One Bar Easy vMA w/Video MagSorc Build for Summerset(No Trial, Monster set, Maelstrom Weapon needed)

DeadlyPhoenix · June 2018

@LadyLethalla Yeah getting the right weight for the monster shoulder and helm can be difficult, but at least its mitigated somewhat now with transmutation, so at least you dont need the perfect trait anymore. My magsorc is my main as well, I'm not one for building many alts.

Let me know how your next run goes and if you need any more advice!

LadyLethalla · June 2018

@DeadlyPhoenix Will do. Shame they didn't make weight transmute a thing at the same time...

LadyLethalla · June 2018

@DeadlyPhoenix Turns out another toon had the right weight of each monster piece, so that was easy.

Now, I changed almost everything to your build. I am still using the Twilight (I have the Clannfear morph and didn't want to reset all morphs just for that one thing; tried the Clannfear on the first clear and it didn't give enough of an "oh crap!" heal). Am using Harness instead of Ward, due to the Magicka return. Also decided on Clockwork Citrus Filet instead of WMB.

Swapped btw Infused/Shock and Nirn/Prismatic depending on the stage.

So, I ran VMA twice yesterday, without sigils "twice". By which I mean, I accidentally used a sigil in the final round, must have been when I was doing a Spectral Explosion.
First run: 3+ hours in the morning
2nd run: just over 2 hours, during the evening lagfest.

Got through stage 5 boss each time with only 2-3 deaths.
But, still making silly mistakes plus lag plus stupid poison plant spawns in stage 7 = 0-3 Vitality Bonus left by stage 9.
Your setup helped - I don't feel as much pressure as I did with my old build - so would like to say thanks.
Plus I got an Infused Inferno on the first run

DeadlyPhoenix · June 2018

@LadyLethalla I have so many monster helm and shoulders stored I often forget I usually already have them when I go to test a new build lol....

I'm glad to hear my build helped you out though. I hate how you have to respec all your morphs just to change one skill, will be nice if and when they ever introduce a system to do them one at a time.

I would still recommend dropping the matriarch for the familiar, but to each their own and if you rely on the heal, going without it can be more of a challenge and feel like you're handicapping yourself. The familiar does decent damage though and will heal you when it crits. I just prefer to spam my shield if I get low on health until its back to full.

Clockwork Citrus Filet is the better of the two. However witch mothers doesn't require a perfect roe which is why I listed it instead.

Main reason I never made a second staff was because I've used two before for certain situations and usually forget to switch anyway lol. It's beneficial though if you remember and was why I said it might help you. I haven't tried it myself in vMA with this build though, but when I'm able to get back on in a month or so I plan on trying it out.

Also, is there a specific reason your are not grabbing the sigils? I can understand going for a high score, but score is also based on completion time. This build won't win any speed awards lol. I'd recommend using them to get flawless if that is your goal. Eventually you can phase them out, but again, it doesn't hurt to use them if you're not trying for leaderboard. I didn't use any sigils in my run simply to test the build against what I've been able to do before. I would normally use them just to make things go quicker if I'm farming it.

Lag though.... That is one thing no one can help you with. It's worse living in a region like yours. I play NA and live in NA, yet I experience horrible lag as well. So, for you.... yeah, all I can say is I'm sorry! That's what this build is meant to help combat though

Keep at it though! Again, use the sigils

when you start clearing it consistently with them, that's when I would try to phase them out.

Juju_beans · June 2018

My sorcerer alt hit level 50 today (CP 450) and I tried out this setup. I had the llambris set in the bank just waiting.
Thank you so much for posting this. I'm doing decent damage, mobs go down..even ventured into a public dungeon..but not any bosses yet. No deaths !

Still need to farm purple necro jewelry but I have 2 blues and a green to complete the set.
Then it's practice the rotation and venture into nMA and give it a shot.

LadyLethalla · June 2018

@DeadlyPhoenix The no-sigils run was because you'd done it... so I wanted to see if I could complete it without any. I still feel that Flawless is probably not going to happen... so I'm not sure I want to go back to using sigils as a crutch if I don't need to.
As an example: stage 5 boss. I'd never killed her on the last island without using the Defensive sigil; now I've done that twice. And I doubt I will feel the need to use that again.

My immediate goal is to learn it all well enough that I can clear it with fewer deaths and hopefully better times. If that eventually leads to Flawless, great; if not then I'll just have to accept it as a limitation of age/skill/lag etc.

DeadlyPhoenix · June 2018

@Juju_beans I'm glad you're liking the build so far. It should be more than sufficient for all overland content and even vet dungeons. DLC vet dungeons can be completed but you need to know the mechanics.

This build mainly focuses on vMA but it is viable in anything except maybe certain vet trials. Let me know if you need any advice. I'm not able to play atm, but I still check into the forums pretty regularly.

@LadyLethalla I've said your name so many times it's programmed into my phone now

I can completely understand your reasoning though. The sigils can be and are a crutch. Learning to complete it without them makes you better overall.

