Build Discussion - Multiple Toons

mursie

Hi Friends,
I’d like to share my builds with the community to get feedback and constructive criticism on how to improve.

Background: I play entirely no-CP pvp in both BG’s and Sotha Sil. As a result, my builds tend to focus on recovery because of the diminished state of those stats in no-CP. I also am somewhat stamina biased as this was my first toon and I struggle playing magicka in no-CP campaigns.

Stamblade: 2h/DW and 2h/Bow (both 5-1-1 medium) woodelf
The stamblade feels like it requires the 2h as it is the only reliable way to access major brutality via forward momentum and rally. I prefer a brawler playstyle but I admit that the stamblade struggles in ball group bg’s where aoe is extremely prevalent.

2h/DW build: Valkyn Skoria / Bone Pirate / Viper Battle Axe / Master’s DW axes

2h bar: carve / relentless focus / forward momentum / cloak / leeching strikes / incap

DW bar: surprise attack / steel tornado / mass hysteria / rending slashes / vigor / dawnbreaker

Notes: leeching strikes is a flex spot. I love steel tornado in a dodge roll heavy meta and against cloaks. DW attacks seem extremely fluid and forward momentum is amazing. Valkyn due to the significant amount of dots I put on target via axe bleeds, rending bleed, viper, and carve. I like that viper is basically a guaranteed proc. When I carve you – you will get the viper proc. Makes the back bar feel less RNG and more consistent.

2h/Bow build: Valkyn Skoria / Bone Pirate / Sheer Venom Battle Axe / Master’s Bow

2h bar: surprise attack / reverse slice / forward momentum / crit rush / flex / incap

Bow bar: draining shot / poison inject / relentless focus / cloak / vigor / barrier

This build has great synergy with master’s bow and sheer venom. You can place poison inject on target while SV is not active, then swap to 2h front bar SV and the dot will activate the proc. Again, it feels “guaranteed” and not like an RNG proc. A lot of pressure dmg and dots making Valkyn proc like crazy. This build feels good for open world where you can gank but somewhat clunky in BG’s.

StamDK: 2h/dw 5-1-1 medium redguard
The StamDK is a great brawler class. With one of the best CC’s in the game (fossilize) and access to some great immunities via Wings, I love this class.

2h/dw build: Thurvokun / Bone Pirate / Prisoners battle axe / master’s DW axes

2h bar: noxious breath / wings / forward momentum / fragmented shield / volatile armor / temporal guard

Dw bar: venomous claw / steel tornado / fossilize / rending slash / vigor / leap

I’m a big prisoner’s fan for the reduction in sprint cost (helping my mobility tremendously) and the return of magicka needed to rung wings, volatile, fragmented, and fossilize. Thurv is a great brawler set providing minor maim and defile on targets you fight straight up and temporal guard is a great defensive buff when on utility 2h bar.

Magplar healbot: snb/resto (5-1-1 Heavy) argonian
Build: bloodspawn / Impreg / transmutation snb / VMA resto back bar (all sturdy)

Snb bar: honor the dead / mist form / repentance / extended ritual / blazing shard / temporal guard

Resto bar: rapid regen / purifying light / meditate / healing springs / restoring focus / light’s champion

Stamina Warden: snb/dw (5-1-1 medium) redguard
Build: thurvokun / bone pirate / prisoner’s battle axe / master’s dw axes

Snb bar: bird of prey / shimmering shield / reverb / sub assault / ice fortress / permafrost

Dw bar: green lotus / steel tornado / bull netch / rending slash / vigor / dawnbreaker

Bird of prey is a great mobility skill combined with sub assault and prisoner’s to activate from range and close gap to target. From there – a reverb major defile stacked with thurv minor defile into a rending / steel / dawnbreaker is extremely deadly.

Stamina Templar: 2h/dw (5-1-1- medium) redguard
Build: blood spawn / bone pirate / ravager battle axe / masters dw axes

2h bar: jabs / reverse slice / forward momentum / extended ritual / restoring focus / empowered sweeps

Dw bar: javeling / powered light / repentance / rending / vigor / rememberance

I don’t’ have undaunted or fighters guild lvl 10 unlocked yet but would put dawnbreaker on this build when available.

