One Bar Easy vMA w/Video MagSorc Build for Summerset(No Trial, Monster set, Maelstrom Weapon needed)

DeadlyPhoenix

Updated for Summerset
Notes about the updates to this build at the end of this post.

So the idea behind this build was to be able to complete vMA effectively and easily without ever having to swap bars. Often in vMA I get killed trying to switch bars or lose track of which one I am on. There are also those of you who have terrible lag and bar swapping really isn't an option. So this build is for anyone wanting to complete vMA for the first time using a magsorc. I tried to keep things as simple as possible and as such you pretty much just heavy attack your way to victory!

This build is in no way min/maxed and could probably perform even better if it were, but this setup has worked very well for me and a few others I've shared it with.

Videos

Recorded this on PS4 so I'm sorry about the video quality and doing it in two parts. At least it breaks it down a little better for specific rounds.

I did die one time during stage 7 Vault of Umbrage. It wasn't even the main boss round, just got eaten by the poison spores and wasn't able to cleanse it in time.

No sigils were used. No intentional animation cancelling was done. No bar swapping. Regular Essence of Magicka Potions were used occasionally though they weren't really needed. Mainly just heavy attacks with a few light attacks thrown in at times. I was also using Empowered Ward instead of Hardened Ward, so my shields weren't as big but I had the additional magicka regen. It really isn't needed with this build, I just already had it for a PvP build of mine and didn't feel like respeccing for one morph.

Pt.1 Stages 1-5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnA4MpsCllg&t=1387s

Pt.2 Stages 6-9
https://youtu.be/EdMSas6r5oA

Gear Setup

None of the gear we are using is hard to obtain. If you dont have a monster set helm or shoulder just use a random piece of gear, it won't make a huge difference.

You can also get by with keeping everything purple quality, though I highly recommend at least making your weapon legendary and the lightning damage enchant legendary as well since this provides the biggest boost to dps.

5x Netches Touch/Necropotence
5x Torug's Pact with Lightning Staff
2x Monster set of choice (Optional 2 piece of any other set)

(Necropotence is recommended with Summerset and I explain why at the end of this post however netches touch is almost equal.)
(The videos also shows me using the Ilambris monster set, but it isn't required.)

Traits on gear should be divines or you can go with infused on big pieces. Max magicka enchants.

Jewelry needs increase spell damage enchant.

Weapon should be infused with flame damage enchant.

We will also be making use of the Undaunted passives so go with 5x light 1x medium and 1x heavy

5 piece Netches Touch is acquired from Darkshade Caverns I and II. The extra lightning damage bonus effects all of the sorc lightning skills and our lightning staff. You need 3 pieces of jewelry which are very easy to farm since they drop on some mini-bosses instead of only in chests or the final boss.

Necropotence is dropped in Rivenspire and can be purchased off guild traders, so it's relatively easy to obtain if you have a bit of time or gold.

Torug's Pact is craftable so this makes getting a staff with infused very easy. It also only requires 3 traits researched to craft making it very easy to obtain by almost anyone. The 5 piece bonus alongside an infused weapon gives us incredible uptime on our flame enchantment and causes it to hit extremely hard and also applies burning to targets.

You can use basically any monster set you want if you have access to it. If you need more survivability use something like infernal guardian. For more dps use ilambris or grothdar. Any set will do though and if you don't have access to any monster sets yet, simply use another crafted or dropped 2 piece set. Most monster sets are fairly easy to obtain over time, especially with transmutation a thing now. It isn't required though and the first version of this build didn't use any.

Mundus and CP

The Lover Mundus stone

Thief
Tower- 51 in Warlord
The Lover- 64 Arcanist 56 Tenacity
The Shadow- 51 Tumbling 26 Shadow Ward 2 Befoul

Mage
The Arcanist- 51 Elfborn 49 Elemental Expert 54 Spell Erosion
The Atronach- 21 Staff Expert
The Ritual- 75 Thaumaturge

Warrior
The Steed- 44 Ironclad 23 Spell Shield 9 Resistant
The Lady- 49 Hardy 49 Elemental Defender
The Lord- 61 Bastion 15 Quick Recovery

Alternate Warrior
The Steed- 44 Ironclad 23 Spell Shield 9 Resistant
The Lady- 49 Hardy 49 Elemental Defender 61 Thick Skinned
The Lord- 15 Quick Recovery

Skills and Stats

The main point of this build is to be able to be effective while only needing to stay on your main bar. If you're proficient at bar swapping you can set up a second bar, but it's completely optional for this build.

54 into Magicka and 10 in health. This gives us a bit more health just as a safety net. You can put all into magicka or some into stamina if you want.

