This is a build I currently use of my templar which gots me tons of fun and success with since release of I.C. I am glad to see that even after Orsinium its still a pretty good build. This build is excelent for I.C. skirmishes, small scale battles, leading raids or small group due to survivability. Of course, dont expect it to do stuff its not meant to like : tons of AOE damage, bursting, ganking, infinite tanking. This is something I came up with due to the lack of time I had to master other more difficult builds due to my limited availability in game due to work and projects, therefore making it a sweet build for new players who would like a build that is easier to master as it gives room to recover from mistakes, making the learning curve much smoother before going to hardcore burst/damage builds.
From that then you can easily expand into damage dealing 2h/DW or into vampire builds.
Build Philosophy:
The Enforcer is meant to be played for a Stamina Templar who seeks survivability, tankiness with a compination of CC, Buffs and Debuff to be able to outlast enemies and kill them.
With this build, the templar is meant to be a Bruiser. A bruiser is basically an Hybrid between a tank/dueler.
Overall
You will be able to :
-soak up enough damage by setting up defense
-outlasting your enemy's bursts
-be able to do enough sustained damage to drain their ressources and eventually kill targets
This build rely a lot on self buffing and debuffing the target before you turn on the damage. You also rely on some Crowd control abilities to disrupt you enemies. You will also be able to self sustain yourself in terms of self Healing with regen abilities.
In Solo situations :
You will be able to take initial bursts, setup defense and let you enemy(ies) waste their ressources on you. Then you will proceed to buff your attack, debuff your target then start to pull off heavy damage. Rince and repeat until your target is dead.
In small group situations:
Your job will be to get ''In your face'' with enemies while keeping up high defense and mitigation, then proceed to CC/Debuff key targets for your damage dealers to get rid of targets swiftly.
In large group:
Your job is to take on prime targets and stick to them like glue and force them to take care of you.
Make them face you and only you. Worst case scenario, he will have to deal with your constant pressure through damage, CC, debuffing.
Key targets are:
1- Enemy Emperors : If that guy turns on his huge aoes and burst on your group they are toasted. With this build you can go toe to toe and at least stalemate the fight with them. The idea here is to keep them occupied on you. You will deal enough damage for them to notice you and force them to react to you accordingly.
2- Enemy Raid Leaders : With constant pressure you can force him to separate himself from his group or at least take away his attention from the group vs group fight to focus you. Force them to call his whole group to get rid of you.
3- Enemy healers / Back Line.
Race Choice Ranked in Tiers
Tier One : Perfect for the bruiser role, has offensive/defensive elements.
Orc: A perfect 50/50 balance in terms of Offense and Defense with some added utility with sprint speed.
++4% Damage increase : Damage increase is always welcome.
+++6% Health + 6% Stamina : 12 % overall stats raise. Extremely Under rated.
+Health Regen 30% : Health regen is useful in long fights, which you will take part of.
Sprint Speed/Reduce Spring Cost : if you want to run scrolls.
Imperial: Geared more towards defense 2/3 then offense 1/3.
++12% Health
++10% Stamina
++Red Diamond : Heal proc on melee hits
Tier two : Has high elements of Offense OR Defense or some of both. More Niche races but considered AS effective as tier 1 considering their respective speciality
Redguard : Geared towards Offense and its Sustainability
++260 stam on melee hits
++10% Stamina
+ 9% Stamina Recovery
Nord : High defense master
++6% Mitigation (Scales on top of nova + emp. sweep)
++9% Health + Frost resist
+Health Regen 30%
Tier 3 : Wild cards. Could be used with slight differences to pull out more potential. Otherwise they are ''OK''.
Argonian : Defense + Self Heal + Sustain with pots
++6% Healing received : underated as it makes Rally+Vigor more effective.
+6% Health + disease/poison resist.
+6% restore of 3 stats on any potion. Good but not as good as it could be to make it ++
Khajit
+8% Crit chance : Useful
+++: 20% Health regen 10% Stamina Regen : Much Better than reguard stam recovery passive.
Stealth Damage / Detect : Useful, but this build is ''in your face style'' not stealthy dude.
