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Discussion: The Current state of the Armor system.
maryjane1412
✭✭
Hi everyone,
Speaking strictly from a PvE perspective, I would like to discuss the current state of the combat system, particularly armor weight passives and how they influence the meta.
English is not my main language, so please bear with me. I will try to explain my thoughts in simple points.
Armor Weight Passives and the Current Meta
Right now, it feels like Medium Armor dominates almost every build, even many magicka builds, mainly because of the strong bonuses to:
Critical Chance
Critical Damage
Weapon and Spell damage
Because of this, many players feel pushed into wearing Medium Armor regardless of their archetype. In my opinion, this hurts build diversity and makes many unique armor sets less desirable.
When a caster build performs better in Medium Armor than Light Armor, something about the system does not feel right.
Light Armor Identity Problem
Light Armor currently lacks a strong unique identity that makes it desirable for magicka builds.
Instead of feeling like the natural choice for spellcasters, it often feels like a weaker option compared to Medium Armor.
There are many ways Light Armor could be enhanced to make it:
More unique
More interactive
More rewarding for magicka gameplay
All of this can be done without breaking the game or power-creeping the system.
The Critical Damage and Penetration Chase
Another major issue is the constant chase for critical damage and penetration.
This stat stacking heavily influences build choices and reduces gear diversity. Many interesting sets become irrelevant because they do not contribute to these specific stats.
Even introducing a hard cap may not fully solve this issue because the problem is deeper: the system currently rewards stacking the same few stats instead of exploring different mechanics.
Expanding Armor Mechanics
The game already has many unique status effects and modifiers that could be integrated into armor passives.
Introducing mechanics like:
Reactive damage
resource conversion
positional bonuses
elemental interactions
could enhance gameplay while also encouraging more diverse builds.
Below is a draft concept showing how armor passives could be redesigned to reinforce each armor type’s identity.
Light Armor Concept
Active Ability (New)
Arcane Ward
Cost: Magicka
Surround yourself with a magical barrier for 6 seconds.
While active:
20% of incoming damage is converted into Magicka drain
Each time the ward absorbs damage, you gain Arcane Charge
Arcane Charge effect:
Your next damaging magicka ability consumes the charges and deals bonus damage.
Morph 1 – Reflective Ward
Part of the absorbed damage is reflected back to attackers.
Morph 2 – Mystic Reservoir
Damage absorbed restores Magicka instead of dealing bonus damage.
This could become a signature defensive ability for mage builds.
Passive 1 – Spell Warding
Increase Spell Resistance by 400 per Light Armor piece worn.
If wearing 5 or more pieces, gain Minor Protection while casting or channeling abilities.
Passive 2 – Arcane Momentum
Light attack weaving with magicka abilities grants Arcane Momentum:
+1% Spell Damage per stack
Maximum 8 stacks
Stacks reset if weaving stops for 4 seconds.
Passive 3 – Mana Shielding
10% of incoming damage is taken from Magicka instead of Health.
If Magicka reaches 0, the effect is disabled for 6 seconds.
Passive 4 – Ethereal Movement
After roll dodging:
Gain Major Expedition for 3 seconds
Gain snare and immobilization immunity for 2 seconds
Passive 5 – Elemental Mastery
Applying elemental status effects increases Spell Damage by 2% for 5 seconds.
Stacks up to 5 times.
Passive 6 – Arcane Echo
Magicka abilities have a 12% chance to create an Arcane Echo, repeating 30% of the damage after 1 second.
Echo damage cannot crit.
Passive 7 – Mystic Reflex
When you fall below 30% health, automatically trigger:
A damage shield
Major Expedition
Cooldown: 20 seconds
This represents a mage survival instinct.
Medium Armor Concept
Medium Armor should clearly reward stamina gameplay, mobility, and weapon combat.
Passive 1 – Predator’s Flow
Trigger: Light Attack → Stamina Ability
Gain Predator Flow for 5 seconds:
+1% Weapon Damage per stack
Maximum 8 stacks
Stacks reset if a Magicka ability is used.
