The ultimate easy VMA farm MagSorc build for Homestead

Nolphi

I am ready to commit to VMA with the max CP and the time and resources to create a dedicated VMA farming character. Initial research shows that a magicka sorc will be easiest to finish VMA primarily due to the combination of high ranged DPS and good survivability with surge and shield stacking. Pets got boosted in Homestead so this opens up new options too. So this poll is to get you guys to recommend which dedicated Magicka Sorcerer VMA build I should go for:

1. Pets and Heavy Attack build: this build has popped up in many places: Necropotence with Infalliable Mage. A good video for this build is this one: https://youtube.com/watch?v=yp447iQ4OsI (skip forward to 3:00 to get the actual build
2. Pet Max Magicka Build: Necropotence, Moondancer and Illambris. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0tQoaKWBngA
3. The Dual Caster by SpaceKong: Twice Born Star, Illambris, Willpower. No pets or other gimmicks. A pretty straight forward PVE build https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xo8yIG8Ph2o
4. Deltia VMA Build: Julianos, Moondancer and Grothdar. No pets, uses overload. deltiasgaming.com/eso-magic-sorcerer-dps-build/#Solo
5. Alcast Beginner VMA build: Seducer, Willpower, Julianos with or without monster set - is made for beginners with little access to end game gear. I am beyond this point but if it works then why not. Uses a pet and the stand load out of surge to heal and hardened ward. Build info: alcasthq.com/eso-magicka-sorcerer-maelstrom-pve/ Alcast uses other builds for VMA but I could not find the build info yet on his website for a VMA specific build.

cpuScientist

Pet Max Magicka Build - Necropotence and Moondancer with pets

I have a magSorc that I farm that place with. It is the easiest for the first clear. And the little scamp makes it alot easier. They will take aggro for you and if you keep it exploding, will kill most things.


Just keep surge up, and use ele drain over curse. Most things will die before your curse can go off. And you don't want to just leave the curse on something and move on. (Hear that argument alot it's silly, things need to die asap)

A force pulse frag will kill most things in there. And ele drain is for bigger mobs and bosses. If things are near dead a heavy attack will help with the sustain.

Kay1

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

Who still uses gear in vMsa? As far as I know the elite from the Warlord and Magician CP thread do vMsa naked and without food.

Wizball1987

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

Wish i could give ya a clear answer...ive been doing a few runs and am torn between pet builds and overload....but i allways seem to revert to overload for the last round

GrigorijMalahevich

Necro + heavy attack is probably the easiest. Necro + aether + vma lighting staff is easiet clear for me. You lose undaunted bonus, but who cares with 28k shield and 20k-24k dps with just ele drain blockade and familiar pulses without dropping ult.

Use the same build for my mag dk, just swap necro for elegance and hardened ward for light armor shield that scales with light armor and 18-20k dps with ele drain, blockade, heavy attack. Adding oblivion, destro staff ult and eruption for mini bosses. With perfect timing 8th arena boss dies from first nuke... swaping fire staff for boss rounds would be even faster, but really everything just melts...

All gear has random traits, so it is cheap as chips.

Wrecking_Blow_Spam

Pet Max Magicka Build - Necropotence and Moondancer with pets

Aether got nerfed hard last patch especially for Heavy attack builds, UI or elegance would be more DPS I think.

CultOfMMO

Unless you're min maxing to push beyond say 585k score, gear simply doesnt matter nearly as much as skill, familiarity, and strategy.

If you have all the gear in gold ready to go then yea sure feel free to trial and error between runs. But if not, just use w/e setup that is currently available and work through it.

Plenty of magsorcs out there claim vMA is impossible at max cp, yet I finished it at cp274 with stamblade (no VO).

Just grind it out and in no time you'll git gud. Dont wait.

xblackroxe

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

Bsw + grothdar + moon
Make sure to have IL on front bar at least and use surge for heals and major sorcery. No pots needed strong gear plus a shield and you are good to go.

alexkdd99

CultOfMMO wrote: »

Unless you're min maxing to push beyond say 585k score, gear simply doesnt matter nearly as much as skill, familiarity, and strategy.

