Should I start a new sorceror (sry I know it's been discussed to death)

psicorpb16_ESO · February 2015

I played sorceror (pets mainly) to V6 then stopped months ago and moved to other rubbish mmos (wildstar,archeage etc) .
Loved eso but got a little bit bored with the vet content.
Returning now and looking forward to 1.6 (have re-subbed) but wondering if the similar style I had is what I should go for, I love playing Aoe dps Magic and have done in every game I've played but been reading forums for a couple of weeks and seen a lot of bad press about Sorceror........ You know what I'm getting at:
I'm mainly a casual PVE player and definitely am not bothered about min/max , but at the Same time I don't want to start again and be at a massive disadvantage because the Mage is not ideal.

So TL:DR. Not played for long time, was Sorceror (Pets , trying for AOE too) , very casual. What should I re-roll for 1.6?

Many Thanks

Reykice · February 2015

While no longer doing as much dps as other classes its still a good class for soloing... on PTS i used the standard VR14 template with the not so good gear they give you to solo the group delves.

I only used about 100-150 Champion points in total and even did one with no champion points(tho i died one to the lovely 14k damage shot the archers do).

Pets are good at taking damage and tanking... some stuff you can only solo if you have extreme healing or mitigation OR a pet to take the hits for you.

Out of all the 3 solo options i find the pet sorcerer the best as you still do maximum damage while also tanky in PVE due to the pets. In places where the NPC`s deal extreme damage you must be careful to resummon the pets when/if they die... they rarely do in normal zone but will do it when hit by multiple NPC`s. You can also shield them if you think its worth it, i didn`t as i never had enough slots for that.

All in all, one of the top contenders for soloing as it can do a lot of dps while also being tanky AND good self healing with Power Surge.(as long as you don`t use too many dots due to the new cooldown)

manny254 · February 2015

Sorc is in a great position most of the complaints are coming from a crowd of people that have never played another class. Not to mention this game is a Elder Scrolls game so it attracts many people who are used to being god like, and when they don't feel god like they complain.

All in all Sorc actually has some of the best sustained magic dps and arguably the best burst magic dps. The grass will always be greener until you get there.

Reykice · February 2015

manny254 wrote: »

Sorc is in a great position most of the complaints are coming from a crowd of people that have never played another class. Not to mention this game is a Elder Scrolls game so it attracts many people who are used to being god like, and when they don't feel god like they complain.

All in all Sorc actually has some of the best sustained magic dps and arguably the best burst magic dps. The grass will always be greener until you get there.

I agree tho the stamina sorc was hit badly by the surge nerf and armor values nerf... if the Surge CD is fixed so it doesn`t use the low damage crits to block the biggers ones... then it will be decent.

As for ranged dps yea its the best right now. Melee does more but its melee so they have less uptime and other problems(like not getting killed)

AshySamurai · February 2015

Dude, roll templar. LoL!

I played sorc only in beta, so I don't think my data about sorcs accurate, but if you like play sorc - just do it.

Vahrokh · February 2015

If what you are after is casual play, soloing delves and similar, and you won't use DoTs, then sorc + pet(s) is going to be a good and survivable choice.

If you want to play at competitive levels, play exclusively DK or Templar, these are the classes that receive fine tuning and are not left abandoned for half a year at a time (like NBs and Sorcs did).

Audigy · February 2015

psicorpb16_ESO wrote: »

I played sorceror (pets mainly) to V6 then stopped months ago and moved to other rubbish mmos (wildstar,archeage etc) .
Loved eso but got a little bit bored with the vet content.
Returning now and looking forward to 1.6 (have re-subbed) but wondering if the similar style I had is what I should go for, I love playing Aoe dps Magic and have done in every game I've played but been reading forums for a couple of weeks and seen a lot of bad press about Sorceror........ You know what I'm getting at:
I'm mainly a casual PVE player and definitely am not bothered about min/max , but at the Same time I don't want to start again and be at a massive disadvantage because the Mage is not ideal.

So TL:DR. Not played for long time, was Sorceror (Pets , trying for AOE too) , very casual. What should I re-roll for 1.6?

Many Thanks

The "downfall of the sorceress" is nothing but Propaganda. Some people min / max every 0.0001% of their char and noticed a weaker side and started to complain.

