Post by stmichael71 on Aug 5, 2015 14:20:00 GMT -5
DPS Sorcerer Build w/ Healing Back-ups
This is my current general purpose PVE build, with a focus on group play. It works best if you can work from afar, using your damage dealing to drop the bad guys and your healing abilities to keep your allies in the fight. I will also discuss a couple changes I run for solo play as well as some options that may fit your playstyle a little better. I have done some PVP with the build also, and it seems to be okay, although I'm sure I will make some adjustments as I learn.
My original build was about 3 to 1 Magicka to Health. I don't put anything into Stamina since the normal amount I get from leveling usually gets me by. I typically only use it for dodge rolling or blocking an attack from a pesky tank, immediately after which I rain hell down on them. After some play time, I've backed off and run closer to 2.5 to 1 on Magicka and Health - I just like feeling less squishy and I quest solo a lot.
I run primarily with Light Armor (five pieces) and buff all the passives. I'm currently trying to round out my Warlock robes set. I also run a couple pieces of Medium or Heavy (usually boots and pants) to boost my armor statistic. I put a Magicka glyph on anything I equip that doesn't already have one. I play a High Elf for the magical boosts and run all of those passives too. I choose my other passives with a focus on more magicka, increased spell damage, criticals, and things that heal me as I do damage.
I've been both a master vampire and master werewolf. I found that as a vampire I needed the Bat Swarm ultimate to counteract my slower healing rate but I enjoyed the faster magicka rengeration. As a werewolf, I have found that I never transform. It was nice at lower levels to give me a more physical attack, but I just keep it around now for the passive stamina boost. I really enjoy the Vampire style, so I may go back to that eventually.
With ESO for the console, placement of the active ability can be just as important as the ability is itself. It's vital that you can keep your thumbs on the sticks for targeted ranged abilities, so I like to keep those out on the LB/RB shoulder buttons. The X button is closest to the stick and is good for a rapid reaction or commonly used ability. The B button is furthest away so it gets a toggled ability. And the Y button is in the middle and is my flex spot.
Bar One / Fire Destruction Staff - attack
X - Liquid Lightning
Y - Elemental Ring
B - Inner Light
LB- Crystal Fragment
RB- Force Pulse
U - Energy Overload
Bar Two / Restoration Staff - buff
X - Hardened Ward
Y - Power Surge
B - Inner Light
LB- Mutagen
RB- Healing Springs
U - Shooting Star
Bar Three (Energy Overload) - low on magic
X - Hardened Ward
Y - Power Surge
B - Inner Light
LB- Dark Conversion
RB- Thundering Presence
Inner Light toggles on all the time since it increases my available magicka and the chance of a critical hit. My typical attack pattern is to buff with Power Surge and Hardened Ward, then switch to my attack bar and use Force Pulse from a position of advantage to pull the enemy. I quickly follow-up with liquid lightning, targeting the main group of bad guys for 10 seconds. If the battle gets too close to me I will spam Elemental Ring, otherwise I weave between Force Pulse and heavy attacks. Force Pulse can also affect multiple targets, so once I see that they are on fire I switch to another close target so I am doubling my damage output by hitting both. I use Crystal Fragment as my main cannon interrupt and drop it everytime I hear it proc (listen for the ring and watch for the purple hand fire), since it uses 50% less magic and does 20% extra damage with an instant cast time. Crystal Fragment does huge damage and knockdown so I like to target enemy trouble makers when it comes up in the rotation. On average I get a proc for it every 3-4 spells cast (and not just attack spells!)
As the fight progresses I watch my shield and re-buff Hardened Ward and Power Surge if it gets low. It takes a little practice to perfect switching bars in battle, so while I am on the back bar I also check everyone's health and use Regeneration and Healing Springs if necessary. And if our group healer goes down, I can stay on the back bar to focus on those abilities (weaving them in with sustained heavy attacks from the restoration staff) while someone gets him back up. Keeping Hardened Ward up means you have a lot more health and lets you wade into a fight with some reserve, which can help stall for time. Running Power Surge is also great, because it really increases your damage output (20%) and every critical strike you make heals you.
