In these attentive and exciting days of ESO oh has the Vampires have fallen from grace deep into the shadows, I believe its time for another stab at what it means to be a Vampire!

From what I've seen here on the Forum lately from many enthusiastic Vampire Scions are 2 things: Thematic synergy of being a Vampire in the Elder Scrolls Universe and that being a Vampire should be a Want, not a need for a min/max passive line, able to stand on its own.

So with absorbing all the ideas from the many post about reworks for the Vampire and the many comments that add to them perfectly I thought I'd encompass them into one cohesive skill line and passives for Vampires (if i miss any core ideas please comment to add to this or if youre one of the many who already shared your ideas, post a link to your thread here so the our Vampire brothers and sisters can feast their eyes on some of yalls amazing ideas!) All numbers are really just there for a starting point, I'll leave it to the pros at ZOS when it comes to how they'd want to implement these as well as Buffs and Debuffs they should or shouldnt apply. The goal is to make what we see Vampires be/do in ESO consistent throughout Tamriel while giving them an identity all of their own. When the most Vampires roamed Tamriel it was for a 1 or 2 passives or a single ability but after the changes to Vampires as a whole, that completely diminished the player base and for those few who were slotting Vampire abilities to round out their builds, dwindled even more so with Scribing and Multi Classing blowing away what the Vampire skills could ever do on their own.


1. Life Drain

[Channel Beam, Direct Damage, Magic Dam, CRIMINAL ACT] Damages every .3 sec for 3 sec that heals a % of health missing. If a target is effective by Bleed/Hemorrhaging, it will Stun enemy levitating them/or make Vulnerable if unable. If in Vampire Ult creates a AOE around the target while channeled.

MORPHS:
-Ultimate build like what it has already (but maybe change the color to purple) and does increased damaged and if enemy is killed while this ability is active on them will increase vampire stage or if max stage already refresh timer
-Does less damage but no longer heals % but X amount instead and if over-healed with this ability gains a Blood Shield

The goal here was to have the classic Vampiric Drain spell as the spammable, in line with the spell being your Vamp Exclusive in all other Elder Scrolls titles vs the scratching with Eviscerate that we have now that other classes already have a better version of, and with the bonus of bringing back the old effects on it with a caveat which now even matches the aesthetic of what we see with the rest of the Vampires in the Greymoor DLC and Harrowstorms. With the Morphs the Ult gen was too iconic to do away and will play into the playstyle of reaching your Scion form as a Stage 4 Vampire to truly unleash havoc as Lamae Bal intended (it'll play into the other abilities too and it'll be nice killing an enemy with life drain and actually draining them for your vampire stage). For the second Morph I wanted to give a solid alternative to the Ult Gen and for it to stand as an self healing ability by itself without going full Vamp while still fully embracing the concept of Vampirism thematically.

2. Bat Swarm

[CRIMINAL ACT]Send out a swarm of bats in a line doing damage and inflicting Bleed damage/Hemorrhaging on all enemies hit and lingering on enemies doing dot damage for 4 secs. If in Vampire Ult applies Major Maim

MORPHS:
-Now also Applies Minor Lifesteal on targets inflicted with its dot damage
-Deals Diesease damage now instead and applies Minor Defile and does increased damage

The goal here was for the Vampire to still have a way to inflict Bleed/Hemorrhaging on enemies without Eviscerate and to facilitate the combat loop of doing what a Vampire does, bleed enemies and drain them of their blood. I felt like having a Vampire with extremely low blood to do more damage both thematically and in a MMO specifically counter intuitive. A Vampire of Lamae Bal should be at its strongest with more blood not less, and with the Boss mechanics in this game and the grouping aspect of having a class dedicated as a healer, its innate to want to stay as healthy as possible both PVE and PVP both without and with playing with people.(for those who run those incredible low health bombing builds dont worry I have a way to increase strength and lower health with another ability) With the Morphs we establish the theme of Vampirism with now giving Lifesteal finally (maybe Major Lifesteal could be added??)!! Plus it finally allows for being a Vampire to have some benefits in a group. For the second Morph again I wanted it to stand on its own as an damage ability instead of the Vampire combo starter with giving the disease aspect of Vampirism a chance to shine!

