PvP Impressions From An Elitest Jerk
I thought this was a good read :)
https://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/3jv5i7/pvp_impressions_from_an_elitest_jerk/
I've had a while now to actually test PvP out in ESO. I've heard a lot of people cry about various elements of Update 7 that were perceived as dramatic changes and whatnot. I am usually pretty stoic, but (and take note, people!) if you read enough people crying about X class being broken or PvP being crappy or whatever it is, you'll start to dread that they might be right! (That's why I often prefer Reddit to the official forums)
So, my impressions pf PvP... The short version is that ZoS did a great job, and it's great. Now you n00bs that just read 1 line can stop and reply now. For the others looking to hear why, read on!
What changes do I actually feel in PvP?
- Dodge and bolt escape are great tools that are still extremely useful, but the extreme end has been nerfed, meaning perma-dodgers of old and solo sorc's that could just fight 15 people and bolt escape 30 times when things got risky are gone. Hooray.
- Mana/Stam regen has really been affected somehow. I actually run out of resources if I fight for too long, which is really different than before. Heavy attacks and making use of alchemy potions and food/drink buffs for sustain make a huge difference for sustain now. This is exactly how it's supposed to be. I don't know exactly what they did, but I actually like this balance, and all classes have access to tools that give them a distinct advantage if they use them now. If you pop a tri-pot for example, you heal yourself for like 4k along with your magicka and stamina, and that heal makes a giant difference in fights sometimes on top of the resource restoration -- IMO don't leave home without some food/drink and tri-pots!
- Punishment for death in Imperial City and losing 80% of your Tel Var stones is not as bad as I feared - it makes things fun and exciting! You can get v15 gear for 1k stones, which is really easy to grind in the IC Sewers without too much fear of getting ganked.
- Crafting/acquiring gear at v15 isn't too hard, but the V16 gear will take some real time and gathering to acquire! Requiring 150 materials per V16 piece but only 10~ for v15 pieces was a great idea. Same with only 1,000 stones for v15 Tel Var Armors but 10,000 for v16. The stat upgrades are minimal between v15 and 16, but this gives a lot of replayability to the game, and makes me excited to get drops from mobs again.
- They added a second 30-day campaign, and this is where I go when my normal campaigns are FULL! Yes, that's right! Lots of people are playing in Cyrodiil and IC, so there's plenty of allies and enemies to make things very fun. It feels like a lot of the old players aren't exactly re-upping their accounts (as my long friends list shows me), but that a lot of existing players are actually making it into Cyrodiil for the first time and finding that they love it, which was exactly ZoS's intent.
- Damage numbers definitely feel reduced. I know that they only lowered the damage stuff by another 15% in Cyro, but dude it feels like they cut it by a lot more. But this is okay if it goes along with a...
- Reduction in damage shield strength! These two things add up to a meaningful fight. You can't just shield yourself for 500% of your maxhp with 2 or 3 moves anymore. You can't just get someone to like 10% only to have them cast 1 skill (healing ward) and be basically at full HP. Damage shields are still good, but definitely will blow through your mana so fast if that's all you press.
- 100-0 ganking has largely disappeared. That means that you're not going to get killed from 100% HP from some Nightblade in stealth with 3 moves before you know what is even happening anymore. If someone jumps at you like that, they'll have a well-deserved advantage, but you can easily overcome them if they built like a glass cannon. That used to rarely be the case unless you outskilled your opponent by a lot. Which brings me to...
- Healing is meaningful. I mean that each time I get healed or heal someone else, it makes a big difference in the outcome of the fights. If I cast a rapid regeneration, that 10k that heals me and an ally over time really can be felt in fights. I'm rarely at 100% HP now in fights, and healing makes an even greater difference in fights now, wether they be small-scale or large scale fights. This includes damage shields, which still make a great difference and always find a way onto my bar :)
- Break free, dodge, and block mechanics mean a lot more now. This is my personal favorite change. In an average PvP fight, I have enough resources as a magicka DPS to dodge twice and break free twice before I go out of stamina and need to use a potion or sit in a CC, and you can take 1 dodge or break free away if I block. I used to be able to dodge and break free a lot more and block as much as I wanted which would drag fights on forever. I used to chase other healers around corners all day long without any real hope of dropping them, but now they actually run out of stamina! Now, people actually have to sit in CC if they are playing inefficiently or get pressured hard, which means there is a reliable way to end fights. This reminds me of my time back in WoW Arena PvP, where we'd force the enemy healer to use their trinket to get out of a stun, and then we'd chain CC on them while killing one of their teammates to end the fight. That was a really great experience, because there was a way to end the fight. I felt like watching 2 sorcerers duel was like watching the entire Lord of the Rings extended edition collection back to back. Now, people run out of stamina and die like they should.
- Stamina and magicka builds are both viable. This one is a short point, but I feel like every class has at least 2 or 3 viable builds of each type. Stam sorcs are awesome now.
- The best way to level is to actually play the game. I had to add this one in -- If you want to get to v16 fast, do quests and stop lollygagging! There are actually alternatives to getting through the essential quests of Cadwell's Silver and grinding gold till max level. You can actually quest and use XP pots or scrolls and enjoy the game while leveling at a fast pace. The reduction in experience required to level helps a LOT too. I actually feel like I make progress leveling doing the things I enjoy.
These are the things that I can feel from the update 7 changes. I hope that it encourages you all, or that it is a helpful read. I play IC in a hardcore "casual" mode, enjoying the game with my wife and enjoying for once not being one of those guys that plays 12 hours a day min-maxing everything and grinding mats to win at all costs. I'm an elitest jerk in my own head, but am truthfully probably just slightly above average in ESO skill. Hopefully that makes others feel better. Try IC, and especially try the IC Sewers!!! :) You'll enjoy it a LOT.
I find this fellow's PoV quite refreshing as well as inspiring.
Yes, aside from the horrid load screen times, this new update has essentially brought some level of balance to the game that actually encourages me to delve more into different aspects of the game that were a bit latent within my game play prior to 2.1.4.
I have always said: "This is a thinking man's (and woman's) game".
Brotherhood of Redemption
BoR Birthday Commitee Coordinator
Elder Council
Go calmly amidst the noise and the haste....
...as you slice your way through the flesh & bone of the most formidable of foes!