Templar build - want feedback on skill setup

Tabris93

I've created a Nord Stamplar 2H DPS character to prepare for Greymoor. I will use the character for PvE questing and group dungeons. I want to focus more on grouping with this char, but only for PvE so far. As of now I'm L21, but working towards getting my levels up.

I have found a skill set-up that I really like, and I am reluctant to change it. Therefore, I put most of my new skill points into passives and crafting. But I am not familiar with the Templar for when it comes to effective builds, so there might be other skills/comboes that are more effecient than what I'm using.

My setup as of now is:

1 - Binding Javelin II (Aedric Spear)
2 - Stampede II (Two-Handed)

3 - Biting Jabs II (Aedric Spear)
4 - Wrecking Blow II (Two-Handed)

5 - Breath of LIfe I

U - Empowering Sweep I

All my Aedric Spear skills are now stamina-based. I've kept the healing spell for magicka. Seeing as that is the only magicka-based spell I use, that means I never have the problem of running out of magicka without having to put points into it or enchant for it. Therefore, my healing spell is always avilalabe when I am in a pinch.

I approach the enemy with 1 and 2, and find 3 & 4 combined with regular light attacks very effective. I am only clad in Medium armour and enchant for stamina and stamina recovery every chance I get.

Any comments to my build? Any changes I should do in skill set-up that would be more effective?

Raudgrani

I don't run 2H but DW, but could just as well go 2H.

Skills I use

DW Bar
Biting Jabs - Power of the Light - Turn Evil/Whirling Blades/Deadly Cloak (flex slot) - Camo Hunter - Barbed Trap. Ulti: Flawless Dawnbreaker

Bow bar
Endless Hail - Ritual of Retribution - Repentance - Restoring Focus - Vigor (flex slot, really). Ulti: Empowering Sweep

I run Warmachine, Deadly Strike and Grundwulf or Selene, so I'm kind of spamming Empowering Sweep because of Warmachine (I don't have "Lokke", and most often play with guys not really giving my anything to synergize anyway).

Don't know how you play really, but skills look at bit "off" to me for PVE: I would drop Binding Javelin and Stampede (like two gapclosers? For what really in PVE?), also if you go stamplar you should probably not use BoL, but Vigor. You can use Echoing Vigor if you want to help heal others, I think it would be well enough for a Templar.

"Rotationwise" I simply go like: POTL, Ritual, Endless, Barbed and Jabs until it's time to refresh Endless and Ritual. Listen for POTL to explode, and refresh directly afterwards. Light attack weaving all the time, it makes a lot of ultimate for Empowering Sweep; you can almost have a constant uptime if you LA weave and use POTL well.

I'm not a "dummy crusher", so I don't know exactly which order of skills are best to use, but I'm doing well with this one (also a Nord btw.). If things get hairy, or for lenghts of time when you can't use Repentance (i.e bosses), use Restoring Focus (and Turn Evil if you use it) for recovery and mitigation. You'll have like 26k resistances in Medium armor on a Nord, more or less like a bad or unbuffed tank. You will be able to avoid a lot of wipes with Vigor/Retribution/Focus. ;-)

FrancisCrawford

If you're Level 21, you should have two skill bars. Period.

As for using magicka -- both morphs of Soul Trap are now pretty good.

Raudgrani

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

If you're Level 21, you should have two skill bars. Period.

As for using magicka -- both morphs of Soul Trap are now pretty good.

Yes, and Consuming Trap and Restoring Focus would mean like infinte sustain in most scenarios too.

Tabris93

To be honest, I've never used the second skill barns - for any character. I will have to do that with this one, to get anywhere in grouping. I will have to read up on how to use it and how to spec it right.

The second bar should usually be a bow? So any ranged attacks on the second bar and then switch to the first with melee attacks when they get close? Sounds stressful and like a lot to remember, but I guess it's easy enough to get into once you're used to it.

Raudgrani

Tabris93 wrote: »

To be honest, I've never used the second skill barns - for any character. I will have to do that with this one, to get anywhere in grouping. I will have to read up on how to use it and how to spec it right.

The second bar should usually be a bow? So any ranged attacks on the second bar and then switch to the first with melee attacks when they get close? Sounds stressful and like a lot to remember, but I guess it's easy enough to get into once you're used to it.

You will learn. It's pretty essential. With my setup, you can use almost only Endless Hail and Ritual of Retribution, maybe "suck it up" with Repentance after each trash mob encounter, and stay on that bar until next encounter where you start with Ritual/Endless anyway.
Bot these skills have some 12 and 14 second duration, and it's not ABSOLUTELY essential that they are down 100% of the time either to be honest. Activate them as you encounter a mob, and make them stay in the AOE are - and basically just spam Jabs and POTL. I don't think you can find a much easier rotation for PVE than this, except perhaps some heavy attack petsorc build.

