Returning after 2 years, what's the current meta?

Sir_Hammock · June 2022

Hello, I just returned to the game and wondering how the meta looks like. is it heavy? medium? high heals? dotts? what would you guys say and do you enjoy the current one?
And what kind of sets do people use now a days? I only play cyro, so I don't really care about no-cp since that campaign is dead on ps4 unfortunately.

I'll probably revive my old stamdk or stamsorc. Are they atleast decent atm? Don't need them to be top of cream, but would be nice if they weren't in the gutter lol

sharquez · June 2022

Everyone is running hybrid builds these days. Crystal Weapon Bow Sorc and Inferno staff DK are in a good place right now.

Sir_Hammock · June 2022

sharquez wrote: »

Everyone is running hybrid builds these days. Crystal Weapon Bow Sorc and Inferno staff DK are in a good place right now.

Hybrid? What change did they do to make hybrids the king? Never thought I would see that happening

Dem_kitkats1 · June 2022

High burst builds are gaining popularity thanks to the Oakensoul Ring mythic. Stamsorc is in a pretty good spot right now due to the changes to crystal weapon.

Rohamad_Ali · June 2022

Hvy Attack Meta Vs Hvy Tank Meta

sharquez · June 2022

Sir_Hammock wrote: »

sharquez wrote: »

Everyone is running hybrid builds these days. Crystal Weapon Bow Sorc and Inferno staff DK are in a good place right now.

Hybrid? What change did they do to make hybrids the king? Never thought I would see that happening

Short answer is everything (your weapons and abilities) scales of it's highest relevant stat. Templars run exclusively spell damage (unless they are running POTL which most arn't) and DKs run Weapon damage, This is because of their inherent minor class buff.

Everyone else runs whatever they want to stack best, and you'll see sorc's running Crystal weapon and Mages Wrath.

fred4 · June 2022

Oakensoul, Molten Whip, Flames of Oblivion, Corrosive Armor, ulti-gen mag DK.

fred4 · June 2022

Sir_Hammock wrote: »

I'll probably revive my old stamdk or stamsorc. Are they atleast decent atm? Don't need them to be top of cream, but would be nice if they weren't in the gutter lol

Hahaha, both meta. WB.

Whether you're a stam or mag DK, you probably want to run Molten Whip and Flames of Oblivion, like I said. In terms of stam DK sets, I'll give you two options:

Option 1: Oakensoul, Bloodspawn, Plaguebreak, 3x Potentates, 1x Trainee, Decisive DW swords
Option 2: Sea Serpent, Ironblood back bar, Plaguebreak front bar, Bloodspawn, 1x Trainee

I don't play these, but those are said to be two of the most broken options. Plaguebreak for the AOE potential and as a counter to templars (and wardens) purging your DOTs.

For stamsorc you probably want to be running Crystal Weapon, Overload, Haunting Curse and a bow. I say stamsorc, but everything is hybrid. Oakensoul, Savage Werewolf (which is said to be broken in some way I don't fully understand), 3x Endurance, 1x Trainee, some monster set, maybe Engine Guardian. I'm not sure whether Oakensoul is best on stamsorc to be honest. The class arguably has healing issues, especially in a 1-bar Oakensoul build. Even though health-regen is now halved by Battle Spirit, you can somewhat counter this by choosing Strategic Reserve CP, which synergises with Overload, as you can keep your ultimate level high. Running 3x Endurance plays into that theme.

If you want to try something really cheesy with your DK: Flame staff heavy attack build. Molten Armaments. Empower from Mage's Guild. Corrosive Armor. Oakensoul. Sergeant's Mail. Storm Master or maybe try Archer's Mind. Vampire stage 4. Sprint for 3 seconds and go invisible after a gank.

fred4 · June 2022

Heavy, light and medium are IMO all viable in any combination. Heavy is not the meta it once was.

High heals ... yes. For example stacking Vigor and Regen from resto staff is now possible. On the other hand, if you're an Oakensoul DK, you can make do with running around in Corrosive most of the time (or so I'm told). You'll want to look into Minor Heroism potions in addition to the above to make that happen. Still, you'll need Coagulating Blood for a burst heal and you may choose to heal from Shattering Rocks or Burning Embers. Oops. That's mag DK.

DK DOTs are still good. Other DOT skills tend to be weak. Poisons and some proc set DOTs can be strong.

