ZeniMax Online Studios just dropped the Week 4 patch notes for the Elder Scrolls Online Update 50 Public Test Server. The biggest shock by far is a massive boost to the Empower buff, which is jumping from 100 percent straight to 150 percent.
ESO Update 50: PTS Week 4 Key Changes
| Category | Skill / Mechanic | Change Details | Tactical Impact |
| Global Buff | Empower | Increased to 150% (up from 100%). | Massive DPS boost for heavy attack (Oakensoul) builds. |
| Dragonknight | Engulfing Dragonfire | Can now apply Wildfire Embers once every 4s. | Revives the “Breath” build; easier to stack class set procs. |
| Nightblade | Above and Beyond | Crit Damage/Healing cap reduced to 30% (was 35%). | Reduced burst potential in high-end execute phases. |
| Nightblade | Eye for Exploitation | Damage bonus reduced to 2000 (was 2500). | Significant nerf to flat weapon/spell damage stacking. |
| Werewolf | Gnashing / Rip & Tear | Execute scaling reduced to 125% (was 175%). | Lowered “kill potential” in exchange for utility/healing. |
| Werewolf | Feral Cruelty | Passive bonus reduced to 25% (was 33%). | Broad reduction in PvE power to prevent “overpowering” the meta. |
| Class Set | Pyrebrand | Wildfire cooldown reduced to 10s (was 12s). | Faster build-up of maximum power during boss fights. |
If you run a one-bar heavy attack build, this directly impacts your total damage output. Theorycrafters are already seeing one-bar Sorcerers push past 123k DPS on the test server. Because this new 150 percent Empower is a massive additive modifier, it completely shifts how you need to build your character before the update goes live.
Why You Need to Drop Rakkhat for Monster Sets
With Empower adding such a huge flat damage bonus, other additive multipliers are losing their value. Buffs like Minor Berserk, Minor Slayer, and the Deadly Aim champion point star simply do not carry the same weight anymore. You will not even need to stress about maintaining Off Balance on bosses to maximize your DPS.
Players are already planning to swap out trial sets like Rakkhat. Instead, you will want to lean heavily into high-damage monster sets to optimize your numbers. Heavy attack builds will require a lot of tweaking in the coming weeks to find the absolute best setups.
Dragonknight Buffs and Nightblade Execute Nerfs
Class masteries saw heavy adjustments this week to bring outliers in line. Dragonknights get a major win with Engulfing Dragonfire. The skill now applies Wildfire Embers to the first enemy hit up to once every four seconds. This completely revives the breath build since it previously sucked at stacking Wildfire Embers. Pyrebrand also got its cooldown reduced from 12 seconds to 10 seconds.
Nightblades did not fare as well. The Frosted Exploitation execute passive dropped its weapon damage bonus against missing health from 2500 down to 2000. On top of that, the Above and Beyond passive saw its critical damage cap lowered from 35 percent to 30 percent. Expect your burst phases to feel noticeably weaker when trying to finish off targets.
The Brutal Reality for Werewolf Mains
Werewolf players are facing some tough adjustments. The developers noticed the defensive morph of Gnashing was actually doing more damage than Bloody Gnashing. This happened because Rip and Tear applied the Sundered effect instead of Hemorrhaging.
To fix this, ZOS changed the execute scaling for Gnashing and Rip and Tear from 175 percent to 225 percent. They also dropped the Feral Cruelty passive from 33 percent down to 25 percent. While Hircine’s Rage got a slight duration increase to 20 seconds and Rip and Tear received a 33 percent base healing buff, the overall damage potential for Werewolves took a heavy hit.
If you main a heavy attack Sorcerer, start farming the best monster sets now so you are ready for launch day. Werewolf players should use this time to test out the updated Pyrebrand mastery, as the shorter cooldown finally allows you to build proper Wildfire stacks in your beast form. Keep an eye out for the Week 5 patch notes, as ZOS confirmed one final round of tweaks is on the way before the update officially drops.