Energy Overload effectively gives you a third bar when you power it up. You can edit this bar by turning on the ultimate and then going into your skills menu. I primarily use it when I get low on magic power, immediately hitting Thundering Presence for a big armor boost, then using attacks and Dark Conversion to build my magic back to full. This also lets me keep my health potion slotted for those moments when I take too much damage. Once I'm back in action, I re-up my Hardened Ward and Power Surge and then switch back to my destruction staff and primary bar and start the cycle over.
I drop Shooting Star on groups and bosses as often as I can since it builds back its own ultimate, just remember it is most effective over time so try to target a stationary enemy group for the best return. A good tank will make this easy. Before I finished leveling Mage, I used Greater Storm Atronach from the Daedric Summoning skill (still a nice power for its synergy buff when playing as a team) and later Soul Assault from the Soul Magic skill tree (serious amount of damage to a single target in a few seconds).
Usually it takes a Boss or a Vet Dungeon type fight at around my level to require a full cycle of all those abilities. The average "normal" battle is over before the duration of Power Surge expires. I find that I am most susceptible to enemy area of effect attacks (Imps throwing fireballs can ruin your day) or tanks that stun you for a few seconds (which I try to block or dodge).
I like to tinker, so I have some alternate layouts that I use for some situations.
First, I have used Bound Aegis in the "Y" button slot of each bar as a second toggle. This grants some decent armor and spell resistance boost, but more importantly adds 8% to Magicka, increasing both the number of spells you can drop and the amount of damage that they do. Sometimes when I run like this I move Power Surge to my back bar RB slot in place of Healing Springs. Honestly I would be more likely to run this all the time if the appearance of that armor wasn't a turn-off for me.
Sometimes when I'm running solo, it's nice to have the Unstable Clannfear active. Again, I drop it in the Y spot and since I'm solo I move Power Surge into the back bar RB. This was especially useful when I was lower level and was more squishy. The Clannfear draws aggro and gives you a chance to back away from the fight and use your best abilities from a distance. I even go really crazy once in a while and play summoner, dropping Inner Light in exchange for Twilight Matriarch. Putting these two powers on the Y and B slots of both bars keeps them active even when I switch. The Clannfear draws aggro, while the Matriarch adds to my damage output and provides back-up heals when I get hit hard. And if you need a quick magic boost when you get low, you can unsummon them temporarily.
At times I have run Mages Wrath in place of Elemental Ring. This power is nice because it does extra damage if the target is low on health (below 20%) and does area damage if it causes a kill. That makes it a great boss or mob finisher - just get one target low and spam away. Because of how my playstyle has evolved, I now prefer the Elemental Ring to spam the mobs, especially when I have a skilled healer nearby and I can just wade into the fight. When surrounded, I can drop a liquid lightning ring at ground zero, then repeatedly hit Elemental Ring to add up the damage quickly, making sure to buff my Hardened Ward as necessary so I stay alive in the fray.
I've also experimented with using Streak in place of Thundering Presence. It's nice for a quick escape and some players I have talked to really use it as a primary attack. I just haven't ever gotten the hang of it. It looks cool though.
Finally, I spend my Champion Points to augment what I'm already good at - dealing damage. Because they work as a percentage, it just seems to me that adding 2% to something that I have a lot of makes for a bigger bonus than adding 2% to something that I don't.
Ever since I started playing pen and paper RPG's back in the early 80's I have preferred magic using professions. The sorcerer was a natural choice for me for Oblivion, Skyrim, and of course when I started ESO. It's been great fun drawing from my own and others' experience to build my current loadout. The most important advice I can offer to anyone is this - play what you want because if you don't enjoy it then you won't enjoy the game.
