Nightblade Update

Jaxom · May 2014

Ohioastro wrote: »

Aoifesan wrote: »

Eternalflame wrote: »

Could someone explain in a calm post everything that is wrong with a Nightblade? (Bugs and Balancing) I'm going to be running tests on my level 45 Nightblade today and more information would help.

Save yourself the grief. Others have already tested per the link shared with you in another post.

At 45 the bugs won't be as apparent. At VR1 until you hit your first Big Boss solo, the bugs won't be apparent. At VR2 you will see at every mistake how all the bugs start making life miserable at every turn.

...and not everyone plays the same builds, so your experience is very likely to depend on your approach and playstyle. No one speaks for everyone who plays a game, especially one with flexible builds.

No, but the general ability to progress at a reasonable pace is severely dampened by these changes. It doesn't really matter what build you are running. If I'm getting hit for 350-750 on light attacks from a VR5 mob, any group of 3 is going to be nigh impossible without help.

stevenpotter321b14_ESO · May 2014

Killers blade heal effect is hit and miss now. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Logging in and out sometimes fixes.

ipkonfigcub18_ESO · May 2014

We'll see this patch around the release of WoW expansion in December and by then the Nightblade fans will have moved on out of anger with the lack of response by these developers. All of these issues SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED IN YESTERDAYS PATCH.

Instead, like one said, Zenimax dangles the carrot. These changes should be hot fixed into the game now. I am shocked, well not really because Zenimax is no different than any other mmo company.....where was I going with this.... Like it matters what we say in these forums. We are the redheaded step child in this game.

Face it folks. We are screwed.

ipkonfigcub18_ESO · May 2014

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

We have plans to improve those also, but this post is intended to focus specifically on the Nightblade class abilities and skill lines.

Read my signature.

F7sus4 · May 2014

ipkonfigcub18_ESO wrote: »

Face it folks. We are screwed.

Just rerolled a Sorc. I'm a PvP and Group-Massive Beast at heart. I'd better waste my time replaying all the quests from the beginning than waste my time asking not to be kicked out of the group for being Nightblade.

Selodaoc · May 2014

Extremly underwhelming fixes.

Nightblade is broken in its core and needs some serious changes, not only by "fixing" some passives.

*Class skill dmg needs to be buffed, ALOT (not only skills that noone use, ALL of them)

*On every parser done by hardcore guilds, NB dmg is way behind Sorc, DK and even Templar. Their the lowest on AoE AND ST.

*Class skills makes no sense. Fear in ASSASSIN line? Summon pets?

*EVERY spec involves having Leeching equiped, so were gimped 22% dmg from the getgo, thats just...absurd.
What other class needs to lower their dps, to do dps?
NB resourcemanagement is SO bad, class skills got to be lowered severly in cost.

*To do the most damage, you baicly have to use as little Nightblade skills as possible.
The only skills you should keep on, are skills that buffs your dmg or resourcemanagement. Thats how weak the actual skills are.

* ST skills (most NB skills) should do ATLEAST 2x the dmg of a AoE skill, which currently, is not nearly the case. Other classes can spam AoE skills that do more dmg per target to multiple targets.
They should maybe even do 3x-4x the dmg.

*Stealthing in PvP is useless. Everyone and their dogs are spamming AoE in PvP, which instantly breaks Stealth.
Everyone also use magelight.
1. NB as the rogueclass should have passives to counter magelight.
2. NB as the rogueclass shouldnt have movement penalties in hidden state.
Its almost impossible to get into melee range in hidden state, and we shouldnt be forced to equip a armor set to negate it.

Aoifesan · May 2014

Junkogen wrote: »

According to the skill description of "Stealthy," the stealth radius is now DECREASED? Is that another bug or is that how it's supposed to be? Wouldn't someone who's stealthy be harder to detect?

Seriously, could someone explain this? Thanks.

The radius at which you run the risk of being detected is decreased.

vicNBitis · May 2014

stevenpotter321b14_ESO wrote: »

Killers blade heal effect is hit and miss now. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Logging in and out sometimes fixes.