Hardened Ward, Summon Volatile Familiar, Elemental Blockade, Power Surge and the final slot is up to you.

Instead of Hardened Ward you can also run Empowered Ward for additional magicka regen. You have a smaller shield as a result though, but it helps with sustain if you're having any issues. The videos I posted I was using Empowered Ward. It really isn't needed with this build, I just already had it for a PvP build of mine and didn't feel like respeccing for one morph.

You can run bound aegis for the increased resists and max magicka or inner light for more crit and max magicka or run crushing shock to interrupt archers and trolls. Liquid lightning is also a viable option especially during some boss fights.

The familiar does free damage and aoe damage over time, allowing us to heavy attack more often and also acts as a sort of tank at times for you.

Elemental Blockade sets targets off balance and when combined with the exploiter passive gives us 10% more damage to off balance targets.

Power Surge gives us 20% more spell damage and heals us for any critical strikes we or our pet score.

Ultimate is optional but I recommend Shooting Star/Ice Comet or Eye of the Storm. Shooting Star will increase your max magicka even further and costs less to cast but I feel eye of the storm is just too powerful to pass up when dealing with bosses and it also provides more mobility. You can move around to hit mobs instead of a stationary aoe on the ground. Suppression Field is also a good ultimate to use and comes in very handy for some boss fights. (I actually primarily use Supression Field at this point. It's good for almost any situation I've come to realize even though it doesn't do nearly as much damage as the harder hitting ultimates.)

All of the damage we do is shock so we always have a chance to proc the Implosion passive, executing mobs for free.

The rotation is simple. Keep elemental blockade down at all times, familiar pulse going and power surge up. Other than that spam hardened ward and heavy attack. Heavy attack is the main source of our damage with this build.

Potions and Food

These are completely optional but I recommend running Witchmother's Potent Brew for the increased magicka recovery and max health and magicka.

For potions you can get by with basic essence of magicka but if you have the extra flowers or cash then essence of spell critical is the way to go. Gives health and magicka back as well as increases your spell critical rating.

Optional Setups

If you find you're lacking on stamina recovery or need a bit more magicka regen you can always slot one recovery glyph on your jewelry to help out. You can also use a monster set that grants recovery to whichever stat you need. Just play around with it a bit and tailor it to your needs.

Remember though, a lot of vMA comes down to RNG and how well you know the mechanics. My wife struggled on this for 2 years trying out tons of builds and was finally able to complete it this week for the first time using this build. She told me I needed to post a guide for others struggling with vMA since it helped her out so much in completing it finally. So don't give up! Just have patience and you will get there eventually!

Best of luck to all of you and I hope this build helps at least a few of you complete vMA. If I'm forgetting anything I will update later! Thanks for reading!

Updated Notes

I've had a chance to test things out on a target dummy so I've updated the build. I haven't ran it through vMA yet personally but it will still work the same.

I discovered that Necropotence is the better option of the two because it adds nearly 8k more magicka at the cost of only 201 dps on a target dummy. Netches Touch adds more crit chance, but under 4% more. The higher resource pool and better shields outweigh it imo.

I was using a single bar, with inner light, power surge, elemental blockade, hardened ward, volatile familiar and suppression field. 5x torug's with staff and 2x ilambris. (Yes I could have dropped hardened ward for something else, but I wanted to keep it so I didn't cheese numbers that I wouldn't normally obtain in vMA.)

Necropotence did 19108.9 dps in 2m 37s. Netches did 19309.9 dps in 2m 36s.

This was done using heavy attacks primarily with only a few light attacks when needed. No animation canceling or bar swapping was done. 19k for a single bar is good damage in my opinion especially when it allows you to focus on what's going on around you more rather than your skills. This is easy to maintain in vMA unlike most builds that cause your dps to drop significantly when you have to actually fight something that fights back.

Update: had a chance to run vMA using this build. Received flawless my first time through using no sigils. More information further down in the thread.

Lukums1

Few things:

Props for trying new things and helping people - great believer of sharing knowledge.

Changes I personally would advise:

Drop bastion completely and place those points into thick skin - not having any in this will lead to a lot of deaths.

Ulti if you're just gonna use 1 bar - destro ulti - or suppression field.

Suppression field stops round 2 bosses from sitting.
Mitigates waves of adds in round 3/4/5/6/7/8/9
It also stops trolls from enraging in round 7 (poison) round
It also stops CGs (round 9) breathing fire in your face

Just my 2 cents

GJ

FrancisCrawford

I haven't done Maelstrom Arena for a while, and only rMA then. But I don't recall bosses or trash mobs being so mobile that Eye of the Storm would seem like the correct morph.

What am I overlooking?

