Need help with stamina based sorcerer build (Twohand/Bow)

Khazai · February 2015

I reached VR1 some days ago, and I want to switch from the "normal" magicka based sorcerer to a stamina based build. Inspired by other guides, I want to use twohand/bow with 2 light armor and 5 medium armor, maybe 7 medium armor.

this is what I came up with:

http://www.esohead.com/calculator/skills#mMkXxgMV9MW0mia8wAEb8wABe8wAlB8AIOD8AIPV8LxRn8inyz8inTJ8injX8NiaQ8AIUM8jKEG8L7oMdoQr6MdoQF8p7JMdBvT6MdBvj6MdBEI6MdBEp6MdBET8x7HLsfr6Lsff6Lsfw6MwGN16MwGAs6MwGAa6MwGAb8g7HrsXn6LsXy6LsXt6MipLW6MipL46Mippo6Mippq8H7DrzwM6MNieh6MNieT6MNiey8K7Jrzuu6Lzuj6bzun8O7zzAZqS8P7ardYw6zLp4d8Y7sLfJN6zjFYb6zjFYd6MjFYi6MjFYh847pzxLCe6MxLDm6MxLDo6MxLDs8zf7zzNbo8zu7zzHfYE6zHfZd8zG7zzHQ3F8zI7zzJIoX6zJIkL8zN7zzJZcY8zA7zzKpUN8zL7asK4EX6cK4YF6zK4YK6cK4YQ6cK4YW

as with other builds, the idea is to stack crit chance (exploitation) and probably get most down from distance with bow abilities. twohand & thundering presence when things get tough, or mobs are immune to CC.

1) does this look like a viable build?

2) i prefer twohand over DW for the charge, also I completely dislike the long casting of DW abilities

3) i put in streak for some mobility and special effects goodness, i dont know if this would be a helpful choice since i never used this ability

4) any more comments/ideas on this build?

[edit] Just noticed I picked the wrong forum. Could a kind moderator move this to the appropriate section please?

DaggerfallTradeMasters · February 2015

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

Khazai · February 2015

This video does not help so much, since he is playing more like a hybrid magicka/stamina, pretty much aoe- and lightning splash focused build. Also he is not using a bow, and no bow abilities.
I wanted to have more like a single target build, with no focus on AoE farming. For at least some aoe I still would have bombard, shattering prision, thundering prison, and, of course, the bat swarm.

Gyudan · February 2015

With update 6 you won't be able to benefit from both Rally and Surge anymore. Rally will activate a 20 seconds 20% weapon damage buff that will still be active if you switch to bow.

Given this, I'd switch Thundering Presence to the Bow bar, in replacement of Surge. If you play mostly with 2H, cast it before the fight then switch weapons, it lasts 20 seconds now.
This frees up a space for Wrecking Blow on the 2H bar, which is a must-have ability for that weapon.

Streak is a really nice ability but you may want to switch to the other morph since your magical damage will be pretty low anyway.
Depending on the fight you could also replace it with Evil Hunter (Fighters Guild) that will buff your weapon critical.

For gear I'd suggest 5x Hunding's Rage and 3x Ashen Grip since you'll mostly be using crafted stuff at your level. I don't know which ring sets are available to you but I wouldn't expect too many great options.
[info on crafted sets here]

The video above displays a very ineffective build imo. Don't follow it.

Khazai · February 2015

Thanks for the tips. I'm currently running my above build, but i dont have dawnbreaker yet, also i cannot morph bolt escape yet.

While i feel perfectly okay with the bow gameplay, and i feel like hitting really hard, when switching to 2H i feel rather weak. It feels like it takes forever to kill mobs. its not that i'm having problems getting killed (currently in the first veteran zone at VR2), but it just does not feel strong. especially executioner feels like it barely damages. can this even crit?!

i'm having around 42% crit according to the character sheet, about the damage i dont know out of my head. got some epic vr1 sword, maybe around 110-130 damage? will look it up later.
yesterday i had 5 hundings rage and 2 vipers sting, i then switched to 4 hundings rage and 2 ashen grip and 1 vipers sting. as soon as i can i will get the 5th hunding again, and prob the 2nd vipers sting also.

usually i activate surge, switch to 2H, activate momentum + thundering presence, then charge and hit them. eventually ill bolt escape out and hit them from afar again (this part i really like

)

should i change something in my build, or why is 2H not beeing so strong at the moment? maybe i really need to get Wrecking Blow? i hate this one really, because of the long animation.

or should i maybe switch to DW instead? i've always preferred 2H because of the look and feel (yeah, i like that giant badass sword on my back), and also the charge. also, in DW i never liked the long animations, especially flurry feels like taking forever, while not even scratching them.

what do you think?

Jogi1 · February 2015

HI!

I am currently playing an Imperial Socerer and trying different builds, both stamina and maciga. Now I am only at level 20, so there will be long road ahead and I am looking for builds that other players have made. So I found this build from Battlemaster's Corner

http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2015/02/02/battlemasters-corner--thunderous-destroyer

I find it very interesting and will give it a try.

