How the upcoming change to piercing javelin is dividing opinion in ESO

Piercing Javelin and its morphs have been a staple tool in the arsenal of many of ESO’s templar players for years now, especially in PvP circles. The skill offers players a relatively long-ranged knockback and stun ability that does a decent amount of damage too. If you have frequented Cyrodiil in the past, then you may well have been knocked down from a keep wall to your probable demise by a mischievous javelin throwing templar on at least one occasion.

Until now, you could at least counter Piercing Javelin by blocking when you saw it coming towards you, thus avoiding the stun. However this looks set to change with ESO’s next major update and DLC, Ascending Tide. The PTS patch notes for Update 33 reveal an upcoming rework to piercing javelin:
Piercing Javelin: This ability and its morphs now bypass block to live up to their name.

This means that your only chances of avoiding the stun will now be to dodge the javelin if you see it coming, utilize Alchemy to give yourself CC immunity with a potion, or use a skill like Immovable.

Following on from the release of the patch notes, players were discussing their thoughts on the Piercing Javelin change in a thread on the ESO forums. Some players were remarking on their disagreement with the change, seeing it as an unwarranted buff for a class that already has strong burst damage, and warning of potentially overpowered combinations with other unavoidable abilities, such as Meteor and Power of the Light.