Imperial sorcerer: is it viable?

Aeternus

I really want to replicate my main character in Skyrim in this game who is an Imperial mage who uses a shield and dual daggers, destruction magic, and conjuration, but I'm not sure how it would work. Should I level up first as stamina, magicka, or a hybrid of both? Also would an Imperial sorcerer be able to be an effective dps as well as tank in endgame dungeons?

Scyantific

Imp Sorc with pets could be a decent tank.
































I think.

Septimus_Magna

Sorcs need high magicka and magicka regen to be effective, Imperial gives neither so I would say there are better options (Altmer and Breton) but you can make it work for sure.

elium85

Just go full Stam build and you should be fine.

Flaminir

Aeternus wrote: »

I really want to replicate my main character in Skyrim in this game who is an Imperial mage who uses a shield and dual daggers, destruction magic, and conjuration, but I'm not sure how it would work. Should I level up first as stamina, magicka, or a hybrid of both? Also would an Imperial sorcerer be able to be an effective dps as well as tank in endgame dungeons?

To make it as clear as possible....

There are 3 types of builds... Magicka / Stamina / Hybrid.

As a race Imperials are good for Stamina builds... lots of good passives there, but are rubbish for Magicka (They have no passives that help.

In your message you say you want to use a stamina race, with magicka skills, and stamina defensive weapons. Whilst the game will let you get away with absolutely anything between level 1-50, you will find that once you hit Vet levels this setup will be very weak and you'll struggle.

Since update 1.6 hybrid builds are far far weaker. You will be better off deciding between stamina and magicka Sorc (Presuming its a sorc you want).

Again... if you want Imperial then go Stamina and use a 2 handed greatsword and dual wield on the other bar. If you are dead set on using destruction magic (and magic in general) then go with Altmer as a race & Destruction staff. These are the optimum setups for both magicka/Stam builds.

TBH, if you want Stamina then I'd be inclined to go Redguard.... they have extra stamina regen which you will need as a sorc. Though Imperial is still a fairly strong stam race for a sorc dps.

Peel_Ya_Cap_517

You can make any combo work in this game.. don't let the min-maxxers fool ya

ADarklore

As with anything else, it all depends on how YOU want to play because many builds can be awesome in one type of content (eg. Solo), but horrible in another (eg. Trials)... trying to find one that is good at both can be difficult. Min/Maxers love to give advice here, but they're geared for those who don't care about lore, don't care about RP, don't really care about 'playing how you want', but are meant for those who just want to see high numbers or experience the fastest wins.

Personally, I've sifted through all the advice I've found and come up with my own arrangement which works for how "I" like to play and for the content (only solo PvE) that I enjoy playing.

Advice I've found that is sound because of personal experience, is that any "hybrid"- trying to use both Magicka and Stamina for equal damage, WILL fail. The damage of abilities is reliant on your MAX quantity of Stamina and Magicka, and a hybrid has less of both- so you end up doing crap damage with both. As others have said, it is best to pick one or the other and focus on using damage abilities designed for it. As for race, that's a toughie because I understand where you're coming from OP... the racial passive choices are the sticking point. I have a VR2 Imperial Stamina Sorc who uses Bow/DW as the main source of damage, I only use Sorc class 'support' abilities- Clannfear (to tank for me), Critical Surge, and Hardened Ward. The nicest thing with Imperial, IMO, is the Red Diamond health return upon receiving melee damage... pretty much makes my Imperial indestructible the way I play him. I also have a VR2 Altmer Magicka Sorc that is also pretty dominant and uses only Magicka-based damage abilities and Destruction Staff, but, I've also a very strong Breton Magicka Sorc and honestly haven't seen any difference between Altmer and Breton- I still dominate with both. However, because I'm not a min/maxer, I'm not counting the seconds on how long it takes me to complete a battle either. I just know that I can do all content with my Sorcs, regardless of Altmer or Breton.

Which is my point... you don't need to min/max to be successful. If you BUILD your character the right way and focus on things (food, jewelry, CPs) that support or buff your character's racial passives, then you should be good to go. For me, crafted set armor is one of the best ways to support your character and can even make up for a lack of certain racial passives. So if you wanted an Imperial Magicka Sorc, then you'd craft set armor that supports Magicka- Max Magicka, Magicka Regen, Reduce Cost of Spells, etc, as well as using food that boosts Max Magicka or Magicka Regen along with selecting a Mundus that also supports Magicka.

Noerknhar

The sorc in my guild that pulls the most brutal burst and sustained DPS compared to any other player with any other race/class combination is a wood elf.

Play what you want.

'nuff said.

MrGrimey

Imperial +12% health allows you to play anyway... The points you save from needing to spec into health, allows you to place more points into magicka