If you have all the gear in gold ready to go then yea sure feel free to trial and error between runs. But if not, just use w/e setup that is currently available and work through it.

Plenty of magsorcs out there claim vMA is impossible at max cp, yet I finished it at cp274 with stamblade (no VO).

Just grind it out and in no time you'll git gud. Dont wait.

Who claims it is impossible at max cp. If they did it has nothing to do with cp or being a magsorc.

To op. I have learned over time what health the boss has to be at for me to burn them the rest of the way with overload. After learning that the arena became much easier since I could bypass some of the harder boss mechanics. While they nerfed OL with the ultimate nerf there is still enough to bypass a good chunk of the boss fights if you time it right.

I have never tried to use a pet in vma.

My build is

5 BSW.
5 julianos with julianos inferno staff on my front bar
1 pc molag kena
Light vma on back bar

Considering you probably don't have a vma for back bar you could just use another julianos staff. Of course if you have a Moondancer set that would be the way to go. I would however double bar a shield when you first start. I even went as far as throwing bound aegis when I first started the arena.

Maybe hardened on one bar and harness on the other bar.

CultOfMMO

alexkdd99 wrote: »

CultOfMMO wrote: »

Unless you're min maxing to push beyond say 585k score, gear simply doesnt matter nearly as much as skill, familiarity, and strategy.

If you have all the gear in gold ready to go then yea sure feel free to trial and error between runs. But if not, just use w/e setup that is currently available and work through it.

Plenty of magsorcs out there claim vMA is impossible at max cp, yet I finished it at cp274 with stamblade (no VO).

Just grind it out and in no time you'll git gud. Dont wait.

Who claims it is impossible at max cp. If they did it has nothing to do with cp or being a magsorc.

I meant there are plenty of players out there who have trouble even clearing it once on the easiest class at max cp, whereas I cleared it on the hardest class at cp274. Must've not been a fluke since I farmed till cp310 when I got all my weaps (at least precise, not all sharp). Flawless by cp 360 ish.

Trying to encourage the OP to just get in there, learn it, master it, faceroll it. The actual experience is so much more than gear if you're gear is already any half decent.

Nolphi

Thanks all. The poll results are leaning to a pet necropotence build after 30+ votes. I am leaning towards this too. I have played mostly magplar so far and doing a totally different build will be something interesting for me.

Keep the votes and comments coming. I am sure there are many returning players like me picking up VMA again

AtraisMachina

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

julianos and mothers sorrow with off or vma staves. heals are reals.

Soleya

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

Haven't tried the pet build yet, plan to soon.

The Mag Sorc I beat it with was 5 Elegant, 5 IA, Sharp Inferno Staff (crafted) and Nirnhoned Lightning Maelstrom Staff (only VMA staff I have).

Bar 1 (Inferno):
Crushing Shock/Mages Wrath (flex spot), Lightning Form, Power Surge, Bound Armor, Inner Light, Overload

Bar 2 (Lightning)
Hardened Ward, Ele Blockade, Liquid Lightning, Bound Armor, Inner Light, Ice Comet.

Essentially I just keep Lightning Form and Power Surge up, switch to Lightning staff, and keep up hardened ward, liquid lightning and ele blockade and just heavy attack over and over. I use crushing shock on stages where interrupt is useful, or mages wrath as execute on the rest.

Use Overload on boss fights. DPS is a bit low but survivablity is really high.

Final boss gets a little tricky due to stamina management on the dodge rolls and you can't pull off heavy attacks when up top doing crystals because the fireballs end up hitting you unless you keep moving. Tripots for this part would be good.

psychotic13

I use Necropotence, Ilambris and Aether with vma staff back bar, I blitzed the whole thing pretty easily

amasuriel

Pet Max Magicka Build - Necropotence and Moondancer with pets

The familiar is hilariously overpowered in vMA, and the necro makes for crazy sized wards that also shield your pets, plus pet builds are crazy DPS in general right now, so if you have the skill to go more offensive in vMA you will just melt everything.

