Future QoL Suggestions, Proposal: Cross-Bar Weapon Skill Accessibility for Improved Combat Fluidity

aspergalas4 · March 8

This proposal recommends the implementation of Cross-Bar Weapon Skill Accessibility within The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). The feature would allow players to activate weapon skills regardless of which action bar the weapon is currently equipped on, provided the skill is slotted on either bar.

The goal is to increase combat fluidity, responsiveness, and build creativity while maintaining balance within ESO’s existing combat framework. By removing unnecessary friction caused by strict bar-weapon alignment, combat becomes faster paced and more intuitive without increasing skill power or undermining class identity.

This change would modernize the combat experience, improve accessibility for new players, and enhance high-level gameplay expression for veteran players.

Background

ESO’s combat system currently requires that weapon skills can only be used when the associated weapon is active on the current action bar. While this reinforces weapon identity, it introduces several gameplay limitations:

- Frequent bar swapping interrupts combat flow (particularly if only swapping to use 1 or 2 skills)
- Players must perform mechanical swaps solely to trigger a skill rather than as a strategic decision.
- Reaction time is reduced during high-pressure encounters.
- Certain builds become mechanically cumbersome despite being thematically viable.

As ESO has evolved, with faster encounter design, higher player skill ceilings, and increasingly complex rotations, these constraints can feel outdated relative to modern MMO combat systems.

Proposal Overview
Cross-Bar Weapon Skill Accessibility

Allow players to equip and activate weapon skills of the weapon equipped on the other bar, on their current bar.

Key Concept:
You can equip either of your weapons skills on either bar, so they are more readily accessible for certain builds/rotations.

Design Principles

The proposal adheres to four guiding principles:

1) Maintain ESO’s Action Bar Identity
Players still choose which five skills belong on each bar.

2) Preserve Weapon Identity
Weapon skills remain tied to their weapon skill lines and passives.

3) Increase Combat Flow
Reduce unnecessary mechanical inputs (frequent bar swapping) that interrupt gameplay.

4) Avoid Power Creep
This feature improves usability rather than raw combat strength (no changes to the skills themselves).

Functional Design
Activation Rules

A weapon skill may be activated if:

- The skill is slotted on either bar (Front bar bow can equip your back bar two-hand skills and vice versa)
- The player meets weapon requirements for the skill line.
- The skill is not currently on cooldown (global)

Example Scenario

Current System:

1 - Player is on Front Bar (Dual Wield).
2 - Needs to use a Bow ability (Back Bar)
3 - Must swap bars.
4 - Activate skill.
5 - Swap back to Front Bar (Dual Wield).

Proposed System:

1 - Player is on Front Bar (Dual Wield).
2 - Bow skill is now slotted on the Front Bar (whilst Bow is still Back Bar).
3 - Player presses the skill key.
4 - Skill activates immediately and weapon animation triggers before returning to currently drawn weapon.

Result: Faster, smoother combat flow.

Gameplay Benefits

1. Increased Combat Fluidity

Removing forced bar swaps reduces mechanical friction and creates a more natural combat rhythm in certain circumstances.

Players can react quickly to battlefield situations without losing tempo (skills chosen by player are not locked to one specific bar).

2. Improved Accessibility

New players frequently struggle with ESO’s dual-bar system.

Cross-bar skill activation would:

- Lower the learning curve
- Reduce input complexity
- Improve controller usability

3. Greater Build Creativity

Players can design builds around tactical skill use rather than bar management constraints, allowing more diverse playstyles.

4. Higher Skill Expression

Advanced players would benefit from:

- More fluid rotations
- More precise timing of skill activation (benefits dot builds)
- Greater flexibility in build creation

Balance Considerations

To preserve ESO’s combat balance, the following safeguards are recommended:

Option A: Minor Global Cooldown Alignment
Cross-bar weapon skills follow the existing global cooldown rules.

Option B: Animation Consistency
Weapon animations remain tied to the skill used, ensuring visual clarity in PvP.

Option C: Optional Toggle Setting
Allow players to enable or disable cross-bar activation in the Combat Settings Menu.