3. Unquenchable Thirst

Empower yourself by using your blood reserves costing X mins of your Vampire Stage Timer/or health if Stage 1 every second to increase Weapon+Spell damage by X amount, health recovery and highest resource mag/stam recovery by X amount, stacking up to 5 times. If activated while you're in a Vampire Ult it does not cost time/health.

MORPHS:
-Makes you immune to cripples, immobilize(roots), and fears when casting Vampire Abilities and increases the X amounts the ability provides
-Now only gives increased Weapon+Spell damage by a much higher X amount and the X mins/health cost increases and can no longer be healed by others (same as simmering frenzy now)

The goal here was make Blood Frenzy a viable buff option for Vampires and utilize the Stage of Vampirism as a more interactive Game Mechanic. With being able to feed during fights now with Life Drain using the Time you have in your Stages of Vampirism to give yourself can lend itself to a more Vampire centric gameplay whether it becomes more strategic on when to use or for those who fully embrace Vampirism a way to reward them for using Vampire abilities and keeping up their Stages. For the second Morph, it could be use twofold, one as a way to self sacrificial way to radically increase the damage output for those clutch moments and two a way to keep its crazy potential for those glass bomber build (if those builds are fun or not fun let us know how youd morph it in another way instead!)

4. Dominion

Summon a Gargoyle to fight for you doing Bleed Damage applying Hemorrhaging. If reactivated it will use its ability Vampiric Touch activating a passive buff which heals it and its nearby allies every time it successfully strikes a target. The familiar remains until killed or unsummoned. If summoned/active while you're in a Vampire Ult, summons a second Gargoyle that last until no longer in Ult

MORPHS:
-If enough damage is done it will generate a Unstable Blood Sphere synergy where if interacted with will explode and damage in a area and apply Minor Vulnerability
-Now reactivating it will also Taunt and if taken enough damage will generate a Pure Blood Sphere synergy which will heal in AOE and apply Minor Resolve

The goal here was to give the Vampire a route between having a familiar that was a damage dealer or a tank/healer to round out how they choose to play (also from what I've seen on here when it comes to summons most prefer a non criminal always up familiar like the Sorcs). With almost every mission that involves Vampires in ESO, they all had Gargoyles at the beckoning call of Vampires as fodder before showing up themselves. I thought adding it to the Player's skill line would really tie in that subjugation factor that we were missing (only having a thrall to feed in at home) and with giving the stun back to Life Drain, Mesmerize/Hypnosis felt unneeded as a stand alone skill that most Players said they only used to talk to NPCs as Stage 4. That Vampiric Touch ability is already used by Gargoyles in the game and it just already fit the theme perfectly (again all the vampire stuff in the game already are by far way more engaging visually and gameplay wise but only NPCs had access to all the good stuff, and as a player that feels rough that we are stuck with a worst version of everything we see in game) and bringing the blood spheres into the kit matches perfect for Vampirism with little more interaction with adding that synergy for the masses so that when a group sees a Vampire, they don't sigh immediately. For the second Morph, this would be that alternate tank/healing route giving a great way to redirect in a pinch(as for how much punishment can the pet take thats up for debate!) and doing what henchmen do best; distraction, but with a benefit with its synergy and visually the difference I tried to convey with the name, being the more polished refined Blood Sphere vs the bubbly sporadic Unstable Blood Sphere

5. Mist Form

[CRIMINAL ACT]Dissolve into a dark mist, reducing your damage taken by X% per Vampire Ability Slotted(maybe exponentially increase?), for X secs that increase by X amount per Vampire Stage. Entering this form removes and grants immunity to all disabling and immobilization effects, but you cannot be healed and your Recovery stats are disabled.

