creators from various backgrounds of play.

Now that we have formally announced the plan for changes, we have a much more lead time for the other classes to get as much feedback as possible. We are starting with the Warden in a few weeks and will have various points for feedback over the coming months.

Will the team be taking feedback regarding the balance and visual changes to Werewolf in Update 50? I know it's not a Class, but it matters a lot to me and the werewolf guilds I run with.

Fab_Lewis · January 15

ZOS_Erin wrote: »

Thank you all for the detailed feedback regarding the refreshed visuals for the Dragonknight's Earthspike Mantle. We've heard your concerns and updated certain aspects of the design to better align with the Dragonknight's visual identity:

- The spikes have been elongated and curved outward to better express an aggressive stance
- The spikes are now larger and extend further down the back

There were certain changes that we could not make due to the nature of the model - specifically, we could not remove the baseplate from the spikes without requiring a full remodel and rework of the asset. The team is hard at work on our future refresh efforts, so we wanted to do our best to find a solid compromise with the Earthspike Mantle visuals that we could turn around quickly within the PTS window without delaying other work.

You can view the new changes coming to PTS 2 in this video: https://youtu.be/d6XYK-4uaFQ. The sound design for the ability is unchanged.

The team will continue to do our best to make adjustments to the Dragonknight's visuals within the PTS window based on player feedback without delaying other refresh efforts. We appreciate your continued feedback and patience as we work through the Combat Refresh.

This is really amazing to see the feedback being taken on board, the limitations being clearly communicated, and the speed with which these changes are taking place. Really amazing work from the whole team. Can't wait to see what's in store for the future of ESO!

Lykeion · January 15

The new visual effects look much better than before. I’m not a DK main nor someone who focuses heavily on visuals, but I’m still very impressed by the level of transparency shown in this PTS. In this update, the team has clearly showd their ability to respond to community feedback and to implement changes and share them publicly in a very short amount of time. That’s fantastic. Thank you, and please keep this momentum going.

J18696 · January 15

Radiate77 wrote: »

J18696 wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Drackolus wrote: »

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

Just wanted to follow up here. The DK is a bit of an outlier. While we did take player feedback for DK, we had to start the process of DK changes much earlier than we could announce at the time due to development timelines. We did take player feedback from the class survey that we posted back in October to help inform DK work. Additionally, we have gotten input from other sources like here on the forums, Reddit, and content creators from various backgrounds of play.

Now that we have formally announced the plan for changes, we have a much more lead time for the other classes to get as much feedback as possible. We are starting with the Warden in a few weeks and will have various points for feedback over the coming months.

I hope this is actually true and not just a repeated excuse we constantly get in the future as these reworks happen but its understandable I hope if nothing can be done atm that we get another pass on dk animations in the future because some of them definitely missed the mark such as the armor

When has Kevin ever lied to us???

He has done everything in his power to improve communications between us and his team and look where we are now?

This is the best it has ever been for the PTS.

I get how it sounds and I'm not directly saying this towards Kevin but the devs for years and years promised us similar things and it was always met with next time it wont be this way then next time comes around and its a new reason as to why x thing cant be changed

Yes communcation is better now but having this massive shift in content cadence to accommodate for more interplay between feedback and being able to adjust content then get told oh we cant make a new mesh for the model because the entire team has already moved on is disheartening at the very least

iyx · January 15

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Drackolus wrote: »

Wait. Stop. Hold on. What do you mean the team's already too busy working on the next refresh? Did you expect the first pass to be the final one? Are you planning on revisiting the classes in the future? I thought the refreshes were supposed to take in player feedback. How can that be possible if the team's on a whole new task before anyone even sees it? This is really discouraging to see.

Just wanted to follow up here. The DK is a bit of an outlier. While we did take player feedback for DK, we had to start the process of DK changes much earlier than we could announce at the time due to development timelines. We did take player feedback from the class survey that we posted back in October to help inform DK work. Additionally, we have gotten input from other sources like here on the forums, Reddit, and content creators from various backgrounds of play.

Now that we have formally announced the plan for changes, we have a much more lead time for the other classes to get as much feedback as possible. We are starting with the Warden in a few weeks and will have various points for feedback over the coming months.

Given this information, I can only request to avoid making arbitrary changes to class visuals that deviate too much from the original concept, shape, color scheme, and sound. This is because updating the remaining classes could also lead to unexpected schedule shifts (needing to start them earlier due to a players leaving, etc.), and dramatic changes to effects could require more time to rework, which could lead in lower quality results.

While it's very encouraging that player-requested changes were implemented during the PTS, we should have fewer and fewer reasons to request such changes.

coop500 · January 15

Wow, super impressed with the devs making this change to the spikes. It looks much better now, returning that feel of the upward turning dragon spikes.

Radiate77 · January 15

@ZOS_GinaBruno understanding fully that the majority of Dragonknight players are happy with the new iteration of Spikes, (admittedly they are better now than they were) but I have a suggestion for a skill style for those of us who are not.

In the following artwork from Pinterest, you can see a sort of baseline knight in the top left, and then additional spikes added to the armor in different locations for each following picture.

I would really appreciate if at some point, we could get some obsidian spikes that augment plate armor, similar to how they work in that concept art.