Eventually you'll get your flawless though and you will feel more of a sense of accomplishment having done it without sigils. Like that first time you beat vMA.

Just don't forget they're there and meant to be used

congrats on clearing it without using any sigils though. I know stage 5 is especially tough without them.

Sevn · June 2018

I've been following this thread since it started but haven't had a chance to try it myself though am eager to. What would you recommend for the backbar? Bar swapping isn't too difficult for me at the moment and a general idea of what is useful would be greatly appreciated.

I've not put much time into my magsorc and I'm completely lost as to what is useful. I picked the crystal blast morph for crying out loud as it sounded useful lol.

DeadlyPhoenix · June 2018

@Sevn for back bar you will still want to run a Torug staff to keep your 4 and 5 piece active. If you have access to a maelstrom lightning staff you might consider using it and slotting elemental blockade on back bar to get get the maelstrom buff on front bar. You could also run a restoration staff and slot healing ward. It's up to you though, I just keep it as a Torug lightning staff atm.

For skills, you'll still have the familiar. Basically keep damage, shield, buff abilities in the same spot on both bars.

You'll want to place harness magicka or healing ward in the same slot your hardened ward is on front bar. This is so that you have a shield on both bars in the same spot. Makes it easier to stay alive when switching between bars.

You'll also want boundless storm on back bar in the same slot as power surge in front bar. The added resist and speed come in handy. Plus it does lightning aoe damage which can proc our implosion passive. It lasts almost as long as power surge.

I usually slot liquid lightning on back bar in the same slot as elemental blockade on front. These two have similar expiration times. If you're running lightning maelstrom on back bar, swap these two around so that your front bar is benefiting from the maelstrom buff on back bar.

The finaly ability is up to you. The psijic ability that increases crit damage comes to mind. I only got to play a couple days of Summerset before I lost internet so I'm not sure how it works exactly and didn't unlock it. I plan on trying it out though.

You could also slot elemental drain to use on tougher opponents and bosses. It's a flex spot.

For ultimate I'd use Eye of the Storm, Shooting Star, Suppression field, anything really. Just depends on what you need.

Crystal blast is still a good ability. It isn't as good as it used to be since they removed the knockdown stun, but it still does decent damage and can become instant. (The only time you should use it is when it's instant.) I still use it in PvP but not so much in PvE. I try to focus aoe for PvE.

Let me know if you need any more advice. There is more I could say but my posts tend to be long enough as is lol....

Sevn · June 2018

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

@Sevn for back bar you will still want to run a Torug staff to keep your 4 and 5 piece active. If you have access to a maelstrom lightning staff you might consider using it and slotting elemental blockade on back bar to get get the maelstrom buff on front bar. You could also run a restoration staff and slot healing ward. It's up to you though, I just keep it as a Torug lightning staff atm.

For skills, you'll still have the familiar. Basically keep damage, shield, buff abilities in the same spot on both bars.

You'll want to place harness magicka or healing ward in the same slot your hardened ward is on front bar. This is so that you have a shield on both bars in the same spot. Makes it easier to stay alive when switching between bars.

You'll also want boundless storm on back bar in the same slot as power surge in front bar. The added resist and speed come in handy. Plus it does lightning aoe damage which can proc our implosion passive. It lasts almost as long as power surge.

I usually slot liquid lightning on back bar in the same slot as elemental blockade on front. These two have similar expiration times. If you're running lightning maelstrom on back bar, swap these two around so that your front bar is benefiting from the maelstrom buff on back bar.

The finaly ability is up to you. The psijic ability that increases crit damage comes to mind. I only got to play a couple days of Summerset before I lost internet so I'm not sure how it works exactly and didn't unlock it. I plan on trying it out though.

You could also slot elemental drain to use on tougher opponents and bosses. It's a flex spot.

For ultimate I'd use Eye of the Storm, Shooting Star, Suppression field, anything really. Just depends on what you need.

Crystal blast is still a good ability. It isn't as good as it used to be since they removed the knockdown stun, but it still does decent damage and can become instant. (The only time you should use it is when it's instant.) I still use it in PvP but not so much in PvE. I try to focus aoe for PvE.

Let me know if you need any more advice. There is more I could say but my posts tend to be long enough as is lol....

Thank you so much, truly appreciate your time and advice! Very eager to try this out.

Juju_beans · June 2018

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

@Juju_beans I'm glad you're liking the build so far. It should be more than sufficient for all overland content and even vet dungeons. DLC vet dungeons can be completed but you need to know the mechanics.

This build mainly focuses on vMA but it is viable in anything except maybe certain vet trials. Let me know if you need any advice. I'm not able to play atm, but I still check into the forums pretty regularly.

@LadyLethalla I've said your name so many times it's programmed into my phone now I can completely understand your reasoning though. The sigils can be and are a crutch. Learning to complete it without them makes you better overall.