Passive 2 – Martial Precision
Stamina abilities gain:
+6% Critical Chance
+10% Critical Damage
Passive 3 – Adrenaline Engine
Dealing physical, bleed, or poison damage restores Stamina.
Cooldown: 1 second
Passive 4 – Predator’s Position
Attacking enemies from the flank or behind with a stamina ability grants:
Increased Armor Penetration
Bonus damage
Passive 5 – Fleet Combatant
After sprinting or roll dodging, your next stamina ability deals 10% more damage.
Passive 6 – Weapon Mastery
Increase damage of weapon skill line abilities by 8%.
Applies to:
Dual Wield
Two-Handed
Bow
One-Hand and Shield
Passive 7 – Executioner’s Instinct
Enemies below 35% health take 8% more damage from stamina abilities.
Medium Armor Active Ability
Hunter’s Focus
Cost: Stamina
For 8 seconds:
Stamina abilities generate Hunter Stacks
Each stack increases Weapon Damage by 2%
Maximum 5 stacks
Using a Magicka ability removes all stacks.
Final Thoughts
This is just a draft idea of how the armor system could evolve to:
Reinforce armor identities
Encourage build diversity
Introduce new mechanics
Reduce stat stacking dominance
Without necessarily increasing overall power levels.
I would really like to hear your thoughts.
Do you feel the same way about the current armor meta, or do you think the system is fine as it is?
Would you like to see more mechanical diversity in armor passives?
Thanks for reading.
Edited by maryjane1412 on March 9, 2026 12:34AM Speaking strictly from a PvE perspective, I would like to discuss the current state of the combat system, particularly armor weight passives and how they influence the meta.
English is not my main language, so please bear with me. I will try to explain my thoughts in simple points.
Armor Weight Passives and the Current Meta
Right now, it feels like Medium Armor dominates almost every build, even many magicka builds, mainly because of the strong bonuses to:
Critical Chance
Critical Damage
Weapon and Spell damage
Because of this, many players feel pushed into wearing Medium Armor regardless of their archetype. In my opinion, this hurts build diversity and makes many unique armor sets less desirable.
When a caster build performs better in Medium Armor than Light Armor, something about the system does not feel right.
Light Armor Identity Problem
Light Armor currently lacks a strong unique identity that makes it desirable for magicka builds.
Instead of feeling like the natural choice for spellcasters, it often feels like a weaker option compared to Medium Armor.
There are many ways Light Armor could be enhanced to make it:
More unique
More interactive
More rewarding for magicka gameplay
All of this can be done without breaking the game or power-creeping the system.
The Critical Damage and Penetration Chase
Another major issue is the constant chase for critical damage and penetration.
This stat stacking heavily influences build choices and reduces gear diversity. Many interesting sets become irrelevant because they do not contribute to these specific stats.
Even introducing a hard cap may not fully solve this issue because the problem is deeper: the system currently rewards stacking the same few stats instead of exploring different mechanics.
Expanding Armor Mechanics
The game already has many unique status effects and modifiers that could be integrated into armor passives.
Introducing mechanics like:
Reactive damage
resource conversion
positional bonuses
elemental interactions
could enhance gameplay while also encouraging more diverse builds.
Below is a draft concept showing how armor passives could be redesigned to reinforce each armor type’s identity.
Light Armor Concept
Active Ability (New)
Arcane Ward
Cost: Magicka
Surround yourself with a magical barrier for 6 seconds.
While active:
20% of incoming damage is converted into Magicka drain
Each time the ward absorbs damage, you gain Arcane Charge
Arcane Charge effect:
Your next damaging magicka ability consumes the charges and deals bonus damage.
Morph 1 – Reflective Ward
Part of the absorbed damage is reflected back to attackers.
Morph 2 – Mystic Reservoir
Damage absorbed restores Magicka instead of dealing bonus damage.
This could become a signature defensive ability for mage builds.