Finding the same thing. Tried it out on five V10 mobs in Reaper's March and it worked on one. Tried it on 3 V8 mobs in Greenshade and it worked each time. I don't really care enough to do Zenimax's testing for them though so the sample size isn't getting better. Sorry.

But it's just a mess. Not only the healing portion but the damage. Sometimes it would hit for the expected 300% and sometimes it'd hit for a paltry amount. Like the execute, final hit on a V8 crocodile for 290 after two non-execute hits for 245 & 187.

Kewljag_66_ESO · May 2014

Hlaren_shortsheath wrote: »

please fix the duel wield damage output (it's simply to slow and does not do enough damage), and also my nightshades now are disapiered and i cannot see them when i summon them. also, when i now use the extremely limited 2.5 second invisibility i can no longer see my character (as aposed to before i could see myself and my summoned night shades), also the sound of the horse is now very loud and disturbing. i am experiancing alot of extreme lagg as never before and i have been playing eso since about may of 2013 so i know this bad lagg im seeing is not something i had before. you spoke about being able to switch weapons for us now and also about skills now being able to work in combat instead of freezing up my character but, it's true that i can switch weapons and use skills, however there is a very noticable delay when it happens. i switch weapons and use a certain skill but i then see nothing happen and i wait about 3 seconds and then see the mobb or person was hit and i did switch weeapons but i was in a frozen screen so it's true it does now work but i am struggling with soo much lagg that i did not even see the even happen or i see it happen a few secoinds later and is upon a extreme action speed scale catching up to the event that happened. theres fixes and im very thankfull for the work on the fixes but it's still broken and im still strugling. also noteworthy is the very good thing that now i do not have to reload to regain my sneak speed from the vampire passive (which i am very happy about) but i still die too easily during really easy fights and i have alot of health and power during really hard fights which is very confusing but in both cases i still die due to the buggs i mentioned above.

Use surprise attack (40%armor debuff) followed by flurry. It does ALOT of damage. I rip people apart with it, Also you should be wearing medium armor for the 21% crit and Huntingtons Rage set is very nice with 16% weapon damage at level 50

F7sus4 · May 2014

Selodaoc wrote: »

1. NB as the rogueclass should have passives to counter magelight.

Well, that's the actual idea behind the skill. To counter stealth. What is the reason the have the ability to counter enemy ability that is actually countering another ability that you own? This logic is Sheogorath-like.

Selodaoc wrote: »

2. NB as the rogueclass shouldnt have movement penalties in hidden state. Its almost impossible to get into melee range in hidden state, and we shouldnt be forced to equip a armor set to negate it.

We agree on movement speed. It would be really nice.

Rodimusprimus · May 2014

Axewaffle wrote: »

Jowrik wrote: »

Jade_Knightblazerb14_ESO wrote: »

Angua wrote: »

Thank god I'm not wasting my money waiting on my NB WW to be fixed.

How pitiful my character is... I am a
1. Nightblade
2. Werewolf
3. 2HD Sword User
4. 5 Heavy Armor, 1 Light, 1 Medium

I currently have kept my Crazy Pendent from Grahtwood that tells me how bad I am... "They would be better off with out you" it tells me all the time... Sometimes I think the group I am with thinks the same...

Right there with you, my character couldn't get any worse at this point:
- Nightblade
- Vampire (thank god that got fixed (to some extent?))
- Bow-only user, build entirely focussed around Mark target, Haste & Siphoning attacks
- 5 Medium 2 Light
- Most passives I picked are the ones listed by OP

I think the worst possible makeup at the moment is:

Nightblade-Werewolf-Stam based-Bow-Medium/Heavy-Dps

So you arent far off being one of the worst possible combos in the game

You are spot on there. This is actually my and my best friends build, in VR we have to run together because half of our abilities and buffs don't work, so if we try to run solo VR mobs just eat us for lunch. The last time I felt useful with this build was in the final fight with all the "God-like" buffs.

dastone · May 2014

Takes up to six months for a major MMO to debug and polish a game always has always will. WoW was no exception.