Eventually you'll get your flawless though and you will feel more of a sense of accomplishment having done it without sigils. Like that first time you beat vMA.

Just don't forget they're there and meant to be used congrats on clearing it without using any sigils though. I know stage 5 is especially tough without them.

No worries here..I'm not a trials type player.

My back bar is a Torug's resto staff with one heal skill slotted for "just in case" which I haven't needed yet.
Might use the backbar for 'defense' if the mobs get into my face and melee.

It's a fun setup to play.

DeadlyPhoenix · June 2018

Sevn wrote: »

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

@Sevn for back bar you will still want to run a Torug staff to keep your 4 and 5 piece active. If you have access to a maelstrom lightning staff you might consider using it and slotting elemental blockade on back bar to get get the maelstrom buff on front bar. You could also run a restoration staff and slot healing ward. It's up to you though, I just keep it as a Torug lightning staff atm.

For skills, you'll still have the familiar. Basically keep damage, shield, buff abilities in the same spot on both bars.

You'll want to place harness magicka or healing ward in the same slot your hardened ward is on front bar. This is so that you have a shield on both bars in the same spot. Makes it easier to stay alive when switching between bars.

You'll also want boundless storm on back bar in the same slot as power surge in front bar. The added resist and speed come in handy. Plus it does lightning aoe damage which can proc our implosion passive. It lasts almost as long as power surge.

I usually slot liquid lightning on back bar in the same slot as elemental blockade on front. These two have similar expiration times. If you're running lightning maelstrom on back bar, swap these two around so that your front bar is benefiting from the maelstrom buff on back bar.

The finaly ability is up to you. The psijic ability that increases crit damage comes to mind. I only got to play a couple days of Summerset before I lost internet so I'm not sure how it works exactly and didn't unlock it. I plan on trying it out though.

You could also slot elemental drain to use on tougher opponents and bosses. It's a flex spot.

For ultimate I'd use Eye of the Storm, Shooting Star, Suppression field, anything really. Just depends on what you need.

Crystal blast is still a good ability. It isn't as good as it used to be since they removed the knockdown stun, but it still does decent damage and can become instant. (The only time you should use it is when it's instant.) I still use it in PvP but not so much in PvE. I try to focus aoe for PvE.

Let me know if you need any more advice. There is more I could say but my posts tend to be long enough as is lol....

Thank you so much, truly appreciate your time and advice! Very eager to try this out.

@Sevn you're most welcome! Let me know if you have any more questions, I'm always happy to help.

@Juju_beans I'm not really a trials player myself. For various reasons. Prefer to solo and that's what started this build.

I primarily use my back bar for defense and buffs/debuffs. Glad you like the build though. It works better when you use the second bar with it, but for most content only the front bar is needed with this build.

Happy to hear several of you are enjoying the build!

rumple9 · July 2018

Is Infallible aether a bad set to use now with necro?

I can't beat last boss stage 9 it's like I'm taking too much damage and my DPS is too low.

Also one of the posts above is incorrect as with summerset heavy attack damage was reduced by 15%

DeadlyPhoenix · July 2018

rumple9 wrote: »

Is Infallible aether a bad set to use now with necro?

I can't beat last boss stage 9 it's like I'm taking too much damage and my DPS is too low.

Also one of the posts above is incorrect as with summerset heavy attack damage was reduced by 15%

@rumple9
Patch Notes

Rebalanced the Light and Heavy Attack damage scaling ratios so that Light and Heavy Attacks now scale their damage in the same way that normal abilities do – Max Magicka and Max Stamina is now a greater contributing factor towards their damage.
Rebalanced Light and Heavy Attack damage across weapon types to reinforce the concept that Light Attacks are for dealing damage and Heavy Attacks are for restoring resources. In general, this means:

Light Attacks with One Hand and Shield, Dual Wield, Bow, Destruction Staff, and Restoration Staff weapons will deal more damage.
Light Attacks with Two Handed weapons will deal less damage.
Heavy Attacks with Destruction Staff and Restoration Staff weapons will deal more damage.
Heavy Attacks with Two Handed, One Hand and Shield, Dual Wield, and Bow weapons will deal less damage.

Heavy attacks with destruction staves do more damage and also scales off max magicka now. Stamina based weapons had their heavy attack damage decreased.

As far is infallible aether is concerned, for heavy attack builds it is a viable option even with Necropotence. I have never personally used it since I rarely run trials and have never gotten the pieces I needed to drop. It's still a set I've always considered trying out, just hate trying to find groups and never getting the drops I need.

I know in the past it was a really good set and it hasn't been nerfed so I assume it still would be. I've seen a lot of posts in the past about how effective it is and that's why I wanted to try myself.

If you already have the pieces for it you could give it a shot.

The final boss can be a pain if you don't know the mechanics and it's your first clear. Focus on taking out the adds first, slot crushing shock to interrupt his ability that spams attacks on you and always be ready to block his skull attack.

