Want to switch from Summons and Sorcery, to Bat Wings and Pyromania...

LexrayEmberrr

...but I am unsure on how to build my new character for success.

Yes, I know, wings is trash. But it makes for cool screenshots!

For context, I am wanting to switch from Magicka Sorcerer to Magicka Dragonknight, particularly for a small-scale Cyrodiil/Battlegrounds role. Yes, I know, there are people who will think I'm crazy, but I've been playing Sorc for a while, and while I like to think I'm decent enough a player with it, the playstyle is getting kind of stale. Dragonknight looks really enticing and fresh.

I know there are a few different build styles when it comes to Magicka DK, based on the types of players I've faced:

- Light Armour glass cannon, running two staves or dual wield, relying on Harness for survivability, alongside back-to-back crowd control and high damage pressure on the enemy;

- Light Armour pseudo-tank, usually sporting at least one sword and board bar, with some investment into both survivability and damage in equal measure and god-tier sustain in the new meta;

- and Heavy Armour bruisers with double sword and board, with a decent enough investment in damage, crowd-control, and sustain, relying on blocking and the sheer tankiness of the armour for survivability.

My question is... As someone switching from Sorcerer and wanting something new and fresh, which spec should I be looking at? Should I be using staves, or swords and shields? Furthermore, are there any gear sets I should be looking at? I've had suggestions to look at BSW or Julianos for a damage set, Desert Rose or Seducer for a sustain set, and either Valkyn Skoria or Bloodspawn to round it all off, and I've seen Shacklebreaker and Silks of the Sun in various places. Side note: I've also toyed with the idea of a greatsword-toting Pelinal's Aptitude setup, stacking high magicka with high weapon damage, though right now I'm looking at something more orthodox while I get used to the new class.

Cheers folks!

DRXHarbinger

5 sun jewelry s+b, 5 Heavy Kags and Grothdarr (better pressure over skoria) Skoria is still really good but more for burn and wait and skoria proc+power lash+leap to kill. The issue with Sword and board is if they step back 5m you can't land any hits so takes time to l2p and talons and Cc properly and burn them down.

Going down the staff route with sun+bsw+1pc domihaus provides better killing. But you need the uber expensive sun inferno or the horrific rng on a bsw staff...luckily infused is now king and you can get a unique bsw infused inferno from an earlier boss in coa1 the warden guy iirc.

Not exactly hard to switch between both in a few mins though.

Personally don't bother with the pelinals, just stack a super huge magika pool. With 40k magika Coag blood will give you a min 10k heal on crit in cyro, with embers up you are very hard to kill.

If you go S&B slot defensive posture morph with the absorb magika morph. Works better than wings 1v1.

LexrayEmberrr

Do you figure the staff setup with Sun and BSW is going to be sustainable with two damage sets? I figured that having a sustain set in the mix would be super important. The Sun+Kags setup looks like a potential winner, though, I'll have to give that one a try.

The Pelinal's build's just a fun piece of theorycrafting - 40k magicka, potentially 4k wd/sd, forward momentum for snare immunity. I don't plan on using it, not yet, at least.

DRXHarbinger

Sun with bsw has minimal sustain but you have a LOT OF power. It's just the trade off really. Kill faster and die quicker or take longer and die slower using Sun+Kags with S&B

I don't find Pelinals works very well tbh, using forward momentum on a Magdk will work twice and you'll have no stamina to block (if running 40k magika like you intend to) nothing to dodge roll or breakfree. You'll need to split your stats out but with mediocre stat pools like high 20ishk each you still won't really do anything notable, heals, Ultis and shields will be weak and sustaining is a nightmare with low stats. Either go whole hog or not at all imo.
Plus if you want snares to go away just use Elusive Mist and flee like a pro+take next to no damage.

Lexxypwns

I'm gonna offer a different view. Light armor with "permablock".

5 Impreg
5 alteration mastery
2 Bloodspawn/skoria

This build will allow you to provide decent aoe damage to your group while offering superb sustain and the classic DK utility

LokoMatic

There are a few non CP BG builds I have found to be the most effective. Just as a reference I have tried: Rattlecage, Julianos, Kags, Vahren's, Shacklebreaker, Seducer, BSW, Sun, Alteration, Lich, Desert Rose, Syrabane, and Impreg.

