Thoughts on Light Attack Weaving Amid ESO's Exciting 2026 Roadmap

frogthroat · January 20

Warhawke_80 wrote: »

This feels like a perfect moment to politely revisit light attack (LA) weaving, a mechanic that's been a staple but one I've always hoped could be refined for broader accessibility and fun.

I don't really get what your idea of refining weaving is. How would you refine it? Not removing it, that's not what you suggest, right?

Warhawke_80 wrote: »

For context, LA weaving originated as a form of animation canceling—an unintended exploit where players clip light attacks into skills to bypass recovery animations, boosting DPS significantly. While it's now a core meta technique, it turns smooth, immersive combat into a precise, twitchy rhythm that disrupts fluid animations and demands sub-second timing.

Well, the origins are irrelevant after ZOS has embraced it and even on loading screens it explains how it works.

Warhawke_80 wrote: »

I love ESO's action combat (even more than Destiny 2's gunplay in some ways), but weaving often feels like a chore rather than an engaging flow.

Then don't do it. It's not mandatory unless you are scorepushing and especially after Velothi and arcanist beams it's more and more optional.

Warhawke_80 wrote: »

More importantly, it creates barriers for players with physical challenges. Folks with arthritis, tendinitis, or other hand/musculoskeletal issues have shared how the rapid inputs exacerbate pain or make it outright unfeasible, limiting their DPS and group viability. Addons and controller aids help some, but not everyone.

I don't think LA-weaving is going to be the biggest challenge in the content where LA-weaving starts to matter a lot. Not everyone has to get Swashbuckler Supreme.

LA weaving is not magic. It gives a small boost to your damage, less now than before, but you can absolutely clear even difficult content without ever weaving a single time.

Warhawke_80 wrote: »

The good news? Perfect weaving isn't required for most content. Many players clear all trials, dungeons, and arenas with solid but imperfect rotations—top parses are really just a hyper-competitive niche, not the norm, I mean just Imagine if ZOS leaned into the 2026 class updates to make high DPS more achievable through smart design: better baseline skill synergies, optional weaving bonuses.

LA weaving already is optional. Especially after Velothi and Arcanist class. What does it take away from you when other people use LA weaving?

If you are in a situation where your group leader demands LA-weaving, you are most likely in a prog trial group and have already agreed to optimise your build to the very last enchant on your gear and morph on your skill bar. Otherwise, I doubt anyone is going to tell you to weave or else.

frogthroat · January 20

Orbital78 wrote: »

unless they know you play DK or Necro well.

In my prog trial group we have a Warden main with bear ulti. He's often, if not the #1 dps, at least quite high on the list.

Sometimes you get these people who have played their class for 10 years and can outparse even the current meta.

Orbital78 · January 20

frogthroat wrote: »

Orbital78 wrote: »

unless they know you play DK or Necro well.

In my prog trial group we have a Warden main with bear ulti. He's often, if not the #1 dps, at least quite high on the list.

Sometimes you get these people who have played their class for 10 years and can outparse even the current meta.

I don't doubt it, it is rarer but I have met wardens that out DPS many.

exiars10 · 1:25PM

Of course ESO minority who managed to do properly initially just bug is in its own bubble and defend it

.
The worst mistake devs did was to cater to them.

Outside the bubble, ESO is the most notorious for the worst combat in any MMO.
Just go read anywhere outside bubble in the last 10 years, and it's almost always that the combat is the ranked as the worst aspect of the game.
It goes like this "I would play ESO / I tried it but combat is horrible" or similar adjectives.

For me personally, combat is mostly terrible (LA weaing is just one part), and that doesn't include just playing as DD - tanking is even worse. Probably the worst aspect of game (excluding hundreds bugs) for me.

Frayton · 5:09PM

I parse high enough to complete trial trifectas, but I despise LA weaving bc it can be so janky and feels disruptive to a rotation especially with skills that have a cast time. I know some people view it as a talent flex and will defend it to the death, but I always saw it as just a necessary evil if I wanted to get on a roster for the hardest content in the game.

I was glad when ZOS introduced other ways to get high damage that wasn't so focused on LA perfection, not just bc I hate LA, but bc I saw more players try endgame raiding.

I hope ZOS gets rid of it altogether.

Last'One · 5:29PM

Well, it’s as simple as you said. LA weaving takes advantage of an “unintended exploit”, essentially a bug related to animation canceling. If the developers ever fix this, a very large portion of the player base will complain, because they’ll realize their DPS is ultimately the same as that of newer or more casual players. And since this is a very big issue for ZoS, no one is likely to change it. Toxicity, gatekeeping, and everything surrounding DPS have effectively become part of ESO.

The Elder Scrolls Online isn’t really about fun, immersion, or the rich lore the series is known for anymore.
It’s about logs, Hodor, and the endless DPS race.

Paramedicus · 5:42PM

Discussion about LA weaving in 2026? Do you guys have a to-dumb-down list before ESO dies?

LA weaving, as poopy as it is, adds another layer of skill to the game.

And when people complain about combat in 2026, it's about its low cool factor, floatiness, the feeling of little impact when pew-pewing something, the almost zero satisfaction when something dies (it sometimes happens in optimized groups where you meld mobs.. though it happens much too late in the game -> it's unavailable to new players),

BTW did anyone note how much annoying CC is in the older content? This doesn't help either.

Frayton · 6:16PM

Paramedicus wrote: »

floatiness, the feeling of little impact when pew-pewing something

Are there certain skills or weapons you're referring to? I can't think of any that feel floaty except that weird dual wield animation where it looks like you're just waving your arms around, and a resto staff but it's a resto staff.

I know weaving and some skill casting can look out of sync if that's what you mean, but for the most part, floaty or little impact is not an issue that comes to mind when I think of ESO combat.

ToddIngram · 6:19PM

Light attack weaving is an integral part of ESO combat system. It makes ESO unique, and that's a good thing.

There is supposed to be a skill gap between those who've put the time in to learn the system and those who haven't.

Northwold · 9:57PM

ToddIngram wrote: »

Light attack weaving is an integral part of ESO combat system. It makes ESO unique, and that's a good thing.

There is supposed to be a skill gap between those who've put the time in to learn the system and those who haven't.

And once you get the skill, you get arthritis. It's genius.

Orbital78 · 10:00PM

Northwold wrote: »

ToddIngram wrote: »

Light attack weaving is an integral part of ESO combat system. It makes ESO unique, and that's a good thing.

There is supposed to be a skill gap between those who've put the time in to learn the system and those who haven't.

And once you get the skill, you get arthritis. It's genius.

Gaming devices can alleviate it some.