Feel free to comment - I'd love any discussion, suggestions, or if you have a question fire away.
StMichael71
This is my current general purpose PVE build, with a focus on group play. It works best if you can work from afar, using your damage dealing to drop the bad guys and your healing abilities to keep your allies in the fight. I will also discuss a couple changes I run for solo play as well as some options that may fit your playstyle a little better. I have done some PVP with the build also, and it seems to be okay, although I'm sure I will make some adjustments as I learn.
My original build was about 3 to 1 Magicka to Health. I don't put anything into Stamina since the normal amount I get from leveling usually gets me by. I typically only use it for dodge rolling or blocking an attack from a pesky tank, immediately after which I rain hell down on them. After some play time, I've backed off and run closer to 2.5 to 1 on Magicka and Health - I just like feeling less squishy and I quest solo a lot.
I run primarily with Light Armor (five pieces) and buff all the passives. I'm currently trying to round out my Warlock robes set. I also run a couple pieces of Medium or Heavy (usually boots and pants) to boost my armor statistic. I put a Magicka glyph on anything I equip that doesn't already have one. I play a High Elf for the magical boosts and run all of those passives too. I choose my other passives with a focus on more magicka, increased spell damage, criticals, and things that heal me as I do damage.
I've been both a master vampire and master werewolf. I found that as a vampire I needed the Bat Swarm ultimate to counteract my slower healing rate but I enjoyed the faster magicka rengeration. As a werewolf, I have found that I never transform. It was nice at lower levels to give me a more physical attack, but I just keep it around now for the passive stamina boost. I really enjoy the Vampire style, so I may go back to that eventually.
With ESO for the console, placement of the active ability can be just as important as the ability is itself. It's vital that you can keep your thumbs on the sticks for targeted ranged abilities, so I like to keep those out on the LB/RB shoulder buttons. The X button is closest to the stick and is good for a rapid reaction or commonly used ability. The B button is furthest away so it gets a toggled ability. And the Y button is in the middle and is my flex spot.
Bar One / Fire Destruction Staff - attack
X - Liquid Lightning
Y - Elemental Ring
B - Inner Light
LB- Crystal Fragment
RB- Force Pulse
U - Energy Overload
Bar Two / Restoration Staff - buff
X - Hardened Ward
Y - Power Surge
B - Inner Light
LB- Mutagen
RB- Healing Springs
U - Shooting Star
Bar Three (Energy Overload) - low on magic
X - Hardened Ward
Y - Power Surge
B - Inner Light
LB- Dark Conversion
RB- Thundering Presence
Inner Light toggles on all the time since it increases my available magicka and the chance of a critical hit. My typical attack pattern is to buff with Power Surge and Hardened Ward, then switch to my attack bar and use Force Pulse from a position of advantage to pull the enemy. I quickly follow-up with liquid lightning, targeting the main group of bad guys for 10 seconds. If the battle gets too close to me I will spam Elemental Ring, otherwise I weave between Force Pulse and heavy attacks. Force Pulse can also affect multiple targets, so once I see that they are on fire I switch to another close target so I am doubling my damage output by hitting both. I use Crystal Fragment as my main cannon interrupt and drop it everytime I hear it proc (listen for the ring and watch for the purple hand fire), since it uses 50% less magic and does 20% extra damage with an instant cast time. Crystal Fragment does huge damage and knockdown so I like to target enemy trouble makers when it comes up in the rotation. On average I get a proc for it every 3-4 spells cast (and not just attack spells!)
As the fight progresses I watch my shield and re-buff Hardened Ward and Power Surge if it gets low. It takes a little practice to perfect switching bars in battle, so while I am on the back bar I also check everyone's health and use Regeneration and Healing Springs if necessary. And if our group healer goes down, I can stay on the back bar to focus on those abilities (weaving them in with sustained heavy attacks from the restoration staff) while someone gets him back up. Keeping Hardened Ward up means you have a lot more health and lets you wade into a fight with some reserve, which can help stall for time. Running Power Surge is also great, because it really increases your damage output (20%) and every critical strike you make heals you.