WrathOfInnos

Cool build. Just one thing, Netch's Touch does not buff the familiar. Although the scamp deals shock damage, it scales only from Max Magicka and not spell damage. I would also recommend liquid lightning as a possible 5th skill, it can really help burn down the tougher bosses.

griffkhalifa

Anyone have any tips for Spiral Shadows stage? I can pretty much breeze through the first 5 stages with my mag sorc (not even my main toon) but I always get stuck on this stage. Even on normal this stage bugs the crap out of me. I can never find the spider and have trouble getting the hoarvor to the right spot.

rumple9

Used this build exactly - cant get past Stage 5 round 3 (rink of frozen ice)

DeadlyPhoenix

@griffkhalifa @rumple9 just have patience and learn the mechanics. This build is not the reason you can't get past it. Stage 5, 7 and 9 are the hardest ones in my opinion, learning where things spawn and in what order to take them out goes a long way. There are plenty of vMA stage guides out there, just follow one and adapt to it.

For frozen rink slot crushing shock to interrupt the trolls bashing the ice when they come up, they will be your focus. Other than that Just lay blockade down and keep shielding. Recast familiar pulse and power surge as needed. Don't stand still, keep moving so you're not getting hit by melee as often or aoes. I always try to take out low health targets first and archers then mages. Leave the big guys sitting in my aoes while I heavy attack the small guys. Position blockade to hit melee and ranged opponents so you're always proc'ing off-balance. To do this you have to be moving around, footwork is very important for vMA especially on stage 7, the poison stage.

As far as spiral of shadows stage 6, best thing to do is always be moving in a circle watching the stones. Take the webspinners out asap and lure hoarvers to webbed stones. Just light attack it and run to the closest one. Sometimes it's best to stop damaging the mobs and focus on the hoarvers and webspinners.

Always keep at least one stone covered in web though, especially on the final round when fighting the main boss. Keep the minion she spawns dead as well. When she summons the big guy use a hoarver to destroy the last web and it will stun everything. Drop your ultimate on the boss and damage away. If you can try to get everything around the boss before stunning them so your aoes kill the mobs before they become unstunned. Also note that if you fail to stun her before a certain point she will one shot you. You have to uncover all 5 stones in this fight or its guaranteed death.

Hope this helps, anymore questions let me know.

DeadlyPhoenix

Lukums1 wrote: »

Few things:

Props for trying new things and helping people - great believer of sharing knowledge.

Changes I personally would advise:

Drop bastion completely and place those points into thick skin - not having any in this will lead to a lot of deaths.

Ulti if you're just gonna use 1 bar - destro ulti - or suppression field.

Suppression field stops round 2 bosses from sitting.
Mitigates waves of adds in round 3/4/5/6/7/8/9
It also stops trolls from enraging in round 7 (poison) round
It also stops CGs (round 9) breathing fire in your face

Just my 2 cents

GJ

@Lukums1 I tried out your changes and actually liked them quite a bit so I updated my original post to add these as alternatives. Gave you an insightful for the help.

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

I haven't done Maelstrom Arena for a while, and only rMA then. But I don't recall bosses or trash mobs being so mobile that Eye of the Storm would seem like the correct morph.

What am I overlooking?

@FrancisCrawford

It's not necessarily the best ultimate for all situations, but I find at certain times it helps me melt things quicker and if there is a ranged mob outside of my aoe I can position myself to damage it as well. It's situational, I agree, but I still prefer it when I want to melt things fast.

WrathOfInnos wrote: »

Cool build. Just one thing, Netch's Touch does not buff the familiar. Although the scamp deals shock damage, it scales only from Max Magicka and not spell damage. I would also recommend liquid lightning as a possible 5th skill, it can really help burn down the tougher bosses.

@WrathOfInnos

I remember reading somewhere that netches touch did in fact buff the familiars damage, but after testing myself just now it appears you are correct so I updated my original post to refrain from misleading people. I guess they changed this at some point or it was never actually a thing to begin with haha....

Also liquid lightning is a viable option, I just didn't add it because on most fights I prefer slotting something that gives me a little more mobility or survivability. But it does do damage and crits which heals you, so I added it as an alternative as well. Like I said, that last slot is completely optional and best used to switch out for specific stages. I also gave you an insightful for the help.

Much appreciated for the feedback and advice!

FrancisCrawford

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

I haven't done Maelstrom Arena for a while, and only rMA then. But I don't recall bosses or trash mobs being so mobile that Eye of the Storm would seem like the correct morph.

What am I overlooking?

@FrancisCrawford

It's not necessarily the best ultimate for all situations, but I find at certain times it helps me melt things quicker and if there is a ranged mob outside of my aoe I can position myself to damage it as well. It's situational, I agree, but I still prefer it when I want to melt things fast.

