Can you teach me how to pvp

RedRoomGaming · January 2016

Before I go on I play on my alt as my main is now a healer tank.
My alt is a high elf sorc v7 with 1700 spell damage roughly and 1300 magika recovery.

I use 5 julianous 2 torug pact with destruction staff and resto staff.
5/1/1 on the armour.

Destro bar
Streak, pulse, crystal frags, force shock, hardened ward and atronach

Resto bar
All the resto skills basically. Battle cry, and harness magika.

Since I have mainly played pve since having the game I am not really used to properly defending and attacking instantly and 1v2 or 3 etc.
I just get destroyed all the time because I am not used to the fast pace fighting. Can you give me some tips on how to survive and actually win.

Magdalina · January 2016

You're a magicka sorc. You'll have this easier than a lot of other people would

You're not running Inner Light? Probably for the best in PvP but if those were your PvE bars that is a bit odd, that skill is just too good to pass up.

Your setup generally sounds about right for what sorcs usually run. Personally I like EG 2 piece for PvP but a lot of people don't run it and do just fine(also note I'm in no way a PvP pro, I'm barely rank 15 but I'm learning

)
You don't need all resto staff skills unless you want to be an all out healer(as in find a group and pretty much do nothing but heal it. Which is actually very good for earning AP). Healing Ward is what sorcs usually run in Cyro for heals. Curse(Velocious morph) is a good skill to have as it's a non projectile, unlike most our skills. Mines are also good(amazing just how good they can be in PvP and how useless they're in PvE) against melee people. Get your execute somewhere on offbar and don't forget to spam it when you see people drop low on health

Overload is a situationally great ulti with very convenient third bar, just remember that anyone running a reflect(DK wings or s&b skill) will throw those light attacks right back at you. Crushing shock is a great morph because it interrupts.

Never let your Hardened Ward go down. If you're outnumbered too badly, try to streak away - or at least to other people of your alliance. You can streak even when rooted. If someone's trying to melee you to your face, drop Mines on their head. You can also drop mines AND atro on their head(or Overload to their faces...unless reflect), that's almost guaranteed to either kill them or make them go away. Also never underestimate the power of a roll dodge, it's amazing just how well a well timed dodge can save your life.

Hope this helps at least a bit. And btw don't expect to beat a zerg. If you get 10 people on you, it generally means you're dead unless you get really lucky with streaking away, nothing to feel bad about. Some people can kite them around for a while and kill one by one, but I'm fairly sure they couldn't do it on their first day to Cyrodiil either

Good luck!

Edited because I just realized I said "EP" by habit instead of saying "your alliance" when I don't even know what your alliance is xD

Autolycus · January 2016

Mags has some pretty good advice. Her and I have duked it out a couple of times and there are some things you could benefit from by listening to her.

I would speak more generally about getting better at PvP, as opposed to speaking specifically about Sorcs. For me, the key to getting better is watching your opponent. The best form of mitigation is not getting hit at all, and the best way to do this is to anticipate the other player(s). You mentioned that it's fast-paced, and difficult to keep up, and this the truth for everyone who is new to pvp. I know that it's not just an easy "fix it" tip, but the more you face off against people, the better you're going to get.

Finding people in places like IC districts who are willing to do fair, organized duels is a fantastic way to learn. Many people I go up against will discuss various mechanics, both from my play style and theirs, that can be challenging to go up against. If you're a good sport, chances are they will be too. Don't be afraid of losing, get back up and try again. Utilize your death recap to find out what the killing blow was and how to mitigate it.

For example, if lack of stamina is your issue, then try out engine guardian like Mags suggested. Are your shields not strong enough (I realize this probably isn't the case, but for constructive purposes)? Then perhaps you need higher magicka, or if you're struggling to keep your shield up all the time, it could be a couple of things, like not having high enough recovery or reduced cost. It could also be that the person you're going up against is good at staying right on top of you in a melee setting. The beauty of sorcs is that you have daedric mines to protect against melee - so make sure you're using those.

I've found in my experience against sorcs that they tend to have an easier time "sitting back" and waiting for me to mess up. Keep up ward, apply daedric curse, throw in some other ranged attacks or dots, and stand in your mines. More often than not, your opponent is either going to have to step up their ranged damage to get through your shields, or they'll have to come into melee. Force them to play your way - that's where sorcs really excel.

leepalmer95 · January 2016

Don't use inner light for pvp takes up too many slots.

Your set is about right. Though you only need healing ward as your heal.

Mines is a good option and power surge for the 20% spell dmg buff

DKsUnite · January 2016

While skills and sets are important you should also know what to use when and how to move. I would suggest joining a dueling guild like Legend or get some friends who have other faction alts and practice

RAGUNAnoOne · January 2016

Do NOT forget your detect potions this afternoon I did PvP and was the only one who packed them and I am the novice of the group sure helped in revealing 3 potential gankers.

Brrrofski · January 2016

leepalmer95 wrote: »

Don't use inner light for pvp takes up too many slots.

Your set is about right. Though you only need healing ward as your heal.

Mines is a good option and power surge for the 20% spell dmg buff

You absolutely need more than healing ward as your heal. Healing Ward is fine until you come across someone running shieldbreaker. Which when I'm on my sorc, a lot of the EP run.

Op, there are some key things you're missing.

Firstly you need surge or entropy. Surge is best for you. It's easier to use. This gives you a 20% spell power bonus when you morph it to power surge. I don't see mines on your bar either which is great for defence. Daedric curse (morphed to Velocious) is good for setting up burst.

