Please allow us to choose our idle staff stance

Flaaklypa · July 26

I mean, how difficult can it be? The restoration staff stance (the one on the right) is the clear choice here. It looks so much cooler than any of the other stances.

There have been heaps of QoL improvements over the years, like being able to represent your guild without equipping a guild tabard, the mount speed skill becoming passive, and so on. I would love the option to apply the restoration staff's default stance to all the other staves as well, or simply let us choose which staff stance we want to use.

Unfortunately, using a restoration staff for solo play just isn't very good anymore. You can get better healing skills elsewhere, and the sustain from heavy attacks isn't really needed. If you actually min-max in PvE or PvP, you likely don't use one at all unless you're a dedicated healer, in which case I envy you for being able to natively use this cool stance.

Personally, I enjoy some light solo PvP and overland questing, and I'm forcing myself to use a restoration staff simply because I love the idle stance. Being able to choose which stance to use regardless of the staff equipped would dramatically increase my enjoyment, and probably that of many roleplayers as well, who currently have to use a restoration staff purely for its stance.

The best part is that it would be completely optional, letting everyone pick whichever stance they prefer. I can't imagine it would be particularly difficult to implement, either.

katanagirl1 · July 27

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the different staves probably have different stances so other players can know what type of staff you have equipped, especially in PvP. It might also be important in PvE for group trials. I know it’s the first thing I think of when seeing the staff stance, what type of build the player might have.

Flaaklypa · July 27

katanagirl1 wrote: »

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the different staves probably have different stances so other players can know what type of staff you have equipped, especially in PvP. It might also be important in PvE for group trials. I know it’s the first thing I think of when seeing the staff stance, what type of build the player might have.

I highly doubt that. Why would you be interested in the type of weapon your teammates/opponent are using? What difference does it make? But even if you were, why would you need to see their stance of all things to figure it out? It would be a very unreliable way to check their weapon because the Lightning, Ice, and Fire stances are all very similar anyway. You'd need to scrutinize them to be able to tell them apart. If you want to see what kind of weapon another party is using, the reliable way is to check for their light- or heavy attacks.

The most likely explanation for it being this way is so that each weapon has a semblance of individuality when you are playing. For example, ZOS wants you to feel that having a Fire Staff is different from having a Restoration Staff. I can appreciate that in theory, but I would prefer to have the option to choose it myself.

Sluggy · July 27

katanagirl1 wrote: »

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the different staves probably have different stances so other players can know what type of staff you have equipped, especially in PvP. It might also be important in PvE for group trials. I know it’s the first thing I think of when seeing the staff stance, what type of build the player might have.

There was a time when I would have agree but that was long ago and far away. Weapon styles mean that we can easily 'disguise' all 2Hand and Dual Wield weapons and when you are running or casting there doesn't seem to be any difference between the staves at that point.

I can't think any PvPers that I've ever seen stand still long enough for me to ID what kind of staff they have that were enough of a threat to bother IDing what kind of staff they have

katanagirl1 · July 27

Well, in PvP if you encounter a ball group you want to kill the healers first, so you would be looking for someone with a healing staff.

A lightning staff (staff tip up) would probably mean a HA build, maybe not as big of a threat as someone with an ice staff or flame staff, which have the same staff stance (staff tip down).

kind_hero · July 27

katanagirl1 wrote: »

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the different staves probably have different stances so other players can know what type of staff you have equipped, especially in PvP. It might also be important in PvE for group trials. I know it’s the first thing I think of when seeing the staff stance, what type of build the player might have.

That was the case many years ago, before the outfit system, hybridizations and multiclassing. Nowadays, you just can't tell anything by this clue.

While I support this, I would also like not to be placed in combat ready mode when someone spams buffs and breaks emote stances. That is really very annoying.

Soarora · July 27

Considering how much I don’t like the sword and board combat stance, it would be nice if we got skill styles or personalities for combat.

LunaFlora · July 27

that would be awesome. i prefer the Restoration staff as i also use a cane in real life, but i prefer using Lightning staff unless i am a Healer

BretonMage · July 27

I'd support a choice of stances for destruction staves for sure, but if you give a destruction staff a restoration staff stance, how would someone know you're a healer? Or does that not matter?

I think it would be really great if we could have our staff's element glowing at the tip, the way our companions' staves do. That would give a clear indication of staff type.

LunaFlora · July 27

BretonMage wrote: »

I'd support a choice of stances for destruction staves for sure, but if you give a destruction staff a restoration staff stance, how would someone know you're a healer? Or does that not matter?

I think it would be really great if we could have our staff's element glowing at the tip, the way our companions' staves do. That would give a clear indication of staff type.

That would be useful, i have wanted the glowing element like Companions for years

But without that people can tell you are a healer by the healing skills you use, Regeneration is pretty obvious.

Nemesis7884 · July 27

Addon personality designer can give dou more idle options...although not staff stances

Gabriel_H · July 27

Stance Styles: 5,000 Crowns

I can see it now ...

SolidBeast · July 27

My ADHD ass playing since closed beta never noticing the stances were different:

AcadianPaladin · July 27

If the objection to such an option is from PvP, isn't that what Battle Spirit is for?

olsborg · July 27

I want this.

Flaaklypa · July 27

Gabriel_H wrote: »

Stance Styles: 5,000 Crowns

I can see it now ...

I honestly wouldn't mind😂

Gabriel_H · July 27

Flaaklypa wrote: »

Gabriel_H wrote: »

Stance Styles: 5,000 Crowns

I can see it now ...

I honestly wouldn't mind😂

My concern is they'll make the base stances worse then charge to allow better ones .... Living Dark animation, I'm looking at you, and your urine coloured sphere around me!

Sluggy · July 27

katanagirl1 wrote: »

Well, in PvP if you encounter a ball group you want to kill the healers first, so you would be looking for someone with a healing staff.

A lightning staff (staff tip up) would probably mean a HA build, maybe not as big of a threat as someone with an ice staff or flame staff, which have the same staff stance (staff tip down).

It's easy to find the one with the healing staff. Close your eyes and throw a stone.

Jests aside, ballgroups do not stand still. So there's no way to tell which person is using a healing staff by looking at the weapon idle stance. And if you are close enough to see the weapon in their hand then you're already dead. You're going to see who is healing by looking at the weapon effects coming out and maybe occasionally by looking for key skill animations.

Soarora · July 27

SolidBeast wrote: »

My ADHD ass playing since closed beta never noticing the stances were different:

There’s actually 3: restro, inferno & ice, and lightning.

Basically:
Restro: |
Inferno/Ice: /
Lightning: \

katanagirl1 · July 28

Well I went out on that limb and it broke for me!

Yeah, I guess it is OBE now with other changes to PvP. I was against skill style changes because the animations would look different in PvP being a different color and less easy to recognize, I was against subclassing because you wouldn’t be able to tell what class your opponent was as easily or quickly and prepare. Now however, the number of people who PvP in Cyrodiil is small enough that all you have to see is a player name to know whether or not to engage based on experience.

I just don’t know why it would matter from a roleplaying perspective, which was mentioned above. RP covers a wide spectrum though I guess. Yeah whatever, though personally I see no need for it.

Nihilr · July 28

All of the idle stances for every weapon EXCEPT restoration staff, all make players look like they're hunched over with stomach cramps or about to wail on the enemy like a gorilla. Why are we stanced so primal? It's not even intimidating.