Bosmer
++21% Stamina Regen
+3% Stamina + Poison/disease resist
Stealth Damage / Detect : Useful, but this build is ''in your face style'' not stealthy dude.
Dunmer : Potential Vampire candidate.
+Fire Resist : Useful vs DKs
++9% Stamina : Almost as much as Imperial or Redguard, more than Orc.
Extra Fire Damage : Meh.
Tier 4 : Better roll magika tier.
Altmer
Breton
Stats Allocation + Overall Stats aim:
At V16 you have 2 options BUT should aim for a minimum of 22k HP.
Ideally 23-24k HP is good bet.
Personally, I'd prefer to run all points and enchants into stamina.
Gear + Sets
I will post Ideal trait/set but it can differ with minimal impact. Ideally, everything should be v16, except if the set isnt available at this level.
Note: ragarding traits, Some people have resrves on effectiveness of Reinforced versus Impen in terms of defensive capacities. Some people also likes Divines to give access to more Recovery with serpent or Raw Damage with Warrior. You see what fits you more but note that reinforced is important to reach armor mitigation cap of 50% with all active buffs on with sword and shield bar.
Head: Valkyn Skoria, Medium, Reinfoced, Stamina. Alternatives: Molag Kena/BloodSpawn
Shoulder: Valkyn Skoria, Medium, Reinforced, Stamina. Alternatives: Molag Kena/BloodSpawn
Chest: Ravager, Heavy, Impen, Stamina
Legs: Ravager, Heavy, Impen, Stamina
*Note: Feel free to use other armor slots than those 2
Belt: Armor Master, Medium, Divines OR Reinforced OR Impen, Stamina
Gloves: Armor Master, Medium, Divines OR Reinforced OR Impen, Stamina
Boots: Armor Master, Medium, Reinforced, Stamina
Rings : Ravager, Stamina Regen
Necklace : Ravager, Stamina Regen
2 handed Mace OR Sword : Armor Master, Shapened, Disease Damage OR Weapon Damage (really love weapon damage on this).
1 Handed Sword OR Mace OR Axe : Armor Master, Defending, Reduce Armor Enchant.
Shield : Armor Master, Reinforced, Stamina
Mundus Stone
Serpent is prefered. Warrior is good if you are getting good at sustaining your stamina.
Champion Points Allocation
I suggest to aim for these first then expand into other options
Warrior:
Hardy: 5pts
Elemental Defender: 5pts
Spell Shield : 38
Medium Armor Focus : 37
Quick Recovery : 30
Then raise all of the equally.
Thief:
Mooncalf : 48
Tumbling: 28
Warlord :50
Then raise all of the equally.
Mage:
Mighty: Max it first.
Piercing: 1 point.
Prcise Strikes : Max second.
Abilities
http://www.esohead.com/calculator/skills#1.moczyx9k8fXuY8fXua8ffqm8dHka8TsBn8rFnX8wAEM8bznn8TrUs8wAly8frag8b0pY8N7bbDm6bDG8p7NbkHY8j7bNSZ8n7JNWF6bWZ8y7CbR3d6bR3r8x7CNsfr6Nsff8U7abrWe6NrXg8Z7zznrJs8zf7zzNbo8zu7zzHfYE6zHfZd8zG7zzHQ3F8zI7zzJIoX6zJIkL8zN7zzJZcY8zA7zzKpUN8zL7zzK4EX
The 5th ability in both bar is the ''swappable'' one. Here is a list of other good abilities that could be used instead:
-Evil Hunter (For 1v1 situations) instead of caltrops
-Restoring Aura or Repentence instead of Restoring Focus (Large group battles).
-Power of the Light instead or Caltrops (Small group battles) to debuff even more the target + help mark enemies to focus.
Consummable Use
Potions: Immovability + health regen + stamina regen
Drink: Health Regen (Or max health) + Stamina Regen
Reson why: Magika isnt an issue as abilities doesnt costs a lot and arent spammed. Health Regen is important as fights will last a while and will take effect. Stamina Regen will be extremely important.
Abilities/Bars philosophy
Basic Philosophy: Sword and board is for Buffing/Debuffing. 2 hander bar is your general fighting bar.
