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Nov 20, 2015  Lightning Sorc rotation for 4.0 PvE? Reply-TheDelta-, 02:29 AM #1: Quote. Need some help here, my main's a lightning sorc and I've been getting along more or less fine since 4.0 (although I do get the feeling some of my alts having an easier.

You can find all our Pocket ESO Builds right here: Best ESO builds

Dragonknight Class

Build Overview

Dragongnights are very dangerous melee fighters who are able to implement deadly magic in order to wreak even more havoc amongst their enemies. This Dragongnight build is based on Stamina, dual wielding melee weapons, and Bow usage which combined with Classe's toolkit makes it one of the best, and the most versatile DPS builds in the Elder Scrolls Online. It excels in dealing single target damage paired with huge Damage over Time effects, so it is perfect for Boss encounters. It ranks #3 on our ESO DPS Tier list.

We have decided to feature only one item set based on the best items for general usage. There are better setups for certain encounters and tweaks for either Boss fights or AoE clearing. If you would like alternative gear options included please let us know in the comments section below.

Attributes Priority

Primary Skillset
[Dual Wield - for Single Target and AoE DPS]

Secondary Skillset
[Bow - Damage over Time]

Notable Passive Skills

Gear

Champion Points

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Bethesda Softworks

Welcome to our ESO Magic Sorcerer DPS Build called Ignition. On this page you will find an updated guide on the class, gear, champion points and everything you need to know for Magic Sorcerer Damage Dealer for The Elder Scrolls Online.

Table of Contents

• Leveling (1-50)
• Group PvE (Summoner)

[Updated for Clockwork City by Gilliamtherogue]

Objective

This build is aimed at offering players interested in the Magicka Sorcerer, a easy to follow guideline to prepare them for end game PvE. Some options will be usable in PvP as well, but if you’re more interested in fighting other players, you’ll want to research skills and take away some others for their place.

Should you play this build?

Magicka Sorcerers are a disgustingly powerful class when utilized correctly. There is definitely much to learn, but between tips in this guide and practice put in, you’ll be able to access almost all end game content with ease. The Magicka Sorc boasts insane single target AND AoE damage potential, amazing self healing and defenses with shields, and all while being to do it from a range; making them one of the best PvE classes in the game. Due to the Sorcerer’s ease of access due to a relatively simplistic rotation, this is by far the go to choice if you’re looking to start off solid in Elder Scrolls Online as a damage dealer.

Priority Skills

As a Magicka build we’ll be focusing on two weapon types while leveling, one of them even being optional. Destruction staves serve as our primary form of damage dealing due to wonderful abilities and passives, while Restoration staves offer some healing if you’re looking to play more defensively or even go into PvP content.

Destruction Staff

Destruction staves offer immense sustained damage as well as resource management from killing blows, all while bombarding the enemy from a safe distance. Between self damage production, and insane enabling DPS from many support and secondary effects, the Destruction Staff is the pinnacle of damage production and makes it an easy choice for a Magicka build.

• Force Shock (Spammable | morph to Force Pulse) – A wonderful spammable ability that’s available to us at level 1 as long as we have a Destruction staff. This skill packs a punch between raw scaling of % amplifications in end game environments, racials, and so on. It also offers wonderful utility by having a chance to proc secondary effects like Chilled (Minor Maim), Burning (Burning DoT and 20% bonus damage with Fire Wall of Elements), and Concussed (Minor Vulnerability and setting enemies Off-Balance with Lightning Wall of Elements).
• Wall of Elements (AoE DoT | morph to Blockade of Elements) – One of the best area of effect damage over times in the game, boasting absurd single target and AoE damage potential. Paired with the fact that each element type offers something awesome to either us or a group, this skill is a no brainer to use all the time.

Restoration Staves

Restoration staves give the user a lot of healing potential and defensive opportunities, making it an amazing choice for solo and PvP players alike. If you plan on playing primarily as a solo player, or want to dip your feet into “1xXing” in PvP, then Restoration staves will be a very powerful choice.

