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Best build for DPS?
What is the best race and class for a great DPS? I'm looking to start a new toon to focus solely on dealing damage. I initially made a nord nightblade(bad idea, I know) and not until now have I decided to start a new character.
Any input would be awesome! Thanks!
Any input would be awesome! Thanks!
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FluffyReachWitch✭✭✭✭✭There are many great options available.
My main DPS is a Breton Sorcerer with investments in the Stormcalling tree. I do extra shock damage, stick with light armor and lightning staves, and mainly use the Apprentice when I invest mage points.
My other DPS is a Khajiiti Nightblade with a focus on stamina. She uses medium armor and a bow for most of her attacks, taking things out from a distance. She benefits from Khajiit skills, bow skills, and a few class skills.
You can also get great magical DPS as an Altmer (bonus to all elemental damage) Sorcerer. And my partner has a very successful Dunmeri Dragonknight built into a fire mage, since Dunmer get a high bonus to fire damage.
And that's only a few examples.
For a class run-down, here's what I've learned.- Sorcerers benefit from Stormcalling, which increases shock damage and physical damage. They can also get a spell damage boost when they have more Sorcerer abilities in their bar. They're great in magical DPS and weapon DPS alike.
- Nightblades have skills that benefit critical hits and allow you to deal more damage to targets with low health. Again, you can go magicka or stamina. You can also leap around with teleport strike. It's fun.
- Dragonknights from what I understand can work with fire and poison for effective damage over time.
- Don't ask me how to play a Templar, I don't know yet. All I can tell you is I get destroyed in PvP when someone gap-closes with a two-handed weapon and stabs me to death with some kind of light spear.
But there isn't really a best option; there are a ton of race, class, and skill combos to work with. The choice here comes down to who you want to be and how you want to murder things.
Other things that provide a serious boost to DPS:- Your gear sets. Look for things that increase raw spell damage or weapon damage.
- Jewelry. Use glyphs that increase spell or weapon damage. This can add hundreds to your stats in endgame.
- Mundus stones. The Apprentice boosts spell damage, the Warrior boosts weapon damage, and the Thief and Shadow stones provide different bonuses to your critical attacks.
- The Divines trait on armor improves the damage bonuses from the Mundus stones.
- Weapon traits that increase spell or physical penetration (Sharpened I believe?) or critical chance help.
- If you have champion points: the Apprentice lets you invest in spell damage and spell critical, the Atronach improves your weapon skills, and the Ritual is for physical attacks and weapon critical.
So there's a lot you can do. I'd say pick a character that calls to you, jump right in, and as you build them up, practice fighting in ways that focus on dealing more damage quickly. Take your time and adjust as needed.1 -
Qbiken✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭When it comes to race:
For stamina builds khajiit (most damage)
For magicka builds: Altmer or dunmer.1 -
FluffyReachWitch wrote: »There are many great options available.
My main DPS is a Breton Sorcerer with investments in the Stormcalling tree. I do extra shock damage, stick with light armor and lightning staves, and mainly use the Apprentice when I invest mage points.
My other DPS is a Khajiiti Nightblade with a focus on stamina. She uses medium armor and a bow for most of her attacks, taking things out from a distance. She benefits from Khajiit skills, bow skills, and a few class skills.
You can also get great magical DPS as an Altmer (bonus to all elemental damage) Sorcerer. And my partner has a very successful Dunmeri Dragonknight built into a fire mage, since Dunmer get a high bonus to fire damage.
And that's only a few examples.
For a class run-down, here's what I've learned.- Sorcerers benefit from Stormcalling, which increases shock damage and physical damage. They can also get a spell damage boost when they have more Sorcerer abilities in their bar. They're great in magical DPS and weapon DPS alike.
- Nightblades have skills that benefit critical hits and allow you to deal more damage to targets with low health. Again, you can go magicka or stamina. You can also leap around with teleport strike. It's fun.
- Dragonknights from what I understand can work with fire and poison for effective damage over time.
- Don't ask me how to play a Templar, I don't know yet. All I can tell you is I get destroyed in PvP when someone gap-closes with a two-handed weapon and stabs me to death with some kind of light spear.
But there isn't really a best option; there are a ton of race, class, and skill combos to work with. The choice here comes down to who you want to be and how you want to murder things.
Other things that provide a serious boost to DPS:- Your gear sets. Look for things that increase raw spell damage or weapon damage.
- Jewelry. Use glyphs that increase spell or weapon damage. This can add hundreds to your stats in endgame.
- Mundus stones. The Apprentice boosts spell damage, the Warrior boosts weapon damage, and the Thief and Shadow stones provide different bonuses to your critical attacks.
- The Divines trait on armor improves the damage bonuses from the Mundus stones.
- Weapon traits that increase spell or physical penetration (Sharpened I believe?) or critical chance help.
