ESO Combat System Discussion

/ Elder Scrolls Online / By

The Elder Scrolls Online team shared (reshared) their vision for the combat system. TL:DR – No stackable treasure maps and no changes to crafting.

Summary

  • Better Communication
    • “it became apparent that we could better communicate to all of you our vision and core values for combat.”
  • High-level view
    • “we want combat to feel fun and rewarding to all players.””
    • “we recognize that what feels “fun and rewarding” is a little different for everyone. “
    • “Our goal is to strike a good balance”
      • “not hard rules or a definition of the current reality; they are the values to which we aspire with combat design and what we strive to meet when considering adjustments to combat in ESO.“
  • Values and Vision
    • Play the Way You Want
      • Wear any combination of light, medium, and heavy armor
      • Slot abilities from any skill line you’ve discovered
      • “Deck building” through a selection of abilities, items, Champion Points, etc.
    • Active Combat
      • Block, Roll Dodge, and Bash/Interrupt are not constrained by the global cooldown
      • No ability cooldowns and a short global cooldown
      • Most abilities are instant, with cast times being the exception
      • Weapon swapping
    • Mastery
      • Builds consist of the combination of abilities, items and Champion Points
      • Real-time resource management (Health, Magicka, Stamina, Ultimate)
      • Optimizing ability rotations and timing
      • Light attack weaving
      • Group “builds” and synergies
    • Elder Scrolls Inspired
      • Health, Magicka, and Stamina as attributes
      • Class selection does not define or constrain role
      • Skill lines are discovered, and leveled up by using them
      • Many skill lines are staples from previous TES games (ex: Werewolf, Heavy Armor, Mages Guild, etc.)
    • Conclusion
      • Outside of some outstanding combat bugs, we believe taking all these into account has now gotten combat in a better place, where ESO is more enjoyable for a variety of playstyles.
      • Much of the work we’ve done over the past few years – such as updating the Champion Point system and the hybridization work – has vastly improved build options, gameplay variety and build equality, which supports several of our values.
      • We know it hasn’t always been easy and we sincerely appreciate everyone giving their feedback and spending their time in Tamriel over the years.
      • Keep an eye out next month for an overview of what to expect in Update 37

Reference

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