Mixing Stam and Magika - Not good or?

Wolfhammer · September 2016

I have looked at some builds, admittedly some where fairly old but I was under the impression it was a decent idea..
As a healer I could nuke and heal, then when Magika got low I could switch to a sword n board type of thing to deal some melee damage for a few while my magika replenishes..

Just heard another player though stating he was advised not to do this and to stick to one or the other..

Whats your opinion on this please?

Asmael · September 2016

Healing and damage scales based on your maximum magicka/spell power if they cost magicka, and max stamina/weapon damage if they cost stamina. It is much easier to focus on only 2 stats than it is to focus on 4.

Spreading out your stats will significantly reduce the potency of your abilities.

For information, your average damage is calculated as such for magicka (just use weapon damage / max stamina for stamina builds):

Average damage = ( Max magicka / 10.46 + spell power ) * ( 1 + Spell critical chance * Spell critical damage)

If you have 25% spell critical chance, write 0.25 in the formula.

Additional information can be found on Sorcerer Arithmagic.

Wolfhammer · September 2016

Ahhhhh ok then, that makes sense..

Right, a rethink it is then...

Thanks..

Violynne · September 2016

Wolfhammer wrote: »

As a healer I could nuke and heal, then when Magika got low I could switch to a sword n board type of thing to deal some melee damage for a few while my magika replenishes..

Just heard another player though stating he was advised not to do this and to stick to one or the other..

Whats your opinion on this please?

My opinion: Have fun with the game.

Build as you want and enjoy the experience.

Unfortunately, this is a PRS system, which means balance is going to tip as you level up. You'll either be under powered or over powered, depending on how the group is formed.

This only matters if you intend to PvP. If so, then you should build your character so that as you level, traits of the PvP build can also be leveled.

For example, to take advantage of a SnB Healer, you should wear *both* light armor and medium/heavy. 5 pieces of what you prefer, then 2 of the others (or 1 each of the remaining). They'll level a bit slower, but they will level.

This way, when you're playing the game, all the armors are leveling. Currently, I wear 5 medium and 2 light.

At level 15, you get a second activity bar. Use this to your advantage and level up skills to 4 so they're ready to be morphed. Then, you can morph and level them when you're ready.

By the time you get to level 50, you should have a great combination of skills so that you can easily "flip" characters as you need, depending on how you play.

If you focused on the skills you want, swapping between a SnB Healer or a full stam/full sorc won't be a problem.

Just remember to keep plenty of gold on reserve as you'll need to respec your h/m/s points so they match the character change.

Enjoy the game!

Ghanima_Atreides · September 2016

I have a hybrid Nightblade who combines magicka and stamina abilities with surprising effectiveness. I've been playing him solo since level 1; he's now level 40 and he has been tearing through all overland content, including soloing dolmens and world bosses on level (and occasionally slightly below level).
Is he viable for PvP and the toughest group dungeons/trials? Probably not, but as far as the rest of the game goes, he most certainly is. So, at the end of the day, it depends on what your goals are and what you wish you do.

Draxys · September 2016

Hybrids are "meh" at best