Sorcerer build PVP/PVE

crislevin · April 2014

gimmethecreepsb14_ESO wrote: »

putting points into magicka has no effect on your spell damage

while agree with most of your points, this seems wrong?

Magic damage is directly related to your magicka pool size, so is the magicka consumption for each spell.

Master_Quack14b14_ESO · April 2014

crislevin wrote: »

gimmethecreepsb14_ESO wrote: »

putting points into magicka has no effect on your spell damage

while agree with most of your points, this seems wrong?

Magic damage is directly related to your magicka pool size, so is the magicka consumption for each spell.

Not true... Your stat allocation points are what affect your abilities. Putting points into Magicka raise spell damage and points into Stamina affect Melee abilities. Simply having a large Magica/Stamina pool does nothing but provide more resources to use abilities with.

For example, if you put +Magica on all of your armor, your spells will NOT hit any harder, you will just be able to cast more of them in a row.

crislevin · April 2014

Master_Quack14b14_ESO wrote: »

crislevin wrote: »

gimmethecreepsb14_ESO wrote: »

putting points into magicka has no effect on your spell damage

while agree with most of your points, this seems wrong?

Magic damage is directly related to your magicka pool size, so is the magicka consumption for each spell.

Not true... Your stat allocation points are what affect your abilities. Putting points into Magicka raise spell damage and points into Stamina affect Melee abilities. Simply having a large Magica/Stamina pool does nothing but provide more resources to use abilities with.

For example, if you put +Magica on all of your armor, your spells will NOT hit any harder, you will just be able to cast more of them in a row.

Thanks, I'm still not sure, I remembered when I added magicka enchantment onto the armor, the damage of some spells changed as well. I will have to double check that.

Also, even if you are right, it still means more points going to magicka will help increase spell damage, which still argues putting points into magicka, no?

Sakiri · April 2014

One of the things I struggled with was not having a ranged interrupt. Or is there one?

Bashing with my stick is always an option but that requires me to be in melee range....

Aimeryan · April 2014

eq2imora_ESO wrote: »

One of the things I struggled with was not having a ranged interrupt. Or is there one?

Bashing with my stick is always an option but that requires me to be in melee range....

Sort of - morphed crystal for instant cast on proc. It can be somewhat reliable if you just keep the procs stored for using as an interrupt. Of course, that means a lot of damage lost.

Ruggi · April 2014

crislevin wrote: »

Master_Quack14b14_ESO wrote: »

crislevin wrote: »

gimmethecreepsb14_ESO wrote: »

putting points into magicka has no effect on your spell damage

while agree with most of your points, this seems wrong?

Magic damage is directly related to your magicka pool size, so is the magicka consumption for each spell.

Not true... Your stat allocation points are what affect your abilities. Putting points into Magicka raise spell damage and points into Stamina affect Melee abilities. Simply having a large Magica/Stamina pool does nothing but provide more resources to use abilities with.

For example, if you put +Magica on all of your armor, your spells will NOT hit any harder, you will just be able to cast more of them in a row.

Thanks, I'm still not sure, I remembered when I added magicka enchantment onto the armor, the damage of some spells changed as well. I will have to double check that.

Also, even if you are right, it still means more points going to magicka will help increase spell damage, which still argues putting points into magicka, no?

Your Magicka DOES increase the magicka-based skills, as Stamina increase the stamina-based skills, and not just the stats allocation; here's a Youtube video proving it:

ESO Unraveled Episode 1 - Ability Damage

Aimeryan wrote: »

eq2imora_ESO wrote: »

One of the things I struggled with was not having a ranged interrupt. Or is there one?

Bashing with my stick is always an option but that requires me to be in melee range....

Sort of - morphed crystal for instant cast on proc. It can be somewhat reliable if you just keep the procs stored for using as an interrupt. Of course, that means a lot of damage lost.

This. Or you can use Destructive Reach (morph from Destro Touch) with a Fire Staff and have a 18m knockback.

Jeddahwe · April 2014

5 Light & 2 Heavy for Immovable bubble...Double staff and that is pretty much it...Classic mage....PvE use double staff for AE/Single and PvP equip a resto as a 2nd weapon...Bow is also in bag for zerg AE from range..

Resipsa131 · April 2014

I'm a RP Mage level 13 so it might not be optimal but I use dark magic and open with Crystal morphed for 50% magicka on subsequent cast and the cast prison on me lee running toward me. Then you can focus down the ranged enemy getting up. You'll regenerate magicka and can cast the second spell in dark magic to lock the enemy in place and cast soul trap and finish with destructive touch. In really big fights after I've filled my ulti I cast suppression field and my party can wail on frozen mobs.