Technical Feasibility

Implementation would primarily involve:

- Skill validation logic adjustment
- Action bar input recognition across both bars
- UI feedback indicating cross-bar activation

No new assets, animations, or skill reworks are required, making this a low-content, high-impact quality-of-life feature.

Potential Risks
Risk
- PvP burst potential (low)
- Bar identity dilution (moderate)
- Player confusion (low)

Mitigation
- Maintain existing cooldowns
- Require skill to still be slotted
- Add clear UI indicators

Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1 – Internal Testing

- Validate skill trigger logic
- Evaluate PvP interactions

Phase 2 – Public Test Server (PTS)

- Community testing
- Combat metrics analysis

Phase 3 – Iteration

- Adjust edge cases
- Refine UI indicators

Phase 4 – Live Release

Expected Outcomes

If implemented, the feature is expected to:

- Improve combat responsiveness and fluidity
- Reduce mechanical frustration by removing a step from larger rotations
- Increase player satisfaction with smoother combat experience

Modernise ESO’s combat feel without altering core balance

Conclusion

Cross-Bar Weapon Skill Accessibility offers a targeted quality-of-life improvement that aligns with ESO’s evolving combat design.

By reducing unnecessary bar management while preserving skill slot limitations, the system enhances both accessibility and mastery without introducing power creep.

This change would strengthen ESO’s reputation for dynamic, action-oriented combat and provide long-term benefits for both new and veteran players.

Bonus QoL cosmetic tie-in: The ability to utilise skills from either bar opens the door to having the option of both weapon types we use being displayed on our characters at once (in the form of a toggle feature similar to how we can hide mount upgrades), a feature that has been requested repeatedly over the years and further bridges the gap between the ESO title and the single player Elder Scrolls series. Would be very cool to fight dual wield whilst your bow is visible on your back or vice versa. Or use a staff whilst your sword sits at the hip and your shield on your back. Clipping issues from having both weapon types stowed when not in combat can be averted by adjusting where they sit in relation to each other when the toggle is activated.

aspergalas4 · March 8

@ZOS_Kevin

Is a feature like this something ZOS is currently working on/considering?

LunaFlora · March 8

so would this result in both skills connected to a specific button to be activated together?

PeacefulAnarchy · March 8

aspergalas4 wrote: »

Is a feature like this something ZOS is currently working on/considering?

I hope not, it makes no sense.
If you want 10 skills available at a time and no bar swapping, then argue for that. I'm not sure that is reasonable or wanted by most people, or even actually less cumbersome, but it is at least a proposal that is coherent and makes sense.
Otherwise I have no idea what this proposal is even meant to solve or how it would even work. It feels like it was written by someone who just read about eso skills and barswapping but has never actually played the game.

aspergalas4 · March 8

No for better clarification the idea behind this is for you to be able to mix and match your two weapon type skills on each bar for more synergy in a certain rotation.

You can still bar swap under this proposal and play exactly how you do currently. This just removes a step for certain rotations. Lets say you want all your AOE weapon skills on one bar, and all your single target on the other. For example you lay down a volley and want to spam whirlwind in that AOE area if using Bow and Dual wield, currently you have to swap bars to do that whereas having them both usable on the same bar removes that step. Your character swaps weapons mid combat anyway currently so it really is about making that concept feel more fluid. So imagine running around dual wielding with a bunch of AoE skills equipped, but having volley on the same bar too to pop without having to manually swap to your backbar bow.

It streamlines rotations whilst still keeping true to the weapon swap logic.

aspergalas4 · March 8

PeacefulAnarchy wrote: »

aspergalas4 wrote: »

Is a feature like this something ZOS is currently working on/considering?

I hope not, it makes no sense.
If you want 10 skills available at a time and no bar swapping, then argue for that. I'm not sure that is reasonable or wanted by most people, or even actually less cumbersome, but it is at least a proposal that is coherent and makes sense.
Otherwise I have no idea what this proposal is even meant to solve or how it would even work. It feels like it was written by someone who just read about eso skills and barswapping but has never actually played the game.