MOPRHS:
- Also Grants you Major Expedition, for as long as you maintain the channel
- While in this form you deal X Magic Damage every 1 second to enemies around you and heal for X% of the damage caused

The goal here was kick it back and give the Vampires what they desire! ZOS absolutely nailed it with this design and the people had their cake and ate it too, now nothing can compare to its iconic design in all aspects, thematically, visually, and now with the toned down approach that is based off how much you have succumbed to Vampirism to maximize its effect, gameplay wise too! Giving it that stipulation of per Vamp Ability and Per Stage is my attempt at trying to balance it so that the staple Vampire Ability that almost every post is asking for back can actually come back and not just be a free get out jail free card that's a must have for everyone. With more of a exponential increase with stacking the stages it can act more of a quick cleanse if its the only ability slotted for perhaps a single digit percentage like 3 or something for its Damg Reduction but when adding more abilities it goes from a slow, initial, low-level increase to a steeper growth rate per Vamp Ability something like 3,5,10,25,45,70 getting closer to back its original value for True Scions! As for the time duration, a regular flat increase to the time is adequate to avoid abuse of staying in that form for higher PVE and PVP content so that its not just straight up OP again. (again my numbers may need to be tweaked for gameplay).

6. -Ultimate- Blood Sion

[CRIMINAL ACT]Transform into a monstrous creature of the night, instantly healing to full Health. While transformed, your Max Health, Magicka, and Stamina are increased by 10000, you heal for X% of all damage you deal, and you can see enemies through walls. Enhances Vampire Abilities

MOPRHS:
Swarming Scion(Visually redesigned)
- Bats also swarm around you and shred enemies that come close, dealing X Magic Damage every X second and gain Major Berserk and Protection
Vampire Soul
-Forgo the monster transformation and Sprout Shadow Vampire Wings and Levitate instead, gaining Major Evasion and a AOE of Major Mending and Minor Vitality on yourself to give to yourself and others while in this form

The goal here was to reinvigorate what it means to be Vampire Scion(every Vampire redesign post changes the Ult to be that power fantasy of becoming a Vampire Lord we all felt and loved in Skyrim, as well as a visual update on it and I cant blame them, seeing all the different forms of Vampire forms as bosses and even as just regular mobs down in Blackreach, are all leagues more visually appealing than the actual Player; not a very good feeling). What the majority of Vampires want when it comes to their Ultimate, a true form Ult with purpose, therefore by enhancing all of your abilities, it now has its own identity vs being a sad version of the Necromancer Ult that it keeps getting compared too. For the Morphs again we have an amazing ability already as a template but giving it a little umph by adding those Major Buffs to it making this option a more of a beefy damage dealing option. As for the second Morph, has anyone considered the fact that in game lore we as a Vampire went straight up to Molag Bal and slapped him silly and getting our Soul back? We are a different breed of Vampires, ones with our souls intact unowned by any Deadric Prince and so I wanted to take advantage of that aspect by imbuing it into our Ultimate giving Vampires a new definition of Scion(hopefully lore wise this is still good). Retaining our mortal form we can have those shadow wings in the concept art we saw for Scions to begin with (the Skill styles would go nuts too) and be a kind of fallen angel aspect, gaining those healing done/received buffs which in turns buffs the life stealing, letting it retain some sort of defense and keep to the Vampire trope. This healing focused side can hopefully be used by healers as well as a solid choice for those who only want to pick it up as a stand alone ability.

PASSIVES:

The Passives are mostly the same with a few differences to overall keep the balance only get rid of annoyances and implement systems to fit more in line with being a Vampire without alienating those who've been dedicated using all what the passives had to offer.


