Here’s a quick written post and video where I explain my opinions on the latest Update Seven (Imperial City) patch notes and break them down.  I’ll go over major topics and how I think it’ll effect the community at large.

This post comes directly from ZOS PTS page and is subject to change.  Also this is under testing, so I strongly urge people to read them and provide ZOS with feedback via forums.

HERE’S OFFICIAL POST

---

Video Link

---

Cyrodiil and PvP

Cyrodiil Updates

• The Former Emperor buffs are being removed from the game.

I feel there should always be some small bonus for people that have spent the time to get emperor.  If they completely remove this buff, why not let people at least wear the costume?  I don’t like this change personally even though I don’t have an former emperor character.

• The Battle Spirit buff has been adjusted and now has 30% more damage reduction, 35% less healing received, and 50% less damage shield strength.

This will be extremely controversial and until I actually play live PvP it will be hard to tell.  I’d like some change to one shooting, but 50% seems a bit much.  Time will tell.

• Increased the under population Alliance Point bonus that alliances receive to 20% from 10%.
• Under population scoring bonuses will now apply quadruple the scoring points earned.
• Reduced the minimum amount of player characters needed to qualify for the under population bonus to 20 player characters per evaluation interval, which is 30 minutes.
• Increased the underdog scoring Alliance Point bonuses that alliances receive to 20% from 10%.
• Reduced the underdog scoring evaluation and application periods to 30 minutes.
• Underdog scoring bonuses will now apply triple the scoring points earned.

Holy Daggerfall Covenant bonus batman!  This will incentives lower popular factions to become active. Love this change.

• The Keep Wall upgrade now gives 25% more hit points to walls and towers per upgrade level.
• Increased the amount of stone, food, and ore gathered at resources based on the “Gathered Amount” upgrade by 25%.
• Increased the amount of stone, food, and ore generated at resources based on the “Base Resources Increased” upgrade by 40%.

Great now sieging is more painful…..

Cyrodiil Campaign Changes
Campaigns are undergoing rule changes for encouraging different styles of gameplay within the campaigns, including non-veteran campaigns now lasting 7 days instead of 5 days.

• Azura: Ownership of keeps, resources, Elder Scrolls, and outposts will generate one point each per scoring cycle, and lasts 30 days.
• Blackwater Blade (non-Veteran only): Ownership of keeps, resources, Elder Scrolls, and outposts will generate one point each per scoring cycle, and lasts 5 days.
• Chillrend: Keeps, outposts, and resources will generate zero points. Ownership of Elder Scrolls will generate one point per scoring cycle, and lasts 7 days.
• Haderus: Keeps, outposts, and Elder Scrolls will generate zero points. Ownership of resources will generate one point per scoring cycle, and lasts 7 days.
• Thornblade: Resources, outposts, and Elder Scrolls will generate zero points. Ownership of keeps will generate one point per scoring cycle, and lasts 7 days.

Love these changes and offers up some new incentives to play Cyrodiil based on YOUR type.  I hate sieging keeps so I’ll be no where near Thornblade.

Cyrodiil Reward Improvements
Eleven existing Item Sets have been expanded and made more available in Cyrodiil, and we’ve also improved the loot you receive at the end of a Campaign.

• The Rewards for the Worthy can now potentially include items from a wide variety of existing item sets, and will include every level and Veteran Rank so they can be enjoyed by anyone of any level.
• If you are a part of the winning Alliance and have earned a significant amount of AP during the Campaign, you will also be awarded with a bevy of loot, similar to the Leaderboard mails but of a lesser quality.
  • These items will always be from one of the item sets found in the Rewards for the Worthy or Leaderboard mails.
• All end-of-campaign mails now include a number of Keep Wall Masonry Repair Kits.
  • If your Alliance was in first place, you’ll receive 20 kits.
  • If your Alliance was in second place, you’ll receive 10 kits.
  • If your Alliance was in third place, you’ll receive 5 kits.
• Removed the Top 5% Leaderboard Campaign rewards.

Well they made it possible for people who don’t spend every waking hour PvPing to get rewards which I like.  However, the 7 day campaign and the 30 day have the same threshold for earning the tier rewards (as in AP earned).  It looks like the items and gold scale though so that’s interesting.  More rewards, more incentives, better for the player base.