[Moderator Edit: Content removed per our rules on flaming]

Kewljag_66_ESO · May 2014

SO i went out and PVPd lastnight and was very happy, everything seemed alot more balanced, My DW did more damage and i was killing more people faster. DKs still try to bomb and run in like superman and are actually dieing alot more now, It is great.

Kalann_Pander · May 2014

Junkogen wrote: »

According to the skill description of "Stealthy," the stealth radius is now DECREASED? Is that another bug or is that how it's supposed to be? Wouldn't someone who's stealthy be harder to detect?

Seriously, could someone explain this? Thanks.

It is poorly worded, they should call it the Detection Radius.

What it means, it that mobs/other players have to be closer to you to be able to detect you.

Hope that clears it up

Shanan wrote: »

Magicka Flood <Passive> – Gives 8% max magicka at level 2 per siphoning ability that is slotted. This passive doesn’t detect Strife or Soul Shred

My tooltip says this :

Magicka Flood II
WITH SIPHONING ABILITY SLOTTED
Increases Max Magicka 8% while a Siphoning ability is slotted.

Note that it doesn't say per Siphoning ability slotted.

Regardless of all the bugs, wouldn't 48% Extra Magika be a bit of an overkill ?

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Master Assassin will increase spell power in addition to weapon power.

soeren.wenigerb16_ESO wrote: »

Because i think it does not got answered from previos questions:
The tooltip says "While Using Assasination ablilities:..."
What does that exactly mean?
Is there any Assasination ability that uses weapon damage?
Or does it work while i am using Haste or Mark Target with normal light/heavy attacks and weapon skills?

Right now it just seems complete nonsense...

Here too, the wording is terrible.
I believe (hope ?) that it should have instead been "With Assassination ability slotted".

Kalann_Pander wrote: »

Just woke up, with this you made my day ! \o/

Cogo wrote: »

So you just woke...read one thing that they said over and over. And you are one of the few who dont cry a river how broken night blades are and competing about how many times per month they can quit?

Either you are very smart, or a lot of posts here are bollox.

One Two wrote: »

Do you even play Vr content? does your guild want to take you to Trials? if they do then they do not know anything about ESO.

lol weapon power does not affect our most used DD skills.
Who designed this class? i really want to know now.

I'm not VR yet.
I only play Solo, no guild, no grouping.

glitchmaster999 wrote: »

Only build that isn't really affected is a wannabe sorc

Also, my build is heavy on siphoning/magicka ... so I guess "wannabe sorc" kind of applies.

Which is what made my day, because all my skills scale on spell power

I know about the bugs ... got them from Tamriel's Foundry some time ago - and yes, it did influence my skill choices, but not to the extent that I was unhappy with the result. I enjoy playing it, and it certainly is efficient enough for me.

Also, the Elder Scroll Series as a whole has a history of putting out great games with incredibly immersive storylines, but plagued with bugs. Skyrim was worse than ESO on launch ... it took quite a few patches for the whole thing to run smoothly.

I knew that, I was accepting of that, because I believed - and still do - that the tradeoff of a few bugs was worth what the Tamriel had to offer.

In fact, from my experience, there are rather less bugs than what I had been prepared for. So yes, I'm happy

Of course, the future, the VR ranks, may kick me in the groin. But considering I'm taking my time leveling up, the bugs might actually be fixed whan I get there.

After reading the whole of this thread (!!) I understand some other players are being hit hard by the NB bugs. We're all here to have fun, and if your favorite build is drowning in the gutter - especially after the latest patch - you have every right to feel very disappointed and say so.

If raiding groups are refusing NBs for the simple reason that they are NBs, that should be a wake-up call to ZoS that a hotfix is urgently needed, not a patch in 2 months time.

I agree that several of ZoS' apparent priorities make no sense from the players point of view - and that they should do something, fast, to correct that impression.

