Let me start by saying I have played ESO for 4,300 hours and in all that time, all I have ever wanted to do since the start was to be a rogue in PVP on my nightblade. I love PvP and I love Nightblade and my whole goal in this game for years has primarily been to enjoy that. I stopped playing for about 2 years because I hated the changes being made but I came back for class masteries and pure class. I have got to say, the change recently to be focused on player feedback has really been encouraging, so thank you Zos, it inspired me to share on here. I have PvP'd since update 50 came out and I would like to share my pain points with the NB class masteries, NB passives, and NB abilities and easy fixes for the interim as well as a few ideas I would love to see either now or in the class refresh.
1. Class masteries:
An Eye For Exploitation - Effect: Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by up to 2000, based on your target's missing Health. Reduces your damage taken by up to 20%, based on your attacker's missing Health. Both effects are halved against targets with Battle Spirit.
This class mastery looks strong, and it is, but only in PvE. This mastery is actually probably the worst mastery for weapon dmg out of all the other classes' masteries for pvp. This passive doesn't give much value at all as everyone in PvP does not allow their health to drop below 70-80% or so before switching to their back bar to heal and tank. So that would be 200-300 wpn dmg you might actually have for your burst window until they just heal back up again - MAYBE. Say you get someone down to 50% you only then get a 500 wpn dmg buff, and you have probably spent a spec bow or an ult to do it unless they are just a squishy player, but then they will immediately heal if you didn't burst them all in 1-2 GCDs and you will lose your entire class mastery. The damage reduction also is for the most part counter intuitive in PvP as players are not trying to kill you when they are low hp. They will just heal first, then turn and fight when they are at a more comfortable health.
If we compare this to other classes, Warden gets 1,665 wpn dmg through Wild Adaptation 999 of which can be gained through a single ability like ele sus which is a free skill. Templar gets 600 Wpn dmg through Bright Harbinger and gives 300 to allies, Sorc gets 16% - 25%ish wpn dmg buff for having max mag, necro gets 20% wpn dmg through nothing wasted, Arc gets 300 and 666 through Abyssal Emergence and Fate Realigned, and finally DK gets 10% dmg done through Inexorable descent.
All this to say, this class mastery doesn't even feel like a buff. Its so little in practice and actual application that not having it doesn't make very much of a difference. I propose a constant flat 500 wpnd dmg buff at the very least be slapped on this ability and that the halving in pvp be removed as well. Only then would I maybe be getting around 1,000 wpn dmg vs someone at 75% hp which is the same as Warden casting Ele sus and getting 999 wpn dmg. Please make this change or rework this class mastery altogether because it looks so strong on paper, but it really is the weakest class mastery of them all by a lot in PvP when it comes to dmg.
Above and Beyond - Effect: Increases your Critical Damage and Healing by 25%. This effect is reduced to 5% against targets with Battle Spirit. Increases your maximum Critical Damage and Healing by 30%.
This passive is really only a 5% crit dmg buff because the 30% higher cap is not helpful in PvP. No one is building 155% crit dmg without being a glass cannon, and on top of that, the cap increase does functionally nothing because of how crit resist works. If I didn't have this class mastery, and I had 155% crit dmg and I hit someone with 30% crit resist I would do 125% crit dmg. If I did have this passive and 155% crit dmg and hit the same person i would still do 125% crit dmg (ignoring the 5% crit dmg buff for this example). So the only real benefit here inside of PvP is that 5% crit dmg buff. The PvP nerf here was very heavy handed. I would propose completely removing the battle spirit limit and just let it do 25% crit dmg in PvP too. I don't think this is too much to ask for compared to other class masteries. Or at LEAST please bump it up to 20% crit dmg.
Sincerely, please look at these two ZoS. I have never given feedback like this, it would mean a lot to have these changes to me and all the other Nightblades out there who are probably playing Dk, WW or a sorc right now.
2. Passives
Dark Vigor
Increases your Max Health by 5% for each Shadow ability slotted.
Magicka Flood
WITH A SIPHONING ABILITY SLOTTED Increases your Max Magicka and Stamina by 6%.
Can we please, PLEASE have a QoL change to both of these passives to be active while slotted on either bar instead of just the current one? Especially Dark Vigor? Its so awful every time I switch between my bars I lose 1k-2k HP just because I like to have Shadowy disguise and Shade on my back bar. it feels like another wasted passive in a lot of ways
3. Abilities
Mark Target. This ability is worse in every way compared to Ele Sus which is a free skill. Mark target should be a free cast if Ele sus is a free cast. Nobody ever uses this ability in either PvP or PvE as the heal and major berserk are on target death and the Stealth detect morph is outclassed by a potion. So its only useful on trash mobs in PvE if you need a quick heal but why not then just use a burst heal? Why would I use this ability that costs mag and only gives a 10% dmg done buff for 10 seconds AFTER I kill someone in PvP or PvE when I could use ele sus that gives minor vuln which is 5% dmg done, and minor brittle which is another 10% crit dmg on top of the major breach and burning status effect on cast?
Another problem I have with this ability is its visual effects. It is the most televised ability in the whole entire game on the class thats supposed to be sneaky. Please turn off the visual effects on this.
Manifestation of Terror - Its a trap you place. Please instead make this a delayed stun you can place on people like a curse from Sorc. This would help a lot with DKs who just block forever. Sorc has Streak which is an unblockable and undodgable stun that does dmg which is like shade, shadowy disguise, and Manifestation of terror wrapped up in one. I would love to see this skill be used more.
Cripple - this skill is heavily underused. I had the idea that this could be changed into a class purge of sorts but in the vein of the siphoning skill line I thought it would be so cool if instead of just purging that it instead transferred negative effects on you to the enemy target. Long has Nightblade struggled with dots and no way to combat them. I think in the current balance of the classes and with scribing in mind, it would not be too much to give NB a cool purge/transfer ability like this. What do you think? It might be something for the class refresh instead.
This is my first ever post in 4,300 hours and I hope its helpful, its from my heart and I really love this class. I also love ESO and I am glad to see the comeback it has had so far. To the team at Zos, you have my compliments and gratitude for this recent change in direction. I am so happy to see it and I am wishing you all the best and that ESO just explodes with players as you continue in this direction and work on this game we all love.
All the Best to you!