The developers of Elder Scrolls Online are planning a comprehensive overhaul of all classes. The goal: to better highlight the identity of the archetypes and create greater diversity.
Why do the classes need to be redesigned? According to the developers of Elder Scrolls Online, problems have emerged with the introduction of subclasses that negatively affect the design of the skill lines as well as the player experience.
While many players, for example, utilize the new flexibility of subclasses to wildly combine skill lines, those who prefer to rely on the skills of a class are disadvantaged by the current system. This has led to a very one-sided “meta” that they want to break.
Currently, the Wurm Cult Seasons are running in ESO:
What are the exact goals for the redesign? According to the developers, they want to achieve the following goals with the comprehensive adjustment of all classes:
- Strengthening the identities of all classes so they are entertaining and rewarding as well as thematically unique
- Improving balance between pure classes and subclasses, ensuring both paths have their place in the game
- A greater diversity and distinctiveness for skill lines of classes in what they offer to a role, so that each skill line provides something useful regardless of the intended playstyle
- Adjusting overly strong or weak abilities and skill lines; there should be no lines that have all tools available
Step by step, class by class
How do they plan to achieve these goals? The developers explain that such a comprehensive redesign cannot be implemented all at once. Therefore, they first want to prioritize classes that need modernization and adjustments the most. The current order in which they want to redesign the classes is as follows:
- Dragon Knight
- Warden
- Sorcerer
- Templar
- Nightblade
- Necromancer
- Arcanist
Each class will be addressed individually and will experience significant changes to mechanics and game balance, including adjustments to audiovisual effects, if there is a need for changes there as well.
How does the community react to the announcement? On Reddit as well as in the official forum, the announcement is already being heatedly discussed. According to many players, these problems are self-made. Additionally, some criticize the way it is being implemented. Others currently see a much bigger issue to tackle.
- no_Post_account explains on Reddit: “This is silly. They caused this problem with the subclasses themselves, even though literally no one asked for it and everyone on the internet told them that this would completely destroy any class identity. Now they’re coming with this nonsensical post about how they want to fix the problem. Spoiler alert: They’re going to spend the next two years trying to fix it, and they won’t succeed.”
- Semour9 expresses the sentiments of many other players in his comment on Reddit: “In my opinion, they should overhaul the combat system and make it easier to play alternative characters. I played a Sorcerer in 2018 and saved all my crafting materials on that character. When I create a new character, I have to relearn all my crafting skills.”
- L_Nici criticizes in the forum: “Are you crazy to do this step by step? Don’t you realize that this means the first class to get its unique buffs will far surpass all others? Especially in PvP, we can look forward to DoT DKs obliterating everything they want.”
How does our MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz evaluate the criticism? I fundamentally agree with the players. The developers created the status quo by introducing subclasses, and at the time there were exactly these concerns about the likely abolition of class identity.
And of course, the best solution would be to pack all revisions into a major update and concurrently fundamentally refine the combat system – after all, the combat experience is closely tied to the design of the classes.
In practice, however, such a comprehensive overhaul would likely tie up a large portion of developer resources for many months. If it is even possible to noticeably modernize the combat system in the utilized, now very old engine of Elder Scrolls Online. In interviews, the developers have repeatedly explained how difficult it is to implement certain things in the engine.
If it is possible: Other new content would likely not be released for many months. An ESO that has no new content for half a year or longer? The criticism would likely be great as well. A solution that satisfies everyone seems unfeasible in this specific case. How do you see it? The original post for the new plan is based on a survey from September: The MMORPG for Elder Scrolls wants to improve its classes, and you get to help decide