I play MMOs since so many years and you can always play with every char or spec. Game designers would be pretty silly if they would demand min / maxing. The vast majority of the gamers never look at guides

psicorpb16_ESO · February 2015

Cool , thanks.. Obviously been away so need to learn a few things 'shielding for example'
But from what you all said it still sounds good.
So all in all for a 'noob' like me who really isn't in for competitive play in the long term
my favourite class is still viable.
Thanks a lot guys/girls , will be back with more questions when I get into the new
update.
Looking forward to it all !
Hurry up Update cos I've finished Far Cry 4 an want to get started!

cx

Thanks again..

s7732425ub17_ESO · February 2015

You should never have two characters of the same class. That's just silly. Respeccing is dirt cheap, and it only takes a few hours to fully level up new weapon and skill lines.

But if you don't want to play Sorc, play the other classes. They all seem balanced.

AlnilamE · February 2015

I love my sorc! She is awesome!

Haven't used pets in a while, but I hear they are getting buffed in 1.6.

I did run with her on PTS and she was fine. So really, I don't see why you wouldn't keep running your sorc if that's what you want to do.

s7732425ub17_ESO wrote: »

You should never have two characters of the same class. That's just silly. Respeccing is dirt cheap, and it only takes a few hours to fully level up new weapon and skill lines.

But if you don't want to play Sorc, play the other classes. They all seem balanced.

But what if you want to have two characters of the same class that have different playstyles?

BlueIllyrian · February 2015

Game is going to be fubared due to console release, bugs on top of bugs and cash store having a priortiy and selling "cool" stuff.

So might as well play a gimepd class in a gimped setting.

Flaminir · February 2015

The only real problem with Sorcs comes in high end PvE where they have been a bit 'unbalanced' compared to the other classes for a while, (or for those who don't like pets)...

For general use, and the way you have said you play then yes any class will be just fine so if you liked your pet sorc then stick with it.

In fact this is exactly the build that ZoS is pushing the class towards so you will be in for a treat in 1.6 with the new pet buffing skills.

Folkb · February 2015

I'd finish my sorc if I were you and then roll another class. I personally try to make one of each class, since in MMO's one class may be OP for some time and another is usually at the bottom but that often changes. So your sorc may be OP several months from now, with MMO's you never know.

psicorpb16_ESO · February 2015

Thanks Reykice and Flaminir, the positive response was what I was hoping for , And thank you others too , I'll take the negative on board and see how I go on. As for having 2 of the same class, it's been months since I played my VR6 and I wanted to try the same again from the beginning (it's PVE I love)
Here's hoping it's as much fun the second time around

Flaminir · February 2015

psicorpb16_ESO wrote: »

Thanks Reykice and Flaminir, the positive response was what I was hoping for , And thank you others too , I'll take the negative on board and see how I go on. As for having 2 of the same class, it's been months since I played my VR6 and I wanted to try the same again from the beginning (it's PVE I love)
Here's hoping it's as much fun the second time around

If I was in your position & wanted to experience the PvE again and was dead set on starting another toon I'd suggest the same as one or two others... make it another class... that way you can enjoy the early PvE stuff again, but you've hedged your bets on character choice.

I actually did this with a Templar.... & as much as I love my Sorc (But not pets.... sorry! lol) the Templar is a LOT of fun.... its a great all round class now that is well balanced, and does everything very well.... as things stand you wouldn't be pushed into a niche build at any stage with a Templar, and they are great fun as magicka build/casters!

Grao · February 2015

psicorpb16_ESO wrote: »

I played sorceror (pets mainly) to V6 then stopped months ago and moved to other rubbish mmos (wildstar,archeage etc) .
Loved eso but got a little bit bored with the vet content.
Returning now and looking forward to 1.6 (have re-subbed) but wondering if the similar style I had is what I should go for, I love playing Aoe dps Magic and have done in every game I've played but been reading forums for a couple of weeks and seen a lot of bad press about Sorceror........ You know what I'm getting at:
I'm mainly a casual PVE player and definitely am not bothered about min/max , but at the Same time I don't want to start again and be at a massive disadvantage because the Mage is not ideal.

So TL:DR. Not played for long time, was Sorceror (Pets , trying for AOE too) , very casual. What should I re-roll for 1.6?

Many Thanks

The simple answer is no, it doesn't really matter if you love your pets when everyone else hates them. Pets are inconvenient and dangerous in raids, so if you are interested in the late game content, play a DK or a templar.

Sorcerers have no utility, togglemancer build is problematic as pets can channel bosses attacks such as Chain Lightening and also, pets drain healers resources.