I have over 4000+ hours in ESO, and make extensive use of the bar swap mechanic as I'm sure most players do. I play quite fast paced on my NB so find myself swapping to use just one or two skills a lot only to swap back for the rest of my rotation. This can feel clunky. This concept would further enhance this fast paced experience by removing that step of changing weapons between weapon skills I want to use by allowing me to slot it in my main bar where I can't currently.

I'm a bit confused at your lack of understanding because this idea is laid out quite plainly and keeps to the current 5 skill bar swap system we have. This is quite a simple change really, I hope I've made it easier to understand with my reply.

The long and short of it is basically unlocking both equipped weapon skills for use on either bar providing that weapon is equipped on at least one. I'm surprised its not already a thing, as it would only increase the pace and smooth the feel of combat without disrupting the current bar system.

PeacefulAnarchy · March 8

aspergalas4 wrote: »

PeacefulAnarchy wrote: »

aspergalas4 wrote: »

Is a feature like this something ZOS is currently working on/considering?

I hope not, it makes no sense.
If you want 10 skills available at a time and no bar swapping, then argue for that. I'm not sure that is reasonable or wanted by most people, or even actually less cumbersome, but it is at least a proposal that is coherent and makes sense.
Otherwise I have no idea what this proposal is even meant to solve or how it would even work. It feels like it was written by someone who just read about eso skills and barswapping but has never actually played the game.

I have over 4000+ hours in ESO, and make extensive use of the bar swap mechanic as I'm sure most players do. I play quite fast paced on my NB so find myself swapping to use just one or two skills a lot only to swap back for my main rotation. This concept would further enhance this fast paced experience by removing that step of changing weapons between weapon skills I want to use by allowing me to slot it in my main bar where I can't currently.

I'm a bit confused at your lack of understanding because this idea is laid out quite plainly and keeps to the current 5 skill bar swap system we have. This is quite a simple change really, I hope I've made it easier to understand with my reply.

The long and short of it is basically unlocking both equipped weapon skills on either bar providing that weapon is equipped on at least one. I'm surprised its not already a thing, as it would only increase the pace and smooth the feel of combat without disrupting the current bar system.

Yes these replies make a bit more sense. I don't agree that this is necessary or useful, but at least I understand. Personally I find my weapon skill use to be rather limited and something I want on the bar with the weapon for rotation reasons. The only use case I can think of that I would ever use is to have crushing shock on my front bar so I have a range interrupt on a melee weapon bar. It's a very niche case and I think most people would say that if I really want that then I should just slot a a staff there.

The reason your first post isn't clear is because it says things that don't make sense and they confuse the purpose and intent of your proposal.
"- Players must perform mechanical swaps solely to trigger a skill rather than as a strategic decision."
Swapping to trigger a skill is a strategic decision, you're not swapping just to swap. This just changes what skills prompt you to swap.

"Allow players to activate weapon skills that are slotted on the inactive bar, even when that bar’s weapon is not currently active."
This is why luna wrote what they wrote, it says something directly different from what you want. This concept of somehow hitting skills slotted on the opposite bar is referenced throughout the first post.
"- Maintain existing cooldowns"
ESO skills don't have cooldowns.

There are other references and comments in the first post that do not make sense like the above.

lillybit · March 8

Why are so many people recently commenting on the hours they've played as if that makes their ideas more worthwhile? I've played for 20,000+ hours and think our characters should have bunny ear adornments! Not a dig at OP, just an observation

Aside from that and back on topic, I don't think this is a bad idea as such, but I'm not sure it's something I'd want dev hours devoted to. I guess with back bar XP now it's a step closer to something like this tho.

The downside I can see is that it leads to bigger asks. If I can use skills on my front bar for my back bar weapon, why aren't both sets also counted at the same time? If my bow is active enough to use bow skills it should be active enough so that I don't drop my back bar set just because I'm on the front.

Personally I think that would be great, I'd love to be able to use monster sets again, but I'm not sure that's something they'd want to do

aspergalas4 · March 8

PeacefulAnarchy wrote: »

aspergalas4 wrote: »

PeacefulAnarchy wrote: »

aspergalas4 wrote: »

Is a feature like this something ZOS is currently working on/considering?