Thanks, but I'm still confused -- why do you use the lower-damage morph?

DeadlyPhoenix

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

I haven't done Maelstrom Arena for a while, and only rMA then. But I don't recall bosses or trash mobs being so mobile that Eye of the Storm would seem like the correct morph.

What am I overlooking?

@FrancisCrawford

It's not necessarily the best ultimate for all situations, but I find at certain times it helps me melt things quicker and if there is a ranged mob outside of my aoe I can position myself to damage it as well. It's situational, I agree, but I still prefer it when I want to melt things fast.

Thanks, but I'm still confused -- why do you use the lower-damage morph?

@FrancisCrawford
Like I said, it allows me to move the aoe around. The other one deals more damage, but it stays in the spot you cast it. I did say the ultimate was optional and to use whichever one you like the most I just like being able to reposition it at anytime, it allows me to focus everything I have on the boss, while still taking out any stragglers not affected by my normal aoes.

Some people might prefer the other morph and I've used it as well, just my preference is all.

lanzim3

so... updates for summerset?

DeadlyPhoenix

lanzim3 wrote: »

so... updates for summerset?

@lanzim3
I play on console, so haven't been able to test anything out yet. Should be relatively the same now, but with the added bonus of using two pieces of a monster set.

When it releases on console, I will update the build.

lanzim3

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

lanzim3 wrote: »

so... updates for summerset?

@lanzim3
I play on console, so haven't been able to test anything out yet. Should be relatively the same now, but with the added bonus of using two pieces of a monster set.

When it releases on console, I will update the build.

thank you so much bro.

DeadlyPhoenix

@lanzim3

Just a quick update, but based off from the PC patch notes, it may be better to swap netches touch out for necropotence.

Rebalanced the Light and Heavy Attack damage scaling ratios so that Light and Heavy Attacks now scale their damage in the same way that normal abilities do – Max Magicka and Max Stamina is now a greater contributing factor towards their damage.

Heavy Attacks with Destruction Staff and Restoration Staff weapons will deal more damage.

With these changes the magicka bonus from Necropotence will scale your weapon damage now. I haven't been able to test it yet, netches touch still might be better for damage, but Necropotence will at least give you a greater resource pool and better shields on top of the new weapon damage.

It will still be weeks before I am able to test things for myself, but this is one of the things I would personally try out. I also don't know exactly how much it will equate to in added spell damage or how much it will increase your abilities by. Meaning netches touch 5 piece might still add more overall spell damage than necropotence, just depends on how much. More survivability for little damage loss is usually worth it to me.

So gear would be 2 monster set, 5x torug's pact with staff, 5x Necropotence with jewelry. Any monster set will do, just depends on if you want more damage or more survivability/mobility.

Hope this helps and I'm not jumping the gun with these changes. Based off how it looks on paper though it will be fine.

I will update my original post when it goes live on console after I've had a chance to test things out.

lanzim3

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

@lanzim3

Just a quick update, but based off from the PC patch notes, it may be better to swap netches touch out for necropotence.

no problem bro, i was thinking that u play eso in pc, dont need to be in a rush haha, thanks for the tips.

LadyLethalla

Interesting build - I've been using someone else's "One Bar easy VMA Pet sorc" build (found on YT), which uses 5pc Necro, 4 pc Shadow Dancer (Queen's Elegance has the same bonuses for 4pc, so I swapped it for that instead) and Grothdarr - though I use Infernal Guardian instead simply because it procs off the Ward or Harness Magicka.

I also use the Twilight instead of the Scamp, but mainly for the "oh s**t!" heal... though I might swap that for Crit Surge (which is currently on my back bar - so I can cast that before each fight and IF I get enough time during).

I have completed VMA 10-12 times (lost count) but each time it's a struggle and lag means it's very difficult to get a good run, let alone have any Vitality Bonus left.

I'll wait until after Summerset drops and you've updated this build, then I'll give it a try.


@Lukums1 this might be a "well d'uh" question... but could you please explain why Thick Skinned is better than Bastion? The other person's build I've been using said that more points into Bastion = gives a bigger shield, which of course it will do, but...?

DeadlyPhoenix

@LadyLethalla

I will be updating the build in a couple weeks, however in the meantime I will try to help and clarify a few things.


When summerset drops on console you will be able to run 2 5 piece sets plus a monster set, so I would highly recommend swapping Shadow Dancer for a set that gives a better 5 piece. I wouldn't go with elegant however, because this set only increases damage with your weapon, as to where necropotence or netches touch buff both abilities and your weapon.

Using infernal guardian is a good, viable option for the monster set since we will be keeping hardened ward up as often as possible. It can be helpful and causes your shields to sometimes deal damage as well as absorb it.