Edit: Should I drop any points in stamina to take advantage of dark conversion? I only use staves

Arnathis · April 2014

bagaloko wrote: »

ahampelb14_ESO wrote: »

btw i'm wearing heavy 5 light 2

no one says you have to be a cloth caster

This. I'm was running 5 heavy and 1 light and 1 medium, just to level light and medium too. Now I have changed to 4 heavy and 3 light. That gives me a nice chunk of armor and even more spell resist.

I don't have a single point in Daedric Summoning, since I have always hated pets in MMOs.

But, if I would go all out ranged (currently using 2hander and destro staff), I think I would have stacked light armor, and perhaps some medium for stam regen. As it is now, when I need to kite and go ranged, I am pretty much able to avoid most melee damage, which suggests that all that armor for a pure ranged char is a waste.

You probably wanna at least try out the Daedric Summoning ultimate morphed to charged atronach or whatever its called. Fills quickly and its a beast, especially against large packs.

crislevin · April 2014

Ruggi wrote: »

This. Or you can use Destructive Reach (morph from Destro Touch) with a Fire Staff and have a 18m knockback.

Its quite good for single target, knock back alot.

crislevin · April 2014

Arnathis wrote: »

You probably wanna at least try out the Daedric Summoning ultimate morphed to charged atronach or whatever its called. Fills quickly and its a beast, especially against large packs.

I tried greater atronauch, then respeced to charged atronauch, then respecd back to greater atronauch. Its $6k down the drain!

Charged atronauch has area attack, which is wonderful for mob. But greater atronauch lasts 50% longer (28 sec), consider in the late games, single powerful enermy may not go down in short time, greater atronauch seems a better deal.

But who knows, maybe I will respec again later, saving money for it.

therover8511 · April 2014

I will say that I am playing a Melee Sorcerer

Currently in Heavy Armor with 2 handed weapon
Summoning is my main class tier
I summon both pets at all times, my Matriarch is set to heal when my health drops
I use Crystal Shards to open, I charge in with the 2 handed charge, then use Brawler to aoe and gain a shield.

I then switch weapons and use Reverse Slash, Deadric Curse, and Mage's Fury

It is fun to play, and I bounce back and forth between resources and It appears to me I have a better regen and resource management. The durability is a bonus as well.

illogicbh · April 2014

I put all my points into storm calling and destruction staff (i use lightning staff and im level 24) and im virtually indestructible vs PVE with lightning form and stuns etc

Niminion · April 2014

gimmethecreepsb14_ESO wrote: »

Where a lot of sorcs are going to struggle early on is realizing this is not the same as playing a Mage in WoW or a Wizard from EQ1. Sorc doesn't necessarily require you to wear cloth armor and dump all points into magicka and wield a staff. However, if you do want to, that's cool, here's a few tips:

1. Dump your stat points into Health. I know, you've grown up playing games where casters value Magicka over Health. However, in TESO, there is no such thing as AOE tanking (for the most part) and putting points into magicka has no effect on your spell damage, nor does it effect your magicka recovery. You can use 2 abilities from Sorcery (dark exchange, energy overload) to effectively recharge your magicka. You can also increase your magicka recovery and max magicka with armor enchants and food buffs. For each point you put into health, you get 15 max HP. for each point you put in magicka, you get 10 magicka. So it's 33% more efficient to stack health over other stats for stat point allocation.

2. You don't need to run 7 pieces of Light armor. You realistically only need 5 pieces of light armor to maximize the light armor passive buffs. If you're suffering from survivability issues, run 5 piece light, 2 piece heavy. Wear a heavy chest piece and leg piece or shoulders, anything. It'll increase your defense and you'll gain the HP and HP regen passives from heavy armor, as well as resistances, etc.

3. CC's are your best friend. Like I said, this is not like WoW where you stand around, play through your "rotation" and try to move as little as possible. Tanks will not be holding aggro on all mobs that attack. They simply cannot. in beginner instances especially, tanks will be trying to pick up the most damaging enemies to the group, and rely on their CC's and yours to help keep everyone alive. You will be expected to use CC's often and effectively, and it starts in solo play. I generally have more CC's on my hotbars than damaging powers.

4. Dark Magic seems to be the better skill line early on from what I've seen. The CC's increase your survivability and Crystal Shards is probably our most effective skill period. Storm Calling doesn't seem to have the raw DPS that Crystal Shards brings to the table.

5. Movement is EVERYTHING. You will have to kite some enemies, and will have to take away the movement of other enemies. This isn't a game where someone in cloth armor can stand and face-tank a few mobs because unlike in games like WoW, your armor isnt going to give you 4-5 different stat boosts. You'll get eaten alive.