• Regeneration (Heal over time | morph to Rapid Regeneration) – A wonderful heal over time that lasts quite a while, helping you in the early parts of the game, especially if you’re grinding. You can cast this and even swap off of your Restoration staff bar, and you’ll still have the ability healing you. This makes it great for solo players who want a steady stream of healing, so they can keep up the offensive instead of constantly going to heal whenever they take damage.
• Steadfast Ward (Shield | morph to Healing Ward) – This ability offers a huge damage shield, especially when we’re lower Health. Used more as an “Oh Sh*t” button, it helps us stay alive through insane punishment. If the shield lasts the entire duration, it’ll explode into a heal based on the size of the shield as well.

Daedric Summoning

• Summon Unstable Familiar (Pet | morph to Volatile Familiar) – Probably one of the most broken (in a good way) skills in the game, this little sucker might be small, but he pulls disgusting damage. His basic attacks won’t be all that great, but the active effect (lasts 8 seconds) forces him to pulse out AoE Lightning damage, doing absurd single target and AoE damage. Try to always have him do this pulse attack, it’s too good not to. You can also Heavy Attack to force him to swap targets to whoever you hit.
• Daedric Curse (Debuff | morph to Daedric Prey) – At its base, this skill doesn’t boast too much power. Place it on an enemy (only one at a time) and it’ll explode in an AoE after 6 seconds. After it can be morphed to Daedric Prey however, during that 6 second duration, your pets will deal an extra 55% (yes, FIFTY FIVE) damage, making your Volatile Familiar even more busted. Try to keep this up 100%, especially when using the Volatile Pulse.

Dark Magic

• Crystal Shard (Burst damage | morph to Crystal Fragments) – While at its base form this skill isn’t all that great (high cost, long channel, mediocre damage), once morphed to Crystal Frags, or Frags for short; this skill becomes a godsend. Anytime you cast a Magicka ability you have a 35% chance to make this ability instant cast, deal more damage, all at half the cost. This makes the Magicka Sorcerer a force to be reckoned with in PvE and PvP application, adding insane burst and sustained DPS in long fights.
• Dark Exchange (Resource return | morph to Dark Conversion) – Due to the massive changes to resource management, many players will have a hard time sustaining their primary resource pool. Dark Exchange helps the average player find a way around that with this skill, trading Stamina for Health and Magicka. Try to ease off this spell eventually, as it causes us to lose out on overall damage in end game environments.

Storm Calling

Almost all of Storm Calling has use in PvE or PvP, making each and every skill worthwhile grabbing. I’ll post all of the most important ones to nab early on, but just know that each of these skills can be used effectively almost anywhere.

• Mage’s Fury (Execute | morph to preference) – While not entirely used in end game PvE, it still serves a purpose while leveling, in PvP, and in controlled PvE environments. The threshold for this execute begins at 20% Health, but can be placed on a target before 20%, and if it reaches 20% in that time before the ability would fade, it will detonate. I suggest taking the Magicka return morph for leveling, and if you really like the skill remorph it to Mage’s Wrath for extra DPS.
• Lightning Splash (AoE DoT | morph to Liquid Lightning) – Another superb AoE DoT skill, allowing the Sorc to call to 3 immensely powerful skills that boast fantastic single target and AoE DPS (Liquid, Volatile Pulse, and Blockade). This is a big reason why Sorcerer DPS is so strong.
• Surge (Self buff and heal | morph to preference) – A wonderful form of healing whenever you critically strike, the base morph also adds Major Brutality. The morph options go into if you either want permanent Major Sorcery to save money on potions, or increased healing effectiveness to be one tough nut to crack. In end game most players prefer Critical Surge for the additional healing, since they’re already running Major Sorcery potions.

Priority Passives

Destruction Staff

• Destruction Expert – Whenever you get a killing blow with a Destruction staff you get a flood of Magicka back (3600 at rank 2), helping our resources immensely when used properly.
• Ancient Knowledge – Very similar to Dual Wield’s Twin Blade and Blunt, this passive unlocks passive bonuses based on the element type of staff you’re using. Inferno (fire) staves gain 4-8% bonus single target damage, while Lightning (shock) staves gain 4-8% bonus AoE damage, helping builds find a better identity with their strengths and weaknesses.

Restoration Staff

• Cycle of Life – Resource management is super important, and Cycle of Life helps the Magicka return of Heavy Attacks (6.5% base) go up by a whopping 30% at rank 2 (8.45% return).

