Elder Scrolls Online Murkmire Changes: Murkier and Murkier
Oct. 25, 2018Elder Scrolls Online Murkmire Changes: Murkier and Murkier
Elder Scrolls Online’sMurkmire DLClaunched just a few days ago on PC, and is coming to console on November 6th. With this new Update, as always, comes a slough of changes to the game. Although we generally publish the changes once the Update is live on the Public Test Server, this time we’ve waited until live release because of the significance of many of them, ensuring the information is correct. In this article I will cover the important points of the Murkmire Update, so that you get a better understanding of these changes, without having to know everything about the game.
There are so many changes with this Update, but the easiest place to begin is probably with the new zone itself:Murkmire. On the southernmost tip of Tamriel, far beyond the boundaries that separate the known from the uncharted, lies a lush coastal marsh—a region as beautiful as it is bizarre. Only the bravest travelers make the journey to Murkmire, and those that survive are forever changed.
When Imperial Potentate Versidue-Shaie wanted a distant dungeon to house the most feared criminal and political prisoners of the Second Empire, he ordered a penal institution built on the coast ofBlack Marsh; it was named Blackrose Prison after the ancient city a day’s march to the north. Now, you can enter the dreadedBlackrose Prison, and face waves of brutal enemies in an ever-escalating battle for treasure and glory.
Blackrose Prison is a new 4-man Arena that features both a Normal and Veteran version. And, just like the other Arenas, this one comes with a brand new set of specialWeaponsthat have uniqueSet Bonuses. These Weapons have standard and “Perfected” versions, just like theAsylum Weaponsdo, and they are as follows:
Radial Uppercut
Perfect Radial Uppercut
Gallant Charge
Perfect Gallant Charge
Spectral Cloak
Perfect Spectral Cloak
Razor Shot
Perfect Razor Shot
Wild Impulse
Perfect Wild Impulse
Mender’s Ward
Perfect Mender’s Ward
The most interesting thing about these is that they are the first special weapon Sets that feature 2 bonuses (on the Perfected versions), making them much more powerful than your typical special Weapon Sets. Because of this, they should see much more use in the meta, and expectAgilityandWillpower Jewelryto once again become valuable.
One big change that has come with this Update is the change to Dodging and Evasion. Dodging now has a smaller window, and where previously if you Dodge Rolled during the casting of a Skill it would be Dodged, now you must actually Dodge within 1 second of the attack landing. This change will come as sweet relief to Magicka-based Builds in PvP, while Stamina players may be finding themselves on the wrong side of a Crystal Frag much more often…
In addition, bothMinorandMajor Evasionhave been changed, and they no longer grant Dodge Chance, but instead reduce AoE damage taken. This will give Stamina Builds some protection against zerg trains in Cyrodiil, and even AoE heavy Dungeons in PvE, but they will be taking much more damage in general from other players. This change affects every Skill and Set that provides Minor/Major Evasion.
In addition to the Dodge nerfs, Damage Shields have also taken a hit (pardon the pun). Players can now Critically Strike against them, putting Classes that rely upon them to survive in PvP (likeSorcerers) in a tough spot. In addition, Poisons and Weapon Enchantments can now proc against Damage Shields, even if all the damage is absorbed. The one saving grace here, is that Damage Shields will now take Spell and Physical Resistance into account BEFORE damage is applied. This will help to counter some of the increased damage players who “bubble” take, but will heavily favor those in Heavy Armor, such as Tanks.
Another big change related to Damage Shields is the serious nerfing to bothConjured Wardand Annulment. Previously these scaled off Max Magicka, allowing for some extremely large bubbles on Sorcerors (and other Magicka Builds that useAnnulment). As of the Murkmire Update, these now scale off of Max Health. What this means is that these Damage Shields will be roughly half as effective as they used to be on the same Builds, making players who rely upon them to stay alive much less hardy. We may also see the rise of the Light Armor Sorc Tank in PvE, but who knows…
Two other notable changes to buffs are in the form ofMinor SavageryandMinor Prophecy, as well asMinor BrutalityandMinor Sorcery. Minor Savagery and Prophecy have had their Critical Strike chance increased from 3% to 6%, while Minor Brutality and Sorcery have had their damage increased from 5% to 10%. While the Minor Brutality and Sorcery buffs will be a nice boost, Minor Savagery and Prophecy will not actually be a net increase. This is due to the reduction of thePerfect StrikeandSpell PrecisionChampion Stars from 12% to 9%.
With every major Update Classes get buffed and nerfed, and sometimes it seems there is no rhyme or reason. With the Murkmire Update come some substantial ones and they are broken down for you below. These are not all the changes, but the ones that have the most impact.
Several changes have come to Cyrodiil with this Update and in this section we’ll be focusing on those that would affect the PvP crowd. The first thing up on the list is destructible bridges!
Bridges and Milegates inCyrodiilcan now be destroyed and repaired! Each of these structures have three pieces with several stages of destruction for each. New UI icons have been added to the map which detail the current state of these structures, much like Keep status icons. These structures are permanently neutral, and can be damaged and repaired by all Alliances. New Repair Kits have been added to Siegemerchantsto specifically repair just Milegates and Bridges. Note that repairing a Bridge or Milegate does not grant Alliance Points.
In this update, Zenimax has refreshed the Item Sets available from Rewards for the Worthy. They now provide an item from one of six all-new item sets, available solely through Rewards for the Worthy mails. Note the item sets that were previously available here are still available elsewhere in Cyrodiil. These items drop in the style of your Alliance, and are scaled to your level.
Indomitable Fury(Light)
Spell Strategist(Light)
Battlefield Acrobat(Medium)
Soldier of Anguish(Medium)
Steadfast Hero(Heavy)
Battalion Defender(Heavy)
The biggest takeaways from this Update are without a doubt the sweeping changes to both Dodging and Damage Shields, effectively shifting the Meta in PvP away from Bubble Sorcs, “Bubble Players”, and to some degree Stamina DPS. And, while Stamina DPS will still be viable, Mag Sorcs and other players relying upon Damage Shields are all but finished. The only Class to come out unscathed in this Update is reallyTemplars, who received a slough of damage increases, and will have a more effectiveRadiant Destruction.
Cyrodiil received a major a shake up, not only because of the things just mentioned, but also because Bridge battles are now more intense (and frustrating). New Outposts and transit possible to and from Towns (to a lesser extent) shifts strategies and make things more interesting. Poisons that increase Skill costs have been nerfed into the ground, Siege can no longer Crit Players, and Scattershot Catapults are much less effective. For better or worse, Cyrodiil is changed and you’ll either love it or hate it.
Stay tuned for more ESO content as we dissect each ofMurkmire’s new Setsand see what we can come up with! You can also check out our latestESO Sets Guide – Dead-Water’s Guile.
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
