i just gotta put out there, rattlecage isnt a good set. if it shared the buff with team, be one thing but sap essence and braain fart the mages dot both give the buff. they are not hard to manage the buff uptime, and both do good things, sap essence is like the ultimate aoe for mageblades and the mage ability (brain farting still) is really good dot (and the empower from using it is best time to use ultimate and/or cripple).
- Main account, PvE: 5xTBS + 5x Infallible or 5x Scathing with dual-destro
- Main account, PvP: 5x Winterborn + 2x Iceheart + 3x Willpower with destro and dual-wield
- Alt account, PvE: 5x Kag + 5x Destruction Mastery with dual-destro (build guide in the link; I'm particularly fond of this build because of how inexpensive yet effective it is)
I have a question about that one with Destruction Mastery - how is your health sustainability when using destro/destro, instead of using destro/restro?
I have a question about that one with Destruction Mastery - how is your health sustainability when using destro/destro, instead of using destro/restro?
No problems whatsoever. You have more than enough self-heals with Funnel and Sap, and if you need to shield, use Harness Magicka. Even in vMA, I don't use a resto as a magblade.
Some friends recently returned to the game and are at low-CP so I did a cheap reroll on my magblade to provide support in PVE groups, but the things that make it good for the group make it really good for solo-pve including maelstrom. Weapon swapping changes the build from tanky to DPS.
3 Willpower Jewellery (robust traits because this needed to be a cheap build)
5 Armour master (3 armour, 2 x weapons - mainly S +B for the taunt and classic sap-tanking while blocking, sometimes dual wield for more oomph)
5 Jullianos (4 armour, 1 staff, mainly destro, but sometimes resto for more healing).
With armour master, shadow barrier and mirage up, I buff myself to over 33,000 resistance (spell and physical) on a light armour character who can cast good damage shields and almost every attack heals me (and the group).
Lava_Croft wrote: »That's why Necropotence is perfect, you're already spamming Shades anyway!mr_wazzabi wrote: »5 Lich(jewels, 1 armor, defending resto) 5 Necropotence (4 armor, destro) 1 Grothdarr
Infinite sustain, huge shields, solid damage from the enormous magika pool. You can run 1 kena instead of 1 grothdarr, but since we're stacking magika with this setup I decided to go all in on that and squeeze every ounce of shield that I can.
Edit: Spinners is a really solid set as well if you can manage your shields well it can replace necro, but you'll lack some damage against sorcs and other shield users. Pirate king 2 piece is also dope AF
But you'll need to spam shades in order to get that 5pc bonus.
PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »Don't you have you technically have to cast pets 2x to get the set buff and then to get pets that are buffed by it?
PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »Don't you have you technically have to cast pets 2x to get the set buff and then to get pets that are buffed by it?
Knootewoot wrote: »PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »I'm loving Stygian with destro staff. One if the most fun setups I've done in awhile. Anyone else have a magblade setup they live that's with trying?
Stygian + VD + 2x Kena + proxi
I guess instead of Stygian, Rattlecage would be even stronger for this setup:
http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Rattlecage+Set
I guess so too. I had a complete set of (prosperous and training) rattlecage. I might try to get 3 jewels so I only have to wear 2 heavy pieces of armor. Sadly I hardly find grind groups for the vaults of madness.
token systemmmmm
hmm, I usually que in group finder tool - works well, sometimes it is 30 minutes, sometimes 15, I already got some divines and impen pieces and jewelry in "healthy" trait, I read on the forums someone confirming, that there is also unique jewelry pieces with "arcane" trait. I have no weapons so far.
PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »I'm loving Stygian with destro staff. One if the most fun setups I've done in awhile. Anyone else have a magblade setup they live that's with trying?
Stygian + VD + 2x Kena + proxi
PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »Don't you have you technically have to cast pets 2x to get the set buff and then to get pets that are buffed by it?
PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »Don't you have you technically have to cast pets 2x to get the set buff and then to get pets that are buffed by it?
Unless they changed it from last time I used it, you only need to cast shades once but you then need to switch the bar to get the buff so always put the shade on your off bar (for magblade at least).
Hopefully they fixed it so it procs as soon as the shade is cast, but I haven't seen anything to indicate that so far.
Stoopid_Nwah wrote: »I mean there's always cloakStoopid_Nwah wrote: »No kidding...imo necropotence is mandatory (to be competitive) for magblades in pvp with the exceptions being tanks and gankers.Stoopid_Nwah wrote: »Or just every twenty seconds...unless that constitutes spamming to you.mr_wazzabi wrote: »5 Lich(jewels, 1 armor, defending resto) 5 Necropotence (4 armor, destro) 1 Grothdarr
Infinite sustain, huge shields, solid damage from the enormous magika pool. You can run 1 kena instead of 1 grothdarr, but since we're stacking magika with this setup I decided to go all in on that and squeeze every ounce of shield that I can.