Daedric Summoning

• Power Stone – Ultimates are always good to have more of, and this passive helps load off the cost of Ultimates.

Dark Magic

• Unholy Knowledge – Reducing the cost of Magicka and Stamina abilities, this helps lessen the combat cost when doing our rotation, making it a solid pick early on.

Storm Calling

Every single passive in Storm Calling is vital to the Sorcerer’s performance. Between tons of raw damage and resource management, this is by far our most important skill line to grab stuff in.

Light Armor

• Evocation – A great form of cost reduction that grants 2% per piece of Light armor worn, helping sustain in the heat of battle.
• Recovery – As the name implies, this simply bolsters our Magicka Recovery by 4% per piece of Light armor worn, helping keep our Magicka up in between fights and helping a bit in combat.

Gear Suggestions

Find yourself a friend as soon as possible so you can get your hands on great gear. Crafted sets are by far the strongest way to level up in ESO, so hold onto that quest money to pay the bills, or start learning crafting yourself!

• Magnus’ Gift (4 trait craftable) – The 4 piece of this set offers us a bunch of Magicka Regeneration, helping us with staying power in combat.
• Seducer (3 trait craftable) – This set also offers an immense amount of Magicka sustain, in form of 8% cost reduction.
  • If you want a more offensive approach you can try Julianos (6 trait craftable) as well.
• Generic – This refers to any jewelry you can find. Major quests like Main Story and Guild quests will usually give jewelry, as well as randomly dropping in Tamriel.

Tips and Miscellaneous

• Race is a very important choice in ESO if you plan on making your character as powerful as possible. Almost all of the content in the game can be done by anything, but if you plan on playing in level capped dungeons or harder versions like Veteran, you’ll want to research what race fits best for you. For this build in particular (Magicka Sorcerer), here are the best choices;
  • High Elf remains the best overall damage for the Sorcerer since we do a healthy mix of Fire, Shock, and Ice damage, as well as Max Magicka and Magicka Recovery.
  • Dunmer boasts some impressive numbers as well, coming very close to High Elf, but only losing out by 1-2% overall damage, and misses out on sustain. It does have extra Stamina though if you plan on PvPing a lot.
  • Breton offers a great breadth of tools between Max Magicka, Cost Reduction to help sustain, and then some Spell Resistance to help load off damage of Magic, Fire, Shock, and Lightning based attacks.

• To discover skill lines you’ll need to equip their respective pieces of gear or interact. Interacting with a Anvil will unlock Blacksmithing, while getting a kill with a Two Hander will unlock the Two Handed Skill line. Equipping at least 3 pieces of an armor weight (Light, Medium, or Heavy) will unlock that skill line. Try unlocking all skill lines as soon as possible so you can get an idea of what you want to do with your character.

• Consumables are a very important aspect of ESO, there is ZERO reason to not have a Food or Drink buff, or to drink potions in combat. They’ll help raise your stats and combat effectiveness, so try and find Food, Drinks, and Potions within your level range as you play. You can always craft, or find a friend to craft you some!

• Weaving is an obscure and often misunderstood mechanic in Elder Scrolls Online. Start by looking up guides or talking with players about what this phenomena is, and practice early. Understanding the game’s combat system will ensure you will have fun AND remain efficient while playing. Be wary though, due to the complexity of this mechanic, many players often share misinformation about it. Always try to get as many opinions and sources as possible to ensure you have a more well rounded view.

• Mundus Stones are a unique mechanic to ESO that offer your character a free boon for having active. Simply interact with a Stone to gain a permanent effect. You may interact with a Mundus Stone whenever you want, and replace whatever stone you interacted with before, with a new one. As a Magicka Sorcerer you’ll likely want to find the Atronach stone or the Apprentice stone.

• Attribute Points are another way to increase your character’s power as you level up. There is no real “best” way to spend these, but usually you’ll want to focus on your character build’s main stat; either Magicka or Stamina. Health points are also important so you don’t die, so if you find yourself dying too quickly in combat, you can bolster that up as well.
  • As a Magicka Sorcerer, you’ll want to spend most of your points into Magicka, and possibly a bit of Health. There should be NO points spent into Stamina, other than very very niche moments.