Passive 1 – Spell Warding
Increase Spell Resistance by 400 per Light Armor piece worn.
If wearing 5 or more pieces, gain Minor Protection while casting or channeling abilities.
Passive 2 – Arcane Momentum
Light attack weaving with magicka abilities grants Arcane Momentum:
+1% Spell Damage per stack
Maximum 8 stacks
Stacks reset if weaving stops for 4 seconds.
Passive 3 – Mana Shielding
10% of incoming damage is taken from Magicka instead of Health.
If Magicka reaches 0, the effect is disabled for 6 seconds.
Passive 4 – Ethereal Movement
After roll dodging:
Gain Major Expedition for 3 seconds
Gain snare and immobilization immunity for 2 seconds
Passive 5 – Elemental Mastery
Applying elemental status effects increases Spell Damage by 2% for 5 seconds.
Stacks up to 5 times.
Passive 6 – Arcane Echo
Magicka abilities have a 12% chance to create an Arcane Echo, repeating 30% of the damage after 1 second.
Echo damage cannot crit.
Passive 7 – Mystic Reflex
When you fall below 30% health, automatically trigger:
A damage shield
Major Expedition
Cooldown: 20 seconds
This represents a mage survival instinct.
Medium Armor Concept
Medium Armor should clearly reward stamina gameplay, mobility, and weapon combat.
Passive 1 – Predator’s Flow
Trigger: Light Attack → Stamina Ability
Gain Predator Flow for 5 seconds:
+1% Weapon Damage per stack
Maximum 8 stacks
Stacks reset if a Magicka ability is used.
Passive 2 – Martial Precision
Stamina abilities gain:
+6% Critical Chance
+10% Critical Damage
Passive 3 – Adrenaline Engine
Dealing physical, bleed, or poison damage restores Stamina.
Cooldown: 1 second
Passive 4 – Predator’s Position
Attacking enemies from the flank or behind with a stamina ability grants:
Increased Armor Penetration
Bonus damage
Passive 5 – Fleet Combatant
After sprinting or roll dodging, your next stamina ability deals 10% more damage.
Passive 6 – Weapon Mastery
Increase damage of weapon skill line abilities by 8%.
Applies to:
Dual Wield
Two-Handed
Bow
One-Hand and Shield
Passive 7 – Executioner’s Instinct
Enemies below 35% health take 8% more damage from stamina abilities.
Medium Armor Active Ability
Hunter’s Focus
Cost: Stamina
For 8 seconds:
Stamina abilities generate Hunter Stacks
Each stack increases Weapon Damage by 2%
Maximum 5 stacks
Using a Magicka ability removes all stacks.
Final Thoughts
This is just a draft idea of how the armor system could evolve to:
Reinforce armor identities
Encourage build diversity
Introduce new mechanics
Reduce stat stacking dominance
Without necessarily increasing overall power levels.
I would really like to hear your thoughts.
Do you feel the same way about the current armor meta, or do you think the system is fine as it is?
Would you like to see more mechanical diversity in armor passives?
Thanks for reading.
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maryjane1412✭✭ESO already has a wide variety of status effects — bleed, poison, disease, snares, immobilization, elemental procs, and more but they’re rarely integrated meaningfully into armor passives.
Imagine if armor passives rewarded clever use of status effects instead:
Light Armor could amplify spell effects when you apply elemental statuses, or create defensive shields when an enemy is immobilized.
Medium Armor could grant damage bonuses for bleeding or poison effects on enemies, or reward flanking enemies with a debuff.
Heavy Armor could trigger damage mitigation when suffering status effects, or reflect conditions back to attackers.
This kind of system would:
Make armor choices feel meaningful
Encourage skillful gameplay instead of stat stacking
Create more synergy between abilities and gear
Right now, status effects feel like a side note, barely touched by passives or meta builds. I really hope the devs—or even the community through discussion—can start thinking about ways to integrate these effects meaningfully. It could completely change how we approach combat and build design.2