with the problems you're having/ and or game skill id say pack it up and move on.
seen thousands whining in game and on forums about difficulty/ this not being skyrim2.
Just my two cents from a guy who knows Exactly what you are feeling. I HATE reaching a point and getting clobbered. I Hate it when my character dies. I Hate not being able to kill a boss.
And this game is not like AA, where you get XP for crafting. So the long road to 50 - just for starters - is LOOOOONG. (unless you just run dolmens and that is ridiculously boring). Wanna know how long it is? I STILL haven't got one. Got a couple 40's, but I get frustrated in that in-between stage of development and try a different class/race.
That being said, and this is for PVE only, if you want to play sorceror, use the volatile imp pet and the Atronach ultimate. Use either high elf or Breton, go Magicka, and destro staff. the mobs wilt for quite a few levels since each time you activate the imp he becomes a walking aoe in addition to your character attacks.
figuring out your own effective rotation is the best way to go. Only you know your preferred play style.
By the By, i recommend the subscription if you are even thinking of crafting. Just having that crafting bag space so you can pick up all the materials on the planet is worth the price. You don't get that for free.
1. Eat appropriate food. It is very easy to come by. If for some reason you can't, I'm sure an EU player would make you what you need as a gift, since food is very cheap to make.
2. Leveling is a lot more relaxing when you have a good self-heal you can use mid-fight. One of the best self-heals in the game is the Twilight Matriarch. (It can also heal another person, but if you're playing solo that doesn't matter.)
3. Damage shields are wonderful. I suggest Empowered Ward when you unlock it, for the duration, but Hardened Ward or Harness Magicka are also great.
4. Elemental Blockade is wonderful.
5. The specific builds from build guides are irrelevant. You should equip different skills as they become available.
6. If you run dolmens in one zone for an hour (Alik'r Desert is the easiest choice), you should wind up with a set of matching magicka jewelry. And another set of matching health jewelry. And stamina jewelry as well. Also, you'll gain some levels while you do it.
Edited by FrancisCrawford on August 23, 2018 9:51PM
And since dolmens are a chaotic thing, where it really doesn't matter how you're dealing damage, as long as you do some, they're the perfect way to raise up the skills you'd never use otherwise. Just wade in with your other weapon, and slot the skills you don't use, and use them for once. Sometime you find the morphed versions are much more interesting than the base ones, but you got to get there to find out.