Ultimate wise, overload and ice comet/dawnbreaker of smiting are what I like using. The stun off Atronach is nice (I still use it for my stam Sorc) but the burst you can set up with meteor is great.

You have ward on front bar already which is good practice.

You spell damage red regen seem low. Is that in Cyrodiil or in pve?

Morozov · January 2016

can you teach me how to dougie?

edit: if so, then ill teach you how to pvp :P

Autolycus · January 2016

Brrrofski wrote: »

Op, there are some key things you're missing.

Firstly you need surge or entropy. Surge is best for you. It's easier to use. This gives you a 20% spell power bonus when you morph it to power surge. I don't see mines on your bar either which is great for defence. Daedric curse (morphed to Velocious) is good for setting up burst.

@RedRoomGaming There is another benefit to using surge as well: it grants 2% increased spell damage just for being on your bar = moar damage! The cost of using this over Entropy is 2% max magicka and 2% magicka recovery.

Just to provide a little insight (and keep in mind these numbers are approximations, as I don't have my values in front of me at the moment) here is a rough estimation of the trade-off. Using your stats as quoted above:

By slotting Surge, you gain 2% spell power passively and 20% while it's active = 1700 * (1.22) = 2,074 SP

By slotting entropy, you gain 2% max magicka (I'm going to assume you have about 38k max magicka, since it wasn't provided) = 38,000 * (1.02) = 38,760. This is an increase of 760 magicka which provides approximately 50 additional spell power (3,000 magicka is roughly equivalent to 200 spell power, I may be off slightly here). While entropy is active, you still gain 20% spell power = 1750 * (1.20) = 2,100 spell power.

Don't forget the additional magicka recovery for having entropy slotted, which is also 2% = 1,300 * (1.02) = 1,326.

So your net gain for using Surge is approximately 374 spell power.

Your net gain for using entropy is approximately 400 spell power, and 26 magicka recovery.

Truthfully, I think I overstated the "spell power equivalent" of max magicka slightly. In practice, they are interchangeable in terms of spell power, with the main difference being magicka recovery and the ability to grant Empower after casting a Mages Guild ability.

The point I'm making with this is that they are both very much viable for PvP, but as @Brrrofski mentioned, Surge is far easier to use in PvP because it does not require a target to cast.

Another thing to consider is that every single Sorc ability you slot grants that additional 2% spell power, so if you put daedric mines on your bar, it goes up. Also, Meteor is a Mages Guild ability too, so having it on your bar also grants 2% max magicka and recovery, as well as Empower after casting it.

DannyLV702 · January 2016

Morozov wrote: »

can you teach me how to dougie?

edit: if so, then ill teach you how to pvp :P

Damn it you beat me to it lol

Alucardo · January 2016

I don't play sorc, but as a DK I'm telling you that you'll want curse and mines, otherwise you're a free kill.

leepalmer95 · January 2016

Alucardo wrote: »

I don't play sorc, but as a DK I'm telling you that you'll want curse and mines, otherwise you're a free kill.

Mines are a must.

curse is free dmg.

Brrrofski · January 2016

Autolycus wrote: »

Brrrofski wrote: »

Op, there are some key things you're missing.

Firstly you need surge or entropy. Surge is best for you. It's easier to use. This gives you a 20% spell power bonus when you morph it to power surge. I don't see mines on your bar either which is great for defence. Daedric curse (morphed to Velocious) is good for setting up burst.

@RedRoomGaming There is another benefit to using surge as well: it grants 2% increased spell damage just for being on your bar = moar damage! The cost of using this over Entropy is 2% max magicka and 2% magicka recovery.

Just to provide a little insight (and keep in mind these numbers are approximations, as I don't have my values in front of me at the moment) here is a rough estimation of the trade-off. Using your stats as quoted above:

By slotting Surge, you gain 2% spell power passively and 20% while it's active = 1700 * (1.22) = 2,074 SP

By slotting entropy, you gain 2% max magicka (I'm going to assume you have about 38k max magicka, since it wasn't provided) = 38,000 * (1.02) = 38,760. This is an increase of 760 magicka which provides approximately 50 additional spell power (3,000 magicka is roughly equivalent to 200 spell power, I may be off slightly here). While entropy is active, you still gain 20% spell power = 1750 * (1.20) = 2,100 spell power.

Don't forget the additional magicka recovery for having entropy slotted, which is also 2% = 1,300 * (1.02) = 1,326.

So your net gain for using Surge is approximately 374 spell power.

Your net gain for using entropy is approximately 400 spell power, and 26 magicka recovery.

Truthfully, I think I overstated the "spell power equivalent" of max magicka slightly. In practice, they are interchangeable in terms of spell power, with the main difference being magicka recovery and the ability to grant Empower after casting a Mages Guild ability.

The point I'm making with this is that they are both very much viable for PvP, but as @Brrrofski mentioned, Surge is far easier to use in PvP because it does not require a target to cast.

Another thing to consider is that every single Sorc ability you slot grants that additional 2% spell power, so if you put daedric mines on your bar, it goes up. Also, Meteor is a Mages Guild ability too, so having it on your bar also grants 2% max magicka and recovery, as well as Empower after casting it.

Yeh, entropy is really good too.

It's probably better when you're more experienced. The empower for it is great for setting up bog bursts. If you're not doing that, surge is probably better as it's a buff and forget type move.

izJordy · January 2016

uhm no.. but i can teach you how to plank?

RedRoomGaming · January 2016

Wow thanks guys. Didn't expect so much help over it. I will take a look at my build and all of these tips and help and put it to use in cyrodiil.