Using twilight matriarch and not the familiar is a mistake imo. The familiar does more damage to single targets and has an aoe effect with stun. This build in particular is all about area damage. The more targets it hits, the more chances it's ability has to crit, which will heal you with power surge. If you're using critical surge instead of power surge, only do this if you run spell power pots or another ability that gives you that spell power increase. Otherwise you lose a ton of damage for only about 200 more health per tick. Which will be less if you don't have that 20% more spell damage anyway.

The matriarch can be good in a pinch, but so is your shield. That's what it's there for while your aoes combined with surge heal you back up.

As far as why to go with thick skinned, lukums answer might be different but here is my take. Thick skinned provides resistance to damage over time effects which there are a lot of in vMA. Having this resistance also decreases the damage the shields take from them since I believe they use your resistance values.(Please correct me if I'm wrong) so therefore your shields take less damage so they last longer and if they go down your health isn't effected as much by any dots that are on you.

The larger shield doesn't add a whole lot more damage mitigation with points in bastion either. Only a few thousand depending on how big it was to begin with. Going with thick skinned, you're taking less damage whether you have your shields up or not and let's face it, you should pretty much be spamming your shield anytime it goes down anyway. 6 seconds sometimes isn't enough time and your shield expires anyway.

Main point. If you run familiar and keep aoes down, combined with thick skinned, you should have enough damage and crits to keep you alive through most situations. Use your shield as that "oh, ****!" spell and let your damage heal you back up.

Let me know if you need any help, I'll offer my advice where I can

LadyLethalla

@DeadlyPhoenix Thanks for your response

Actually I meant Power Surge, not Crit... my bad.

I'm certainly looking forward to having 2 x 5pc and a Monster set. And eventually I'd like to drop the pet altogether... but that'll be when I'm much more confident at VMA and am actually improving as opposed to just struggling through it (with much cursing each time).

DeadlyPhoenix

@LadyLethalla

Power surge is essential and needs to be kept up 100% of the time. It is more valuable than hardened ward imo when it comes to vMA simply because if my shield drops, I have no heals coming in at all. Sure if you have 100% uptime on your shield you don't need heals, but in my experience your shield is going to drop at some point no matter what I do and take damage or exhaust my magicka pool. I only emphasize this because you said the following;

LadyLethalla wrote: »

though I might swap that for Crit Surge (which is currently on my back bar - so I can cast that before each fight and IF I get enough time during).

This is why I have it on my front bar. The extra spell damage 100% of the time also helps, but it's mainly because of heals.

However since you do occasionally switch to your back bar, I would slot harness magicka in the same slot your hardened ward is and boundless storm in the same slot as power surge. The extra resistance from this ability helps a lot for survival and also is an additional lightning aoe that procs our sorc passive implosion and benefits from netches touch.

Additionally you can also slot other abilities you use less often on the back bar but keep anything vital on your main bar. That's why I set the front bar up the way I did, because I view the back bar as completely situational and only to be used when I feel I can get away with it. Otherwise why take unnecessary risks


A lot of people say the pet is a crutch, but its free damage either way it goes and a decent amount at that. I mainly use it for the stun though and while there are other stuns, this one does good damage, mitigates damage and stuns. It's two slots but it's worth it imo, for PvE content anyway and somewhat in PvP but thats for another discussion.

I hope I don't sound too lecturing, it's just meant as advice and why I do what I do. Doesn't mean it's the right or only way.

Edit*

Also, don't get discouraged in vMA. It really does come down to knowing the mechanics above anything else. That's another reason I prefer this simple build when I'm doing it, is because since it is so simple I am able to focus on watching things spawn, my footwork, aoes, traps, etc.

I'm not saying you dont already know the mechanics, but knowing which mobs to take out first and how to do it best or when to drop your ultimate and which one, or at what percent a boss does what, etc.... really is a crucial part of vMA especially for flawless runs. I struggled the first year without clearing before I really dug into learning exactly what to do and when. After that it was still a challenge for a while, but now it's second nature. (My first clears were no pet builds as I thought they were a waste of space)

Just keep at it and keep things simple. If it works, just remember the old saying that the grass isn't always greener. Get used to a build and the layout before scrapping for something you think might work better. I realize that applies to my build as well though in both regards

I am sorry for such long posts!!!!!! Truly I am, just get a bit carried away.

stephjs

I love this as I have some very high ping Thank you so much. I am new and low level so I was wondering what passives I should get? I have not unlocked surge yet and find myself struggling a little should I choose the clanfear morph to up my survivability?

DeadlyPhoenix

stephjs wrote: »

I love this as I have some very high ping Thank you so much. I am new and low level so I was wondering what passives I should get? I have not unlocked surge yet and find myself struggling a little should I choose the clanfear morph to up my survivability?