Champion Point Progression

Mage (Blue Tree)

Focus on filling up Elemental Expert, then pumping up Thaumaturge. Feel free to spend some points between Elfborn and Master-at-Arms as well. Check the DPS portions below for a finalized look at CP.

Warrior (Red Tree)

A healthy split between Hardy and Elemental Expert until 40 will help reduce damage greatly and improve survivability. After that begin pumping up Iron Clad and Thick Skinned with a 3:1 ratio (3 Iron Clad, 1 Thick Skinned). Check the End Game’s tab to see the final version.

Thief (Green Tree)

Tenacity and Arcanist are our most important nodes in the Thief, helping resource management greatly. Bump those both up to 100 as soon as possible.

Other Priorities

Eso Stam Sorc Pvp Build

• Passives are important in ESO. If you use a class line, weapon type, or armor weight; always get ALL the passives when you have extra skill points.
• Join Guilds early to level them up as you go, instead of having to do it once you’re at cap. Fighter’s Guild, Mage’s Guild, and Undaunted are the most important, while Thieves Guild and The Dark Brotherhood offer more questing/RP approaches. Many powerful skills lie within the main 3 guilds, so always toy around with them.
  • As a Magicka Sorcerer, the Mages’s Guild and Undaunted are the most important. The Fighter’s Guild can be ignored if you wish.

[Updated for Clockwork City by Gilliamtherogue]

Objective

This guide is meant for the player attempting to jump on the Magicka Sorc hype train, riding the freelo express to great damage production. While there are many deviations to this build to squeeze out extra performance for end game players, this build attempts to offer a very well rounded approach at the class for solo and group PvE for the average player.

Relevant Changes (Patches, Updates, etc)

[For Dragonbones update]

As of the Dragonbones patch, Magicka Sorcerers will be seeing some slight adjustments to their build diversity importance. The Heavy Attack builds are going to see a large DPS loss in raid environments, while the traditional Force Pulse/Pet builds will be seeing a nice damage boost. Below outlines some of the most important changes you should be looking out for.

1; Always be watching Off Balance (via addons or in game buff tracking). The icon is a small bluish-purple icon with the silhouette of face with “dizzy swirlies”. As soon as you see this appear, try and line up a fully charged Heavy Attack (Inferno staff is ideal for this) and then use an ability like Force Pulse or a DoT. Immediately try to line up another Heavy Attack to utilize the double resources against Off Balanced enemies. You can completely ignore this interaction if you don’t need resources though!

The in game visuals for a target being Off Balance

2; The Off Balance immunity is now also recorded as a debuff with the in game or addon buff tracking sources. The icon is a character standing tall and proud, with a bluish-grey color scheme. This will last 15 seconds. When this is debuff reaches 1-2 seconds, you can attempt to charge up a Heavy Attack so that if the target is immediately set Off Balance, you will get additional time to squeeze in more Heavy Attacks.

3; The Asylum Destruction Staff and Pet Builds will both be seeing a damage increase this patch due to more accessible resource management with Off Balance. If you’re used to the Lightning Heavy Attack meta, you’ll likely want to start dipping your feet into other waters and see what you like.

4; Lightning staves on our backbar are no longer always ideal. If someone else (like a healer or another Sorcerer) is running Lightning Wall, you can opt to run an Inferno Staff for more damage production instead. Keep in mind though, that Lightning staves amp up your AoE damage dealt by 8%, so if you’re fighting multiple enemies at once you still might want to keep one!

