Maximizing Single Target DPS for a Destruction Staff DK

agabahmeatshieldb14_ESO · August 2014

I've recently started running Trials with my guild, and we're having issues with the third boss in AA due to low DPS (our guild is casual).

I'd like to do my part and try to improve, so I wanted to ask some of the other DKs out there how they maximize their single target DPS for fights like Varlariel in Aetherian Archives. My DPS is awesome for AoE fights; I have no problem with that. However, as soon as I get into a fight where I don't have large groups to AE, my DPS becomes less than spectacular.

My setup:

My DK is an Orc, which isn't optimal, I know, but I chose it mainly for tanking and out of personal preference. All 49 stat points in Health, but my Magicka hits soft cap with food.

Inferno Staff (Precise trait), 7 pieces Light Armor, 5 Warlock and 5 Seducer. Spell Cost Reduction enchants on both rings, and swappable necklaces with Spellpower, Resists, etc. based on the encounter. All my armor and weapons are purple or gold quality, and I've got a Magicka Absorb enchant on my staff.

*edit* Oh, and I've been using potions, Panacea of Spellpower, the ones that add Spell Crit, Spell Power, and Magicka Regen.

I've been relying mostly on Crushing Shock, Igneous Weapons, and Inner Light for my single target bar, and trying to weave Light Attacks with Crushing Shock. I tend to get between 500-700 DPS with this setup. I've tried putting in different combinations of skills like Unstable Flame, Engulfing Flames, and Spell Symmetry, but haven't noticed any of these adding to my DPS in particular.

Any advice from Trials veterans? Am I better off using Elemental Ring even in single target fights? Is there any way I can push my single target DPS up to the 800-900 range with a Destruction staff and Light Armor, or could I hit that target with a Resto staff? Any comments would be welcome.

Zsymon · August 2014

If I were you, I'd give Molten Whip a try, I've seen DK's pull a lot of single target dps with that skill. It does good damage, and it's extremely cheap especially with spell cost reduction gear. Keep up Unstable Flame and Engulfing Flames, and spam Molten Whip inbetween until it's time to recast them, it should be very good dps.

All those skills improve eachother's damage as well.

That's what you do, if you want single target dps, you use single target skills.

Tankqull · August 2014

thats what i´m using
slots 4 and 5 are optional slots if no one else covers those abilitys [options are skilled aswell but not slottet in that version] as maximizing your dmg not neccessarily means maximizing your grp dmg

how to: apply dots while weaving light attacks -> weave light and molten whip -> refresh dots when needed untilt you need to stay out of range shock is a dmg sink so try to avoid it.

edit: skill correction forgot mage light

Armitas · August 2014

My DPS is still far far below other DKS but I am able to get 1k on the boss fights using the following. This will let you pass the dps check but I have no idea how people are getting the reported 1.6k damage. I know it involved scalding rune, which was recently fixed because there was a damage bug so that may no longer be possible.

I am using halfheavy attack weaving with this rotation
hHeavy - Engulfing flame
hHeavy - Unstable Flame
hHeavy - Crushing Shock until the prior dots need refreshing.

I am using the light armor seducer with 3 jewelry and 2 heavy armor pieces form the soulshine set for the added spell damage and crit. My jewelry has weapon damage on it because crushing shock scales of weapon damage and not spell damage. It could be that molten whip instead of crushing shock would be more damage by using spell damage rings so that everything can benefit from the spell damage but I don't have the resources to try it. Crushing shock and weapon power is not a loss though because it hits for around 800, guarantees that burning will stay on (along with shock/frost), and the added weapon power from the rings goes to the weaving attacks and crushing shock. [Update. After checking my damage log and seeing that most of my damage came from weapon damage sources I replaced my two heavy armor pieces form the soulshine set for 2 light armor pieces from the "elegance" set. 2 pieces from that set gives me ~14weapon damage. ]

Supplemental skills
Flawless dawnbreaker on my dps bar (banner on 2nd bar)
Molten weapons on my second bar
Inner Light
Spell symmetry if I run out of magicka.
Elemental drain for magicka return and penetration

(The thought behind the build is to stack damage on each second by using fire-and-forget dots to tick underneath a main damage rotation like crushing shock or molten whip. So each time your main damager hits, two dots also hit.)