The best for BG's in my testing has been 1 of the following 2 combinations:

5 Impreg Light Sturdy, 5 Alteration Mastery (sword board jewelry) and 2 VS. This build works great with 1-2 cost reduction glyphs, and a resto staff on the back bar. Double SnB isn't necessary if you can mistform efficiently and LOS in BG's.

5 Heavy Julianos, 5 Alteration Mastery, and 2 VS. This set works well with the thief stone and inferno on your front bar, and will allow you get to get nearly 40% crit in Non CP. I have also tried Sun / Seducer which works well too, however I have found that the DPS is quite similar over time.

If you have the sets to go 5-1-1 do so- it will help a good bit with undaunted passives.

Both of these can be run with 1-2 tri stat glyphs, and tri stat food. You should get around 14-15K stam which is sufficient in BG's.

I wouldn't worry about sustain with cost reduction, and using a resto strategically will allow you to even out your resources. Make sure you have a magicka drain glyph on as well. This will allow you to have good survivability, while also maintaining medium-high damage output. If done right very few, and I mean very few people will be able to out DPS you in BG's.

IcyDeadPeople

Here is an easy, cheap and fun build I've found that works well in PVP for mag DK, however, a bit better if you are Argonian, and bear in mind you will go through tripots or spell power pots like candy.

5 x clever alchemist (s&b bar)
5 x julianos (fire staff or resto staff bar)
3 x willpower (with all three potion cooldown glyphs).

Lexxypwns

LokoMatic wrote: »

There are a few non CP BG builds I have found to be the most effective. Just as a reference I have tried: Rattlecage, Julianos, Kags, Vahren's, Shacklebreaker, Seducer, BSW, Sun, Alteration, Lich, Desert Rose, Syrabane, and Impreg.

The best for BG's in my testing has been 1 of the following 2 combinations:

5 Impreg Light Sturdy, 5 Alteration Mastery (sword board jewelry) and 2 VS. This build works great with 1-2 cost reduction glyphs, and a resto staff on the back bar. Double SnB isn't necessary if you can mistform efficiently and LOS in BG's.

5 Heavy Julianos, 5 Alteration Mastery, and 2 VS. This set works well with the thief stone and inferno on your front bar, and will allow you get to get nearly 40% crit in Non CP. I have also tried Sun / Seducer which works well too, however I have found that the DPS is quite similar over time.

If you have the sets to go 5-1-1 do so- it will help a good bit with undaunted passives.

Both of these can be run with 1-2 tri stat glyphs, and tri stat food. You should get around 14-15K stam which is sufficient in BG's.

I wouldn't worry about sustain with cost reduction, and using a resto strategically will allow you to even out your resources. Make sure you have a magicka drain glyph on as well. This will allow you to have good survivability, while also maintaining medium-high damage output. If done right very few, and I mean very few people will be able to out DPS you in BG's.

I can vouch that both of those builds are a joy to have on your team in BGs, constant aoe pressure, solid single target, and the roots and CCs. Especially in BGs, where you can often force opponents into melee range with good positioning around objectives

ak_pvp

Mix of option number 1/2, burstknight: Witchmother brew, shackle, sun (If jewelry crafting ever happens, initiate axiom) and skoria.

Run dw front bar, nirn and infused. Disease and power glyph. All jewlery spell damage, atro stone. Sustain is good.

Bar 1: Whip, deepbreath, talons, embers, magelight or fossilize. ULT: Leap
Bar 2: Inferno. entropy, volatile armour, DB, igneous (only for ult tbh) ULT: s/b or bats.

Burst: Pre buff inferno, burning embers, talons, deep breath, whip, power whip.

Inferno, power whip, and deep breath boom all hit at the same time. I have played the tanky impreg/shackle/desert rose/altmastery/bloodspawn before. They aren't fun imo, slowly noodling isn't fun

Inferno in openworld is less reliable. Maybe swap for mist if that tickles ur fancy, or wings if its ever buffed,

LexrayEmberrr

Thanks for all the tips, guys. I went with a combination of Julianos, VS, and Alteration.