Skills

(click the link to see skill names and passives)

Lightning Staff Bar | Main source of active damage

1. Daedric Prey (morph of Daedric Curse | Daedric Summoning skill line) – Used mainly to buff the ever living heck out of our Volatile Familiar, this skill is worth keeping up 100% of the time that your Pet is active, especially when it’s doing the active Pulse abilitiy. Keep in mind this can only be applied to one target, so you may use a different ability here for AoE.
2. Crystal Frags (morph of Crystal Shards | Dark Magic skill line) – The powerhouse skill of the Magicka Sorcerer (one of many) that offers immense burst damage when the free cast activates. Don’t ever use this ability without the instant cast proc, as the cost and cast time make it completely useless. This makes our rotation hard to manage since it’s RNG bound, but the reward is great when used properly.
3. Force Pulse (morph of Force Shock | Destruction Staff skill line) – Jam packed with absurd damage in form of a decent spammable and immense operational DPS, this skill is ridiculous. Each hit has a 20% chance to apply Burning (3s Fire Dot, enables 20% Blockade of Fire dmg), Chilled (Minor Maim), and Concussed (Minor Vulnerability and sets targets in Blockade of Shock Off-Balance); meaning while you weave it you’ll have a 24% chance to do so. This means not only will you have a great spammable, but you’ll also enable tons of raid DPS in groups! If you have an Asylum staff, it’s even better.
   1. In AoE situations I suggest Pulsar (morph of Impulse | Destruction Staff skill line) – Since the Sorcerer lacks a spammable AoE ability, Pulsar is a very good choice. It also applies Minor Mangle to the enemies hit, reducing their overall Health, meaning they’ll die faster. Only one person in a group needs to run this, and it makes most sense as a Sorcerer to do it. Don’t worry about spamming it so much, just make sure the enemies are hit with it at least once.
4. Volatile Familiar (morph of Unstable Familiar | Daedric Summoning skill line) – This bugger is capable of pulling tremendous single target and AoE DPS, even after the nerf. A big reason is because Daedric Prey is capable of increasing all his damage by 55%, and his secondary effect stacks with all CP bonuses. Always try to make sure he’s casting his Pulse attack! Be wary though, he must be summoned again if he dies!
5. Inner Light (morph of Mage Light | Mage’s Guild skill line) – A staple passive slot that any Magicka build will slot on at least one bar. It offers 7% Max Magicka and 2% Magicka Recovery for slotting, making it a nice boost to all of our damage. You can also cast it to Empower the next direct damage spell, usually best paired with Shooting Star at the start of a pull.

• Ultimate (Passive) Shooting Star (morph of Meteor | Mage’s Guild skill line) Simply slotting this will offer 2% Max Magicka and Magicka Recovery, making it a small boost to our overall damage on this bar. On pure single target fights, or places where a lot of targets are packed up nice and close, this will be our preferred Ultimate since it’s damage and Ultimate return. Always try to hit multiple targets with it to get that Ultimate on hit.

Lightning or Inferno Destruction Staff | Source of DoTs

*Picking between Lightning or Inferno depends on your ability to sustain. Inferno staves pull more overall DPS, but Lightning staves boast superb resource management with Heavy Attacks, and better group utility.

1. Elemental Blockade (morph of Wall of Elements | Destruction Staff skill line) – A tried and true AoE DoT available to any punk with a Destruction staff, this beauty pulls great single target and AoE DPS, making it vital to use all the time. In our BiS gear we’ll also gain Light and Heavy attack damage to targets standing inside it, making it offer even more DPS! Blockade of Fire does tremendous damage (20% more to Burning targets), while Lightning offers raid DPS by setting Concussed enemies Off-Balance.
2. Liquid Lightning (morph of Lightning Splash | Storm Calling skill line) – Another truly wonderful AoE DoT that provides great single target and AoE DPS, with a chance to proc Concussed as well as triggering our Implosion passive. It also offers allies a synergy called Conduit, which grants a sizable burst of Lightning Damage in an area around them.
3. Harness Magicka (morph of Annulment | Light Armor skill line) – Staying alive is very important, and Harness offers us a humongous damage shield, that also can return Magicka if it absorbs Spell Damage based attacks (Magic, Fire, Shock, Frost).
   1. If you prefer larger shields and don’t mind losing some resource management, try Hardened Ward (morph of Conjured Ward | Daedric Summoning skill line) – One of the biggest damage shields available in game, this thing can soak insane amounts of damage; keeping us safe from brutal damaging mechanics.
4. Volatile Familiar (morph of Unstable Familiar | Daedric Summoning skill line) – Same as the first bar, since he operates as a pet he eats up two bar slots. If he isn’t on both bars then he’ll vanish whenever you swap, meaning you won’t be able to pull reliable DPS!
5. Flexible spot. Many options can be done here. Experiment with what you like. Want more damage? Try Mage’s Wrath (morph of Mage’s Fury | Storm Calling skill line) for some execute potential. Want some healing? Try Power or Critical Surge (morph of Surge | Storm Calling skill line) for great healing and an option to save money with Major Sorcery. Resource management driving you nuts? Try Dark Conversion (morph of Dark Exchange) to get some Health and Magicka back at the expense of Stamina and some DPS (has a cast time).