For stam DK you might try running around with a Master's 2H weapon, Plaguebreak, Occult Overload CP and take out zergs in one or two swings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6gTr0nXt3w

fred4 · June 2022

What kind of sets? In general? Before this latest patch?

Markyn's Ring of Majesty
Wild Hunt Ring (perhaps more of a personal preference)
Death Dealer's Fete (if you want the stats)
Magma Incarnate
Bloodspawn
Balorgh
Rallying Cry
Plaguebreak
Dark Convergence (esp on necro)
Daedric Trickery on DK (back bar)
Wretched Vitality (back bar, for those hybrids)

Thecompton73 · June 2022

fred4 wrote: »

Heavy, light and medium are IMO all viable in any combination. Heavy is not the meta it once was.

This is true because they made changes to the armor passives and now they all scale per piece of that weight worn. So your not locked into 5/2 or 5/1/1 and many people now wear 4/2/1 or 4/3. The active abilities such as Shuffle from the armor skill lines still require 5 of that type be worn to use though.

Sir_Hammock · June 2022

Thecompton73 wrote: »

fred4 wrote: »

Heavy, light and medium are IMO all viable in any combination. Heavy is not the meta it once was.

This is true because they made changes to the armor passives and now they all scale per piece of that weight worn. So your not locked into 5/2 or 5/1/1 and many people now wear 4/2/1 or 4/3. The active abilities such as Shuffle from the armor skill lines still require 5 of that type be worn to use though.

That's awesome to hear. Was always a bit bored that most mag were usually forced into light and stam either medium or heavy.

Sir_Hammock · June 2022

fred4 wrote: »

Sir_Hammock wrote: »

I'll probably revive my old stamdk or stamsorc. Are they atleast decent atm? Don't need them to be top of cream, but would be nice if they weren't in the gutter lol

Hahaha, both meta. WB.

Whether you're a stam or mag DK, you probably want to run Molten Whip and Flames of Oblivion, like I said. In terms of stam DK sets, I'll give you two options:

Option 1: Oakensoul, Bloodspawn, Plaguebreak, 3x Potentates, 1x Trainee, Decisive DW swords
Option 2: Sea Serpent, Ironblood back bar, Plaguebreak front bar, Bloodspawn, 1x Trainee

I don't play these, but those are said to be two of the most broken options. Plaguebreak for the AOE potential and as a counter to templars (and wardens) purging your DOTs.

For stamsorc you probably want to be running Crystal Weapon, Overload, Haunting Curse and a bow. I say stamsorc, but everything is hybrid. Oakensoul, Savage Werewolf (which is said to be broken in some way I don't fully understand), 3x Endurance, 1x Trainee, some monster set, maybe Engine Guardian. I'm not sure whether Oakensoul is best on stamsorc to be honest. The class arguably has healing issues, especially in a 1-bar Oakensoul build. Even though health-regen is now halved by Battle Spirit, you can somewhat counter this by choosing Strategic Reserve CP, which synergises with Overload, as you can keep your ultimate level high. Running 3x Endurance plays into that theme.

If you want to try something really cheesy with your DK: Flame staff heavy attack build. Molten Armaments. Empower from Mage's Guild. Corrosive Armor. Oakensoul. Sergeant's Mail. Storm Master or maybe try Archer's Mind. Vampire stage 4. Sprint for 3 seconds and go invisible after a gank.

Thanks for the tips! Even the cheese build, they are always fun to do sometimes, who doesn't love playing a bomber killing 20 players during midyear mayhem!

Theignson · June 2022

fred4 wrote: »

Heavy, light and medium are IMO all viable in any combination. Heavy is not the meta it once was.

High heals ... yes. For example stacking Vigor and Regen from resto staff is now possible. On the other hand, if you're an Oakensoul DK, you can make do with running around in Corrosive most of the time (or so I'm told). You'll want to look into Minor Heroism potions in addition to the above to make that happen. Still, you'll need Coagulating Blood for a burst heal and you may choose to heal from Shattering Rocks or Burning Embers. Oops. That's mag DK.

DK DOTs are still good. Other DOT skills tend to be weak. Poisons and some proc set DOTs can be strong.

