Backbar frost staff for DPS wardens?

subtlezeroub17_ESO

You'd technically be weaving with a fire or shock staff on your front bar, but what about using the frost staff if only just for the elemental blockade element ?

I say this because I'm cooking up a build using winterborn set and winters revenge wouldn't be enough frost damage to trigger it enough. However, a back barred winters revenge + frost elemental blockade would trigger it enough to use it.

Been doing a bit of theory crafting and the numbers have pretty good potential. I'll reveal results later...

Elvenpath

ok

Stannum

DPS with frost? Any occasional heavy and boss is yours. Tank cannot retaunt frost heavy.

Liofa

Just to get a 6% damage buff (Warden passive) on 1 AOE skill , you will lose 8% from every other AOE (lightning) or ST(flame) damage on your back bar . And this is actually more than what you think . If target has a Burning status effect , fire blockade will do 20% more damage + 10% from Engulfing Flames . That means a lot more damage than Frost Blockade . You can keep your 8% AOE damage if you are using Lightning Staff and you will be helping with the Off-Balance uptime as well . As Stannum said , any heavy attack will get boss aggro especially since heavy attacks are really important in Morrowind for sustain . Innerlight (Empower) + Fire Heavy (12% more damage of flame heavy) is an amazing burst for start of combat too . You will be missing all these things for 6% more damage on 1 skill . I don't think it is worth it but give it a shot I guess .

subtlezeroub17_ESO

Liofa wrote: »

Just to get a 6% damage buff (Warden passive) on 1 AOE skill , you will lose 8% from every other AOE (lightning) or ST(flame) damage on your back bar . And this is actually more than what you think . If target has a Burning status effect , fire blockade will do 20% more damage + 10% from Engulfing Flames . That means a lot more damage than Frost Blockade . You can keep your 8% AOE damage if you are using Lightning Staff and you will be helping with the Off-Balance uptime as well . As Stannum said , any heavy attack will get boss aggro especially since heavy attacks are really important in Morrowind for sustain . Innerlight (Empower) + Fire Heavy (12% more damage of flame heavy) is an amazing burst for start of combat too . You will be missing all these things for 6% more damage on 1 skill . I don't think it is worth it but give it a shot I guess .

I never said it'd be the next min/max meta build lol. The fact I even mentioned winterborn should have been the major clue.

The build I'm thinking about is more for flavor while being able to dish out still competitive damage. Basically, it's something different from the same old over and done fire front bar and shock back bar meta. That said, keep in mind I'm not using frost as front bar and thus I'm not weaving with it. All I'm using is the frost staff for another source of a frost DoT and in actuality, my front bar will be inferno.

As for the shock 10% debuff, I personally think it's so common for not only other magicka dps'ers having it but healers too, that one person not using it won't be the end of the world.

Now, of course if I were aiming for a top vet trial build, I'd be a little less creative. By the end of the day, I haven't tested anything out. Just played with numbers and since I'm on the console I won't be able to test anything until console gets the release.

Andele

As long as you dont put any points into Tri-Focus (which would mess up other people), i dont see why not have some fun with it. Past animations/potentially using Ice Furnace i dont see much difference between it and a higher damage option tho.

subtlezeroub17_ESO

Andele wrote: »

As long as you dont put any points into Tri-Focus (which would mess up other people), i dont see why not have some fun with it. Past animations/potentially using Ice Furnace i dont see much difference between it and a higher damage option tho.

I would because it's back barred. I'm weaving with the inferno front bar. Not the back bar.

Andele

subtlezeroub17_ESO wrote: »

I would because it's back barred. I'm weaving with the inferno front bar. Not the back bar.

Winterborn is just 8%, so without attack that can trigger it + blockade/revenge/comet/arctic blast/tldr: lots of frost damage every second to proc it close to the 3-5s cd, it wont end up of much use (nor look as cool) as other procs or passives, kinda how Ravager is only useful with constant la/skill/bash weave which is quite a stamina drain (fun tho) or a templar or DK doing DW heavy attacks with Armaments.

subtlezeroub17_ESO

Andele wrote: »

subtlezeroub17_ESO wrote: »

I would because it's back barred. I'm weaving with the inferno front bar. Not the back bar.

Winterborn is just 8%, so without attack that can trigger it + blockade/revenge/comet/arctic blast/tldr: lots of frost damage every second to proc it close to the 3-5s cd, it wont end up of much use (nor look as cool) as other procs or passives, kinda how Ravager is only useful with constant la/skill/bash weave which is quite a stamina drain (fun tho) or a templar or DK doing DW heavy attacks with Armaments.

Oh yes, I'm aware lol. Winter's revenge+ elemental block should be enough. If not, force pulse will be.

I'm itching for the ability to test this. Console release needs to hurry up.

Andele

Personally id make sure no accidental taunt shenanigans happen with such a build, but as said sounds cool (especially if coupled with furnace for exploding ice pillars).

s7732425ub17_ESO

No. Frost staff damage is terrible. Stick with Shock or Fire.