Whoa Whoa Whoa.

1. Dumping stats into health may have been optimal during beta but not anymore, and putting points into Magika certainly DOES increase spell damage.

2. 7 pieces of light armor is fantastic, just because 1 skill says 5 pieces doesn't mean the extra stats from 3 other passives are bad. Heavy armor is bad for sorcs, if you are worried about taking damage use one of the armor spells they will overcharge your armor stat in cloth, making heavy armor a waste. And the shielding spells don't care about armor values while they are up. Medium is another option if your into melee dps for the crit and stamina.

4. Early on Deadric summoning has everything you want for easy leveling. Early pet for soloing, good damage skill in Velocious Curse, cheap ultimate that will help you with groups of mobs and bosses often, and then a second pet. Skills from the other 2 lines should be on your bar to level the lines, crystal shards and mages fury to start. Later on there are lots of viable builds.

Nasuradin_ESO · April 2014

I went vampire and the vampire drain refills health and stamina while dark conversion eats stamina to refill health and magicka.

I use 4 heavy and 3 light armor with a 2h sword and bash skulls in from melee or throw crystal shards at range with 1 or 2 pets out, swap to heal staff with 2 pets if targets are immune to vampire drain (things immune to cc are immune to that spell entirely)

though for everything else, drain will kill them pretty quick while keeping them stunned for the whole duration, I've been able to tank large groups just by draining each one when my health gets low, and reverse slash to finish them off.

I'm sure I could tweak my build a lot but its what got me through pure questing, not sure how well it'd do in dungeons or pvp.

Creaper · April 2014

Spacefiddle wrote: »

If you're leveling a sorc and questing / exploring, there's a couple things to focus on first that I've found work really well:

1. Crystal Shard. This is your opener, because it has a long cast time and knocks things down. You don't want to be standing there making swirly-hands while something is eating your face.
2. Mage's Fury. This is your finisher. I see people opening with this, and spamming it, and then running around while something is nipping at their heels. You don't want to do that either. It does very little damage until the target is at low health; and at low health, it's a nice instant nuke. There is absolutely no good way to see when something is at "low health" and the shrink-to-middle graphic makes it hard to estimate a percent, but you'll get used to guesstimating over time. Later on, you can make killing blows refund mana with it. Use it on when you're pretty sure it's going to kill.
3. Destructive Touch, and later Clench, with (for me) a Fire Staff. I call this Sorcerer Golf. You may have seen it. Something gets close, you yell FORE and knock it away a good bit (and when you morph it to Clench, stun it there on the ground for a few seconds).

So now you have one knockdown, one knockback, and a killshot. Open with Crystal, zot it with your left-mouse staff (i see no major difference between one heavy move and several light, honestly - later you can get skills that will make this matter, but it doesn't right now), and when it gets close Destro Touch it away from you again. If it's low health, Fury it to death. If it isn't, then start casting Crystal as SOON as you knock it into the air. If that doesn't kill it outright, zot it to death with Fury or, if low mana, your staff. If you think it might get close again, use the staff attack so mana regens then Destro Touch / Clench it away again.

This pretty simple rotation / priority will annihilate 90% of anything in PvE trying to eat your face while questing, if they try to melee you.

If it's a ranged mob, sidestep things like the imp's fire lines and circles (good practice for Not Standing In Bad) and try to alternate Crystal with staff shots, to keep it on the ground. Remember you can move while casting, but slower, so account for this while dodging badness. Again, practice using Fury as a killshot.

This is not really for pvp, but if you're having trouble leveling and questing as a Sorc, this "stay the hell away from me" system will probably make life a little more easy and a LOT more fun.

FORE

edit: many silly typos

This is exactly the way I play except for the destructive touch. I have been using wall of elements frost version to slow mobs down, giving me time to kill or knockdown.

I have seen people using destructive touch. Looks awesome, and have been wondering what skill it is.

Pyatra · June 2014

Aimeryan wrote: »

eq2imora_ESO wrote: »

One of the things I struggled with was not having a ranged interrupt. Or is there one?

Bashing with my stick is always an option but that requires me to be in melee range....

Sort of - morphed crystal for instant cast on proc. It can be somewhat reliable if you just keep the procs stored for using as an interrupt. Of course, that means a lot of damage lost.

Force Shock on Destro staff is an interrupt I believe.

Pyatra · June 2014

To clarify the confusion.... Max Magicka does NOT affect the Spell Damage STAT on your character sheet. But it bumps up the damage of spells; so does the Spell Damage STAT which is level dependent and for the most part doesn't grow much in veteran levels (if at all).