@stephjs

You're most welcome

Every passive in this game is pretty much useful and you should strive to acquire as many skill points that you can to purchase them all. Even if you wear 5x light armor and only 1 heavy and medium piece, the extra stats the passives give from heavy and medium that don't require the 5 pieces equipped will help out even if it's only a couple percent difference.

So basically all sorc passives, destruction staff, light armor, heavy armor, medium armor, mages guild, fighters guild, undaunted, and racial. Just only worry about getting the passives that will work for you though. Like for instance in fighters guild passives there is one that increases damage for each fighters guild ability slotted. If you dont use any abilities from the fighters guild then it would be a waste to put points into it.

As for the clanfear, I wouldn't recommend it. It doesn't tank anything or hold aggro like you would expect and you sacrifice damage.

Since you're new and low level the game will be a bit difficult for you since you dont have access to champion points yet. It's been over 4 years since I've had to deal with this so all I can really tell you is to be careful not to pull too much. Also if you slot additional skills on your bar from the lightning sorc skill tree, the one surge is under, you will gain exp in that skill line quicker so you will unlock it sooner.

You've got a long way to go, gathering skill points from skyshards or quests is what I would recommend focusing on as they're going to be the most beneficial thing to you for passives.

Let me know if you need any more advice, I'm happy to help.

Also what platform are you on? If you're on ps4 NA I can help you out next time I am on.

*Edit
Just a thought. For now it would be a good idea for you to slot Crystal frags and use the passive that restores health from damage done from abilities in that tree. It should help a bit for survivability since it's an early heal and does good damage. Go with the Crystal frags, the one that becomes instant occasionally when casting any magicka ability.

stephjs

Thank you! I will follow your advice I have the page book marked. I am on NA servers too.

DeadlyPhoenix

@LadyLethalla @stephjs @lanzim3

I've had a chance to test things out on a target dummy so I've updated the build. I haven't ran it through vMA yet personally but it will still work the same.

I discovered that Necropotence is the better option of the two because it adds nearly 8k more magicka at the cost of only 201 dps on a target dummy. Netches Touch adds more crit chance, but under 4% more. The higher resource pool and better shields outweigh it imo.

I was using a single bar, with inner light, power surge, elemental blockade, hardened ward, volatile familiar and suppression field. 5x torug's with staff and 2x ilambris. (Yes I could have dropped hardened ward for something else, but I wanted to keep it so I didn't cheese numbers that I wouldn't normally obtain in vMA.)

Necropotence did 19108.9 dps in 2m 37s. Netches did 19309.9 dps in 2m 36s.

This was done using heavy attacks primarily with only a few light attacks when needed. No animation canceling or bar swapping was done. 19k for a single bar is good damage in my opinion especially when it allows you to focus on what's going on around you more rather than your skills. This is easy to maintain in vMA unlike most builds that cause your dps to drop significantly when you have to actually fight something that fights back.

I updated my original post with this information as well.

LadyLethalla

@DeadlyPhoenix Thanks for the update. I got cable broadband yesterday - it's not fibre but it seems to be faster than ADSL - so I'm looking forward to trying VMA tomorrow and seeing how much I suck

DeadlyPhoenix

LadyLethalla wrote: »

@DeadlyPhoenix Thanks for the update. I got cable broadband yesterday - it's not fibre but it seems to be faster than ADSL - so I'm looking forward to trying VMA tomorrow and seeing how much I suck

@LadyLethalla I'm glad to hear you upgraded your internet it should definitely help out, though the game itself is still laggy at times

Let me know how it goes for you and if you use this build! If you need any advice on a specific stage, feel free to ask!

DeadlyPhoenix

Had a chance to test the build out in vMA just now. Was able to get flawless without using sigils, animation canceling or swapping bars once.

I am not bragging, I've just only done flawless twice before and both times using sigils. I also did not win any speed run awards as it did take a while, but I followed mechanics instead of just simply trying to burn bosses down as quick as I could.

I was able to complete it without sigils using 5x necro 5x Torug 2x ilambris, hardened ward, power surge, elemental blockade, crushing shock, volatile familiar and suppression field only. Crushing shock was slotted for distanced interrupts.

All stats were set as described in the build above and I used the optional warrior CP setup. I did however, have all legendary gear and enchants except my necro jewels were only purple. Its a slight boost overall and can be done without, but I'd suggest most people take advantage of the sigils especially if they aren't running full legendary.

Again, knowing the mechanics goes a long way. Make a simple mistake at the wrong time can be catastrophic to a flawless run. I made a few mistakes, but luckily since my magicka bar was almost always full, I was able to spam my abilities in dire situations and still have plenty of magicka left over without fear of running out. I didn't even use a single trash magicka potion the entire run.