Nestor · February 2015

psicorpb16_ESO wrote: »

Thanks Reykice and Flaminir, the positive response was what I was hoping for , And thank you others too , I'll take the negative on board and see how I go on. As for having 2 of the same class, it's been months since I played my VR6 and I wanted to try the same again from the beginning (it's PVE I love)
Here's hoping it's as much fun the second time around

As other's have stated, unless your chasing the inth degree of min/max, a Sorcerer is a perfectly viable option outside of Trials and even then, you can still do the trials, just maybe not chase the best times on the leaderboards. Can't comment on PvP as I don't do that.

However I do suggest that you make a new character in a different class, it makes the game different. Also, you mentioned liking to play an AoE Magic Caster, well, a Dragon Kniight and a Templar can fit this play style too. I will suggest a Templar as that is the character that I have had the most fun with and has never died in PvE unless I did something really stupid.

Dekkameron · February 2015

I deleted a DK today and rolled a fresh Bosmer sorc as in 1.6 it's going to be one of the only classes that can buff bow damage with critical surge. Coupled with bolt escape, daedric mines and Bound armaments it looks to be a pretty solid build.

psicorpb16_ESO · February 2015

Mmmmm ok now you've got me thinking, Templar had always been tempting (see what I did there), but seriously I always thought the dps was crap (levelled along side one from beta and she always moaned about damage.
But guess things might have changed.
Thanks peeps , you've now got me confused and curious.
Have no idea how to play one but guess the learning might be fun if it's viable nowadays.

Flaminir · February 2015

The DPS improves in 1.6 ....

Having now levelled a Templar to V2 recently (Properly... not by grinding) I can say that for general PvE its stronger than a Sorc (Dies less) has more variety in the build options (Not just crushing shock spam), better group utility, & I still feel like I'm the caster/mage that I always liked from my Sorc.

And actually... I never had any problems so far whatsoever with my Templar DPS for general PvE questing etc... at V1 she could solo anything in Lower Craglorn without breaking a sweat... my Sorc could never do that.

As I said... for your play style don't give up on your Sorc... but I would suggest rocking a Templar for your second character 100 times out of 100.

Whatever you decide to do... welcome back to the game... its an exciting (If somewhat controversial in some circles) time to be coming back!

AlnilamE · February 2015

I'm currently leveling my Templar and they are a lot of fun. Each of the classes has something going for them. Once I have a higher level DK as well, it will be interesting to see if I ever switch favourites from NB, but I do like having characters in each class for variety.

Samadhi · February 2015

psicorpb16_ESO wrote: »

I played sorceror (pets mainly) to V6 then stopped months ago and moved to other rubbish mmos (wildstar,archeage etc) .
Loved eso but got a little bit bored with the vet content.
Returning now and looking forward to 1.6 (have re-subbed) but wondering if the similar style I had is what I should go for, I love playing Aoe dps Magic and have done in every game I've played but been reading forums for a couple of weeks and seen a lot of bad press about Sorceror........ You know what I'm getting at:
I'm mainly a casual PVE player and definitely am not bothered about min/max , but at the Same time I don't want to start again and be at a massive disadvantage because the Mage is not ideal.

So TL:DR. Not played for long time, was Sorceror (Pets , trying for AOE too) , very casual. What should I re-roll for 1.6?

Many Thanks

Sorcerer in 1.6 is getting a buff to pets that is so substantial that many Sorcerers, who hate pets, have been complaining they do not want to play the build.
It is mostly an emotionally charged response on the part of people who want their own min/maxed builds to be the ones that got buffed instead.

For AoE, Sorcerer has some really solid Class tools. Have always liked Crystal Blast morph because it hits so hard as a ranged AoE. The splash damage on Crystal Blast hits as hard as or harder than some single target skills, with the targeted damage of the skill being even higher; the AoE damage on the skill really makes the cast time worth it. Really wish my Nightblade hit so hard.
Many Sorcerers instead play with Crystal Fragments morph and complain about not being good for single-target DPS though.

Personally rerolled from Nightblade over to Sorcerer. After playing as both, and swapping many of my Nightblade's gear sets over to the Sorcerer, definitely find Sorcerer to be an improvement.

Wish that Nightblade was sitting as well for me as Sorcerer is, but unfortunately 1.6 is just going to nerf or completely obsolete my favourite Nightblade builds.

