Magicka / Class Skill With Non Staves?

Vaerth

Ok, so I am retuning after a couple years. Last I played was on PC and there was no DLC or updates lol. Been a while, but I did pick up a Xbox One X recently and got this game to give it a try again. While I enjoy the game so far, I am still (as I was a couple years ago) bummed about the weapon / class options. I like the use the Magicka class skills. However, I am not very fond of a staff. I have been using one, and it is not terrible, but I prefer to have a melee weapon as a NightBlade lol.

As a NightBlade, with most skills in class skills and other Magicka skills am I kind of locked to a staff? Or do weapons light and heavy attacks NOT scale off Stamina / Magicka? If I run full Magika NightBlade with dual wield would my light attacks be lesser than if I used a staff? I understand that skills under the dual wield tree will scale off stamina, yes, this is just about the light and heavy attacks with a weapon I am hold. If I select Dual Wield or One hand and Shield as a full Magicka user, will I suffer for not using a staff? Again, for only light and heavy attacks not any of the Stamina costing skills.

Sparr0w

Vaerth wrote: »

Ok, so I am retuning after a couple years. Last I played was on PC and there was no DLC or updates lol. Been a while, but I did pick up a Xbox One X recently and got this game to give it a try again. While I enjoy the game so far, I am still (as I was a couple years ago) bummed about the weapon / class options. I like the use the Magicka class skills. However, I am not very fond of a staff. I have been using one, and it is not terrible, but I prefer to have a melee weapon as a NightBlade lol.

As a NightBlade, with most skills in class skills and other Magicka skills am I kind of locked to a staff? Or do weapons light and heavy attacks NOT scale off Stamina / Magicka? If I run full Magika NightBlade with dual wield would my light attacks be lesser than if I used a staff? I understand that skills under the dual wield tree will scale off stamina, yes, this is just about the light and heavy attacks with a weapon I am hold. If I select Dual Wield or One hand and Shield as a full Magicka user, will I suffer for not using a staff? Again, for only light and heavy attacks not any of the Stamina costing skills.

Attacks with weapons (1h/2h/bow/shield) or skills that cost stamina scale off your max stamina & weapon damage. Amplified by your weapon crit, reduced by your lack of physical penetration.

Attacks with staves (fire/shock/ice/resto) or skills that cost magicka scale off your max magicka & spell damage. Amplified by your spell crit, reduced by your lack of spell penetration.

EDIT: To answer the question, yes you would suffer, weapon attacks would deal considerably less damage that light attacks with a staff.

Vaerth

Sparr0w wrote: »

Vaerth wrote: »

Ok, so I am retuning after a couple years. Last I played was on PC and there was no DLC or updates lol. Been a while, but I did pick up a Xbox One X recently and got this game to give it a try again. While I enjoy the game so far, I am still (as I was a couple years ago) bummed about the weapon / class options. I like the use the Magicka class skills. However, I am not very fond of a staff. I have been using one, and it is not terrible, but I prefer to have a melee weapon as a NightBlade lol.

As a NightBlade, with most skills in class skills and other Magicka skills am I kind of locked to a staff? Or do weapons light and heavy attacks NOT scale off Stamina / Magicka? If I run full Magika NightBlade with dual wield would my light attacks be lesser than if I used a staff? I understand that skills under the dual wield tree will scale off stamina, yes, this is just about the light and heavy attacks with a weapon I am hold. If I select Dual Wield or One hand and Shield as a full Magicka user, will I suffer for not using a staff? Again, for only light and heavy attacks not any of the Stamina costing skills.

Attacks with weapons (1h/2h/bow/shield) or skills that cost stamina scale off your max stamina & weapon damage. Amplified by your weapon crit, reduced by your lack of physical penetration.

Attacks with staves (fire/shock/ice/resto) or skills that cost magicka scale off your max magicka & spell damage. Amplified by your spell crit, reduced by your lack of spell penetration.

EDIT: To answer the question, yes you would suffer, weapon attacks would deal considerably less damage that light attacks with a staff.