I might go with Skoria as the monster set for most rounds though, because often things move out of the Ilambris effect and I don't like to be close enough for Groth to matter on my Sorc, so I find Skoria better for me, even though it's less DPS in strict circumstances.

Glass

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

Can't find anything easier than this https://youtu.be/Vy98aRmu-Ps

Nolphi

Glass wrote: »

Can't find anything easier than this https://youtu.be/Vy98aRmu-Ps

Looks good. What is the build?

Pallio

It really only gets easier after 20+runs, doesn't really matter what gear/class/build.... it still sucks forever, just runs take less time to grind.

Bam_Bam

Alcast Beginner VMA build

I picked one randomly. HA!

But regarding pet builds - I heard that they are overrated as the pets just run all over the place like a drunken Welshman during a full moon? Are pets even controllable in this game?

Wizball1987

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

U can set them to attack 1 target whenever u wish..and command them to not attack

Wizball1987

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

Juli - Elegance - ilam

darthsithis

5 infal 5 necro

sharpened lightning staff
charged maelstrom lightning for crazy aoe

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Betsararie

Baranthus wrote: »

I picked one randomly. HA!

But regarding pet builds - I heard that they are overrated as the pets just run all over the place like a drunken Welshman during a full moon? Are pets even controllable in this game?

Pet builds aren't overrated they're the optimal pve sorc build. rofl

Especially in vMA as they can get aggro on enemies and are immune to many of the various 'hazards' in vMA.

If you're not running a pet build in pve you are handicapping yourself. Especially with Necro which is the BiS set.

zaria

Baranthus wrote: »

I picked one randomly. HA!

But regarding pet builds - I heard that they are overrated as the pets just run all over the place like a drunken Welshman during a full moon? Are pets even controllable in this game?

You often have to control the pet and this can not be done on console yet.
its some danger that it just stand and hit some random add.
You want it in the middle of the other AoE or on boss with curse.
If you command scamp to attack boss it will tank at least for some time.

PM_1

Pet and Heavy Attack build - Necropotence and Infalliable Mage with pets and lightning heavy attacks

For your first clear, you want a big shield on your front bar, and apply your DoTs then heavy attacks. I used the destro ulti to melt the bosses. Keep up your surge and all will be fine.
You will still need to learn the arena, it is a very tough challenge the first time around.
I've got clears on a few different toons, but the pet heavy attack build is by far the easiest clear.

MCBIZZLE300

Something else (please describe or better yet, link to the full build)

I run 5 piece BSW, 3 infallible aether and Illambris. I have flawless with it, I hate pets. p.s I'm on console.

F7sus4

Pet Max Magicka Build - Necropotence and Moondancer with pets

LOL "Doltia" build.

KingYogi415

Stam sorc with VO is the way to do it!

taiji2078

Pets Sorc build got nerfed today. Maybe you should try smth else.

Nolphi

Glad to see this thread got revived a bit. Just as an update from me, the OP, I went for the mag sorc pet heavy attack build with 5 necro, 3 moondancer and 2 infernal guardian as suggested in that build video. It was a still a pain to complete but, just like everyone else who did VMA, I ended mastering the mechanics and after my first painful clear it became easier and easier. Just before Morrowind dropped I was able to get it down to 55 mins and 4 deaths and I was getting real close to Flawless Conqueror. I did a total of 32 completes before Morrowind and got almost all the sharpened weapons I wanted except sharpened inferno. And then...

Morrowind hits! and it hit the build like a truck! Heavy attack damage got nerfed by 15% and the volatile familiar by 20% and that damage reduction is very, very noticeable. Sustain is more of an issue but still not much as the resources return was increased. The main issue is just the damage reduction on the heavies and the pet. I did a run yesterday and it took me 1:28 hours and some 20+ deaths to do it. I think that overall VMA got harder for all classes but maybe this mag sorc heavy attack build is no longer the easiest build to farm this with. So yes, a bit upset with the super nerf and I look forward to see what the ESO wizards come up with next as easiest VMA farm build...