• Ultimate Choice 1 Elemental Rage (morph of Elemental Storm | Destruction Staff skill line) – Capable of disgusting amounts of AoE damage in a very short period of time, this skill makes Magicka builds the clear winner for AoE potential in dungeons and trials. Paired with the fact that if it lands a killing blow it will restore 3600 Magicka per enemy killed, this thing is nothing to be short of impressed with.
• Ultimate Choice 2 Energy Overload (morph of Overload | Storm Calling skill line) – Packing wonderful utility in form of a 3rd bar to fit with whatever abilities you like (you cannot use Weapon skills here though), this Ultimate also offers some decent single target damage. Each Light Attack will drain a portion of Ultimate, deal Shock damage to the target, and restore 1102 Magicka back on hit, making it truly superb for Magicka sustain. Not only do you get the Magicka on hit, but since you aren’t casting Magicka abilities your Recovery will be ticking away giving even more! A solid choice for beginner players who want to run extra abilities to learn the class with.

Gear

(Check the consumable list for updated trait allocation instead of relying on the pictures)

In this section you will find a multitude of options, trying to give every player an idea of what gear to go after. Always try to experiment and find what works best for you, as there is no real universal “best”. Keep in mind that most DPS builds will run very similar gear sets, but there are always deviations depending on the class and play style.

Beginner/Crafted+BoE

Best Stam Sorc Build

• Julianos (6 trait crafted) – A powerful starer set that offers nice flat damage and some Spell Critical too.
• Mother’s Sorrow (Deshaan overland events) – While this set won’t boast insane DPS, it does help bolster our Spell Critical immensely, offering us some nice added damage in longer fights. Since the set isn’t super popular it should be relatively cheap compared to the other option.
  • Necromancer (Rivenspire overland events) – The best 5 piece set in the game for Magicka Sorcerers using pets, this thing is nuts with all the Max Magicka it offers. I usually don’t suggest this to beginners since it is extremely expensive, and you’ll the best in slot gear requires slots not available to us.

Solo Player

• Julianos (6 trait crafted) – A powerful starer set that offers nice flat damage and some Spell Critical too.
• Withered Hand (Alik’r overland events) – A nice 5 piece set that remains relatively hidden to many people. The 5th bonus grants us some resource management and healing when killing an enemy, but it will have a cooldown and not offer insane damage. Still, this helps us learn mechanics and win the slow and steady race in content we’re new to.

Stam Sorc Race

Non Trials End Game

• Necromancer (Rivenspire overland events) – The best 5 piece set in the game for Magicka Sorcerers using pets, this thing is nuts with all the Max Magicka it offers. This set is always in high demand, so be prepared to have to spend a pretty penny or to grind it out. It’s totally worth it though!
  • Netch’s Touch (Darkshade Caverns I&II) – If you’re going to use 2 Lightning staves instead of 1 Lightning 1 Inferno, then Netch’s touch will be very very powerful for you. The 5 piece offers 400 Spell Damage which now is affected by % amps like Major/Minor Sorcery, making it immense in damage. Necromancer will still win in most situations since you can run an Inferno Staff with it, but this set still is nothing to laugh at anymore.
• Any Monster (Undaunted chests and respective dungeon) – We’ll have 2 or 3 slots open with this setup which we can leave to a Monster set and unique 1 pc like Master or Maelstrom staves. Valkyn Skoria (City of Ash II) is a great starter set if you need Health, otherwise Ilambris (Crypt of Hearts I) will be the best.
• Willpower (Imperial City and LFG rewards) – A solid 3 piece set that offers a massive boost to Magicka and Spell Damage. Paired with the fact that it’s BoE, this is a great option for players not interested in trials.