Ultimately, you have to choose for yourself.
Do not allow me to get in the way of your final choice; however, also do not let the min/maxers ruin the game for you with their whining. If you feel like you enjoy Sorcerer you will not be disappointed to stick with your original choice.

psicorpb16_ESO · February 2015

Aaaarghhh, can't someone just tell me what to go as !
Thanks Samadhi you just made me more unsure, but yes I know it's down to a personal choice, just wish everyone was saying the same thing.
Will keep reading forums until 1.6 goes live , but thank you everyone will take it all on board (except Blueillyrian

Samadhi · February 2015

psicorpb16_ESO wrote: »

Aaaarghhh, can't someone just tell me what to go as !
Thanks Samadhi you just made me more unsure, but yes I know it's down to a personal choice, just wish everyone was saying the same thing.
Will keep reading forums until 1.6 goes live , but thank you everyone will take it all on board (except Blueillyrian

Just to put this out there...

If you continue playing your Sorcerer from now until 1.6, the experience you generate will increase the amount of Champion Points you unlock when 1.6 goes live.

At that point, if you decide that you really want to roll up a new character after playing the class changes yourself, even if it is a new Sorcerer, the new character will receive access to all the unlocked points

psicorpb16_ESO · February 2015

Thanks but this might sound silly : I want to treat 1.6 as a new game and am purposely holding off until then so it's all fresh and new

Samadhi · February 2015

psicorpb16_ESO wrote: »

Thanks but this might sound silly : I want to treat 1.6 as a new game and am purposely holding off until then so it's all fresh and new

Can totally respect that.

Your V6 character will have already unlocked a few champion points for you to play with on the new character regardless, so you still have that benefit.
You may find playing a new character gives you a greater opportunity to re-experience the game as new; however, do not be afraid to run multiple characters of the same class. Personally have 2 Sorcerers as well as 2 Nightblades (a Bosmer and a Breton of each).

Not sure how many months ago you quit playing, but if I were to give feedback specifically about the Sorcerer play-style you mentioned liking, it is worthwhile to note a few things:
- You can command pets to attack for you before you launch your first attack now by holding the Y key and clicking while aiming at a target; their AI still isn't superb but you can turn them into a tank when you solo
- If you have a tank of some sort, you have Lightning Splash and Crystal Blast in your Class skills toolkit for ranged AoE, meaning you can stay out of the line of fire while attacking
- Pets are getting buffed in 1.6, as is Sorcerer's Spell Damage via passive -- both of these buffs favour the play-style you are looking at.

Aside from that, other classes can AoE DPS, but most attack from within melee range and have no options of summons whatsoever. Other classes will eventually gain access to summons via Spellcrafting, but that system is currently no longer being actively worked on, so would not advise to hold out your hope for it.

None of this is to claim that there are not Sorcerer builds in 1.6 that do not perform as well as their users would like (as there is with all 4 classes); however, in your case specifically, the concerns directed at the class should not inhibit your gameplay much, and the buffs that Sorcerer is getting should actually benefit you.

GreyRanger · February 2015

Vahrokh wrote: »

If what you are after is casual play, soloing delves and similar, and you won't use DoTs, then sorc + pet(s) is going to be a good and survivable choice.

If you want to play at competitive levels, play exclusively DK or Templar, these are the classes that receive fine tuning and are not left abandoned for half a year at a time (like NBs and Sorcs did).

Agreed. Any class is fine for solo/casual play. The problem comes if you discover, as I did, that you like the end game group content (so far PVE but experimenting with PVP now) and discover that for end game group content it is all about the DKS and Temps.

HyperToxic · February 2015

If you are interested in end game pve I would say don't bother with a sorc until it becomes competitive with other classes.

Flaminir · February 2015

psicorpb16_ESO wrote: »

Thanks but this might sound silly : I want to treat 1.6 as a new game and am purposely holding off until then so it's all fresh and new

Then rock a new class at the same time... you'll still have your Sorc to play too... if you want to start fresh on a new character then it makes sense to have another class.. that way whatever happens in the game, or however your play style changes you'll be covered & won't be stuck with 2 toons the same. Templar is def the best all rounder now I reckon in Magicka form.

timidobserver · February 2015

Roll what you want to play. The balance of the game shifts over time. Rolling what is powerful now will just leave you with what gets nerfed into the ground next month.

starkerealm · February 2015

manny254 wrote: »

Sorc is in a great position most of the complaints are coming from a crowd of people that have never played another class.

...that's, actually, probably true.