I hope not, it makes no sense.
If you want 10 skills available at a time and no bar swapping, then argue for that. I'm not sure that is reasonable or wanted by most people, or even actually less cumbersome, but it is at least a proposal that is coherent and makes sense.
Otherwise I have no idea what this proposal is even meant to solve or how it would even work. It feels like it was written by someone who just read about eso skills and barswapping but has never actually played the game.

I have over 4000+ hours in ESO, and make extensive use of the bar swap mechanic as I'm sure most players do. I play quite fast paced on my NB so find myself swapping to use just one or two skills a lot only to swap back for my main rotation. This concept would further enhance this fast paced experience by removing that step of changing weapons between weapon skills I want to use by allowing me to slot it in my main bar where I can't currently.

I'm a bit confused at your lack of understanding because this idea is laid out quite plainly and keeps to the current 5 skill bar swap system we have. This is quite a simple change really, I hope I've made it easier to understand with my reply.

The long and short of it is basically unlocking both equipped weapon skills on either bar providing that weapon is equipped on at least one. I'm surprised its not already a thing, as it would only increase the pace and smooth the feel of combat without disrupting the current bar system.

Yes these replies make a bit more sense. I don't agree that this is necessary or useful, but at least I understand. Personally I find my weapon skill use to be rather limited and something I want on the bar with the weapon for rotation reasons. The only use case I can think of that I would ever use is to have crushing shock on my front bar so I have a range interrupt on a melee weapon bar. It's a very niche case and I think most people would say that if I really want that then I should just slot a a staff there.

The reason your first post isn't clear is because it says things that don't make sense and they confuse the purpose and intent of your proposal.
"- Players must perform mechanical swaps solely to trigger a skill rather than as a strategic decision."
Swapping to trigger a skill is a strategic decision, you're not swapping just to swap. This just changes what skills prompt you to swap.

"Allow players to activate weapon skills that are slotted on the inactive bar, even when that bar’s weapon is not currently active."
This is why luna wrote what they wrote, it says something directly different from what you want. This concept of somehow hitting skills slotted on the opposite bar is referenced throughout the first post.
"- Maintain existing cooldowns"
ESO skills don't have cooldowns.

There are other references and comments in the first post that do not make sense like the above.

I've tweaked the initial post because my wording was a bit open to interpretation with regards to "allow players to activate weapon skills that are slotted on the inactive bar, even when that bar's weapon is not currently active". That does read how Luna responded granted.

As for the strategic decision point I disagree. Under the current framework we swap because it is a necessity, we have 5 skills per bar but some are locked to one bar if we use 2 different weapons. I need to swap to dual wield to use twin slashes or pop blade cloak. Even if I immediately jump back to my other bar for the rest of my rotation, as one example.

As for cooldown I was referring to global cooldown. Your weapon swap would technically act as cooldown because you can't use skills whilst doing it. Eliminating that improves combat flow in certain circumstances.

barney2525 · March 8

so you want to use a weapon without equipping it

Makes No sense to me.

You want to use 2 different weapons, then swap them when each comes into play.

aspergalas4 · March 8

lillybit wrote: »

Why are so many people recently commenting on the hours they've played as if that makes their ideas more worthwhile? I've played for 20,000+ hours and think our characters should have bunny ear adornments! Not a dig at OP, just an observation

Aside from that and back on topic, I don't think this is a bad idea as such, but I'm not sure it's something I'd want dev hours devoted to. I guess with back bar XP now it's a step closer to something like this tho.

The downside I can see is that it leads to bigger asks. If I can use skills on my front bar for my back bar weapon, why aren't both sets also counted at the same time? If my bow is active enough to use bow skills it should be active enough so that I don't drop my back bar set just because I'm on the front.