Also with crushing shock guaranteeing a burning effect you can run a poison enchant on your weapon so that you can get burning and poison dots ticking behind your DK skill dots.

agabahmeatshieldb14_ESO · August 2014

Thank you all for the responses, that's useful. I'll give the Engulfing Flames, Unstable Flame, Molten Whip combo a try.

Now if only they'd add the ability to respec a single morph so I didn't have to do a full respec to change from Flame Lash to Molten Whip...

RazorRex · August 2014

Magelight from the Mage guild might be worth checking out.

Hypertionb14_ESO · August 2014

4 key skills for attacking

Unstable Flame.
Engulfing Flames
Molten Whip
Flames of Oblivion

Those are the primary go to for DK DPS... they are all close ranged but the 2 strong DOTs and Molten Whips good crit power are usually the primary Damage source..

Always have Inner Light active.
Use Standard of Might
Use a Restoration Staff for the 10% damage passive.
if you have to use a Destro Staff, Use Unstable wall of fire instead of Flames of oblivion.

the key to most DK dps setups is stacking those various Fire DOTs.. which with DK passives hit quite hard on their own.

Other methoid common, Destro staff using Crushing shock instead of Molten Whip, and Using Flawless Dawnbreaker for the weapon damage bonus.. tho that Destro and Dawnbreaker combo is quite universal for any mage character reguardless of class... Even Templar can hold GREAT dps with that setup. (and Vampires bane having the advantage of long rage)

B_Mo · September 2014

I have a Dunmer DK Molten Monk setup. I have always been more of a caster, but check out my setup/combos. Works great for me. I guess some people will still argue against the whip now. But I simply "like" the skill so I still use it.

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/130238/molten-monk-dk-fire-resto-staff-build#latest

xMovingTarget · September 2014

http://youtu.be/2KvRJnDxA1Q

This.

This screenshot explains it all

First boss 2044 DPS

Second Boss 1685 DPS

Same setup as in the Video. Build and gearsetup is in the video description.

Molten whip isnt any good when you go on a magicka spell build. Molten whips scales its crit with weapon crit. And as caster you dont have that much of it. So it almost never crits.

Molten Whip hits for like 500 non crit and adds no dots. Scalding Rune scales off spell crit. for me it almost crits everytime. Plus it adds another dot that pushes your dps even further.
Scalding rune for me crits with ~950 Damage in a raid environment. I dont know why anybody would use Molten whip over that.

Another thing why the rune is that good. The last Mage Guild passive called "Might of the guild" adds 20% more damage to the next spell. It boosts up the damage of unstable flame when you use it right after.
With my setup i run good dps. Heres like an average i do in AA per Boss with it

1st : 1.9k DPS
2nd: 1.5k DPS
3rd: 1.3k DPS
4th: 1.2k DPS

Scalding Rune builds can get a bit tricky with Light attack weaving. But if you master it, this build is absolute crazy with damage.

Hope this helps

btw, i am going to make a newer and updated version of this build. The main DPS bar is still the same!

Tankqull · September 2014

deoending on the boss you don´t even have to use multiple skills as a DK^^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRjfluIqXMo

xMovingTarget · September 2014

tankqullb16_ESO wrote: »

deoending on the boss you don´t even have to use multiple skills as a DK^^
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRjfluIqXMo

Hey, thats me

B_Mo · September 2014

That build looks pretty sweet for PvE bosses and max DPS, I'll give it a try. I would Imagine its not great in PvP though right?

xMovingTarget · September 2014

Not at all

Thats pve only. For PvP(if i even pvp) i just use Syphers setup. you can just google it

Armitas · September 2014

Hypertionb14_ESO wrote: »

4 key skills for attacking

Unstable Flame.
Engulfing Flames
Molten Whip
Flames of Oblivion

Would love to use flames of oblivion but how do you overcome the 0magicka recovery that results from the skill?

Tankqull · September 2014

B_Mo wrote: »

That build looks pretty sweet for PvE bosses and max DPS, I'll give it a try. I would Imagine its not great in PvP though right?

fragmented shield is absolutly awesome in coordinated grp pvp. its the only ability(beside sorc blink) able to hit 36 enemys instead of 6... generating a dps of 14k++ vs ~2k of every one else

MissTreated · October 2014

wondering what gear sets people recommend for a dress DK