Acknowledging the NB problems with this thread was good idea.
But, if it's going to take 2 months to correct this crap, then they should have thrown NB players a serious bone to keep them happy while waiting, and certainly not nerf anything before the bugs are corrected.

kirnmalidus · May 2014

F7sus4 wrote: »

Well, that's the actual idea behind the skill. To counter stealth. What is the reason the have the ability to counter enemy ability that is actually countering another ability that you own? This logic is Sheogorath-like.

Sure, but stealth is the one thing Nightblades have going for us. For there to be an ability available to everyone that completely negates our one strength is pretty ridiculous.

I don't know of an ability that I can use to completely negate a sorc's AoE damage output or DK's survivability, if one exists perhaps you could enlighten me?

Solnai · May 2014

dastone wrote: »

I hope all you WoW TARDs quit as you promised! Your what is wrong with online gaming

Most of these posts are made by wow TARDs.

Wow TARDs read what you wrote about the game as intelligent and presidential.

Non WoW TARDs read "duh I bang my head and eat my poo"

Takes up to six months for a major MMO to debug and polish a game always has always will. WoW was no exception.

So by your own definition on another post you would be a WOW Tard, since you played WOW for 6 months .You said it took WOW 6 months to debug and polish the game. So you must of played WOW for at least six months.

Not too many people are asking for a buff for the class they are simply asking for the skills and abilities that we currently have to work. ZOS has addressed some of those issues hence why this very thread exists in the first place. A majority of the people who are upset is due to the fact that ZOS stated that in 1.1.2, the patch that was released yesterday (the huge content patch which takes 8 hours to complete), Nightblades would be addressed, however they failed to follow through with anything significant and the things they did address are still a problem. Now we are being told that we will need to wait for 1.2 which is most likely a month away.

Also to all the people who are upset because people are voicing their opinion on a public forum, if you don't like what you are reading move along. I seriously doubt there is someone with a gun to your head making you read these posts. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and just because your opinion is different than someone elses, it does not validate your opinion as a fact.

ipkonfigcub18_ESO · May 2014

Future patch guys. We need not worry. (Who else laughed)

bg22 · May 2014

You want to make a really good improvement to NB? We should have a passive that let's us run in stealth LIKE VAMPIRES DO! That would be a step in the right direction...

You literally gave vampires an ability that should be reserved for Nightblades. What a joke...

nerevarine1138 · May 2014

bg22 wrote: »

You want to make a really good improvement to NB? We should have a passive that let's us run in stealth LIKE VAMPIRES DO! That would be a step in the right direction...

You literally gave vampires an ability that should be reserved for Nightblades. What a joke...

Nightblades are not exclusively a stealth DPS character. Stop thinking this is WoW and Nightblades are Rogues.

Junkogen · May 2014

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Incoming Fixes & Improvements

Siphoning Attacks: This ability’s tooltip will no longer says that it restores health. It never restored health, nor was it intended to. This is a tooltip bug. We have a fix for this, and it will go out with a future patch.

For real? So Strife and Soul Siphoning won't restore health? What!? That's lame.

Is this for real? Or am I just misinterpreting something here?

If this is true, I wouldn't call that a fix or an improvement. An improvement would have been to make them heal like the description says.

davidetombab16_ESO · May 2014

zenimax all of you are ridiculous,I have no words for how to define you, fix this damn combat , fix this damn bugs skills and fix this damn unbalanced class systems. For the love of gods , stop adds new quest, stop fixing quest, stop add new content !

vicNBitis · May 2014

Junkogen wrote: »

For real? So Strife and Soul Siphoning won't restore health? What!? That's lame.

Is this for real? Or am I just misinterpreting something here?

If this is true, I wouldn't call that a fix or an improvement. An improvement would have been to make them heal like the description says.

She's referring to the Siphoning Strikes morph named 'Siphoning Attacks'. It was pretty much a known issue forever. They're just fixing the tooltip.

Strife still works. I think. Killer's Blade, on the other hand, not so much.

Aoifesan · May 2014

As a further PS, stealth crouched attacks with bow especially are not 100% of the time getting the not detected stealth attack bonus. Often connecting for just Heavy Hit damage and not critting either.

