Tips and assistance for a Magcro Build?

Woodenplank · January 2023

Since I recently purchased the High Isle DLC I've become quite infatuated with Oaken Soul ring builds.
I know it isn't the powerhouse that it used to be, but the sheer convenience of it has made me enjoy the build type very much. Never again worried about Major Resolve running out at a crucial time, never again casting wrong skill because you missed a barswap, and never being stuck in Cyrodiil lag, unable to swap to a crucial bar.

Of course, it comes with a lot of limitations. Specifically it limits my gear - and that is the subject of this post, I'd like suggestions on a nice 5/5 piece set to tie together the build.
I know this won't be "top tier meta" at any rate, but I still appreciate any hints and tips on things to try out.

I'm currently using

Master's Perfected Maces (Nirnhoned/Sharpened)
Bloodspawn's Visage
2x Trainee
5/5 Kynmarcher's Cruelty
Stalking Blastbones - Rending Slashes - Resistant Flesh - Spirit Guardian - Blinding Flare (mostly for Major Protection and massive Magicka Regen)
20/44/0 on Health/Magicka/Stamina Attributes, Vampire Stage 3, Atronach Stone

View of current setup (Yes, not everything is tri-stat and Golden quality as it should be, but I'm experimenting of course)

I chose Kynmarcher for conjunction of offensive debuffs (such as Major Breach), but also being able to reduce enemy damage output for defense.
I chose to go with Bloodspawn for similar reasons. Ult gen and Resistances.

I've also experimented with

Mechanical Acuity (unsure how much it does for me),
Clever Alchemist (but I like using potions when I need the potion, not when I need damage),
Trial by Fire (8500 Armor when under Status effect): Strong survivability set, but I find that I lack offense if I use it.
Serpent's Disdain (+16 sec duration to status effects applied) not the strong set, but I found it was rather fun when coupled with Asylum Inferno Staff + Force Pulse (All Elemental Status effects for days!)

But to be honest, the build still feels a tad lacklustre. So here I am, asking for any suggestions. Tips and tricks also happily accepted.
I can of course also ditch the Master's Weapon + Monster set and get 2x 5/5 sets - could also work.

P.S. I'm quite aware MagCros in PVP are typically relegated to Dark Convergence/Colossus. While that can be fun, I'm looking for something I can also do in smaller scale.

Janni · January 2023

I'm no expert on necros by any means but I'd say clever alchemist is a very strong choice. In this case you don't even have to worry about being on the wrong bar when you hit the potion.

I think you should consider what your goal is though. If you want to hit hard then you'll need to learn how to function around the pot cooldown anyways as the best option is almost always immovable pots so that you don't get stunned at a crucial time when you are going for a kill.

Woodenplank · January 2023

Thx for the reply.

And I do realize the strength of Clever Alchemist. It's just, I often use tri-stat potions... sort of on-cooldown for sustain, or as an "oh ***!" button.
I had a similar experience using Titanborn's Strength set - it's one of the most stat-dense offensive sets when you're low on HP, but rather lacklustre elsewise. This had the effect that all the offensive power came in, when I was mostly going defensive and having to heal up.

Sergykid · January 2023

oakensoul isn't meta anymore fortunately, but it's still a strong option.
but not on necro, u need a lot of skills. For example looking at yours, how u intend to attack a target? blastbones and spam rending? u have no cc slotted, and no movement. The way i see it, u can't kill any decent player, nor hinder it, nor survive enough to keep them busy.
bloodspawn is bad, 2x trainee is fine i guess but better 1x trainee or 1x magma, and 5x set, if u really wanna go 1 bar. U need a proper spammable and a set to work with it. U can't rely on Kynmarcher for breach, better use ele sus, and other buffs from set are not that helpful, u also already apply defile with blastbones

CameraBeardThePirate · January 2023

Sergykid wrote: »

oakensoul isn't meta anymore fortunately, but it's still a strong option.
but not on necro, u need a lot of skills. For example looking at yours, how u intend to attack a target? blastbones and spam rending? u have no cc slotted, and no movement. The way i see it, u can't kill any decent player, nor hinder it, nor survive enough to keep them busy.
bloodspawn is bad, 2x trainee is fine i guess but better 1x trainee or 1x magma, and 5x set, if u really wanna go 1 bar. U need a proper spammable and a set to work with it. U can't rely on Kynmarcher for breach, better use ele sus, and other buffs from set are not that helpful, u also already apply defile with blastbones

To be fair, Master's Dual Wield does turn Rending Slashes into a spammable - quite effectively at that. They also said Stalking Blastbones, not Blighted, so no, their blastbones does not apply defile.

CameraBeardThePirate · January 2023

OP, if you like the Master's DW playstyle, you can definitely make it work with Oakensoul. Things I would consider changing from your current setup:

You don't absolutely need Bloodspawn in my opinion, so I would probably go with something like Balorgh (for more raw damage when you ult) or Maarselok. Maarselok pairs extremely well with the Master Dual Wield, and you can throw on Double DoT Poisons to really up your pressure further. If you want something more defensive still, Bloodspawn is good. Zoal can be nice on Oakensoul builds too, since it gives you a bit more damage and has a built in defensive stun.

