Asking advice on sorc skills rotation

Uberdogger · March 2017

So I'm new (L35) and trying to figure out how best to use my sorc skills in PvE. I started crossing one build with another and now I'm not crazy about any. I've got OK skills for leveling I think, but really need advice on what to put on each bar and especially how to rotate them against mobs and bosses. I've been running Destro for main and Resto for backup. Skills so far:

Dark: C-Frag, Restr. Prison Ult: Absorption
Daedric: Clannfear, Haunting Curse, Twilight Matriarch., Hardened Ward Ult: Greater Storm Atr.
Storm: Mage's Wrath, Boundless Storm, Liquid Lightning, Power Surge Ult: Energy Overload
Passives in all three above.

Destro: Force Pulse, Unstable Wall
Resto: Healing Springs, Mutagen, Healing Ward

Any thoughts? How might a dungeon build look different from PvE--heavy on heal?
Thanks!

WarpigFunk · March 2017

For leveling you should just have one skill from each skill line on your bar to simply gain exp and level those skill lines.

You have 5 skill slots and 1 ultimate slot on each bar. 6 slots.

Bar 1 - slot 2 destro skills, 1 resto skill, 1 dark skill, 1 daedric skill, 1 storm skill
Bar 2 - slot 2 resto skills, 1 destro skill, 1 dark skill, 1 daedric skill, 1 storm skill

Once you've leveled a skill up to morph it, swap it out for something else and level that up for morphing.

You can swap out for stuff like Annulment, Magelight, PvP skill lines, etc... to level those up and morph them
Boom done. You can level up DW or S&B instead of resto if that's your thing ... your choice.

Once you've leveled the relative skill lines, you will ultimately be focusing on one thing at a time - healing, DPSing, or even tanking.

A typical DPS setup would have Single target skills / spammable on front bar, and AoE skills on back bar - with things like pets, Bound Aegis, Innerlight, etc... double barred where necessary.

Something like:
Front bar-
force pulse, haunting curse, crystal frags, bound aegis, inner light - ultimate: meteor
Back bar-
Wall of Elements, Liquid lightning, harness magicka/ mage's wrath, bound aegis, power surge - ultimate: overload/ destro ulti.

dpencil · March 2017

I agree with Warpig. Until your skill lines are maxed, you really want to focus on leveling them all up. I might suggest putting Daedric Summoning as the highest priority, as getting Hardened/Empowered Ward is a major step for mSorc survival. I also like to advocate for pet builds, so I would switch out the Clannfear for the Volatile Familiar and Haunting Curse for Daedric Prey. Obviously, running a pet build will not get you very well rounded xp while fighting mobs. You can get around this if you're on PC and have an addon like Alpha Gear. You could then switch skill bars when turning in quests to the set of skills you are currently working on leveling,

I'd also suggest going with Elemental Blocked over Unstable Wall.

You should be applying your main damage over time abilities (Liquid Lightning, Blockade of Fire, Curse, Familiar pulse if you have him), and then either heavy attack with a lightning staff in AOE situations or spamming Force Pulse until Crystal Frags procs for single target. The Twilight Matriarch is a better healer than the Clannfear and also means you don't need a Resto staff, so you can double bar destro staffs and back-bar your dots.

Uberdogger · March 2017

Awesome, this fills in some of the blanks for me! Was leveling skills rather than all skill lines at once. Breaking it down further into chunks of dps, resto, etc. per bar was helpful, Warpig. Now I'm trying duo destro staffs while keeping resto skill for leveling.

D, thanks for the advice. I respec'd today for Blockade and Prey, and I'm going to try my pet again--should help mitigate losing resto staff? I've got her double barred.

Now I just have to get better at bar swapping, remembering the DoTs that last vs. spells that don't. Practice, practice, practice.

You guys are the best, thanks for taking the time to share your expertise. <")