Best in Slot (BiS Boys)

(Master staff mention is erroneous, should be Asylum)

• Necromancer (Rivenspire overland events) – The best 5 piece set in the game for Magicka Sorcerers using pets, this thing is nuts with all the Max Magicka it offers. This set is always in high demand, so be prepared to have to spend a pretty penny or to grind it out. It’s totally worth it though!
  • If you decide to not use pets, go with Julianos instead.
• Moondancer (Maw of Lorkhaj) – A great source of Minor Slayer, giving us 5% free DPS in a dungeon or raid. It also has a nice little Magicka bonus to help our pet be even stronger.
  • Infallible Aether (all Craglorn trials) or Master Architect (Halls of Fabrication) are also feasible subsitutes.
• Ilambris (Crypt of Hearts I) – The best 2 piece set for Magicka Sorcerers if we’re using 1 Lightning 1 Inferno staff setup. If you’re using 2 Lightning staves then you might want to try Valkyn Skoria (City of Ash II) instead.
• Maelstrom (Veteran Maelstrom Arena) – Offering us an extra 1k damage with Light and Heavy attacks to enemies in our Wall of Elements (this bonus can crit and is affected by % amps like passives and CP), offering us over 4k DPS in a raid.
• Asylum Staff (Asylum Sanctorum) – A godsend to the Magicka Sorcerer in particular, this staff makes our Force Pulse proc Burning, Chilled, and Concussed every 3rd (Imperfect) or 2nd (Perfected) cast of the skill. This means our self DPS from Burning will go up, and the group’s DPS from Concussed and Off Balance will also increase.
  • If you don’t have access to AS, you can use a 4 piece bonus of whatever trial jewelry set you chose for some extra Spell Damage instead.

Consumables, Race, Mundus, and Misc

Armor Weights: Most players will see all 7 Light as a damage advantage due to the importance of resource management. 5 Light 1 Heavy 1 Medium still offers the highest raw stat damage, as well as some nice mitigation. If you want a blend of each try 6 Light 1 Heavy, but make sure you have the Juggernaut and Constitution passive from Heavy Armor!

Food: Bi Health & Magicka food offers great healing capabilities, as well as helping our Health pool be sturdy enough. If you prefer more sustain however, try Witchmother’s Brew (a holiday event recipe). You may need to spend some Attribute points or enchants in Health to make sure you’re healthy enough though!

Potions: If you’re not using Sap Essence, you’ll need to use Spell Power potions (Corn Flower + Lady’s Smock + Wormwood) to ensure Sorcery is up indefinitely. If you are using Surge, then you can use any potions that return Magicka and have Spell Crit.

Race:High Elves are the ideal race for Sorcerers due to their 4% Lightning, Fire, and Ice damage bonus. They also boast superior Magicka and resource management due to their passives. Dunmers are a solid choice as well, especially if you plan on going Vampire. While they boast 2% less Shock and Ice damage, they have 3% bonus Flame. They also lack 1% Max Magicka to High Elf, but have superior Flame resistance and 6% bonus Stamina to help block/dodge. Argonians and Bretons offer superior resource management, at the expense of raw damage.

Mundus: The Apprenticeboasts the best damage production for any Magicka build around, no questions about it. It will also help your healing as well. TheLoveralso can be used if you play primarily solo, but due to the ease of access of penetration for Magicka builds, I don’t really suggest this.

Traits on your Weapons: Horns of the Reach has reworked traits a lot. Ideally you’ll want your front bar staff to be Infused or Nirnhoned paired with a Shock or Fire enchant. As a Magicka Sorcerer your backbar should definitely be Infused. Sharpened works on any weapon as long as you don’t over penetrate. Charged is also in INSANELY powerful choice on your front bar to increase your Burning and Concussed uptimes, making you do extra DPS. I don’t suggest this trait in a trial however (or if you’re using the Asylum staff) since there will be plenty of people helping apply those buffs already!

Traits on your Armor: All Divines boasts the best DPS. You’re free to have Infused on large pieces if you want to enchant for Max Health to help survivability, or Magicka to help a tiiiiny bit with sustain.

Enchants/Poisons on your Weapons: Enchants again are contextual. Below will explain the most powerful choices.