I pushed myself to make it as challenging as possible using this build. I didn't think to set my ps4 recordings up to save the last hour, so I was only able to record the last round pretty much. If anyone is interested though I will run it again with the proper video capture settings and post a full run video using this build. (Which was the intent in the first place. That's what I get for not checking the settings. I'll get around to it again in a couple days.)

LadyLethalla

@DeadlyPhoenix Grats on the Flawless... I think it's out of my league, because now that my internet is better (than it was... still nothing like most non-Australians enjoy) I haven't seemed to improve at all. I've completed VMA 11-12 times now, but I'm thinking that because I have old person crap reflexes, I'm never going to get better at it.

I can get through the first 4 arenas with no deaths (unless I'm careless); I can (usually) get through the first rounds of stage 5 with no deaths. Then I hit the boss round. The main issue for me is when I get to the second island (with the heal sigil). When the adds spawn, I can't seem to stay alive no matter what I do.... except for the one odd round where RNG seems to be on my side. If I can get to the third island, I can usually finish that stage.
The average number of attempts seems to be about 10 for me, which is disheartening.

Any specific advice? Even if I use the heal sigil and pop an Immov pot when the adds spawn, I seem to be getting hit with everything at once - feared, upper cut, shots from the Chillbane and Nereid and trying to deal with the troll.

Then there's round 7... seem to have the same issue with regards to getting hit by adds and things like the boss' Bite at the same time. Plus the damn poison plants. But that's RNG of course.
Those two are the rounds I still have the most trouble on, but I'd say stage 5 is the one I need to improve on, most, atm.

Thanks in advance

DeadlyPhoenix

LadyLethalla wrote: »

@DeadlyPhoenix Grats on the Flawless... I think it's out of my league, because now that my internet is better (than it was... still nothing like most non-Australians enjoy) I haven't seemed to improve at all. I've completed VMA 11-12 times now, but I'm thinking that because I have old person crap reflexes, I'm never going to get better at it.

I can get through the first 4 arenas with no deaths (unless I'm careless); I can (usually) get through the first rounds of stage 5 with no deaths. Then I hit the boss round. The main issue for me is when I get to the second island (with the heal sigil). When the adds spawn, I can't seem to stay alive no matter what I do.... except for the one odd round where RNG seems to be on my side. If I can get to the third island, I can usually finish that stage.
The average number of attempts seems to be about 10 for me, which is disheartening.

Any specific advice? Even if I use the heal sigil and pop an Immov pot when the adds spawn, I seem to be getting hit with everything at once - feared, upper cut, shots from the Chillbane and Nereid and trying to deal with the troll.

Then there's round 7... seem to have the same issue with regards to getting hit by adds and things like the boss' Bite at the same time. Plus the damn poison plants. But that's RNG of course.
Those two are the rounds I still have the most trouble on, but I'd say stage 5 is the one I need to improve on, most, atm.

Thanks in advance

@LadyLethalla

Stage 5 and 7 boss rounds are by far my hardest stages as well. I was actually shocked that I completed stage 5 without sigils because I've never done that before. Stage 7 I have but only because I was too distracted with everything going on to attempt to get near them with the spores.

As to stage 5, it does come a bit down to RNG and when the troll spawns. All adds should be dealt with first before worrying about the boss. Kill them on the first island, then dps her down. When she does a red area effect that shoots out around her, you know she is about to break the platform. When this happens move immediately to the second island and cast your blockade in the direction of the first island once you are safe. If a troll spawns, ignore it until it gets to whichever island and starts bashing. I slot crushing shock for this stage to interrupt the troll. Don't need to do much damage just keep it stunned until the neried is dead. Then heavy attack it to send your pet after it. By the time you get the neried down the adds for the second island should be showing up. Cast your blockade on them and shield like crazy, moving around to keep things that stun away from you. You'll have to keep switching focus between the adds and the trolls, but always let your pet, crushing shock and heavy attack kill the trolls while blockade damages the adds. Once everything is dead, move back to the boss.

When she does the red area effect move to the third island, cast blockade toward the second and get ready to shield like crazy. When the adds spawn ignore them until the neried is dead, then put blockade on the adds. Save your ultimate for the final platform and use it in a location to hit the adds and boss simultaneously, targetting the adds with your lightning staff. You won't have a lot of time to heavy attack in this phase, but you will still need to spam your lightning staff in between shields and buffs. I would also recommend grabbing the shield and damage sigils when you first come to the final platform and the other two to survive the second. The first two don't help much though if you try to get them while being targeted and hit. Hope this helps with this stage, let me know if you need any further help or explaining.