Edit: Spinners is a really solid set as well if you can manage your shields well it can replace necro, but you'll lack some damage against sorcs and other shield users. Pirate king 2 piece is also dope AF
But you'll need to spam shades in order to get that 5pc bonus.
Right? I'll use soul harvest as often as shades
Yeah, I really don't know how else you get dampen big enough to realistically protect healing ward without making far too many other sacrifices. I suppose you could run 5 lich 2 pirate king 4 X and rely on pirate king procs to effectively increase the size of your shield, but you'd have trouble finding enough damage that wayokay but sarcasm aside, yes I agree, dampen isn't big enough without that 50k magicka pool. Pirate king is interesting, I got the shoulders finally today in divines, just not sure what sort of setup will fit with what I'm wanting to do with it.
PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »Don't you have you technically have to cast pets 2x to get the set buff and then to get pets that are buffed by it?
Unless they changed it from last time I used it, you only need to cast shades once but you then need to switch the bar to get the buff so always put the shade on your off bar (for magblade at least).
Hopefully they fixed it so it procs as soon as the shade is cast, but I haven't seen anything to indicate that so far.
it does proc right when you cast it, I tested it out yesterday
I have a fully levelled magblade and I hate it with a passion. I hate its playstyle and its squishiness. I tried all sorts of set-ups but I just can't seem to make it work. The other three chars (see below) I love them to bits!
Elegant jewelry 2pc body. Alchemist 4 body and resto. 1 kena Maelstrom Destro. 11-20k plus heavy attacks into Soul assault. Good Night.
@Koolio
Tip for your build, drop the Maelstrom destro and replace it with an elegant inferno staff, then add a max Magicka monster piece into your body slots in place of that elegant piece.
What this will do is give you larger bursts with the 350 spell damage enchant over the consistent 190 spell damage from Maelstrom destro. It also gives you an 1500 Magicka (after passives) which equates to an extra 150 spell damage. So for your bursts you'll be hitting with an extra 310 spell damage worth of extra damage. (Personally I would swap the kena for a different Max Magicka piece as well, means bigger shields and the damage due to night blade max magicka passives is negligible and you get that much bigger shields)

PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »I have a fully levelled magblade and I hate it with a passion. I hate its playstyle and its squishiness. I tried all sorts of set-ups but I just can't seem to make it work. The other three chars (see below) I love them to bits!
How often do you use mirage? Have you tried going 5pc HA?
PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »Don't you have you technically have to cast pets 2x to get the set buff and then to get pets that are buffed by it?
Unless they changed it from last time I used it, you only need to cast shades once but you then need to switch the bar to get the buff so always put the shade on your off bar (for magblade at least).
Hopefully they fixed it so it procs as soon as the shade is cast, but I haven't seen anything to indicate that so far.
it does proc right when you cast it, I tested it out yesterday
That's good to know. Still don't regret deconning my gold divines set though. Too much hassle in trials and not that useful in divines for PvP.
Master_Kas wrote: »Atm using 5x spinner, 2x groth, 5x vd (sometimes I swap out the vd jewerly for willpower)
DW + destro to kill as much as possible before going down.
Magblade feels pretty meh, you're either a kamikazee bomber, a weaker sorc (if you go destro/resto) or a weak stamblade (mag melee , dw resto).
WTB Magicka melee nb from 1.5 or before
PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »Don't you have you technically have to cast pets 2x to get the set buff and then to get pets that are buffed by it?
Unless they changed it from last time I used it, you only need to cast shades once but you then need to switch the bar to get the buff so always put the shade on your off bar (for magblade at least).
Hopefully they fixed it so it procs as soon as the shade is cast, but I haven't seen anything to indicate that so far.
it does proc right when you cast it, I tested it out yesterday
That's good to know. Still don't regret deconning my gold divines set though. Too much hassle in trials and not that useful in divines for PvP.
its bad for trails because the shades absorb group buffsMaster_Kas wrote: »Atm using 5x spinner, 2x groth, 5x vd (sometimes I swap out the vd jewerly for willpower)
DW + destro to kill as much as possible before going down.
Magblade feels pretty meh, you're either a kamikazee bomber, a weaker sorc (if you go destro/resto) or a weak stamblade (mag melee , dw resto).
WTB Magicka melee nb from 1.5 or before
Nah, magblade > sorc by far. You have ranged snares and roots, a cheaper spammable that heals you, allowing you to cast dampen and go offensive to refill your health. You have cloak to relive pressure and help protect your healing ward, shades as a superior positioning tool to streak, better aoe CC, and you can guarantee your high burst skill procs when you want it to, your burst isn't purgable, magika based dodge chance, better sustain, minor berserk, etc.
The only advantage sorc has really is mines, but these days most people know how to counter them.
edit: Its also worth noting that mageblade is able to run blue health/mag food for pvp and not have to worry about dying to 3 CCs because siphoning attacks handles your stamina.