---

Combat

General

• You will no longer regenerate stamina while blocking.

An utter game changer here.  I think tanks will be able to evolve and I plan on bringing out a new build before Update 7 launches to help out newer tanks.  Either way, drastic change that I’m not a fan of.

• Reduced the cost of class stamina abilities by 20% so they are equivalent to weapon abilities.

Interesting and a buff for stamina classes.

• Experience gained from killing other player characters now uses the same diminishing rules as Alliance Point gain: killing the same player character twice within 30 seconds will provide 0 XP and 0 AP.

A direct nerf to people trading kills to farm AP.  I like it!

• The cost of each roll dodge will increase by 33% after your first roll dodge.

Seems extremely harsh to stamina based classes as a form of survival.  BUT two abilities can now be dodge roll and most will have access to vigor.

• The abilities Molten Whip and Veiled Strike can now be avoided by roll dodging.

Good changes since dodge rolling is taxing making combat more skill based.

---

Class and Skill Line Changes

Dragonknight

• Earthen Heart
  • Battle Roar (passive): Adjusted the scaling for combat resources to be based off of that resource instead of the maximum Magicka for all of them.

This is a great change for stamina DKs that want a burst of resources via ultimates.

• Molten Weapons: This ability will now only grant a bonus for fully-charged heavy attacks instead of partially-charged attacks.

Monster nerf to DK’s utilizing medium weaving sun set.   Laceration build should be just fine.

• Obsidian Shard (Stonefist morph): This ability now applies a direct heal to an ally near the target.

How big is the heal is the real question?

• Ardent Flame
  • Flame Lash (Lava Whip morph): Instead of a direct heal, this ability will now reduce the amount health by 25% and apply a heal over 3 ticks. We also increased the damage versus off-balance by 25%.

I’m not a fan of this at all and will test.

Nightblade

• Assassination
  • Grim Focus: The bow on Assassin’s Will is now easier to see in first-person view, and can now be activated after 4 light attacks instead of 7.

This is an absolute monster change for NB DPS and might make them top dogs for DPS class (especially magicka NB).

• Siphoning
  • Drain Power: Increased the damage of this ability by approximately 20%.

Did I read this right?  Sap Essence will now hit 20% harder…..wow NB just got an insane buff…oh wait there’s more.

• Siphoning Strikes:
  • This ability is no longer a toggle.
  • Removed the Power and Spell Power debuff; your attacks now do full damage.
  • This ability no longer restores a percentage of your Magicka or Stamina. Instead, it restores a fixed amount per hit.

So now you can cast this not double bar it and get all of your spell/weapon power?  This is a joke right?  NB main….

• Shadow
  • Refreshing Shadows (passive): Adjusted this ability from 15/30% Stamina recovery to 7/15% Stamina, Health and Magicka recovery.

So not only was siphoning buff, but ANOTHER regen buff for Nightblades including ALL RESOURCES.  This WILL BE the power class in update 2.1 if it remains.

Sorcerer

• Daedric Summoning
  • Sorcerer pets now take 50% less damage from other player characters (this does not stack with their area of effect reduction as noted above).
  • Daedric Prey (Daedric Curse morph): This ability now increases the damage done by your pets by 55% instead of 20%.
  • Empowered Ward (Conjured Ward morph): Reduced the cost of this ability by 8.5%. This ability also no longer increases the damage done by your summoned pets, and will instead grant Minor Mending, which increases healing done while the ward is active.
  • Winged Twilight: The Restoring Twilight’s Minor Intellect can now only be granted to up to 6 allies.

All worth while changes to incentives Sorc Pet builds, but I don’t think it will be enough.  Winged Twilight one is great for a trials group.

• Storm Calling
  • Ball Lightning (Bolt Escape morph): Reduced the duration of the orbs from this ability to 1.5 seconds from 6.5 seconds.
  • Bolt Escape: This ability no longer reduces out-of-combat Magicka recovery after casting; the cost increase for re-casting Bolt Escape within four seconds remains in place.

Does this mean it’s nerfed or not?  We’ll have to see.

• Energy Overload (Overload morph): Increased the amount of Magicka returned to you by 300%. This ability also now scales more appropriately with Veteran Ranks.

300% really?  Well that powerful skill just got an insane boost.