Damn, that is a shame. I would hear people always running DW on Magicka class for some reason but they must have sucked or didnt know lol. They should have asked! Thank you kindly for the help, I suppose I am rather forced to use a staff if i wish to continue with Magicka skills lol. Frost staff at least makes me feel like I have my "Spectral / Ghost" theme with the cold chill going with the weird energy blades of the NightBlade class skills. I hope ZoS does something to give Magicka users other options one day. With some many unique Magicka skills it feels really lame to lock all those skills to staff only weapons lol.

Thestephenmcraeub17_ESO

Once you reach level 50 in the dual wield skill line, however, you can use the passive skills that give you an extra 2.5% damage output per sword equipped, so running 2 swords gives you 5% more damage. I'm not sure how that compares to the damage received from using light attacks that scale off of your max stat (in the case of a magblade, obviously magicka), but it's something to consider. Also, you get really high spell damage from having two gold swords.

I'm no mathematician, but I believe running two swords on a mag build can still be viable. You'll just have to rely on sustain from something other than heavy attacks, as dual sword heavy attacks will restore stamina instead of magicka.

Checkmath

using duel wiel will guarantee you the best numbers on you class skills, since dual wield and 2h weapons grant you the highest base weapon and spelldamage. so your skills will hit harder with dual wield than with a staff most of the times. but currently do light attacks a big amount of damage. using dual wield will leave you with only small damage on your light attacks, meanwhile with a staff you will hit several times the damage with light attacks compared to the light attacks with two swords.

Vaerth

Thestephenmcraeub17_ESO wrote: »

Once you reach level 50 in the dual wield skill line, however, you can use the passive skills that give you an extra 2.5% damage output per sword equipped, so running 2 swords gives you 5% more damage. I'm not sure how that compares to the damage received from using light attacks that scale off of your max stat (in the case of a magblade, obviously magicka), but it's something to consider. Also, you get really high spell damage from having two gold swords.

I'm no mathematician, but I believe running two swords on a mag build can still be viable. You'll just have to rely on sustain from something other than heavy attacks, as dual sword heavy attacks will restore stamina instead of magicka.

So, pretty much I will do crappy light attack damage with dual wiled as a Magicka user but better damage with skills? As a NightBlade I though perhaps dual wield would be good with Siphoning Attacks. But, since I like class skills the most I have to use Magicka. I know some have morphs to Stamina but not very many. I kind of prefer the whole Shadow / Darkness style magic over the weapon skills.

AcadianPaladin

Generally, magic chars have more options with their class skills but less options with weapons and complain that they don't have much choice in weapon skills. Stamina characters have lots of weapon skill choices and complain they don't have much choice regarding their class skills.

It almost sounds like you might prefer a stamina character. The keys to class skills for stam users are:
- Obviously consider class skills that have a stam morph (doh).
- Consider magic skills with effects that do not scale to your magicka. An example would be a skill that costs magicka but stuns your foe for 5 seconds - period, nothing to scale up based on your magicka. Or a heal that costs magicka but heals you for 33% of your health.

Gnortranermara

DW used to be good on some magicka characters, but not anymore. The light/heavy attack damage you lose is too significant. Unless ZOS introduces a spellsword skill line, we're stuck with staves for now.

There is one exception that I can think of: PvP bombers. If you want to maximize burst, DW might still be best on the bomb bar.

Krayl

On top of the damage you will lose on the light attacks, you will also miss out on not having magicka returned with heavy attacks.

Prior to summerset I ran a DW build on my front bar to proc burning spellweave and had staff on backbar to return magicka. But since SS made light attacks more powerful, and also made staves and other 2h weapons count as two set pieces, it's less viable than it already was.

Bobby_V_Rockit

Why not use some of the newer sets (dropped and crafted) that boost both stam and magicka, mechanical acuity, shacklebreaker, pelinal’s, etc. that way your stats wont be too far behind

Gprime31

Dw resto still works