Lightning Staff vs. Fire Staff

Jakx

I see a lot of people have shifted toward using Lightning Staff over Fire in pvp. What's the reasoning? Easier to heavy attack?

Concussion shouldn't be the reason since staff can't proc it except from heavy attack splash. Shock glyph can be on fire or lightning staves. So whats up with that? Undodgeable?

wheem_ESO

+8% AOE damage instead of +8% single target damage will benefit things like Shalks, Blastbones, and Puncturing Sweeps, as well as allowing you to do something, however minor, against dodge spammers. Plus, Master Lightning Staff with Shock Clench spam is OP, and makes for a far better (albeit shorter range) Magicka spammable than anything else that isn't class specific.

FirmamentOfStars

The question of fire or lightning staff totally depends on the class. A class like magsorc will prefer a fire staff, since their class skills are mostly single target. Meanwhile a class like magplar with jabs has more synergy with a lightning staff, since jabs is aoe.

Normally you can list the classes and their favored staff like this:
Magsorc: Fire staff
Magplar: Lightning staff (except if you like dark flare and soul assault, but thats pretty outdated)
Magden: Can use all three staff types, with access to master staves, lightning master staff is preferred
Magcro: Fire staff except you have a master lightning staff, then take that
Magblade: Fire staff
Magdk: Fire staff

mikemacon

Any shock damage can proc concussion.

So yes, Lightning staff light attacks, heavy attacks, mage’s wrath, the shock component of crushing shock, boundless storm etc., all can proc concussion.

WrathOfInnos

mikemacon wrote: »

Any shock damage can proc concussion.

So yes, Lightning staff light attacks, heavy attacks, mage’s wrath, the shock component of crushing shock, boundless storm etc., all can proc concussion.

Nope, Light and Heavy Attacks are excluded and cannot proc any status effects. They sometimes appear to since they proc enchants, and enchants can proc status effects. If you use no enchant (or something like Absorb Magicka or Berserker) you can spam Light and Heavy attacks and you’ll never cause Burning, Chilled or Concussion (on the primary target).

Athan1

SavageChain wrote: »

The question of fire or lightning staff totally depends on the class. A class like magsorc will prefer a fire staff, since their class skills are mostly single target. Meanwhile a class like magplar with jabs has more synergy with a lightning staff, since jabs is aoe.

Normally you can list the classes and their favored staff like this:
Magsorc: Fire staff
Magplar: Lightning staff (except if you like dark flare and soul assault, but thats pretty outdated)
Magden: Can use all three staff types, with access to master staves, lightning master staff is preferred
Magcro: Fire staff except you have a master lightning staff, then take that
Magblade: Fire staff
Magdk: Fire staff

Very helpful summary. So basically most classes spec for single target except for templars whose skills are mainly aoe.

FirmamentOfStars

Athan1 wrote: »

SavageChain wrote: »

The question of fire or lightning staff totally depends on the class. A class like magsorc will prefer a fire staff, since their class skills are mostly single target. Meanwhile a class like magplar with jabs has more synergy with a lightning staff, since jabs is aoe.

Normally you can list the classes and their favored staff like this:
Magsorc: Fire staff
Magplar: Lightning staff (except if you like dark flare and soul assault, but thats pretty outdated)
Magden: Can use all three staff types, with access to master staves, lightning master staff is preferred
Magcro: Fire staff except you have a master lightning staff, then take that
Magblade: Fire staff
Magdk: Fire staff

Very helpful summary. So basically most classes spec for single target except for templars whose skills are mainly aoe.

Yeah single target is mostly best in PvP to focus down one target quickly, especially on classes built around single target damage.

Recently i have also seen magdks using lightning staves from time to time, because lightning buffs skills like burning talons and deep breath. Addotionally proc sets like grothdarr and overwhelming surge get more and more used recently, both doing aoe damage, so the sets will also profit from the lightning staff.

Maulkin

Athan1 wrote: »

SavageChain wrote: »

The question of fire or lightning staff totally depends on the class. A class like magsorc will prefer a fire staff, since their class skills are mostly single target. Meanwhile a class like magplar with jabs has more synergy with a lightning staff, since jabs is aoe.

Normally you can list the classes and their favored staff like this:
Magsorc: Fire staff
Magplar: Lightning staff (except if you like dark flare and soul assault, but thats pretty outdated)
Magden: Can use all three staff types, with access to master staves, lightning master staff is preferred
Magcro: Fire staff except you have a master lightning staff, then take that
Magblade: Fire staff
Magdk: Fire staff

Very helpful summary. So basically most classes spec for single target except for templars whose skills are mainly aoe.

This thread is necro'ed and outdated. Master staves have been changed with Greymoor and can no longer use Clench as spammable. As a result the use of master lightning staves has diminished and fire meta is reinforced. Also further nerfs to snares and addition of new items that ignore them made frost staves even less desirable.

Currently fire staves are 100% meta in end-game PvE (regardless of class) and meta for 4/6 classes in PvP (exceptions are MagWarden, MagPlar). Lightning is only used by tanks/healers in PvE and those couple of classes mentioned in PvP. Ice is not workable for damage and is exclusively used by PvE tanks and only when they don't feel safe with lightning. In PvP it's a rare alternative to s&b as a tanky backbar options.

Those passives are very badly designed and desperately need changing. It means fire staff sees about 85% use, lighting about 15% with ice staffs less than 1%. It's extremely lopsided. They should just be buffing elemental damage of their own type instead.

Athan1

I agree with the last post. Also no magic damage dps staff, you're forced to use elements. It's a shame

Abstraqt

Idk why necros would use lightning staff, flame clench is their only viable cc

FirmamentOfStars

Abstraqt wrote: »

Idk why necros would use lightning staff, flame clench is their only viable cc

Because blastbones is aoe damage, same goes for graveyard and its synergy.

Btw i still see quite some magdens use master lightning staff in PvP.

Dirt_Rooster

Everyone knows greatsword is the superior choice for any self-respecting magicka player.