For stam DK you might try running around with a Master's 2H weapon, Plaguebreak, Occult Overload CP and take out zergs in one or two swings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6gTr0nXt3w

Fred,
He gets ~200 Ulti instantly after wiping the blob in the first clip -- how does he do that?? He did it twice in a row. Its not a DK passive. Is it some new set?

xDeusEJRx · June 2022

The meta:
Oakensoul and restoration staff back bar on every build

OBJnoob · June 2022

Its a passive in assault/support. Everybody should have it, you gain like 10 ulti per person you kill.

xDeusEJRx · June 2022

Theignson wrote: »

fred4 wrote: »

Heavy, light and medium are IMO all viable in any combination. Heavy is not the meta it once was.

High heals ... yes. For example stacking Vigor and Regen from resto staff is now possible. On the other hand, if you're an Oakensoul DK, you can make do with running around in Corrosive most of the time (or so I'm told). You'll want to look into Minor Heroism potions in addition to the above to make that happen. Still, you'll need Coagulating Blood for a burst heal and you may choose to heal from Shattering Rocks or Burning Embers. Oops. That's mag DK.

DK DOTs are still good. Other DOT skills tend to be weak. Poisons and some proc set DOTs can be strong.

For stam DK you might try running around with a Master's 2H weapon, Plaguebreak, Occult Overload CP and take out zergs in one or two swings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6gTr0nXt3w

Fred,
He gets ~200 Ulti instantly after wiping the blob in the first clip -- how does he do that?? He did it twice in a row. Its not a DK passive. Is it some new set?

It's combat frenzy passive, you get 20 ultimate per kill. He killed 9 people, he got 180 ultimate, plus his bloodspawn proc'd which gave him an additional 13 ultimate

Aces-High-82 · June 2022

fred4 wrote: »

Sir_Hammock wrote: »

I'll probably revive my old stamdk or stamsorc. Are they atleast decent atm? Don't need them to be top of cream, but would be nice if they weren't in the gutter lol

Hahaha, both meta. WB.

Whether you're a stam or mag DK, you probably want to run Molten Whip and Flames of Oblivion, like I said. In terms of stam DK sets, I'll give you two options:

Option 1: Oakensoul, Bloodspawn, Plaguebreak, 3x Potentates, 1x Trainee, Decisive DW swords
Option 2: Sea Serpent, Ironblood back bar, Plaguebreak front bar, Bloodspawn, 1x Trainee

I don't play these, but those are said to be two of the most broken options. Plaguebreak for the AOE potential and as a counter to templars (and wardens) purging your DOTs.

For stamsorc you probably want to be running Crystal Weapon, Overload, Haunting Curse and a bow. I say stamsorc, but everything is hybrid. Oakensoul, Savage Werewolf (which is said to be broken in some way I don't fully understand), 3x Endurance, 1x Trainee, some monster set, maybe Engine Guardian. I'm not sure whether Oakensoul is best on stamsorc to be honest. The class arguably has healing issues, especially in a 1-bar Oakensoul build. Even though health-regen is now halved by Battle Spirit, you can somewhat counter this by choosing Strategic Reserve CP, which synergises with Overload, as you can keep your ultimate level high. Running 3x Endurance plays into that theme.

If you want to try something really cheesy with your DK: Flame staff heavy attack build. Molten Armaments. Empower from Mage's Guild. Corrosive Armor. Oakensoul. Sergeant's Mail. Storm Master or maybe try Archer's Mind. Vampire stage 4. Sprint for 3 seconds and go invisible after a gank.

Regarding Savage Werewolf: the set proc has a 1sec CD while light attacks can be applied per 0.7sec. It's possible to doublestack it on your target.

fred4 · June 2022

Aces-High-82 wrote: »

fred4 wrote: »

Sir_Hammock wrote: »

I'll probably revive my old stamdk or stamsorc. Are they atleast decent atm? Don't need them to be top of cream, but would be nice if they weren't in the gutter lol

Hahaha, both meta. WB.

Whether you're a stam or mag DK, you probably want to run Molten Whip and Flames of Oblivion, like I said. In terms of stam DK sets, I'll give you two options:

Option 1: Oakensoul, Bloodspawn, Plaguebreak, 3x Potentates, 1x Trainee, Decisive DW swords
Option 2: Sea Serpent, Ironblood back bar, Plaguebreak front bar, Bloodspawn, 1x Trainee

I don't play these, but those are said to be two of the most broken options. Plaguebreak for the AOE potential and as a counter to templars (and wardens) purging your DOTs.