He usually does the spam ability after he teleports, so watch for him to do so and interrupt him asap. This attack does massive damage.

The skull attack does a lot of damage and stuns you, which often times is certain death if a crematorial guard is on you.

It's a matter of keeping the adds dead, him interrupted and getting all the yellow ghosts for yourself.

Let me know if you need any more advice in this stage, will try to help if I can.

edit

Also on the final stage, always take out the summoners asap. If they summon the bone giant thing, it's pretty much guaranteed death.

This isn't a DPS race, just focus on shielding and keeping your aoes down.

hamgatan · July 2018

Last night I just posted my first vMA clear.. after two agonisingly close attempts the night before (boss at 5% and 3%). It's taken me a long time.. but as @LadyLethalla has said we are at a substantial disadvantage down here having 300+ (I was averaging 350 last night) pings on the content. This causes ridiculous issues such as abilities not firing, bars not swapping etc. With mechanics as finely interweaved as vMA , 0.35 seconds delay is just unacceptable on ZOS's part (yes I realise it's not entirely their fault). Every time I've heard Americans whining about lag and hearing that their lag is 100ms.. internally I rage.. that is not lag.

However now the biggest stumbling block is out of the way for me - it couldn't be done has now become it can be done and will get easier from herein. The mental block is gone. I don't even mind that I got a Maelstrom Maul out of it.. Its the psychological effect of clearing it that's important.

This is part of the reason I ran with this build and hybridised it somewhat. The suggestions made above have also been lifesaving. I did flip it around a bit.. here's what I ran with.

Gear - 5Pc Gold Torugs Divines, heavy chest piece (resistances thing), Med legs, light gloves. All max Magicka enchants (Gold) - Weapons both Gold Infused Lightning with gold shock enchant on one and gold Wep/spell dmg on the second.
2 Pc Gold Infernal Guardian (Light Divines),
5Pc Necro (3x Purple jewellery, spell dmg enchant), Light Divines waist and boots in Gold. I will upgrade the jewels eventually when the price on Chromium Plating is more reasonable and doesn't require 2 mortgages.

Race - Altmer
Mundus - The Mage

Magicka pool of about 48.5k with Witch mother and pet out. (51k with Aegis slotted). Spell Damage about 2.1k unbuffed (3k buffed with major sorcery and staff enchant), spell pen about 9.4k. critical 42%.

Potions - Essence of Spell Power. The 7.5k Magicka return is meh on a nearly 50k pool character - but the added Major Sorcery, Major Intellect and Spell critical buffs were just too good to pass up - especially when you can't get to that back bar fast enough to pop Surge. Make sure you have your Alchemy at 50. The extra potion uptime is crucial (I levelled mine out before I went back in after those two excruciatingly close losses.. it made all the difference).

I did run with the Twilight Tormentor out (I know you said the scamp does more damage), but the Tormentor gave me that little bit extra health and seemed to work. The next time I run it I'll try with the scamp.

CP - Same as yours but I moved half of Bastion into Thick Skinned. What a difference! This is the biggest factor in my eventual win. I'll scale a bit more into it until I'm happy with the balance of it.. but definitely Thick Skinned is the way forward.

Skills
Front bar - Tormentor, Wall of Elem, Hard Ward, Liquid Light, Inner Light -- Supr. Field.
Back bar - Tormentor, Light form, Crushing Shock, Power Surge, Inner Light -- Elemental Rage

I tried to avoid bar switching where possible, and only when I needed to pick surge back up. The other time, and this is why I added Lightning form was when you go up top, popping LF gives you that major expedition buff which makes light work of staying ahead of his heavy attacks up there as well as giving resistances and the added 1k tick DoT. The only time I used Crushing in that fight was if Solkyn ported away from where the healer spawned and I had to distance interrupt him. Next time I'm going to try swapping out Inner for Aegis.. it's more Magicka in the pool and higher resistances.. plus I don't need the crit that Inner is giving me because I'm getting that from my Spell Power pots anyway.

Thank you also to whoever suggested Suppression Field. This was the second biggest factor. I'd been running with Elemental Rage up which does awesome damage - but it's costly. It was taking a bloody long time to get up to 250 ult to fire it off and the time I was using it was specifically to burn down those CGs. Only costing 190 meant my ult could be up quicker and give me more protection against that flame aoe that was previously just owning me. Where I was using it was after the first healer is summoned, if Solkyn ported next to it.. bash interrupt, drop dots on both him and healer and when CG is summoned drop SF on all 3 of them. They melt fast if all contained.

Then I would save the ult until I was up top and got knocked off. The second i get knocked down and have that CG running at me.. run to the spawned healer (CG comes to you), drop the SF on both of them, AoE, rinse and repeat and go back up again. I would only bring out Elemental Rage once Solkyn was down bottom again and I'd hit him with the spectral explosion for that final burn.