- If you have champion points: the Apprentice lets you invest in spell damage and spell critical, the Atronach improves your weapon skills, and the Ritual is for physical attacks and weapon critical.
So there's a lot you can do. I'd say pick a character that calls to you, jump right in, and as you build them up, practice fighting in ways that focus on dealing more damage quickly. Take your time and adjust as needed.
This is a really great answer! You see I started out with a nightblade because I love the whole stealth idea of playing. I chose nord because I came from Skyrim and thought, why not hahah but it doesn't seem to click very well. Right now I started a Khajit Nightblade and a Redguard Templar. I've been wanting to build a sorc because I see so many high level players just wreck with them. Which would be best? A Breton or Altmer? Which has a higher damage output?
Also, what race makes a good Dragon Knight? They look awesome with all their fire abilities!
My main concern is self healing and resource management.1 -
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FluffyReachWitch✭✭✭✭✭I can't say for sure if Breton or Altmer is better for DPS sorcerer. Both have some nice passive potential.
Bretons and Altmer share Gift of Magnus, which means 10% more magicka, which means getting more attacks in. Yay!
Where they differ is that Bretons gain additional magical resistance and a reduction to the cost of all magicka abilities. Altmer on the other hand gain faster magicka recovery and a bit more power behind their fire, frost, and shock damage.
After playing a Breton sorc for so long and seeing my partner as an Altmer sorc: both are definitely great as DPS, but Altmer have a little more raw elemental damage potential while Bretons are a little more defensive.
For self-healing: Don't be afraid to have a restoration staff on the side sometimes. Restoration skills benefit from spell damage as well and you need to keep yourself alive. Power Surge from the Stormcalling tree will allow you to heal as you do critical damage to enemies, and you get a spell damage boost when it's active. You will self-heal a lot just by fighting. Most of the time, at least in PvE, my sorc is landing so many critical hits that I don't even need to take out my restoration staff. But this is best in combination with wards, which minimize the damage you take.
For wards: Lightning Form from Stormcalling is great and deals shock damage. It stacks with the restoration staff ward and the Daedric skill line ward. These things combined let you wade into large mobs and maximize your damage output without getting too beat up. They also help thwart those pesky archers.
For keeping your magicka up, just place heavy attacks in between your abilities. Heavy attacks can do a decent amount of damage with enough spell damage backing them up.
And if you want to take the most advantage of Dragonknight fire abilities, consider rolling a Dunmer. They get a boost to fire.0 -
FluffyReachWitch wrote: »I can't say for sure if Breton or Altmer is better for DPS sorcerer. Both have some nice passive potential.
Bretons and Altmer share Gift of Magnus, which means 10% more magicka, which means getting more attacks in. Yay!
Where they differ is that Bretons gain additional magical resistance and a reduction to the cost of all magicka abilities. Altmer on the other hand gain faster magicka recovery and a bit more power behind their fire, frost, and shock damage.
After playing a Breton sorc for so long and seeing my partner as an Altmer sorc: both are definitely great as DPS, but Altmer have a little more raw elemental damage potential while Bretons are a little more defensive.
For self-healing: Don't be afraid to have a restoration staff on the side sometimes. Restoration skills benefit from spell damage as well and you need to keep yourself alive. Power Surge from the Stormcalling tree will allow you to heal as you do critical damage to enemies, and you get a spell damage boost when it's active. You will self-heal a lot just by fighting. Most of the time, at least in PvE, my sorc is landing so many critical hits that I don't even need to take out my restoration staff. But this is best in combination with wards, which minimize the damage you take.
For wards: Lightning Form from Stormcalling is great and deals shock damage. It stacks with the restoration staff ward and the Daedric skill line ward. These things combined let you wade into large mobs and maximize your damage output without getting too beat up. They also help thwart those pesky archers.
For keeping your magicka up, just place heavy attacks in between your abilities. Heavy attacks can do a decent amount of damage with enough spell damage backing them up.
And if you want to take the most advantage of Dragonknight fire abilities, consider rolling a Dunmer. They get a boost to fire.
I may just start another 2 more characters then! A altmer sorc and dunmer dragonknight. Thanks!2 -
Lashiing✭✭✭stam - 2x MA, 2x Kra'gh, 3x VO, 5x TBS
mag - 1x MA, 2x ilambris, 3x IA, 5x TBS
these are general, there are class specific sets, their increase in dps is ~5k at most
message me if you'd like specifics, lmk stam or mag and what class you'd likeEdited by Lashiing on January 5, 2017 10:08PMPC/NA ― Dancing Jesters
AD – Khajiit Nightblade – Dps – lucif'r
AD – Altmer Sorcerer – Dps – Trove Scamp
AD – Dunmer Dragonknight – Dps – Lashiing
AD – Altmer Templar – Dps – Six-teen
DC – Redguard Sorcerer – Dps – Cunnїng Scamp
vMA • vDSA • vAA HM • vHRC HM • vSO HM • vMoL0 -
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