Skill overcharged ???

Misty · May 2014

I noticed while looking at my sorcerers skills that on of my skills had a red arrow next to it, the tool tip saying that this skill was overcharged and that it would prevent it from further advancement. Change skills or equipment.

Can anyone enlighten me to what it is going on about?

Lazarus_Long · May 2014

Are you sure it was a skill and not an attribute? That said you can search these forums for "overcharged stats" and find lots of threads (as in one every few days since early access started) that talk about it. These usually have good information in the first few pages posts and then turn into opinions and flames later on.

Hawke · May 2014

Red arrow? It should be an orange crooked arrow.

All overcharged means that you get diminishing returns based on your level.

For example, Magicka Regeneration (which is my main overcharged stat right now) is at 52, not overchaged. I drink a potion that raises my Magicka regen by 6. I should have 58 regen at that point, but you only get 57 because of the soft cap at your level.

So you only see a 5 point benefit to the drink you consumed.

ers101284b14_ESO · May 2014

Basically it means you have gotten it too high for your level. Theres a soft cap and a hard cap. At each level your skills can only go up so far to make things fair. When you hit the softcap it will take more XP to level up that skill. When it hits the hardcap it won't level up any more until you level up.

Misty · May 2014

Thanks guys for clearing that up for me. Yes a orange crooked sort of arrow.

Hawke · May 2014

@Misty No worries. Welcome to ESO

Merlin13KAGL · May 2014

Before determining whether to place attribute points elsewhere, consider a handful of things:

Your armor and jewelry enchantments affect this.
Mundus stone effects can affect this.
Potions/Provisioning consumption can affect this.
If you've chosen a home campaign in Cyrodil, even if you've never set foot there, any Alliance Bonuses can affect this. (This includes temporary buffs - casts by other players, for instance - usually on a timer. This also included buffs gained from ownership of resources - keeps, elder scrolls, even Alliance emporership bonuses.)

Also, as previously mentioned, it's only overcharged based on your current level...gain a level, and it may not be that way.

So, before deciding where to place Attribute Points:

Get to a safe place
Let your Provisioning/Alchemical bonuses wear off (if possible)
(Temporarily) remove any gear with enchantments or bonuses to regen, HP, Magicka, Stamina...
Same for Jewelry...
If you think the Mundus stone effect is adding to the overcharge, you can always temporarily go find a different one and later return to the original.

...then look at your character stats...

This will give you a better idea where you stand without those things and will better help you decide where to put your points. It's much easier to add provisioning buffs (eat/drink something) and armor/jewelry enchants along the way to balance things out...

Attribute points are fairly permanent (you can respec, but gold is involved). Enchants (don't forget most items can be re-enchanted to change the effect) and Provisioning, etc allows more flexibility without the steep cost...

And while you don't want to bank too many of them, you don't necessarily have to spend your AP's right away. If you're not sure where to put them and your character seems to be doing fine, don't sweat it.

If you start to have issues (Running out of stamina, dying, whatever...) see if you have those spare points and spend them.

The last suggestion I will make, if you do hold onto some points is to spend them (at least in the same category) one at a time and see the effect... For instance, if you've saved three points and wish to put one each in Health, Stamina, and Magicka...go ahead. If you think you want to put all three in Stamina, commit them one at a time so you can see the change, and any possible overcharge you may incur accordingly.

Once you're done, make sure you've put all your gear back on, restored any desired Mundus stone effects (if you switched earlier) and provisioning effects and adventure on!