Personally I think that would be great, I'd love to be able to use monster sets again, but I'm not sure that's something they'd want to do

I mentioned my game time because it was implied I don't play the game, I was clarifying I do indeed play the game hence my proposal haha

It really is more a hotfix more than anything. Its not a major feature to implement on the Dev's end, but we players would feel the benefit immediately. Just a case of unlocking what's already there as a QoL improvement.

aspergalas4 · March 8

barney2525 wrote: »

so you want to use a weapon without equipping it

Makes No sense to me.

You want to use 2 different weapons, then swap them when each comes into play.

[snip] I'm suggesting the use of weapon skills for equipped weapons on either bar. It's not a hard concept to understand. You have bow on your back bar but only want to use one bow skill with your front bar rotation? you can add it to that bar and use it without swapping. It's taking a step out of the combat process to speed it up, in certain rotations not all.

You can then swap to bow for a different rotation. You essentially get freed up to use more of the skills available in different contexts. Instead of having weapon skills locked to one bar to swap back and forth to make use of everything you want to. You can make each bar its own rotation easier. Enhancing build diversity.

Have actually been amused this has received some pushback, would be lauded as a win for ZOS if implemented as a form of combat overhaul despite it being a tweak. And doesn't impact the people against it at all if they don't want to use it (you all will).

Hope the folks at ZOS at least experiment with this in house, will quickly become apparent it makes combat feel better with little effort.
[edited for flaming]

tomofhyrule · March 8

There are a few points to bar swapping that this proposed system does not account for:

Passives that are "when slotted" only work on the active bar unless otherwise noted. Would these passives then be over or under powered in the new system considering that not all passives span both bars?
Consoles and anyone in gamepad mode are the literal reason there are only 5 skill slots. Making it so you have keys 1-0 for skills also then disproportionally favors a PC interface and disadvantages gamepad play. How would that be fixed?

aspergalas4 · March 8

tomofhyrule wrote: »

There are a few points to bar swapping that this proposed system does not account for:
Passives that are "when slotted" only work on the active bar unless otherwise noted. Would these passives then be over or under powered in the new system considering that not all passives span both bars?

Consoles and anyone in gamepad mode are the literal reason there are only 5 skill slots. Making it so you have keys 1-0 for skills also then disproportionally favors a PC interface and disadvantages gamepad play. How would that be fixed?

To answer your questions:

1. Passives do not need to be changed by this, they can work as they do currently and be active only when a particular weapon is drawn. So no dual wield passive active while you use your two-hander for example, even if you are using dual wield skills like throwing knife on that bar. This would act as a balancing trade off for having more ready access to the skills of the other weapon type equipped.

2. I don't understand how you came to the conclusion I'm suggesting a 10 bar system, I really don't. Your first question even implies you understand I'm talking about bar swapping in the current 5 skill framework.

It is quite simply this. You have a weapon equipped on either bar, you can use its skills on either bar. No more no less. No weapon skills locked to a certain bar if you are using different types of weapons on each bar.

Using Dual Wield and Bow? Under this proposal you can equip and use Blade Cloak (DW skill) while on the Bow bar, you can do the same with Volley (Bow skill) if you're on the dual wield bar.
It is a QoL change to give us more build options.

fizl101 · March 8

out of interest - if you have a bow in your hand and you cast wall of elements what do you see your character doing?

Personally I think that the bar swap mechanic is part of the skill of managing your rotation rather than lining up my skills in time order to make my rotation simpler to use and ignoring which weapons I have in my hand at the time

aspergalas4 · March 8

fizl101 wrote: »

out of interest - if you have a bow in your hand and you cast wall of elements what do you see your character doing?

Personally I think that the bar swap mechanic is part of the skill of managing your rotation rather than lining up my skills in time order to make my rotation simpler to use and ignoring which weapons I have in my hand at the time

If you have a staff on your other bar and cast a staff skill on the non staff bar your character will do the normal animation for that skill with the staff in hand before going back to holding their drawn weapon (in your example a bow). That's how I'd see it working.

You can continue to exert that bar swapping skill even if this was implemented, its just providing an option that is currently not there.

Frayton · March 8

What keys would be pressed to use backbar skills? <key> + 1, 2, 3, etc.?

For example, Shift+1 for backbar skill 1.

