The Elder Scrolls Online Developers Plan to Overhaul All Classes, Starting with Dragonknight
In The Elder Scrolls Online, the first class identity update will take place on March 9 with Update 49 across all platforms. The first to be updated will be the Dragonknight, which the development team discussed in a new preview that also provides information about the upcoming process.
Ultimately, all classes will be revamped to better align with their history, power source, and ability use concept. After the introduction of subclasses, players who chose pure classes faced significant inconveniences, so restoring balance to make both options viable is also part of the developers' overall goal.
Regarding the Dragonknight, there were several key issues. They are considered powerful, stamina-focused warriors, but their abilities lack functionality to match this status. The current damage-over-time effects for this class are built like any other class, making all classes seem homogeneous. Since class updates aim to restore the sense of class identity, this is one of the issues developers are addressing across all classes.
Dragonknights may also feel unpredictable, and developers want to create a sense of attrition with effects that strengthen as the fight continues and persist in battle. This feeling of a volcano, rising tension, and then eruption and decisive force.
To make class identity more distinct, subtler effects unique to their lore will be introduced. Roles will feel distinct, and developers will enhance the distribution of role functionality to ensure everything does not seem fragmented. Each skill branch should offer something meaningful to your role while making you consider swapping one of these skill branches for another in the context of subclassing.