When I use Grundwulf, I don't have to use either Repentance nor Restoring Focus for the sustain. Just use when needed, and you'll have less skills to think of. Until you can get any real sets, Consuming Trap is awesome for sustain.

Tabris93

I'm not sure how many of the skills you use I have access to, but I will give your set-up a go - or as close to it as I can get.

I will have to see how it works in practice, though. With trash mobs you only get seconds, at best, before they are close to you, so not sure how much use I will get of the bow bar before having to switch.

Edit: Ah, I see. The second bar can have one skill for bow and then the rest for buff and heal. So bow attach, bow skill and buff first, switch to melee and switch back when/if more heal/buff is necessary.

Will the designated healer in the group be offended/annoyed if I also heal myself?

Raudgrani

Oh, if you get your hands on Agility jewelry, and have someone craft you like Hudings Rage and Nightmother's Gaze or Eternal Hunt (if you still have sustain issues), you will tear through overland trash mobs like a red hot knife through butter, even below lvl 30. Just try and see! Made it for my son way back, and he smashed through anything before champion level using that.
Jabs is good AOE damage, so until you get Endless Hail and such ready, you would still be fit for most things overland content has to offer, minus soloing worldbosses perhaps.

Everest_Lionheart

Tabris93 wrote: »

To be honest, I've never used the second skill barns - for any character. I will have to do that with this one, to get anywhere in grouping. I will have to read up on how to use it and how to spec it right.

The second bar should usually be a bow? So any ranged attacks on the second bar and then switch to the first with melee attacks when they get close? Sounds stressful and like a lot to remember, but I guess it's easy enough to get into once you're used to it.

I run a ton of solo stuff including 4 man dungeons. What I have is a bar for trash fights and a bar for boss fights. For trash it’s mainly full of AOE. This is mainly my back bar, I don’t even use it for overland unless I’m farming zombies or dolemans.

My main bar I use extra sustain and buffs and less AOE. This is mainly used for boss fights though I still cycle to that second bar to get some AOE’s like Ritual of Retribution and Solar Barrage for the bosses with adds. As long as I’m standing in my rune casting sweeps o do t even have to worry about adds because the AOE will kill them.

So it’s fine to have a bread and butter bar, but you will get so much more out of your DPS if you can switch to it and maintain extra buffs or AOE depending how you set it up.

Now I am magicka running double destro staff but weapons matter less. Look for skills that return your main pool magicka or stam. Bonus if that skill is a passive skill like channel focus or restoring focus because you will return rss, gain extra resistance plus bonus resistance if you stand in the rune.

Your choice of 2H gives you some strong melee skills so weigh those against the actual Templar skills. The Templar skills themselves seem to work better as magicka however the 2H skills give you quite a nasty toolkit as well. But learn to use two bars if you can even if you feel more comfortable using just the one. Practice on public dungeon bosses at first to get a feel without the high risk. It’s better real world experience than a practice dummy.

None of what you do to a stationary target that doesn’t fight back translates other than the rhythmic pressing of buttons. Static rotation goes out the window when you start soloing the bigger stuff. Sometimes you’ll need to roll dodge into an interrupt, hit a spammable, sidestep an enemy AOE while bar swapping to drop a powerful AOE, activate a shield, bar swap again while roll dodging, throw up a rune and finally spam some more jabs. Solo some DLC world bosses and you will see the need for regular bar swaps. Even some regular world bosses require switches. Proper setup with good bar swap pushed your DPS to levels where you can skip certain mechanics too. Mostly because on the multi boss fights you can eliminate one of them in a few seconds.

Anyway practice, and don’t be afraid to die. Dying is part of the game, it’s one of the first things you do anyway, that’s what the whole main story line is about! 😆

MartiniDaniels

Tabris93 wrote: »

To be honest, I've never used the second skill barns - for any character. I will have to do that with this one, to get anywhere in grouping. I will have to read up on how to use it and how to spec it right.

The second bar should usually be a bow? So any ranged attacks on the second bar and then switch to the first with melee attacks when they get close? Sounds stressful and like a lot to remember, but I guess it's easy enough to get into once you're used to it.

Back bar have huge advantages... first of all you can cancel almost any animation instantly by using bar swap and ESO is all about animation cancelling, if you are playing to go to group content.
Generally, there is main bar where you concentrate damage abilities and back bar is used for utility and buffs.

Tabris93

Thanks, guys!

I'm going for this build:

https://alcasthq.com/eso-stamina-templar-2h-build-pve/

But I haven't gotten all the skills unlocked yet, so I'm working on that now. Got my second skill bar up with Bow, Endless Hail, Solar Flare and some heal and buff. I am slowly swapping skills on both bars out as I get the ones in that link.