There is still room for improvement as well - I haven't actually maxed Undaunted on that char so I can still get another Undaunted Mettle level out of it yet as well.. that and Heavy/Med armour skill trees are both still around 35ish.. Id like to try swapping in either Siroria or Infall Mage at some point to see if the extra 5% damage outweighs that of the Torugs proc.. definitely room for improvement.

One thing I don't understand is how you can be knocked off the top. Land in the lava. Take no damage.. but stand too close to the edge on land and take lava fireball damage.. #zoslogic #skyrimphysics *scratches head over that one*

All I can say to anyone who's been struggling like this. Keep at it. It's not impossible. If I can eventually get there on 350 ping you can too. The crucial thing is mechanics. Memorise everything and anticipate it BEFORE it happens. If you're in position and ready beforehand it will mitigate some of the lag problems you may have. I even managed to clear it despite the skeleton (CoH clone) spawning and Solkyn being empowered/enraged at the end. It's totally possible.

DeadlyPhoenix · July 2018

@hamgatan Congrats on your first clear! It really does get easier from here on out. The more you run it, the more it becomes like second nature.

Trust me, I completely understand the lag thing.... I'm American, have low ping usually and it still gets me killed. I've played EU servers before on games and the ping makes a huge difference. Higher ping players have a much harder time in this game for sure. Like I said, that was part of the reason I posted this build.

I'm sure there are better setups out there that might work ever better for you. I tried out a million different set and skill combinations over the years, this is just the one that I enjoy the most.

You've got the main part down though, figuring out the mechanics and sticking to them!

hamgatan · July 2018

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

@hamgatan Congrats on your first clear! It really does get easier from here on out. The more you run it, the more it becomes like second nature.

Trust me, I completely understand the lag thing.... I'm American, have low ping usually and it still gets me killed. I've played EU servers before on games and the ping makes a huge difference. Higher ping players have a much harder time in this game for sure. Like I said, that was part of the reason I posted this build.

I'm sure there are better setups out there that might work ever better for you. I tried out a million different set and skill combinations over the years, this is just the one that I enjoy the most.

You've got the main part down though, figuring out the mechanics and sticking to them!

Amen to that brother. I just ran it again tonight and posted a 2hr 33min time - 300k score.. unlocked some Time Trial achievement.. Was no deathing it until Rink of Frozen Blood (3 Deaths), 3 Deaths in the next one and ran out my Vitality bonus lives in the Umbrage before clearing on the last life (stupidly bad luck timing the Mage AoE with the scream). Lost two in the 8th and then all the rest came in the last arena. All up maybe 30 deaths? Now I just gotta get that number down. Tried with Scamp on the last one and yeah much bigger damage.

DeadlyPhoenix · July 2018

hamgatan wrote: »

DeadlyPhoenix wrote: »

@hamgatan Congrats on your first clear! It really does get easier from here on out. The more you run it, the more it becomes like second nature.

Trust me, I completely understand the lag thing.... I'm American, have low ping usually and it still gets me killed. I've played EU servers before on games and the ping makes a huge difference. Higher ping players have a much harder time in this game for sure. Like I said, that was part of the reason I posted this build.

I'm sure there are better setups out there that might work ever better for you. I tried out a million different set and skill combinations over the years, this is just the one that I enjoy the most.

You've got the main part down though, figuring out the mechanics and sticking to them!

Amen to that brother. I just ran it again tonight and posted a 2hr 33min time - 300k score.. unlocked some Time Trial achievement.. Was no deathing it until Rink of Frozen Blood (3 Deaths), 3 Deaths in the next one and ran out my Vitality bonus lives in the Umbrage before clearing on the last life (stupidly bad luck timing the Mage AoE with the scream). Lost two in the 8th and then all the rest came in the last arena. All up maybe 30 deaths? Now I just gotta get that number down. Tried with Scamp on the last one and yeah much bigger damage.

@hamgatan Keep at it and you will definitely bring that number down.

You don't have to run the scamp if you prefer the twilight. I just prefer to spam my shields when I get low on health and wait for power surge and my aoes to heal me back up. The damage the familiar does is decent and he will also stun regular mobs. Again, if you prefer the twilight though, it's whatever works for you and your ping.

Don't be afraid to use sigils either until you have a firm grasp of the mechanics and exactly what you need to do. It lowers your score, sure, but other than that you can get all achievements while still using them. Just phase them out as you go. It is a handicap, but they're there to be used afterall.

Let me know if you need any stage specific advice and I will try to help where I can. Keep up the good work!

