Wood Elves have always been a stealth based race and the main reason to choose these tiny characters is their innate stealth. PVE enemies in this game do not hide, so changing these characters to detect hidden enemies removes an enjoyable and realistic game mechanic and provides no benefit.
I have given feedback regarding the proposed change to this passive here:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/453572/bosmer-racial-change-that-is-illogical-and-unnecessary/p1
And I have polled the forum with the conclusion that no one uses stealth detection in pve here:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/458818/do-you-use-stealth-detect-in-pve/p1
Firstly, Wood Elves have always had a head-start bonus to the stealth attribute for the past 5 Elder Scrolls titles. In 3 of those titles, they had a greater bonus to sneaking than any other race. For 5 years in TESO we have used this passive to great effect in all game modes. It is a valuable passive as evidenced by: the continuation (and even improvement) of stealth for Khajiits; two zone DLCs that benefit from this passive; trial and dungeon mechanics that take advantage of being in stealth; and the number of dismayed replies on your official forums.
In the developer notes it states that “many enemies in Tamriel can’t be bothered sneaking about!” The conclusion to replace it with 3 meter stealth detection is a contradiction because if enemies can’t be bothered to stealth, then we don’t need to detect stealth enemies. There isn’t any pve content available in the game that uses stealth detection. In pvp, 3 meters is actually a negligible amount of stealth detection because of how pvp is currently played. Stealth is used from a distance in order to stack bonuses from the Bow skill line. Stealth in melee range, at the pace of the current pvp climate, requires a skill (Vampire or Nightblade) or a potion. Being able to detect within 3 meters is not enough time to even block before a blow from stealth. “Gankers” will not disappear with the removal of this Wood Elf passive, they will just switch to Khajiit for the crits.
The identity of this race, from the first game, have been stealthy archers and thieves. It needs to remain an innate ability of the smallest race in the game to hide better than the largest. Moving this out of the racial passive and into another skill line is not a solution because a large character, such as a Nord, is realistically not as sneaky as the smallest characters. This change goes against the original vision, the established precedent, in-universe realism, and the lore within the game itself. The point of choosing the smallest character model in the game is that it’s better at hiding.
Regarding your dev note, “Previously this passive was shared between Khajiit and Wood Elf, and didn’t help them feel distinct enough from each other.“ Players expect that the smallest characters are the sneakiest, and the effort to make this minor distinction is not worth the cost of removing the main appeal of choosing Wood Elf. Khajiit and Wood Elf are already distinct enough from each other, in physical design and fighting style.
Please, reconsider this change. Stealthiness is THE identifying attribute to this race. The proposed change to this passive is disruptive and counterintuitive. Wood Elf hiding ability has been an established precedent for all 5 TES games and the past 5 years in this game.