Defensive Philosophy: Shuffle is a crutial part of the build. While on sword and shield bar, it gives you more health on that bar, but also procs a 5k armor/spell resist for 10 seconds. This buff should be up most of the time. Use it every time you switch to 1h bar. Paired with Restoring Focus, you his hard cap in armor and spell resist at 32k at 50% damage reduction while on sword and shield bar. You remain over 27k on your 2h bar.
Note that the Restoring Focus adds 8% extra Healing received, which scales with your Vigor and Rally for extra defense.
Now with those mitigations in place, we can bumb up your mitigation even more using Empowering Sweep. Using this ability you gain 15% total mitigation + 4% every target you hit. Note that NPCs and Engine Guardian Robots also count as targets for the buff.
Now that your mitigation is setup, you also have Purifying Ritual in your arsenal. You basically use it to purge all those nasty debuffs and DoT effects. Also note that you can purify to get rid of Radiant Opression, Soul Assault. While in the circle, you also receive heals over time and your allies benefit from the same heal as well as a Purify synergy that will heal them whenever they Purify themselves.
You main Healing component will be Rally and Vigor. Vigor should be used every 6 secs to be the most effective (thats every 4-5 biting jabs) while Rally can be re-activated for a Burst Heal and should be re-used every 20 seconds.
Offensive Philosophy : Your main damaging ability is biting jabs. Knowing exactly how this ability works is crutial.
Biting Jabs is a channeled ability. While using it you are vulnerable to CC, therefore its important to know that you can cancel it with blocking or roll dodge to about getting hard CCEed. You can also use your immovability or CC break buff effect to land a few good jabs on your opponent.
Biting Jabs damage is considered a DoT. Every *ticks* have a chance to proc the following effect:
-Ravager : 600 Weapon Damage for 10 seconds.
-Evil Hunter: Extra damage + Stamina recovery
-Burning Light: Extra damage
-Valkyn Skoria meteor
This means you will see your biting jabs suddently ''burst'' down your enemy's health. At this moment, it is a good to capitalize on the situation to finish up the kill if you can do it safely.
Plus every complete biting jabs will give you a Crit% buff and a little knockback CC effect. Paired with your Rally weapon samage buff, biting jabs is a great ability to keep pressure on your enemy.
However, Using jabs alone will not proc ultimate regen and weapon enchant. Therefore you must learn to weave light attacks in the mix. This will also improve you overall DPS while helping with you stamina management.
Now the debuffing component. Using biting jabs alone will not make you be able to kill every targets. This is why you need to use the correct debuffs to help you capitalize on a damage burst.
Ransack is really helpful against enemies who stack armor, especially heavy armor wearer, master armor set users. It reduces the armor of the target, negating their major armor buffs. BUT note that this ability is uneffective against enemies who shieldstack, as their armor factor isnt taken into account as long as the shield lasts.
Reverbating Bash however, is great against any target. It reduced the Healing taken by 30%. It means that a stam build's Vigor and Rally will heal for 30% less, That magika templar will litteraly waste their magika on breath of lifes and that Healing Ward will heal for 30% less after their effect.
Power of the Light gives an extra 1k armor reduction to you target but also procs a 13k blast if changed properly at the end of the effect. It can, however, be purged or purified. However, it helps mark target for allies to assist you as an indicator that this target is fully debuffed.
Pointers for group fights:
When fighting a large number of enemies (4+ enemies) you have access to a gear combo that I like to call - Nova/Caltrop shower.
Basically, you dumb both abilities on top of an enemy group the is clustered on themselves; in chokes, on top of stairs/hill, in a spot they are stealthed as you and your group is ready to bomb them.
Both effects are considered DoTs, therefore, Valkyn Skoria procs off this. Those 3 effect together will grind their health down quite nicely.
The AOE snaring effect will be the prime killed though as they wont be able to get away quickly enough to reposition, making them ''trapped'' there for a 2-3 seconds.
You can proceed to get into the enemy raid's face as you get the 30% mitigation from nova. Biting Jabs is considered an AOE ability, therefore you can damage multiple targets. It is however prefered that you focus targes down 1 by 1 grinding their numbers down.