the mages staff & dual-wield issue

Siliziumdioxid · September 2016

I'm playing recently as Magicka Templar (Breton) and i came across something:
I decided whether to go with Dual-wield or with a staff:

The following is written from a Mage Templars perspective:

Staff: Pros: Heavy Attacks restore Magicka; active Abilities; Ranged Attack
Cons: passives mostly restricted to staff abilities; one must slot the active one
Dualwield: Pros: Twin Blade and Blunt passive; +1 trait; +1 more active Set effect; stamina recovery
Cons: Melee Attack only; useless actives

My Equipment: 5 seducer, 3 willpower(jewelry), all other with Magnus
my staff: Magnus restostaff mit powered trait (superior) /Magnus lightning staff, precise trait
my swords: Magnus Swords with defending trait (fine)

With all relevant skill points taken "honor of the death" heals in dual wield more than with resto staff. (except i charge a fully charged resto heavy attack before, which does not happens very often)
Since i rely only then on the Weapons themselves when my Magicka runs out it ridiculously turned out that Dual wield is the better alternative.

Finally my Question:

What are the reasons for staves over dualwield/onehanded? (is there something that should be fixed?)
I personally like the lightning staffs heavy attack for AoE damage. Is there any way to make destro-staff more practical?

Beardimus · September 2016

Unsure on your exact situation, but for a mag spec I found that on dual wield I can't proc enchants, and I burn thru resource. With a Destro i can weave light attacks or heavys or use heavy to gather resource. Plus at range I can proc a spell damage enchant thus driving up my damage.

I found actual damage I was hitting for all buffed to be a similar ballpark, but I have better resource on a Destro.

Tho oddly I play with dual wield back defence bar for various reasons and you highlighted increased healing which I'm interested in (hence will also go powered)

Again I'm no pro, just my view

Baconlad · September 2016

Issue of the year...staves give lower damage than stam, you cannot compete in high end content. You can still do content but are hurting your group. But by going DW, you cannot regen magick well unless u go resto on back bar...big glaring damage issue between stamina and magicka

Ankael07 · September 2016

Staves are for sorcerers. Any other class can do without them so why bother? Its not like staves are the only resource management tool in the game.

Pinja · September 2016

Add a grand passive spell damage buff,
Up the damage by a lot,
Allow dual enchants,
or...

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · September 2016

Templars have channeled focus. Use that to get magic regen. Then change your dps bar to sharpened, precise is a dps loss. Then get destro/duel wield swords, only use the destro for eledrain and wall of elements. Then use reflective light, Sweeps, and radiant glory on the swords.

I have found it is much better to stack spell damage on the armor and jewelry and use the magic regen/max health food if you feel the need for it. This means replacing your seducer with prolly julinanos or kragernacs or TBS with kena and willpower. And have torugs swords sharpened, this is best, you really don't have to worry about regen if things die fast enough. And don't forget to drink pots. The trash onea you pick up are usually more then enough with the passives from the skill line.

Heals are really a nonissue though too, with the set up I laid out above, your honor the dead will heal you to full even noncrit. Even on your destro bar.

thankyourat · September 2016

Ankael07 wrote: »

Staves are for sorcerers. Any other class can do without them so why bother? Its not like staves are the only resource management tool in the game.

I would also argue that staves are better for nightblades as well. dual wield magicka nightblade has huge resource problems. Their needs to be away that you can maintain your resources and still use dual wield. Or if staves are suppose to be the primary weapon of magicka users the damage needs to be increased or its needs a passive to up your spell penetration

Berenhir · September 2016

Penetrating Magic should apply to all Magicka based spells. Buff Destro!

Siliziumdioxid · September 2016

thanks for the tips so far.
Well ... In time i will craft my endgame gear. For the healer content i really consider having dual swords with powered trait and powered restostaff on second bar. the first bar is somehow ridiculous... i should probably decide whether playing as DD or Healer.
Tried channeled Focus some minutes ago ... works great, so thanks.
I really consider Julianos, but i need Orsinium DLC for this, or perhaps i ask some friendly Guildmate.

With the staffs: can't they do it like in Skyrim were sorcerers had a dagger or a sword in their offhand? Even Gandalf in LotR was running around with a staff and a sword... (or some nice passives would suffice too)

OldGamerESO · September 2016

I think it is important to ask what your goals are. To say using a staff is a DPS loss and it hurts your group might be true if you are running veteran trials, but let's be honest, that isn't very many people. That is an exclusive club that is going to tell you want to to do, when to do it and make you pass tests before they bring you along. Who wants that?

But if you are running normal trials, vet and normal dungeons then heck, who cares? Trash packs implode and bosses disintegrate so fast once dps can be applied. Its much more about the mechanics. I like the bigger spell power number you get with swords but let's face it, it is stupid that DW yields higher spell power than staffs and its probably a bug they won't admit. Wearing 7 light or 5-1-1 and standing within melee distance is annoying and error prone and can get you killed easily... now that's a dps loss. Using staff you can weave light attacks which is DPS and you can proc spell damage enchant, which adds to dps. And you have access to Elemental Blockade and Magicka return on staff attack.

Deltia recommends two fire staffs for magicka templar and he has a good rotation worked out. Check out his Omega build. I use it and love it.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · September 2016

Siliziumdioxid wrote: »

thanks for the tips so far.
Well ... In time i will craft my endgame gear. For the healer content i really consider having dual swords with powered trait and powered restostaff on second bar. the first bar is somehow ridiculous... i should probably decide whether playing as DD or Healer.
Tried channeled Focus some minutes ago ... works great, so thanks.
I really consider Julianos, but i need Orsinium DLC for this, or perhaps i ask some friendly Guildmate.

With the staffs: can't they do it like in Skyrim were sorcerers had a dagger or a sword in their offhand? Even Gandalf in LotR was running around with a staff and a sword... (or some nice passives would suffice too)

This is a bad idea, you need to get sharpened. You ought to have radiant destruction on this bar to help with the execute and powered does nothing to help this.

Healing in ESO is a hybridish role. Most of the time you are fine with heals, so you need to dps then. Usually I use blazing spear for that, it can crit for 10k on the first hit and the dot has a chance to proc burning light, which on my build hits for 6k.

Main bar is the resto. Have inner light, breath, repentance, mutagen and springs here. These four heals are more then enough for all content in the game. I have the ultimate barrier here, more for the extra regen then anything but it can be useful if the group is o the verge of wiping.

Second bar is the duel swords. You can really put anything here but you have to have radiant destruction on this bar. I run extended ritual, mystic orbs, radiant glory, purifying ritual and blazing spear here, this covers both mana and stam for resources and give you good damage. This ultimate is warhorn. There is no better ultimate for tanks and healers to run. Your heals will be bigger, the dps will kill faster and it is also round great, get it.

If you cannot get julinanos, use full five piece Magnus. Best low trait craftable for healers. With torags pact.

And I realize none if this has to do with the OPs problem, that being swords are better then staffs for magic, at least for spell damage. I have no issues with this myself, I think it creates an interesting decision, either sustain and lower damage or high damage low sustain. Except for sorcs, who don't have a class spammable and need to use force pulse.

Xvorg · September 2016

Ankael07 wrote: »

Staves are for sorcerers. Any other class can do without them so why bother? Its not like staves are the only resource management tool in the game.

Hmm... actually I use a flame staff with my mageblade and she does it pretty well. Cloak is the only way you can charge a full heavy attack safely. And if it's reflected, cloak is the only way you get the attack back without receiving dmg.