DaggerfallTradeMasters · March 2015

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

olsborg · March 2015

If youre a stamina build, with medium armor etc, I highly suggest you use ball of lightning instead of streak due to the fact that streak dmg will be meager for you, bol is the same regardless and will be great defencively.

Holycannoli · March 2015

Jogi1 wrote: »

HI!

I am currently playing an Imperial Socerer and trying different builds, both stamina and maciga. Now I am only at level 20, so there will be long road ahead and I am looking for builds that other players have made. So I found this build from Battlemaster's Corner

http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2015/02/02/battlemasters-corner--thunderous-destroyer

I find it very interesting and will give it a try.

That build was obsolete the day it was posted since it's pre-1.6.

I don't know how to build my stamina sorcerer now. He used to use destro staff and bow but hybrids were doable then. Now I want 2 hand and bow and it looks like I won't be taking most of the class skills.

I also wonder what's better between:

-Thundering Presence and Boundless Storm. I used to use BS for the run speed buff because 2 extra seconds of uptime for a loss of increased run speedwasn't worth it to me. Now it's an extra 5 which is pretty significant.

-Degeneration and Structured Entropy. With no magicka it might seem like neither are OK but they're both healing, something sorcerers sorely lack, and my magicka won't be used for anything else but Ball of Lightning and maybe Critical Surge. I'm an imperial so not sure if the 5% max health from SE helps much compared to a chance to heal for 100% of damage done. I'm leaning towards Degeneration.

-Venom Arrow and Poison Injection. I used to use Venom but it looks like PI got a buff so I don't know now. It doesn't say how much of a damage increase it is. My bow is more for PvP.

Khazai · March 2015

What I can say is, that, after following the build in my original post, I briefly switched to magicka build when 1.6 was released, just to find the playstyle doesnt suit me, and I switched back to 2H/Bow.

This is my current layout:
http://www.esohead.com/calculator/skills#1.mMmz9ck9MW9M8wAEM8wACu8wABL8wAly8AIOJ8jKEG8innO8innb8injC8NiaF8AIS38NUoL8p7JMdBvT6MdBvj6MdBEI6MdBEp6cdBET8T7rMrqAi6MrqAZ6crqLw8y7xIR3a6IR3b6qR3r6MfQE16zfQE36MfQlu8x7HNsfr6Nsff6Nsfw6Nsfi6MwGN16MwGAR6MwGAs6MwGAa6MwGAb8g7HNsXy6bsXx6bsXt6bsXg6MipLW6MipL46MippV6Mippo6Mippq8H7NbzwM6IbHm6MNieh6MNieT8J7JdziD6IziO6qziX8K7JNzuu6Azuj6qzun6MANRQ8O7mIdeB6zAZqS8P7zzLp4d8Y7sNfJN6zjFYb6zjFYd6zjFYf6MjFYi6MjFYh8zk7zzvKVv8zf7MzNbo6zDVRH8zu7zzHfYE6zHfZd8zG7zzHQ3F8zI7zzJIoX6zJIkL8zN7zzJZcY8zA7zzKpUN8zL7zzK4EX
(seriously I cant get over people always freaking type down their builds in plain words instead of linking a skill builder. thats SO bloody inconvenient -.-)

I havent used entropy yet on this build, my heals are from rally + critical surge, which is perfectly enough for all the solo action (VR5 currently) at the moment.

Ball lightning on first bar is replaced by BS/TP depending on the situation, but most of the time the buff is not needed, so I stick with some mobility (especially good for boss fights where you gotta move alot, or get out of aoe quick).

In the second bar, magnum shot is replaced by whatever is needed in the situation. Can be volley, or even c-frags, to use them when procced by surge.

tbh I find this build very fun to play, and I really like the playstyle. I dont know how good it compares to magicka builds, since this is my very first char in the game, and I'm only VR5. I am at about 1900 weapon damage and depending on the fight I reach about 2-4k DPS in the pledges I did so far.

You might notice some heavy skills, thats because my second layout is for tanking, which is also very fun, and so far worked out great.

Holycannoli · March 2015

Is it wise to have c-frags on the the bar to be used only when it procs from activating surge?

Right now I have a lot leftover skill points I can't figure out what to do with. Before 1.6 I had no extra points but a lot of the skills I used to use I no longer want use at all, like most of the sorcerer skills. Unstable Familiar, Mage's Fury, Lightning Splash, Mage Light etc. are no longer needed and it's freed up a lot of skill points.

What's worse is I haven' trained two-handed past 5

I've been destro staff + bow. Takes some adjusting. What you have planned though Kazai is similar to my plans so I'll keep monitoring this thread.

I do want to find a way to use Degeneration or Structured Entropy in this though, even if I'm not boosting magicka.

Khazai · March 2015

Holycannoli wrote: »

Is it wise to have c-frags on the the bar to be used only when it procs from activating surge?

Its more like an experiment. In the spot where I put it I normally have magnum shot, which is mostly useless for boss fights. Then, on the other hand, a low-magicka instant spell can sneak in some extra damage which does not consume your main source (stamina).

In boss fights, depending on the encounter, I probably rotate bow attacks (and try to keep surge and the 2 poison dots up), until the boss is at low health, then I charge in to spam executes. So most of the time I have some joker skills on my bars which can be replaced as needed.