Lysorris · March 8

This is a very bad idea. Bar swapping doesn’t actually prevent you from doing anything. In fact, the act of swapping bars allows you to cancel animations, which is an important part of the game’s micro-level gameplay.

For example, if I’m using a sword and shield, I shouldn’t be able to cast Wall of Elements, trigger my staff passives, and instantly start bracing with a single click. That’s essentially macro/gameplay atomization. I can also see this interfering with the current combat loop.

This wouldn’t remain just an “option” or a "QoL feature". Because of how skill passives, skill line passives, and major/minor buffs work, it would quickly become the meta way to play and build.

Do we want ANOTHER layer of unwanted game optimalization?

aspergalas4 · March 8

Frayton wrote: »

What keys would be pressed to use backbar skills? <key> + 1, 2, 3, etc.?

For example, Shift+1 for backbar skill 1.

I don’t think you understand what I’m suggesting. I've tried to explain it better in my replies.

I want you to imagine your character using a bow, and dual wield. Your character has their bow out, but on their bar they have a dual wield skill equipped amongst the bow and class skills. Currently if you do that it’s greyed out and can’t be used. I’m suggesting unlocking it so we can use it. So we don’t have to swap to use it if we so choose.

aspergalas4 · March 8

Lysorris wrote: »

This is a very bad idea. Bar swapping doesn’t actually prevent you from doing anything. In fact, the act of swapping bars allows you to cancel animations, which is an important part of the game’s micro-level gameplay.

For example, if I’m using a sword and shield, I shouldn’t be able to cast Wall of Elements, trigger my staff passives, and instantly start bracing with a single click. That’s essentially macro/gameplay atomization. I can also see this interfering with the current combat loop.

This wouldn’t remain just an “option” or a "QoL feature". Because of how skill passives, skill line passives, and major/minor buffs work, it would quickly become the meta way to play and build.

Do we want ANOTHER layer of unwanted game optimalization?

I don’t get the impression you’ve read my replies since my original post. If you had you’d have seen I’ve already said in the case of using your back bar weapon type’s skills on your front bar the passives would only be active for the weapon currently drawn.

Rungar · March 9

add in an alternate UI setup also available at level 10 in settings and you can choose original or simplified UI early in the game. You can switch back anytime:

-moves barswap to the potion wheel with a 5-8 second cooldown
-turns the barswap button into 6th slottable skill button common to both bars
- empowers the 6th slot in some unique way
-adds in 2 passive only ( not clickable) skill blocks on the same bar, common to both bars
-nothing on the backbar is accessible i.e passives, levelling etc.

this simplifies the ui to one bar but still retains the backbar for emegencies or if you want to change weapons. You trade some raw power potential for simplicity and ease of use.

see what happens

imPDA · March 9

I am sorry, but I can't see REAL benefits. This is probably the consequences of subclassing; people started to think what else can be turned into mess and you came up with this one

This subclassing nonsense come too far.

If you want to do whatever you want no matter what - you are free to create your own game.

In your own message, AI already listed all solid points why not to do it. On top of that, all weapons have their own passives, will they work for skills on the wrong bar? Does that mean with 1 bar build I still will be able to use 2 types of weapons? It is a mess. Game has to have some core game design, and current 2 bar 2 weapon is good.

What you should do instead is to ask to fix bar swap. It is not very reliable from my POV, sometimes you think you pressed it and end up pressing the wrong buttons because it failed to swap somehow.

They also have a lot of work to do, for example, they introduced hybridization and this work never fully finished.

aspergalas4 · March 9

imPDA wrote: »

I am sorry, but I can't see REAL benefits. This is probably the consequences of subclassing; people started to think what else can be turned into mess and you came up with this one This subclassing nonsense come too far.

If you want to do whatever you want no matter what - you are free to create your own game.

In your own message, AI already listed all solid points why not to do it. On top of that, all weapons have their own passives, will they work for skills on the wrong bar? Does that mean with 1 bar build I still will be able to use 2 types of weapons? It is a mess. Game has to have some core game design, and current 2 bar 2 weapon is good.