Locriana · July 2018

Working on a first clear and am currently struggling on Theatre of Despair. In there a couple days, so of course I have to come back and redo the whole stage...the first day I was on a roll from 2 stage clears that day so I got to the final boss and it was late, I was too tired, went to sleep.
Anyway, it's a good practice to come back in and do this stage over and over because you see more things and learn to handle mechanics and try new things.
So I thought I'd try your idea of Torugs pact with necro, I hadn't thought of that before. Makes my sorc more tanky, an I've been trusting the extra spell damage and crit I'm missing to be made up by the extra procs of spell damage on infused staffs.
I run two bars because that works ok for me mostly, though I stay more on my aoes bar, so it's kind of similar.
I do notice a significant drop in dps, so I'm having even more trouble on round 3 because of the summoners. It's very difficult to kill them both before they spawn the bone colossus. I actually survived that a couple times when I was doing more dps. But I'd still rather kill the summoners faster so the bone colossus doesn't spawn.
One thing that's helpful is casting defensive rune on myself by the way, as it stuns various adds who attack me.

Anyway, with your build which relies so heavily on aoes, how do you kill the summoners fast enough?just slamming blockade and liquid lightning and heavy attacks and pet doesn't get two of them down fast enough. They don't seem to be interruptible with crushing shock. I try to get to each in turn when they start their thing....but meanwhile I have to take care of the fire breathing daedroth or he will kill me. I have infused golded necro staves and the enchant on the aoe bar is weapon damage.,

With this build I am missing the crit damage I had with mother's sorrow, so the heals with power surge are not as good.
I have also used infallible aether with necro, which is my go-to staple for trials as I have all gold jewelry and some gold armor pieces for that. But I gave that up the last couple stages when it became clear I needed serious crit heals and went to mother's sorrow.

It's been a back and forth thing as I work my way through Maelstrom. On some stages (notably the poison stage) I have had best results just throwing high dps at it. Others it's more about finesse.

And yes, as everyone says constantly, it's all about knowing mechanics. But I find that knowing mechanics and being able to deal with them effectively are two different stages of learning this content.

For example, I can know it's the dremora Narkynaz who summon the bone colossus, but I can't really see where exactly they spawn, with everything else going on, I just see them when they start summoning, or if I'm lucky just before. So I always have to fight the bone colossus....
Round 4 with the Titan is much easier.
Still haven't got through the final boss though.

Any advice on killing the summoners round 3 stage nine, with this general build focused on aoes and heavy attacks, would be very helpful.

Thanks for the useful ideas.

Locriana · July 2018

Couple questions about final boss, I can't find the answers anywhere.

Do the crystals up top reset when you fall down, or does their health stay wherever you got it down to before you fell? I know the damage dot on you resets, as well as the speed of the wall.

Is the boss supposed to keep casting that one-shot spell that you have to interrupt near the beginning of the round? Necrotic whatever.. because I keep getting killed by it at so many points of this round. Up top too. (Not that I get up there that often...so it's hard to tell) I'm interrupting him every chance I get. I didn't think he did it except at certain times. I know things get weird in vMA when you've been in there awhile, bugs start happening, so I wondered if that was happening. I had lots of trouble on the ice round and the spider round with bugs and would have to restart the game.... Some very strange things would happen in there....

hamgatan · July 2018

Locriana wrote: »

Anyway, with your build which relies so heavily on aoes, how do you kill the summoners fast enough?just slamming blockade and liquid lightning and heavy attacks and pet doesn't get two of them down fast enough. They don't seem to be interruptible with crushing shock. I try to get to each in turn when they start their thing....but meanwhile I have to take care of the fire breathing daedroth or he will kill me. I have infused golded necro staves and the enchant on the aoe bar is weapon damage.

what are your stats? i generally can get those two down fairly okay with AoE's.. but i focus more in that round on getting gold ghosts. more often than not im spectral exploding them but if i see them spawn early my focus changes immediately to them. I personally run Infernal Guardian on this now and its a lifesaver, if you don't know the summoner is spawning and he enters the arena.. if he is the furthest away from you then the proc will go of and literally bombard him before you even know he's there.

Locriana wrote: »

for example, I can know it's the dremora Narkynaz who summon the bone colossus, but I can't really see where exactly they spawn, with everything else going on, I just see them when they start summoning, or if I'm lucky just before.

They are spawning very high up on the edge.. almost in the lava, and walking over the ridge very slowly. This may be why you're not seeing them - as by that stage you're so used to everything moving so fast around you that two summoners creeping in can be missed quite easily.

Locriana wrote: »

Couple questions about final boss, I can't find the answers anywhere.

Do the crystals up top reset when you fall down, or does their health stay wherever you got it down to before you fell? I know the damage dot on you resets, as well as the speed of the wall.

They stay the same health, they don't reset. You pop back up and continue DPS'ing them.

Locriana wrote: »

Is the boss supposed to keep casting that one-shot spell that you have to interrupt near the beginning of the round? Necrotic whatever.. because I keep getting killed by it at so many points of this round. Up top too.

he can cast it multiple times in that round.. he can also hit you with necrotic stab from up top. if you stay in one place too long downstairs you see a red circle with a spear in the middle of it (like a lich pin), get out of that quick because it hurts bad. he usually drops them on the portals as youre trying to kill the clannfear on top

DeadlyPhoenix · July 2018

@Locriana it looks like @hamgatan pretty much already answered you for me

I will still throw my two cent in though

One thing in particular I would try is using a lighting enchant instead of the spell damage one when using torug's. It hits very hard and procs often. The spell damage one does increase all your damage and I haven't personally tested it to see if it's better, but it is something you could try.