For your main body set Kynmarcher's isn't a terrible option if you're trying to build something that can brawl decently. It certainly isn't the highest damage (I'm sure you know that), but can give good burst windows and the defensive power it gives benefits any allies.

If you want more damage, Clever Alchemist is never a bad option, but you will have to time your potions.

The skill layout is pretty good for an oakenbuild, don't worry about the people saying "you need a spammable"; with the Master's DW, your spammable is just medium weaving into rending slashes. I would consider running Mortal Coil in place of the Flare; you would give up a little mag sustain and Major Protection in exchange for better consistent healing and a bit of stam sustain. Another idea is using this spot for Major Evasion - either through Elude (if you end up wearing medium armor) or Quick/Deadly Cloak. You wouldn't get the mag sustain, but Evasion is a pretty fair trade for Protection.

At the end of the day try a little bit of everything - but remember to only change 1 or 2 parts of a build at a time so that you know the effects of what you're changing. BGs can be a quick and easy way to test a build. The best build is gonna be what works best for you

Woodenplank · January 2023

Hey, I've been neglecting this thread a bit as I experimented, but thanks for all the replies!

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

Maarselok pairs extremely well with the Master Dual Wield, and you can throw on Double DoT Poisons to really up your pressure further.

I actually have been using Maarselok! I figured that I needed damage more than durability, and I finally got the armor weights I needed during the Elsweyr bonus loot event.
The easy, reliable proc is so neat, but I haven't used it with Double DoT poisons yet. Definitely going to try that out.

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

The skill layout is pretty good for an oakenbuild, don't worry about the people saying "you need a spammable"; with the Master's DW, your spammable is just medium weaving into rending slashes.

That was the idea, yeah. Combining dot pressure (with hemorrage) with a spamable.

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

I would consider running Mortal Coil in place of the Flare; you would give up a little mag sustain and Major Protection in exchange for better consistent healing and a bit of stam sustain. Another idea is using this spot for Major Evasion - either through Elude (if you end up wearing medium armor) or Quick/Deadly Cloak. You wouldn't get the mag sustain, but Evasion is a pretty fair trade for Protection.

Mortal Coil is definitely a decent shout. I did run Elude for a while, but figured that 10% less damage taken from all sources was a worthy trade for 20% less damage taken from AoE. Furthermore, Flare gives me some bonus mag recovery.
It is also helpful at times. I've already caught more than a few Nightblades with it. Even just popping it onto the ground when you're standing on an IC or BG-domination flag prevents them from getting that Shadow Cloak Surprise Attack on you.

But I do swap to Elude for big Cyrodiil fights, where AoE is abundant.

CameraBeardThePirate wrote: »

At the end of the day try a little bit of everything - but remember to only change 1 or 2 parts of a build at a time so that you know the effects of what you're changing. BGs can be a quick and easy way to test a build. The best build is gonna be what works best for you

That's exactly what I've been doing. There are so many fun sets in this game. Sure, only a handful of them are really 'meta' - but it was never my intention to create a top tier build. I just wanted something I find fun, with passable strength.

Two sets I haven't mentioned were Order's Wrath (that's fairly well known).
It's really quite an impressive boots to 'effective' Spell Damage - even against full Impen setups. In fact, if you factor in all the additional crit chance and crit strength, it's a comparable boost to Clever Alchemist's active, without having a cooldown.
Of course, CA gives another ~2500 health or so, which cannot be discounted.

I also tried Dragon's Appetite which, since I never see it, I'll just point out is;

(2 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(3 items) Adds 129 Stamina Recovery
(4 items) Adds 129 Stamina Recovery
(5 items) Increase your damage done to Bleeding enemies by 225. Dealing non-Bleed damage to Bleeding enemies generates a persistent stack of Dragon's Appetite, up to once per half second. After 10 stacks you consume Dragon's Appetite and heal for 4415 Health. The heal effect scales off the higher of your Max Magicka or Stamina.

Things that give a flat damage increase are a tad odd. They can either be real amazin' or real lacklustre. The heal is nice, but since my particular build doesn't "tick" damage very often, being relegated to Status effect dots and medium attacks/Blast Bones, there's not a lot to take advantage of the flat +225, although I have yet to test it with Maarselok and Double DoT poisons, which would do better.
I feel like a StamDK, or something, with Noxious Breath and Venomous Claw tacked on would get a lot more mileage out of this set, maybe mix in Maelstrom's 2H and stampede for a real proc-mania.
But at least it can be food for thought with the rest of you, if you're planning a new build.

At the end of the day, I believe Clever Alchemist or Order's Wrath will win the slot for me, but I appreciate all the advice.
I'm also partial for Dragon's Appetite and Serpent's Disdain. But that's probably just me being contrary, deadbeat on picking things that won't show up in, e.g. Alcast's stockstandard builds

EDIT:
I neglected to mention Heartland Conqueror set. With Nirnhoned/Sharpened maces like I run, the (5) piece bonus adds about 1638 Penetration and 258 Weapon/Spell Damage. The "effective" power this gives you is only ~half of what Clever Alchemist's proc yields, but since Heartland Conqueror also has twice the uptime, it's actually very competitive, I feel.
Of course, PVP is rather burst focused often, so usually all you need is the brief burst window of Clever Alchemist... Nevertheless...