• Main Bar; Shock or Flame damage enchants are ideal. Shock is usually preferred for applying Concussed and Off Balance when paired with a Blockade of Storms. Flame is ideal if you already have Concussed running at 80% or more from the group (if 2 healers and 2 magicka DPS are already running Shock, or there are Asylum staff users). You can also use Prismatic if you’re fighting Undead or Daedra (Rakkhat, Roko-tu, and the first two bosses of Aetherian Archive and plenty of 4 man content).

• Back Bar; Berserkerenchant by far your best bet for versatility of AoE and ST damage. If you want you can also run Shock, Flame, or Absorb Magickaenchants as well. Make sure to use the opposite of whatever you had on your front bar. This will be great single target damage, but your AoE potential will suffer.

Vampire or Werewolf?: Vampire does exceptionally well with this build if you are a Dunmer, due to the extra Fire damage mitigation. The extra 10% Magicka Recovery can help a lot in today’s meta, making it a valid choice. If you’re doing a Trial or Dungeon with a lot of fire damage, you’ll want to make sure to be Stage 1 before entering!

Champion Points

This segment shows the optimal CP setup for a player who is average at performing their rotation on the Magicka Sorcerer. I’ve denoted some options if you’re more familiar with the class and rotation, but don’t use this CP allocation as an end all be all.

The Mage (Blue)

• Elemental Expert – 49
  • 37 if running Off Balance CP
• Elfborn – 44
  • 31 if running Off Balance CP
• Spell Erosion – 51 *(If attaining penetration cap from group buffs, spread these between Thaumaturge, Master at Arms, and Staff Expert)
  • 47 if running Off Balance CP
• Master-at-Arms – 40
  • Same if running Off Balance CP
• Staff Expert – 9
  • 0 if running Off Balance CP
• Thaumaturge – 37
  • 75 if running Off Balance CP

The Thief (Green)

• Arcanist – 100
  • Drop to 76 if you need more defenses
• Tenacity – 100
  • Drop to 76 if you need more defenses
• Free 30 points
  • This becomes 78 if you need more defenses. Spread between Dodge Roll, Break Free, Block, and Sprinting cost reduction.

Stam Sorc Pvp Build

The Warrior (Red)

• Elemental Defender – 49
• Hardy – 49
• Iron Clad – 61
• Thick Skinned – 61
• Quick Recovery – 7
• Expert Defender -3

If you’re doing content with more damage over time, take points out of Expert Defender and Bastion and pump up Thick Skinned. Make sure you put your points into Elemental Defender and Hardy FIRST, committing them before placing any in Ironclad/Thick Skinned (there is currently a bug where if you do not do this, you will get less mitigation than intended).

Rotation

The rotation for the Magicka Sorcerer can feel overwhelming, but it’s rather easy once you devote time to learn and have muscle memory do the job.

1. Apply Buffs, if at all. These include; Power or Crit Surge (20s duration)*, Potions (47.3s duration, 45s cooldown)
2. Begin placing DoTs. Start by either dropping your Ultimate (Shooting Star ST, Elemental Rage AoE), Elemental Blockade, Liquid Lightning, Volatile Pulse, Bar swap, Daedric Prey. Make sure to Light or Heavy attack in between each of these abilities.
3. Begin “spam” mode; repeatedly Light Attack or Heavy Attack weaving Force Pulse. Cast Crystal Frags whenever the proc shows up, even if it means missing applying a DoT for 1 second.
4. By now some of your DoTs and buffs are fading. Go back to your back bar and begin reapplying in the same order you applied them in.

Stam Sorc Pve Build

If you’re learning this rotation from scratch, work on keeping up Daedric Prey and Volatile Pulse first. These are 2 very important abilities to manage in single target encounters. Now try keeping up Liquid Lightning and Blockade, which will help skyrocket your DPS, especially in AoE. Last, begin trying to squeeze in Crystal Frag procs whenever you see them. Learn the base rotation first so you can understand the flow of it, and then add in the extra fancy stuff like bar swap cancelling of longer animations.

Sorc Stam Eso Pve

* denotes an optional step that not every player will want to do. These can be considered extra steps until you are comfortable with the “base” rotation, or are not wholly applicable.