• Mages’ Fury: Increased the execute damage by 10%.

Good boost to DPS considering the execute starts at 20%.

• Surge:
  • Increased the duration of this ability by 50%.
  • Reduced the cost of this ability by 24%.
  • The healing from this ability no longer procs off damage over time effects.
  • Reduced the cooldown on the healing proc to 100 milliseconds from 250 milliseconds.

This is a great change I think bringing back some self healing sorc builds including stamina.

• Thundering Presence (Lightning Form morph): This ability is now a Stamina morph.

• Dark Magic
  • Dark Deal (Dark Exchange morph): Increased the amount of stamina restored by this ability by 50%.
  • Dark Exchange:
    • Added a new animation that better supports your movement during combat.
    • This ability now has a cast time; you can move at normal speed while casting.
    • This ability now initially costs Stamina, but restores Magicka and Health.
  • Encase: Increased the range of this ability to 18 meters from 15 meters.

Stam Sorc should be in a much better place now and I’ll rework my Ricochet build eventually.  Thundering Ricochet anyone?

Templar

• Restoring Light
  • Focused Healing: This passive will now apply to the secondary heals from Breath of Life.

A Templar healing buff…okay

• Honor the Dead (Rushed Ceremony morph):
  • This ability now begins restoring Magicka instantly instead of waiting 2 seconds. This will make the morph more useful when casting the ability in rapid succession.
  • Targets below 75% health will now trigger the Magicka regeneration for the caster, instead of targets below 50% health.

Still won’t take it over Breath but might be interesting for solo play.

• Repentance (Restoring Aura morph):
  • The heal from this ability will now receive a bonus from Focused Healing, and will also benefit from the Mending Passive ability.
  • Repentance will also scale identically whether you have more Magicka or Stamina.

A repentance buff is insane.  Now stamina builds will benefit along with making Purifying Ritual almost a must due to 30% increased healing.

• Dawn’s Wrath
  • Purifying Light (Backlash morph): The healing pool for this ability now attaches to the target instead of sticking to the ground, and will now leave a healing effect if the target is killed before Purifying Light expires.

I love me some Purifying Light and can’t wait to see exactly how this is applied and exactly how hard it heals for.

• Radiant Destruction: Fixed an issue where this ability’s visual effects would persist if the first tick of damage killed your target.
• Radiant Oppression (Radiant Destruction morph): Reduced the damage bonus from 40% to 20%. We also fixed an issue where the bonus damage wouldn’t always apply on the first tick.

Good nerf to an insane ability.  Hopefully this will scale properly and start working around 25% like the rest of the games finishers.

Weapon

• Two Handed
  • Follow Up (passive): This passive now requires fully-charged heavy attacks. This ability’s bonus will no longer give a bonus to, or be removed by, a weapon proc or ticking effect.
  • Momentum: Increased the cost of this ability by approximately 35%.

That’s a pretty big nerf to 2H as that ability cost was increased a lot.  I don’t think it’s game changing but every bit of stamina helps.

• One Hand and Shield
  • Absorb Magic (Defensive Posture morph): Significantly increased the maximum amount of damage prevented from this ability. We also fixed an issue where the heal from this ability could trigger from non-spell projectiles if you had multiple damage shields active.

Interesting change that might effect my tank build depending on health absorbed.  I still like the idea of a reflect more-so.

• Dual Wield
  • Flying Blade (Hidden Blade morph): Slightly reduced the damage for this ability.
  • Hidden Blade: This ability now grants the Major Brutality buff. We also slightly decreased the base damage.
  • Shrouded Daggers (Hidden Blade morph): This ability now bounces to two additional targets for half the damage instead of a cone attack.
  • Whirling Blades (Whirlwind morph): This ability now applies Major Endurance instead of giving Stamina. We also reduced the cost of this ability by approximately 15%.

Finally Dual Wield gets a buff giving them Major Brutality buff that I’ve been waiting for.  No longer do you have to have Two Hander to be a relevant stamina DPS (or a Nightblade). Great change.

• Bow
  • Increased the overall damage from Bow light attacks by 16%.
  • Volley: Increased the duration of this ability to 8 seconds from 6 seconds. Volley and its morphs also now correctly use the Weapon Critical stat when making critical strike checks, and correctly check against Physical Resistance for mitigation instead of Spell Resistance.