Stage 7 is tough mainly because of those blasted spores... but the best things you can do is only kill one mender when they appear and stay in the second ones shield while the boss screams. Your pet will die, so be sure to resummon him before the boss finishes screaming and then kill the mender immediately. Once again this is a fight where you need to handle the adds before you worry about the boss. The good thing about this fight is it's not timed. There is nothing that's going to kill you if you don't beat him in a certain amount of time, so take your time, watch your feet and kill the spore summoner when she pops up. However if she spawns on the opposite side of the map when the boss starts his scream, either wait in the menders bubble and let his scream kill her, or disrupt the boss if a spore is blocking access to the menders bubble. This way you don't die, then immediately kill the spore summoner then the mender and start dodging the boss and spores again. Just have patience in this boss and don't worry about burning him down too fast.

Just keep at it and you will get better. This advice is also mainly for if you're using my build as well. It will change based on your build, but the idea is still the same. I completed vMA probably 20x before my first flawless and I did so using a lot of sigils. Now stages 5 and 7 are the only places I die besides if I get cocky or distracted. Keep up the good work though and you'll surely get flawless! Also, going with the intent of solely getting flawless seems to prevent you from getting it lol...

Edit*

Also note that on stage 5 a lot of the time you will be stuck spamming your shield and letting your familiar and blockade do the killing for you. Shouldn't have a problem with running out of magicka though if you're using this build.

LadyLethalla

@DeadlyPhoenix Thanks for the tips. I think I need to concentrate on burning down that first Nereid, then as you say, drop Blockade toward the second add spawns. I hadn't changed from Elegance set, but I think I still have some Torug's pieces I crafted for another toon ages ago, so I'm going to check that tonight.

I have a weird kind of love/hate relationship with VMA... I read about some different method/gear/whatever on a different class character then I want to go in and try it but at the same time I'm thinking, am I really going to put myself through that again? If it's hard with a magsorc...

DeadlyPhoenix

@LadyLethalla

Happy to help in any way I can. Yes, I always focus the nerieds down first. Depending on when the troll and adds spawn, I might kill the adds first it just depends. It's really situational on when the troll spawns.

I really wish I had recorded my whole arena run the first time, so I could show you the build in action and how to handle certain stages with it. Unfortunately now though, I am without internet due to hard times and won't be able to get back on for another month or two. I got one week of Summerset at least before I lost internet though

However I really would recommend you trying this build out in its entirety. That's not just me trying to promote my own build either. I have legitimately tried almost every magsorc meta when dealing with vMA and this build, has been by far the easiest I've completed it on. It could partially be that I am just better at vMA now than I used to be, but it really does seem like I have more time to pay attention instead of worrying about proper rotation and optimal dps.

It really isn't all that expensive to acquire either, especially if you already have the mats available to make torugs and have necro jewelry. The double infused from weapon and torug's makes the lightning enchant hit extremely hard.... You could even carry two torug's pact infused staves with different enchants for different stages. Like lightning for some and the one that damages daedra for the other.

As to using other classes, I've heard magsorc is the easiest, but I've only got a max magplar and max magsorc so can't help you there. My magplar has only beat vMA once and I don't really play him at all anymore. It was more challenging than my first clear with my magsorc though. I'd recommend using one class, one build, one setup so that you get comfortable with it and it becomes second nature. Again, it allows you to focus more on what's going on around you, rather than having to think about your characters abilities and such.

Most people want to rush through vMA and do it as fast as they can, burning everything down. I was one of these people originally. However speed is irrelevant unless you're going for leaderboard scores. Just take it slow and watch what's going on around you. I have no doubt that you can get flawless especially since you've already beaten it 10+ times and we both struggle on the same stages.

Again, sorry for the extremely long post haha. I'm also sorry if it seems like I'm trying to push my build on you. I just think it might really help you out and at least if you don't care for it, it isn't a huge hit on your wallet.

Edit*

Also keep in mind that I have almost every skill point unlocked on my magsorc and every skill line maxed out. I use all passives that benefit me, including heavy and medium armor passives, except for the ones that require the 5 piece set. All fighters guild, mages guild, sorc skill line passives, undaunted, etc I have taken to give my character the best chances. As long as it benefits me in some way, I'll take it no matter how small a boost it may seem.

LadyLethalla

@DeadlyPhoenix I've /played my magsorc for 30+ days so yes he has everything unlocked. The only thing I need, gear wise, is a different weight head & shoulder, since I decided on a heavy chest. Thus far, RNGesus has not been kind with Undaunted keys
Alternative of course is to wait until that dungeon is a pledge.
And yes I usually take 2 staves and swap per round, one with the Prismatic enchant. Probably should do the same.