The summoners, as hamgatan said, spawn at the edge of the arena and slowly walk down towards the middle. If you're running the familiar, the stun will stop them in their tracks long enough for you to deal with one, before the other makes it to the circle. They're priority number one for me, so heavy attacking them sends my pet after it.

The key is to kill one before they even make it to the circle. The more of them that are there, the quicker they summon him. If it's just one that initiates the summon, it takes longer and you will have plenty of time to kill it before the ritual finishes.

For power surge, I'm not sure exactly what you mean. The heal it provides is a base 2550 that can occur every 1 second. It stays at 2550 other than any passives or CP that increases healing done or received. If you mean it occurs less frequently, then yes at times it will. However with blockade, familiar regular damage, familiar aoe and heavy attack with lightning staff, it's a lot of damage going off at once and usually with about 40% crit you'll still get that 2550 every 1-2 seconds. This is also when shields come in handy and allow you to have the time for power surge to heal you back up. As long as your aoes are down and you medium attack between shields, you should have no problem getting back to full health.

You're right about the mechanics though. Knowing them and knowing how to effectively deal with them are two different things. That just takes practice really.

I plan on posting a video using my exact build to help with any problems, I've just been procrastinating since I have to setup a YouTube account, run it, upload it and post it. Mainly it's the running it. Been busy with Summerset stuff since I was a month or so behind since release.

Anyway, let me know if you need any more help or advice!

Locriana · July 2018

Thanks for answers and advice. @hamgatan infernal guardian sounds like a good idea, I've used it on the ice round to good effect. Right now I'm using Valkyn Skoria. Which does a lot more damage, but of course doesn't hit those guys who creep up from the distance..
@DeadlyPhoenix how are you getting 40% crit with necro and torugs and no inner light on the bar?
Also I'd love to see your video! Hope you get to posting it.
I can switch lightning infused staff to the aoe bar if that's a better choice. I'll try that. I'm on that bar the most. I'm pretty sure the spell damage enchant carries over on the bar switch, so that should work.

As for my stats @hamgatan that's a lot to include, but ought to be the same as yours if we are both using this build? I'm cp 750 using necro and torugs as described. High elf. All passives, skills leveled. So it should be the same as anyone full CP with this build. Maybe you are just seeing the summoners farther away and sooner or your infernal guardian is melting them!

DeadlyPhoenix · July 2018

@Locriana sorry, it's only 32%. Wasn't in to check and couldn't remember exactly, that's why I said about 40%

still though it should be enough.

Also since you do run backbar, I would highly advise running boundless storm for the extra speed and resists. It's also another aoe, though very minor damage, but it can still crit which will heal you and has a chance to proc our implosion passive.

Guess I will get to making a video though. It won't have any voice over, don't have a PC for editing or anything, but you will still be able to watch the run at least.

hamgatan · July 2018

Locriana wrote: »

@DeadlyPhoenix how are you getting 40% crit with necro and torugs and no inner light on the bar?

@DeadlyPhoenix answered that above - me, I get about 42% with Inner slotted, 32 without so it's the same. That said I can regain that 10% crit in my Spell Power Pots which have pretty much 100% uptime if i pop them every 45 seconds. I actually want to try the second pet in that slot to see if it makes a difference.

Locriana wrote: »

As for my stats @hamgatan that's a lot to include, but ought to be the same as yours if we are both using this build? I'm cp 750 using necro and torugs as described. High elf. All passives, skills leveled. So it should be the same as anyone full CP with this build. Maybe you are just seeing the summoners farther away and sooner or your infernal guardian is melting them!

I'm a little bit less than you in CP.. 740 I think off memory.. but only undaunted mettle 1. Infernal definitely makes a difference.. like it literally identifies where the *** are because its like a homing beacon. I have varied the build slightly though.. i run my Heavy piece on the chest because those give the best resistances and Med on the legs. I took a screenshot last night when i was running it of the summoners spawning.. will post it when i get home.

cam_575 · July 2018

Awesome thread...I did my 1st vMA clear with the 1 bar magsorc also...before summerset was 5xNecro+4xInfal+2 Ilambras.

Now it is your build 5xTurog's+5xNecro+2xIlambras.....Better indeed....one Twist if I may....The lightning staff enchant should be FIRE...Ilambras procs off the element...You can enjoy double Ilambras procs (proven)….sometimes they go off

together....sometimes a few seconds apart.(separate cool downs also)...sometimes different targets.....with Turog's+infused lightning staff (fire) enchant, Ilambras is up constantly..... it works well......Strangely Frost (enchant) does not work at all....every little bit helps...….just a suggestion.

