erickhwk wrote: »

The beauty of this game lies in the fact that it is extremely accessible. Combat is easy to learn, but hard to master. ZOS even made it more accessible with Oakensoul if you don't have the skill (or the will) to keep bar-swapping.

To be honest, I used to be a hardcore player who hated Oakensoul's inclusion. God forbid more people are now able to do the content I sweated over to beat with a harder setup (lol). However, I recently put together a one-bar build for a hunter-themed archer, and I’m having a blast. It’s a perfect option for when you just want to relax, press fewer buttons, and still get the job done. Actually, I even beat my previous score record in vMA with this build, hitting over 600k.

Of course, you won't be as effective as someone who has mastered the game mechanics, but it's not supposed to be otherwise. People who invest time in perfecting their rotation should be rewarded. But if using two bars isn't your thing, that’s totally fine. You just have to be at peace with underperforming compared to 2-bar players, but it certainly doesn't mean you can't clear content.

This is exactly the point of the "play as you want" mantra I have heard about for so many years in ESO. I feel the OPs frustrations of having the way you like gutted. For me, I am coming back to the game after a few years of a break and just don't have the time to parse and sweat. One bar builds that give me enough to clear what I want has been the only thing keeping me playing a few nights here and there. Not everyone wants to make a video game a life's endeavor. I have found with imagination I can do most things on a one bar build including (GASP) tanking. I don't expect to be clearing the vet newest raids this way, but who knows what the future holds.

Hi Moo, I'd suggest buying or finding a dummy and practicing your damage rotation. When you know your skills without having to look, then you have practiced enough. Even just a little practice can help.
I use a PS4 controller. I put my spamable skill on circle and my second spamable on square - because they are easy to press.
Put DoTs on your back bar. ie skills that do damage over the longest time without recasting.

Dont worry, youre not alone. I would prefer a smoother gameplay where buffs last a minute, not 20 seconds or even 16 or 12 like with my necromancer.
Instead of playing the game and with my enemy (PvP by the way), I only stressfully play a Mini Game with myself and the two Bars and try to keep my buffs fresh, until I die because I am damn bad at this Mini Game.

Oakensoul FTW! Cheers, mate

OneForSorrow wrote: »

CatalinaWineMixer2 wrote: »

A lot of folks can't do this for many reasons and they should not be punished for them. They should restore it as it was. It would be a good thing for the game.

What was it before?

Not being snarky. I've been in and out since beta, but for the life of me I can't remember if backbars used to be used differently.

Its hard to remember now and I'd have to look up its exact former stats (Oakensoul Ring). This was years ago now. It was much more powerful. One of the most unfortunate things that happens in Eso are other people worrying about how someone else plays. Or worse, attempting to force playstyles upon them. Their reasoning is typically something like, "Players using 2 bars are better than players using 1 bars because they're pushing more buttons". It leads to gatekeeping and bad things. I do not agree with that methodology. And yes, I light attack weave and use 2 bars. It was due to that, that the ring was nerfed. 1 bar players should not be excluded by others or gatekept from content. I have several heavy attack builds and I know many people very skilled with them, it is a good playstyle.

With U50 it seems like they're increasing the effectiveness of heavy attack builds which is a good thing. This will benefit 1 bar as well. I was surprised somewhat by this but certainly happy to see it. This update is definitely a saving grace for many players because variety was essentially gone in Eso and many of us were struggling to play the game without our characters. Its definitely a good start to correct the problem of Subclass, but it would have been faster and easier (and still would be) just to eliminate it all together. And make more real Classes. When Im on next, Ill see if I can rustle up the ring change info.

Ah, that is too bad about the Oakensoul ring. It's something I was trying to make builds for. While I can light attack weave and use two bars, I am older than I was and can FEEL my reflexes slipping.

One thing I wish players would keep in mind is that a game is best with viable simple builds and playstyles. Viable does NOT mean best of the best. Just viable. And a party's dps will do best with what they are comfortable with. Many folks will pull much better numbers built around Oakensoul than they would being "forced" into a higher APM playstyle.

Soarora wrote: »

The thing about oakensoul is it is not the end-all-be-all of low APM or even 1-bar builds. The mass amount of buffs it gives makes it seem like a must-have option when most of the buffs aren’t particularly useful. But people are attached to it, even when it no longer serves them, limiting growth. Rakkhat is better for HA now, even 1-bar, as far as I’m aware, but there are people still insisting on oakensoul, why?

It depends on which playstyle the player prefers. Rakkhat provides higher HA dps and is ideal for group content. Oakensoul is easier to manage for solo play.

I do more solo than group content so I use Oakensoul.