Finally a damage buff to bows bringing light attack weaving back to the promise land.  I don’t know if 16% is enough to make it the best, but for those that like bow play (like my Specter build), I love it.

• Destruction Staff
  • Shock Clench (Destructive Touch morph): Added an area of effect damage that applies near the target.Destructive Touch
    • Flame Touch: This ability will now knock back your enemy instead of stunning them.
    • Shock Touch: Removed the area of effect damage, and added a 2.5 second stun. The impact effects have been updated to reflect these changes.
    • Removed the stun from this ability.
    • Added an increased damage over time damage.
  • Shock Reach (Destructive Touch morph): Removed the area of effect damage from this ability, and added a 2.5 second stun. The impact effects have been updated to reflect these changes.
  • Tri Focus (passive):
    • The Lightning Staff bonus attack now hits up to 6 targets instead of 2 targets.
    • Heavy Frost attacks now grant a damage shield for 4/8% of your maximum health.
    • Heavy Shock attacks now deal 50/100% of the final pulse damage to nearby enemies with a maximum of 6 targets, using a radius falloff.
    • Reduced the heavy attack bonus from heavy fire attacks to 12% from 15%.

Some extremely interesting changes to staffs.  I foresee lighting and ice getting used much more but this will need some major testing especially the damage and scaling of new abilities.

Guild

• Fighters Guild
  • Camouflaged Hunter (Expert Hunter morph): This ability’s bonus damage from stealth now scales off weapon damage/critical.
  • Expert Hunter:
    • This ability is no longer multiplied by the stealth critical damage bonus if it is used before entering stealth, it will now behave consistently if used before or after entering stealth.
    • Increased the internal cooldown for procs to 2.5 seconds from 1.5 seconds.

Hopefully this will fix the camo hunter exploit one shooting undead bosses…

• Trap Beast:
  • This ability now grants the Minor Force buff which increases Critical Damage by 12%.
  • Reduced the arming time to 1.5 seconds from 3 seconds.
  • Increased the ability’s duration to 60 seconds from 30 seconds.
• Tangling Webs (Trapping Webs morph): Fixed an issue where the fear from this ability was not granting CC immunity.Trapping Webs: Increased the damage of this ability by 33%, and increased the travel speed of this ability’s projectile. The graphical effects from this ability will now only last for the duration of the effect.

Looks  like two unused abilities might become relevant once again.

Alliance War

• Assault
  • Caltrops: This ability is no longer considered a melee attack, and it will not trigger the Redguard passive ability Adrenaline Rush. Caltrops now sorts targets based on the center of the attack, rather than the distance from the caster.
  • Continuous Attack (passive): This passive now grants Spell Damage in addition to Weapon Damage.
  • Magicka Detonation: This ability now adds bonus damage for the amount of targets hit by it with 5% per target, up to a maximum of 25%.
  • Proximity Detonation (Magicka Detonation morph): This ability is now an instant cast. We also increased the detonation time to 8 seconds, and reduced the damage by 28% to compensate.
  • Vigor: Relocated this ability to Rank 5 in the Assault tree, from Rank 10.
• Support
  • Guard: Relocated this ability to Rank 5 in the Support tree, from Rank 10
  • Revealing Flare: Increased the travel speed of this ability’s projectile, and reduced the cost of the ability by approximately 15%.
  • Scorching Flare (Revealing Flare morph): Increased the damage of this ability by 125%.

Some major changes to AR and a good one is Vigor.  Giving stamina builds access to a powerful self heal without having to PvP forever is great considering the dodge roll change.  I also don’t understand the magic det change but will test it.  Additionally, I might find some use for Guard now that I can use it early on.

World

• Werewolf
  • Removed Stamina Regeneration from Lycanthropy; it now requires Werewolf Transformation to be slotted in your ability bar.
• Vampire
  • Reduced the fire damage you receive to 25% from 40%.
  • Supernatural Recovery (passive): This passive now only works while any Vampire ability is slotted in your ability bar.