DeadlyPhoenix · July 2018

cam_575 wrote: »

Awesome thread...I did my 1st vMA clear with the 1 bar magsorc also...before summerset was 5xNecro+4xInfal+2 Ilambras.

Now it is your build 5xTurog's+5xNecro+2xIlambras.....Better indeed....one Twist if I may....The lightning staff enchant should be FIRE...Ilambras procs off the element...You can enjoy double Ilambras procs (proven)….sometimes they go off

together....sometimes a few seconds apart.(separate cool downs also)...sometimes different targets.....with Turog's+infused lightning staff (fire) enchant, Ilambras is up constantly..... it works well......Strangely Frost (enchant) does not work at all....every little bit helps...….just a suggestion.

@cam_575 you're actually right and I hadn't considered this. Before Summerset I used netches touch and it increased the damage the lightning enchant did or at least I think it does, never really tested to be honest haha... Now I run Necropotence though so it makes sense to run flame enchant instead.

Usually though I run crushing shock and occasionally get the fire aoe from ilambris to proc. I'm definitely going to give this a try though and will update the original post to suggest it once I get a chance to test it.

Thanks for the advice, it's always welcome! Gave you an insightful for it!

idk · July 2018

rumple9 wrote: »

Used this build exactly - cant get past Stage 5 round 3 (rink of frozen ice)

@rumple9 While I am certainly not knocking anything about OP's post I am providing you with a link to Alcast's page for vMA and Sorcs. He has a page for each class.

The additional information may of value including his video. Hopefully something on the site and this thread will help you reach your goal.

https://alcasthq.com/eso-magicka-sorcerer-maelstrom-pve/

BTW, the second clear is easier, though I will say it would still be a challenge. As OP pointed out, getting to know the fights, how things spawn and such, really goes a long way.

DeadlyPhoenix · July 2018

idk wrote: »

rumple9 wrote: »

Used this build exactly - cant get past Stage 5 round 3 (rink of frozen ice)

@rumple9 While I am certainly not knocking anything about OP's post I am providing you with a link to Alcast's page for vMA and Sorcs. He has a page for each class.

The additional information may of value including his video. Hopefully something on the site and this thread will help you reach your goal.

https://alcasthq.com/eso-magicka-sorcerer-maelstrom-pve/

BTW, the second clear is easier, though I will say it would still be a challenge. As OP pointed out, getting to know the fights, how things spawn and such, really goes a long way.

@idk while I appreciate you trying to help out a fellow player, I do think it's a tad bit rude to post a link to another players build in thread with a guide to a different build. No offense. It's also one of the most popular players that is consistently on the front page of the guide section and just about everyone knows who Alcast is on these forums.

I think the problem with that build is that it relies heavily on being able to animation cancel and bar swap effectively and efficiently. My build only requires one bar and no animation canceling. People come here when those meta builds don't work for them due to lag, disability or some other reason.

Again, I mean no disrespect and I appreciate you trying to help out. The video can help a bit though, at least with spawns and such. I will be uploading my own in a few days.

hamgatan · July 2018

idk wrote: »

While I am certainly not knocking anything about OP's post I am providing you with a link to Alcast's page for vMA and Sorcs. He has a page for each class.

Whilst he's a good bloke and certainly knows his stuff, and not to disrespect the man, but Alcast's builds should not be taken as gospel - especially for new or lesser experienced players. It's one of the pet hates of mine to be honest. Basically what he (and other streamers) puts in his builds become the new FOTM and makes the market go crazy over gear that's now considered BiS.

Are they BiS? Yes most probably and he has the metrics to back it up. He works hard at it - but they will not work in every situation and he doesn't make that very clear in his builds which is a frustration I learned many years ago. His builds are not for the all-rounder. They are specifically set up for PvP, or for PvE Trials and Dungeons, where support roles (healers and tanks) are assumed to be following and therefore many weaknesses show if they are used as all-round builds.

Alcast pings a solid 67ms. Having a bar setup like his on the link you posted is workable because of that low latency. But take a new player who might be looking to clear some content for the first time or even an older player who doesn't have the time to go testing builds who is pinging at 300+, this build just will not work effectively. I know.. I tried it and it was nowhere near as effective.

Just that bar rotation alone makes me cringe thinking about pulling it off on a 350 ping.. Surge, HW, *switch* Wall of Elem, Liquid, Drain, Curse, *switch* HW, HA, Crush, (possible frag proc), HA, *switch* repeat.. - note he hasn't written the rotation because you would never have a static rotation in vMA, but I'm just going off what a standard dps rotation should be - buffs, then dots, then st skills. There's 3 switches alone in that rotation and that's IF my skills fire.

He is a knowledgeable fellow - but I wish he would sometimes write builds that cater to other peoples situations and not solely his own awesome fiber speed

(Sorry to derail the thread a little here @DeadlyPhoenix)