What you should do instead is to ask to fix bar swap. It is not very reliable from my POV, sometimes you think you pressed it and end up pressing the wrong buttons because it failed to swap somehow.

They also have a lot of work to do, for example, they introduced hybridization and this work never fully finished.

It's okay you don't see REAL benefits, you don't have to. This proposal is for ZOS themselves to experiment with and eventually implement when it becomes clear it improves the combat experience. It's a minor change with tangible benefits. Your line of questioning has already been addressed in my previous replies. Which suggests you haven't actually read what I've said.

Such a simple concept is somehow misunderstood by quite a few people here. It doesn't create a mess, it does the opposite, it streamlines certain builds so there's less weapon swaps needed. That's it.

What part about "your character using a bow, and dual wield. Your character has their bow out, but on their bar they have a dual wield skill equipped amongst the bow and class skills." is so difficult to grasp? you don't need to swap to use that particular skill anymore if you so choose. You CAN keep it on your dual wield bar if you want to. You don't have to change anything about your particular rotation at all with this. But players who want a faster pace and only use say 1 weapon type skill on their back bar can now have it more readily available equipped and usable on the front bar to avoid swapping their weapon to pop 1 skill then swapping back.

Where do I suggest anything about activating passives from another weapon type? I don't. The passives would work as is, the only change being suggested is being able to use your other weapon type's skills. So I could be running a two-hand and dual wield as my two bars. And use throwing knife on my two-hand bar. It is painfully straight forward. Your passives would still be whatever weapon you have drawn. You are just using a skill from the other weapon type to skip having to weapon swap to use it.

ketsparrowhawk · March 9

Not doing yourself any favors writing such a long post for such a simple concept. You want to be able to slot skills from either of your equipped weapons on either bar. Not a bad idea tbh. Doesn't require a wall of text to convey.

aspergalas4 · March 9

ketsparrowhawk wrote: »

Not doing yourself any favors writing such a long post for such a simple concept. You want to be able to slot skills from either of your equipped weapons on either bar. Not a bad idea tbh. Doesn't require a wall of text to convey.

I wanted to catch dev's attention and thought proposing it in depth would flesh out the idea, and sell the concept, as it's a proposal. I also wanted to generate discussion to increase exposure to said devs, which I have achieved. I just didn't anticipate how people wouldn't understand it. I'm glad you understand what is being proposed and like the idea.

Renato90085 · March 9

I just can't imagine how dps using dual daggers spam sniper.
i maybe can understand what you mean, in trial hardmode we alway want put a Quick Cloak in bar,but front is full and we cant put this in back bar(greatsword or staff),and we only can choose some class/guild skill, this is a skill slot problem
op mean maybe like class/guild skill can put in any bar,and when you cast them,the character will auto swap bar>cast weapon skill >auto swap back in 3GCD(swap+cast skill+swap back)?

imPDA · March 9

aspergalas4 wrote: »

Where do I suggest anything about activating passives from another weapon type? I don't. The passives would work as is, the only change being suggested is being able to use your other weapon types skills. So I could be running a two-hand and dual wield as my two bars. And use throwing knife on my two-hand bar. It is painfully straight forward. Your passives would still be whatever weapon you have drawn. You are just using a skill from the other weapon type to skip having to weapon swap to use it.

I understand what you want to do, I just asked how some particular aspects your AI has not covered will work. For example, passives. Controlled Fury reduces cost of 2W skills, so I assume in your current design this passive will not work, and all 2W skills will cost more on wrong panel, so using it will be "taxed". Right?

What about 1 bar builds? Will I be able to use skills from both weapons since second bar is still "equipped" even if can't be used, or will it turn them off so I will be able to use skills from one weapon only?

You know about old ESO joke that "electrostaff buffs spin-to-win"? It can become real with this

Hope not.

aspergalas4 · March 9

imPDA wrote: »

aspergalas4 wrote: »

Where do I suggest anything about activating passives from another weapon type? I don't. The passives would work as is, the only change being suggested is being able to use your other weapon types skills. So I could be running a two-hand and dual wield as my two bars. And use throwing knife on my two-hand bar. It is painfully straight forward. Your passives would still be whatever weapon you have drawn. You are just using a skill from the other weapon type to skip having to weapon swap to use it.