Magdk: snb/resto (5-1-1 light) dark elf
Build: blood spawn / shacklebreaker / burning spell weave snb / VMA resto bar

Snb bar: flame lash / engulfing flames / fossilize / burning embers / cauterize / leap

Resto bar: rapid regen / wings / choking talons / degeneration / volatile armor / light’s champion

Magblade: destro/resto (5-1-1 light) high elf
Build: valkyn / shacklebreaker / spinners destroy / VMA resto bar

Destro bar: swallow soul / flame clench / merciless resolve / cloak / conceal weapon / soul harvest

Resto bar: rapid regen / degeneration / ward / cripple / mass hysteria / light’s champion

Magden: destro/destro (5-1-1 heavy) high elf
Build: blood spawn / winterborn / torug’s pact frost staff / VMA ice staff

Torugs bar: pulse / shimmering / blue betty / mist form / trellis / permafrost

Vma bar: WoE / winters revenge / lotus flower / ice fortress / elemental drain/ permafrost

Stamina sorc: snb/dw (5-1-1 medium) orc
Build: troll king / bone pirate / pirsoner’s snb / masters dw axes

SnB bar: ransack / hurricane / reverb / streak / dark deal / temporal guard

Dw bar: crit surge / steel tornado / bound armaments / rending / vigor / dawnbreaker

Donny_Vito

A lot of information there. Might be best to break it up into different threads, or someone might just pick and choose which one to discuss.

wheem_ESO

mursie wrote: »

Magden: destro/destro (5-1-1 heavy) high elf
Build: blood spawn / winterborn / torug’s pact frost staff / VMA ice staff

Torugs bar: pulse / shimmering / blue betty / mist form / trellis / permafrost

Vma bar: WoE / winters revenge / lotus flower / ice fortress / elemental drain/ permafrost

Since Magicka Warden is all that I've really been playing lately, I'll limit my long-winded response to it.

In my experience, Heavy Armor isn't the way to go for being offensive (lose too much from the passives), and neither is Winterborn. While it has been quite some time since I've tested Winterborn myself, I have seen several other Wardens using it lately, and I wasn't particularly impressed to be honest. There was one incident recently where I got zerged down and had a Winterborn proc in the death recap, and it showed up as a little over 1.8k (even if we assume that I had Major Protection going at the time, which I'm not sure about, that's not particularly impressive for a 5 piece proc).

I also don't find Winter's Revenge or Shimmering Shield to be worth the bar slots, generally speaking. The area of effect is just too small on Winter's Revenge, and the cost is too high for what damage it'll typically do. And while Shimmering Shield is extremely overpowered against many Magicka builds, it's useless against what's really dangerous - Stamina setups. It can be worth switching in if you're in a match with a lot of archers and/or projectile using Magicka builds, but I generally don't feel a need for it at all.

One thing that can be quite hard to do without, in my opinion, is the "Spiderman Heal." You can use either morph, though I like Nature's Embrace for the HOT on myself + target. Not only is it a pretty strong HOT, but it's the only way I can get any real mobility...too bad it relies on teammates to be in a decent position, which is sometimes a bit of a problem.

My gear setup has been Necropotence/Shacklebreaker/Pirate Skeleton for quite some time, with 3x Protective Jewelry since right after I started back playing (about 2 days before Murkmire's release). I've recently tried switching out the Shacklebreaker for Bright-Throat's Boast, and changing drink buff from Witchmother's Potent Brew to Spring-Loaded Infusion. That keeps my Stamina at a decent level, but my Magicka sustain isn't quite what I'd like (even with Atronach Mundus). Switching back to Witchmother's helps a bit on the regen front, but drops my stamina down to < 10k in BGs (missing tri-enchants on small pieces, but even if I changed that it might be a bit low).

For abilities, I typically use:
Lightning Staff:
1) Shock Clench.
2) Elemental Weapon or Screaming Cliff Racer (and very occasionally Force Pulse).
3) Deep Fissure.
4) Harness Magicka.
5) Flex Spot. I've tended to use Bird of Prey over Fetcher Infection lately, since it doesn't cost a global cooldown or any Magicka to get the primary benefit. That said, Fetcher can be a pretty strong DOT, especially if double cast. If there aren't many cleanses going around, it can be worthwhile.
Ultimate: Northern Storm. It's mostly for the +8% Max Magicka while slotted, though it can certainly be useful as a damage/snare Ultimate in the right situation.

Ice Staff:
1) Ice Fortress.
2) Nature's Embrace.
3) Blue Betty.
4) Living Trellis.
5) Wall of Frost.
Ultimate: Healing Thicket. This is what most of my Ultimate tends to actually get spent on, since I'm often a bit split between damage and healing, and try to save teammates if I can.

While I think it'd be neat if you could play a Warden as a full fledged "Ice Mage," the tools that exist right now just aren't good enough. Going beyond Wall of Frost (and maybe Frost Clench/Reach) just doesn't outweigh the opportunity cost, IMO. And any class with the same Ice Staff setup will get essentially the same effectiveness that a Magicka Warden does (they'll lose 6% Frost damage I guess, but considering the amount of Frost damage that you're actually doing, that's negligible). The root procs on Wall of Frost need to be toned down IMO, but again, that's not a problem that's limited to Magicka Wardens.