For stamsorc you probably want to be running Crystal Weapon, Overload, Haunting Curse and a bow. I say stamsorc, but everything is hybrid. Oakensoul, Savage Werewolf (which is said to be broken in some way I don't fully understand), 3x Endurance, 1x Trainee, some monster set, maybe Engine Guardian. I'm not sure whether Oakensoul is best on stamsorc to be honest. The class arguably has healing issues, especially in a 1-bar Oakensoul build. Even though health-regen is now halved by Battle Spirit, you can somewhat counter this by choosing Strategic Reserve CP, which synergises with Overload, as you can keep your ultimate level high. Running 3x Endurance plays into that theme.

If you want to try something really cheesy with your DK: Flame staff heavy attack build. Molten Armaments. Empower from Mage's Guild. Corrosive Armor. Oakensoul. Sergeant's Mail. Storm Master or maybe try Archer's Mind. Vampire stage 4. Sprint for 3 seconds and go invisible after a gank.

Regarding Savage Werewolf: the set proc has a 1sec CD while light attacks can be applied per 0.7sec. It's possible to doublestack it on your target.

And the only spec that might naturally do two light attacks in a row is stamsorc with Crystal Weapon. Got it. Incidentally that would also proc Kena, but a friend who I trust still didn't like Kena on that spec.

Brrrofski · June 2022

To be fair, if you're coming back after two years you have a lot of theory crafting you can do if you're in to that, there's a lot of fun to be had.

Aces-High-82 · June 2022

fred4 wrote: »

Aces-High-82 wrote: »

fred4 wrote: »

Sir_Hammock wrote: »

I'll probably revive my old stamdk or stamsorc. Are they atleast decent atm? Don't need them to be top of cream, but would be nice if they weren't in the gutter lol

Hahaha, both meta. WB.

Whether you're a stam or mag DK, you probably want to run Molten Whip and Flames of Oblivion, like I said. In terms of stam DK sets, I'll give you two options:

Option 1: Oakensoul, Bloodspawn, Plaguebreak, 3x Potentates, 1x Trainee, Decisive DW swords
Option 2: Sea Serpent, Ironblood back bar, Plaguebreak front bar, Bloodspawn, 1x Trainee

I don't play these, but those are said to be two of the most broken options. Plaguebreak for the AOE potential and as a counter to templars (and wardens) purging your DOTs.

For stamsorc you probably want to be running Crystal Weapon, Overload, Haunting Curse and a bow. I say stamsorc, but everything is hybrid. Oakensoul, Savage Werewolf (which is said to be broken in some way I don't fully understand), 3x Endurance, 1x Trainee, some monster set, maybe Engine Guardian. I'm not sure whether Oakensoul is best on stamsorc to be honest. The class arguably has healing issues, especially in a 1-bar Oakensoul build. Even though health-regen is now halved by Battle Spirit, you can somewhat counter this by choosing Strategic Reserve CP, which synergises with Overload, as you can keep your ultimate level high. Running 3x Endurance plays into that theme.

If you want to try something really cheesy with your DK: Flame staff heavy attack build. Molten Armaments. Empower from Mage's Guild. Corrosive Armor. Oakensoul. Sergeant's Mail. Storm Master or maybe try Archer's Mind. Vampire stage 4. Sprint for 3 seconds and go invisible after a gank.

Regarding Savage Werewolf: the set proc has a 1sec CD while light attacks can be applied per 0.7sec. It's possible to doublestack it on your target.

And the only spec that might naturally do two light attacks in a row is stamsorc with Crystal Weapon. Got it. Incidentally that would also proc Kena, but a friend who I trust still didn't like Kena on that spec.

Honestly it's better to run a 2nd set and a pen monster piece. To enhance crystal and overload I'd suggest Undaunted Infiltrator/Unweaver for stam/mag sorc.

Rhaegar75 · June 2022

Definitely sorcs running savage werewolf and spamming crystal weapon: it requires 2 fingers!!!

ATomiX69 · June 2022

Think of the most broken think that only needs 1 bar, slap oakensoul on it, done, theres youre meta pvp build for the next half a year until sales of the new expansion settle down and ZOS decides to nerf oakensoul or disable it in PvP environments.

Rhaegar75 · June 2022

ATomiX69 wrote: »

Think of the most broken think that only needs 1 bar, slap oakensoul on it, done, theres youre meta pvp build for the next half a year until sales of the new expansion settle down and ZOS decides to nerf oakensoul or disable it in PvP environments.

at the moment sorcs are the easy entry level meta option with or without brokensoul. If you don't want to buy High Isle go sorcs and get an easy life. In the meantime you'll get the flavour of what class and gear you really fancy playing again