I understand what you want to do, I just asked how some particular aspects your AI has not covered will work. For example, passives. Controlled Fury reduces cost of 2W skills, so I assume in your current design this passive will not work, and all 2W skills will cost more on wrong panel, so using it will be "taxed". Right?

What about 1 bar builds? Will I be able to use skills from both weapons since second bar is still "equipped" even if can't be used, or will it turn them off so I will be able to use skills from one weapon only?

You know about old ESO joke that "electrostaff buffs spin-to-win"? It can become real with this Hope not.

Yes you've got it, with regards to the passive "tax". That's a good way to put it, it follows the philosophy of the upcoming pure class mastery vs subclass passive trade-off.

For 1 bar builds yes that's how I envision it. So this actually benefits 1 bar builds more because you can utilise your backbar weapon skills (without the passive buffs ofc) if you so choose. It gives you a wider pool of skills to use for that play style.

aspergalas4 · March 9

Renato90085 wrote: »

I just can't imagine how dps using dual daggers spam sniper.
i maybe can understand what you mean, in trial hardmode we alway want put a Quick Cloak in bar,but front is full and we cant put this in back bar(greatsword or staff),and we only can choose some class/guild skill, this is a skill slot problem
op mean maybe like class/guild skill can put in any bar,and when you cast them,the character will auto swap bar>cast weapon skill >auto swap back in 3GCD(swap+cast skill+swap back)?

I hadn't factored in an auto swap function. That might work as a compromise position for those against, its a fair suggestion. So you propose skills still slotted on either bar as I've outlined, but using your other bars weapon skill auto swaps to use it then swaps back. Might feel clunky doing it that way vs just triggering the skill animation, but I appreciate the suggestion.

tomofhyrule · March 9

This is still one of those things that really looks like a solution in search of a problem.

You're trying to make it so you can slot weapon skills on a bar that does not have that style weapon equipped. That's it. The current setup of the game treats the two bars as separate (so some mechanism for the game to recognize which weapon is unequipped would first need to be built). Then, the obvious question of how the animations would look if you are using the wrong weapon would come up.

All to save... what, the need for barswapping twice? I feel like this is less about quality of life and more about "I want to be OP by being able to squeeze out more stuff and have fewer weaknesses."

Besides, if you really really really want to cast Blade Cloak without your DW active, that's going to be possible with the Night Market. They're introducing Skill Scrolls for three skills specifically (Blade Cloak, Momentum, and Defensive Posture) that you can slot and use like potions.

aspergalas4 · March 9

tomofhyrule wrote: »

This is still one of those things that really looks like a solution in search of a problem.

You're trying to make it so you can slot weapon skills on a bar that does not have that style weapon equipped. That's it. The current setup of the game treats the two bars as separate (so some mechanism for the game to recognize which weapon is unequipped would first need to be built). Then, the obvious question of how the animations would look if you are using the wrong weapon would come up.

All to save... what, the need for barswapping twice? I feel like this is less about quality of life and more about "I want to be OP by being able to squeeze out more stuff and have fewer weaknesses."

Besides, if you really really really want to cast Blade Cloak without your DW active, that's going to be possible with the Night Market. They're introducing Skill Scrolls for three skills specifically (Blade Cloak, Momentum, and Defensive Posture) that you can slot and use like potions.

I disagree this isn't a QoL change. This is very much a QoL change because it builds on an existing feature/system (bar swapping) to make the overall combat feel better. Without actually changing or adding any skills, or buffing/nerfing anything. It will literally just make combat feel better. It doesn't make you any more powerful, or less. It's purely a UX improvement for us players.

As for animations they don't need to be changed for this. They are all self contained to their respective skills anyway. I see no reason why you can't hold a bow then suddenly perform the "whirlwind" animation with your dual wield weapons before it goes back to holding your bow when the animation completes.

This isn't about any specific skills, its about widening our options for our builds/rotations. Which again in itself, is a QoL improvement.