Energy Overload effectively gives you a third bar when you power it up. You can edit this bar by turning on the ultimate and then going into your skills menu. I primarily use it when I get low on magic power, immediately hitting Thundering Presence for a big armor boost, then using attacks and Dark Conversion to build my magic back to full. This also lets me keep my health potion slotted for those moments when I take too much damage. Once I'm back in action, I re-up my Hardened Ward and Power Surge and then switch back to my destruction staff and primary bar and start the cycle over.
I drop Shooting Star on groups and bosses as often as I can since it builds back its own ultimate, just remember it is most effective over time so try to target a stationary enemy group for the best return. A good tank will make this easy. Before I finished leveling Mage, I used Greater Storm Atronach from the Daedric Summoning skill (still a nice power for its synergy buff when playing as a team) and later Soul Assault from the Soul Magic skill tree (serious amount of damage to a single target in a few seconds).
Usually it takes a Boss or a Vet Dungeon type fight at around my level to require a full cycle of all those abilities. The average "normal" battle is over before the duration of Power Surge expires. I find that I am most susceptible to enemy area of effect attacks (Imps throwing fireballs can ruin your day) or tanks that stun you for a few seconds (which I try to block or dodge).
I like to tinker, so I have some alternate layouts that I use for some situations.
First, I have used Bound Aegis in the "Y" button slot of each bar as a second toggle. This grants some decent armor and spell resistance boost, but more importantly adds 8% to Magicka, increasing both the number of spells you can drop and the amount of damage that they do. Sometimes when I run like this I move Power Surge to my back bar RB slot in place of Healing Springs. Honestly I would be more likely to run this all the time if the appearance of that armor wasn't a turn-off for me.
Sometimes when I'm running solo, it's nice to have the Unstable Clannfear active. Again, I drop it in the Y spot and since I'm solo I move Power Surge into the back bar RB. This was especially useful when I was lower level and was more squishy. The Clannfear draws aggro and gives you a chance to back away from the fight and use your best abilities from a distance. I even go really crazy once in a while and play summoner, dropping Inner Light in exchange for Twilight Matriarch. Putting these two powers on the Y and B slots of both bars keeps them active even when I switch. The Clannfear draws aggro, while the Matriarch adds to my damage output and provides back-up heals when I get hit hard. And if you need a quick magic boost when you get low, you can unsummon them temporarily.
At times I have run Mages Wrath in place of Elemental Ring. This power is nice because it does extra damage if the target is low on health (below 20%) and does area damage if it causes a kill. That makes it a great boss or mob finisher - just get one target low and spam away. Because of how my playstyle has evolved, I now prefer the Elemental Ring to spam the mobs, especially when I have a skilled healer nearby and I can just wade into the fight. When surrounded, I can drop a liquid lightning ring at ground zero, then repeatedly hit Elemental Ring to add up the damage quickly, making sure to buff my Hardened Ward as necessary so I stay alive in the fray.
I've also experimented with using Streak in place of Thundering Presence. It's nice for a quick escape and some players I have talked to really use it as a primary attack. I just haven't ever gotten the hang of it. It looks cool though.
Finally, I spend my Champion Points to augment what I'm already good at - dealing damage. Because they work as a percentage, it just seems to me that adding 2% to something that I have a lot of makes for a bigger bonus than adding 2% to something that I don't.
Ever since I started playing pen and paper RPG's back in the early 80's I have preferred magic using professions. The sorcerer was a natural choice for me for Oblivion, Skyrim, and of course when I started ESO. It's been great fun drawing from my own and others' experience to build my current loadout. The most important advice I can offer to anyone is this - play what you want because if you don't enjoy it then you won't enjoy the game.
Feel free to comment - I'd love any discussion, suggestions, or if you have a question fire away.
StMichael71