RIP Werewolf and Vamps…

Racial

• All passives which increase Health, Magicka or Stamina regeneration now provide full benefit regardless of whether you are in or out of combat. Previously, these only applied while in combat.
• Argonian
  • Amphibious: Increased the bonus Health, Magicka and Stamina restore upon consuming a potion to 2/5/8% from 2/4/6%.
• High Elf
  • Spellcharge: Increased the Magicka regeneration from this passive to 4/8/12% from 3/6/9%.
• Khajiit
  • Removed the Robust passive, and replaced it with Robust Constitution. This will increase your Health regeneration by 6/13/20% and Stamina regeneration by 3/6/10%.
  • Carnage: Increased the Critical Strike bonus to 2/5/8% from 2/4/6%.
• Nord
  • Resist Frost: Increased the maximum Health bonus to 2/4/6% from 1/2/3%.
• Orc
  • Swift: Renamed this passive to Swift Warrior. Swift Warrior will no longer increase Charge attacks, but will instead increase all Melee Weapon attack damage by 2/3/4%.
• Wood Elf
  • Resist Affliction: Increased the maximum Stamina to 2/4/6% from 1/2/3%.

Overbuffed Wood Elf and High Elf while giving Khajiit’s EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEEDED.  Not impressed with Nord or Argonian’s and think Orcs will be relevant once again.  Overall good balancing.

Champion System

I’m extremely disappointed there wasn’t a lot of changes to CP but I know this is just one set of notes so we’ll see.

Mounts -You now have the option to hide the visuals from mount upgrades. This can be found in Gameplay Settings.

Visual changes to my extremely over priced mount? Hype!

Mundus Stones

• Apprentice: This Mundus Stone now grants Spell Power instead of Spell Penetration.
• Ritual: Increased the healing bonus from this Mundus Stone to 10% from 5%.
• Serpent: This Mundus Stone now increases your stamina regeneration instead of health regeneration.
• Shadow: Increased the critical damage bonus from this Mundus Stone to 12% from 10%.
• Warrior: This Mundus Stone now has more Weapon Damage.

Probably the best balancing changes from the whole patch not.  Now an equal weapon/spell power mundus, a equal magicka/stamina regen mundus.  And a major buff to Ritual, I LIKELY.

---

Crafting

Alchemy

• All potion effect durations now have a limit that applies prior to any enchantments or passives that would extend that duration.
  • For long duration potions, this limit is 50 seconds.
• Slightly reduced the base duration of potions with a short duration, such as Invisibility, Unstoppable, or Stun.
• Potions with positive effects will no longer break you out of stealth.

Most will overlook this change but the 50 second potion buff now gives players the ability to forgo using major buffs for spell/weapon damage making constant potion builds viable again (e.g. overdose NB).

Items

• Kagrenac’s Hope: This item set now also grants Spell Damage for the 5-piece bonus.

How much spell power?  If it helps speed up resurrections and spell power, might be a great idea for non pvp healers to run.

• Maw of the Infernal: Increased the damage of all Daedroth attacks by 30%, and increased the Breath attack specifically by 160%. We also added resistance to area of effect attacks in PvE.

Interesting but still probably underwhelming and unreliable.

• Nerien’eth: Increased the proc chance to 10% from 2%, and increased the damage of the crystals by 175%.

Get ready to farm Crypt of Heart for this helm as I see it being the new DPS meta.  I plan on equipping it right away to see the difference.

• Night Mother’s Gaze: Changed the 3-piece set bonus to Weapon Damage, and increased the armor reduction by 50%.

That’s a pretty big buff to an already good craftable set.

• Ravager: Added a 10 second cooldown to this item set’s effect.

RIP the 1.25 million Alliance Points it took me to get this set and the stamina DPS juggernaut.  Bye Bye ravager….

• Vampire’s Kiss: Removed the 2 second delay from this item set, and increased the heal by 25%.

If there’s no cooldown, this set might be extremely powerful, if it’s six seconds, still irrelevant.

• Willow’s Path: Changed the 2-piece set bonus to Magicka Regeneration, and the 3-piece set bonus to Stamina Regeneration.

If the five piece set remains the same this might be an insanely powerful set.

 

• Reduced the server load caused by area effect abilities, which will reduce lag commonly seen in Cyrodiil.

Please god tell me that Cyrodiil lag is fix PLZ!??!?  All we can do is wait and text.

 

Thanks for reading I hope you got something out of this and I can’t wait to jump on the PTS and start testing making videos.