Feed:
Allows you to feed on an unsuspecting target, killing them and increasing your Vampire Stage. Higher Stages make you a stronger Vampire at the cost of your humanity. Stages decrease over long periods of time. Stage 1/2/3/4 Flame Damage Taken: +5%/+8%/+13%/+20% Regular Ability Costs: +3%/+5%/+8%/+12% Vampire Ability Costs: -6%/-10%/-16%/-24%

Feed no longer lowers Health Recovery, my goodness has this been a major complaint about being a Vampire and your biggest fear is falling a little too far had losing health with no recovery. Lore wise too a vampire heal from dire wounds so keeping recovery wouldn't hurt.

Dark Stalking Charmer:
Ignore the Movement Speed penalty of Sneak. Decreases the time it takes to enter Sneak by 50%. Can Charm NPC by crouching in front of them and using the Synergy button (like how Feed pops up)

No change, QOL for a Vamp, and with no Mesmerize and a lot of complaints about mezing just to talk to NPCs, now you're still a Vampire and in most TES games they don't like that so lore wise it makes sense, now we can free up a skill slot just for talking to NPCs

Strike from the Shadows:
While you are at Vampire Stage 2 or higher When you leave Sneak, invisibility, or Mist Form your Weapon and Spell Damage is increased by 300 for 6 seconds

No change, nightblade vamps rest easy

Blood Ritual:
Allows you to infect another player with Noxiphilic Sanguivoria once every week by returning to the Vampire ritual site. Players already infected with Lycanthropy cannot be infected with Noxiphilic Sanguivoria. Per Vampire Ability slotted do increased Critical Chance+Damage to targets when they are Hemorrhaging

Blood Ritual is longer just a text box allowing you to do something once a week(with new ways of becoming a vampire its even less useful now sadly, I like having a Vampire family lineage) by adding the Per Vamp Ability increases Critical Chance+Dam giving it some amazing perks for a dedicated Vamp and only makes since if a person is bleeding draining blood would be way more effective

Undeath:
Per Vampire Stage heal X amount for damage done with Vampire Abilities while reducing healing done from others by X amount and while you are at Vampire Stage 3 or higher Reduces your damage taken by up to X% based on your missing Health

What a struggle this passive has been for gameplay and balance. If too broken its a meta mandatory, if garbage becomes less of a passive all together and is just there. The Pale Ring however has a very interesting passive and lore tying directly to Vampires yet we ourselves do not have such a innate ability. Adding a modified version of it to apply to vampire abilities (indirectly buffing the abilities that damage) still keeps the Mythic unique on its own right just now actually giving anyone who wears it a taste of Vampirism for real now. If we keep the X% Dam Reduction the same then it does help especially if we are trying to Lifesteal our way back to full health so the two factors working together it makes it way more useful. (I did think about doing what we did for Mist here and having the Damage Reduction tied to both per ability per stage but kept it out for now, if yall would rather have that let me know!)

Unnatural Movement:
While you are at Vampire Stage 4 Reduces the cost of Sprint by 50%. If you continuously Sprint for 3 seconds you automatically become invisible.
No change, another QOL for a Vamp thats been good to us


And there you have it. I tried to address every gripe people had with the Skill Line and not derail it too much from what Players who are Vampires love about it. I tried to make it look and feel better to play as in ESO and trying to make them more useful to the group content as well without making them too OP with one ability or passive which has been a problem before. Now when you see a NPC Vampire use all their abilities you'll actually be getting a glimpse of what you could become! With a few visual improvements here and there we can even be happy about being a Vampire and others happy to have you play them for what youll bring to the table (and look menacingly while doing it too). As for the Stage 4 Apperance, if we want it to not just make everything else pale (markings and stuff) we can change that, but if yall still dont like it maybe we can repurpose it for the Vampire Soul Ult and do something else for the Stage 4 vamp, let me know what yall would do if that is the case!

The TL;DR:
What NPC Vamps do we can do now but better(we can summon gargoyles now too), and got rid of annoying no Health Recov and CAN talk to NPCs without mez ability slotted, made the abilities dope how they used to be, ADDED LIFESTEAL