ThisOnePosts · May 2014

Yeah, see what us Nightblades deal with and we still love our class. We deserve cookies... lots of them for finding ways to kick enemy ass despite the broken mechanics/abilities of the class working against us! Nightblades unite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now imagine being a Nightblade Vampire.... nerfs and issues left and right. Yet I make it work and can solo anything that's possibly soloable in the game. Of course, I am very much looking forward to both being fixed..... Vamp passives work now but drain has a delay and doesn't work properly (no where near the same health in it) and it breaks seemingly for no reason sometimes.

Valerien · May 2014

I just looked at where Nightblades come on the PvP rating, and not surprisingly its last. Its not even close they are by far and away the worst class for PvP if you are hoping to get any points.

The Nightblade class needs fixing and its needs fixing with 1.2 not some random point in the future. The Nightblade is awful at PvP, the least group friendly class as it has few group buffs its one role of dps is done better by every other class and very very little in the way of healing and no real option to tank. The only thing we can do apart from die and soak up healing is stealth and hope to critical hit something only this requires everyone else to wait and watch us try and get into position and then rush into save us as our first attack puts us as the target of choice for every mob. As for solo play our dps is too low to allow for burst damaging down the mobs and a lack of healing and tanking seals the deal.

But if you don't believe me just look at the rankings of nightblades to other classes in PvP. This is the class that should be at the top its the purest of the dps classes, it doesn't offer the healing or buffs or tanking/surviability options of the other classes. But it should be leaping about getting those kills, instead it seems all the poor class is good for is dying and giving other people easy kills.

Aoifesan · May 2014

One of the Nightblade notes slipped through the cracks--our apologies! We've added it to the notes above, but you can also read it here:
Sap Essence (Drain Power morph): The healing this ability now does correctly increases by 20% for each target hit.
Post edited by

on May 22

I must be REALLY bad at math as I am seeing this ability crit for 300 damage on 3 Mobs and it's healing for 78. Last I checked 20% of 300 is 60 and x3 for the mob number it hit is 180. Que paso?

mblythe21b14_ESO · May 2014

At least Refreshing Shadows will be active all the time so when I miss my Surprise Attack because of terrible lag, I can sprint longer to get half way across the map so I can restealth and make my way back.

Traditional NB DPS is still screwed.

The casters and tanks should be a bit happier though.

frwinters_ESO · May 2014

Arsenic_Touch wrote: »

Ohioastro wrote: »

Yes, not all of us focus on the skills in question in our builds. This game is substantially less dependent on class skills than almost any other MMO out there, and you can adjust your experience substantially with guild, racial, armor, and weapon skills.

Are we playing the same game here? The weapon skills are pretty much worthless compared to the class skills.

You must be playing a different game.

frwinters_ESO · May 2014

Junkogen wrote: »

According to the skill description of "Stealthy," the stealth radius is now DECREASED? Is that another bug or is that how it's supposed to be? Wouldn't someone who's stealthy be harder to detect?

Seriously, could someone explain this? Thanks.

This means the radius in which you can be detected is decreased so another player or a mob has to get even closer to you before detection.

vicNBitis · May 2014

Aoifesan wrote: »

One of the Nightblade notes slipped through the cracks--our apologies! We've added it to the notes above, but you can also read it here:
Sap Essence (Drain Power morph): The healing this ability now does correctly increases by 20% for each target hit.
Post edited by

on May 22

I must be REALLY bad at math as I am seeing this ability crit for 300 damage on 3 Mobs and it's healing for 78. Last I checked 20% of 300 is 60 and x3 for the mob number it hit is 180. Que paso?

I think the maths work something like this for 3 targets hit:

x + 0.2x + 0.2x = 78
1.4x = 78
x = 56

So basically the heal portion of Sap healed for 56 and then had 11 added for each of the two additional targets. For a grand total of...I'm sorry. I was laughing the whole time I typed that. Those numbers are pathetic. Please tell me you are level 40.