For damage: High attribute versus high weapon/spell damage?

gamerh5 · October 2018

I tried searching, through engines and forum. All I got was results of people complaining that attribute correlates to damage.
I asked in-game but people said it depends on how I build my character. So, I've been trying to figure out which I should go for.

Basically the title. To attain a high damage either via weapons or spell, which one is best to go for?
Like sets, one that increases spell/weapon damage with xxx or a set that increases max magicka/stamina with xxx?

cjhhickman39 · October 2018

Just off the top of my head and this is my take,both are needed but also a balance between them is needed to be effective.
If you push all stats you can beat on a mob all day using every skill in your tool kit but you just tickle them because your damage is low
If you push all damage you pack a wicked punch but after two hits you got nothing left and just have to light attack and kite while your stat pool regenerates.
So I believe that’s why you got “it depends “ for an answer.
Do you enjoy a fight that takes a while but you get to use many skills and see how the mechanics work push stats within reason
Do you want to one shot as much as possible push damage also within reason

Drdeath20 · October 2018

1096 resource gives you around 100 spell/weapon damage and 1096 more of that resource.

129 weapon/spell damage just gives you slightly more of a damage bump but you have slightly less resources.

Jim_Pipp · October 2018

Drdeath20 wrote: »

1096 resource gives you around 100 spell/weapon damage and 1096 more of that resource.

129 weapon/spell damage just gives you slightly more of a damage bump but you have slightly less resources.

This is true on average, although different abilities have different co-efficients, that is, some abilities scale more with Max magicka and vice versa - the uesp wiki is the best source of information on the specific scaling of every ability.

The real question is what multipliers you have on your build. Stam builds tend to have many % modifiers on their weapon damage (e.g. medium armor passives, slotting fighters guild abilities etc) so usually Stam benefit from higher weapon damage because the % modifiers increase a high number more.

Magicka builds generally have more % modifiers for max magicka (e.g. racials, magelight and passives like nightblade +8%) so those % modifiers are more powerful if you have a high Max magicka.

GreenhaloX · October 2018

Heavy attacks to sustain/regen resources have always been the way of combat for this game for me since before One Tamriel. So, if you're not used to incorporating heavy attacks within your combo (since lots tend to like that light attack weaving thing), then you would benefit more with higher resource pool. I'm quite verse in keeping my resources up with heavy attack combo, so, I tend to favor having higher overall spell or weapon damages.

I'm not too keen on those mathematical calculations; however, I actually did an in-game test awhile back on strikes/damages output (before the target dummy thing) between having higher stam or majicka versus higher spell/weapon damages. I found that, for stam build, having the balance of having the stam pool at around 38-39k (and you're pushing it here) and weapon damage rating in the mid-3k tend to push out more juices per strike than, let's say having stam over 40k. I saw, with my test, a matter of difference of 1k or more. Hell, with stam high in the 40ks, you're sacrificing overall weapon damages. I also tested with a regular magsorc (non-pet) between having 42-43k majicka and 2.3k spell dam build versus a 38-39k majicka and 2.7 spell damage one. I feel it is hitting harder with the 2.7 spell dam one (and this is non-buff with Power Surge.)

So, it can be a matter of preference. I know some prefer that petsorc thing with 50k plus majicka, but, they're seemingly taking a bit longer to kill things. I'm quite certain the overall spell dam is at or below 2k there. They may get a bit of dps aid from the Clannfear and/or Matriarch, but ehh.. not for me.

Red_Feather · October 2018

The most powerful increase in game is a % increase over a flat amount. How many % increases for attributes. A *** ton. Every top dps build goes for either crit or max attribute.

GreenhaloX · October 2018

Red_Feather wrote: »

The most powerful increase in game is a % increase over a flat amount. How many % increases for attributes. A *** ton. Every top dps build goes for either crit or max attribute.

I can't agree.. If that's the case, then every maj toons will be running with only Necro and Mother Sorrow or every stams running with Hulking.. yeah, not really. Well, I guess only the developers would know the true schematic of things, but to me, it's still all about balance, preference and playstyle.

ghastley · October 2018

There are "glass cannon" builds that give max damage, but leave the player vulnerable to getting hit. If you die, you stop doing damage, so taking that too far is counter-productive.
Similarly you can build for burst damage or damage over time, single-target or area of effect. AoE attacks do a lot more damage when you have a lot of targets, so they're good for dungeons with a lot of trash mobs, but look bad on a dummy parse. Having a powerful execute isn't helpful if you can never get the target down to that level.
There is no simple answer.

Swen_von_Walhallion · October 2018

ghastley wrote: »

There are "glass cannon" builds that give max damage, but leave the player vulnerable to getting hit. If you die, you stop doing damage, so taking that too far is counter-productive.
Similarly you can build for burst damage or damage over time, single-target or area of effect. AoE attacks do a lot more damage when you have a lot of targets, so they're good for dungeons with a lot of trash mobs, but look bad on a dummy parse. Having a powerful execute isn't helpful if you can never get the target down to that level.
There is no simple answer.

its not true, as "glas cannon" dps you have still lots of mechanicks how survive, block, doge or shield are your best friends. And in most of DLC dung and in trilas is no diference as DD if you have 16k or 20k HP. Bc if you dont avoid dmg mechanicks of bos you die anyway. And with higher DPS bosses die faster and when they die faster here is fewer mechanics to avoid which mean more dps can be done and reduce posibility make mistake which mostly lead to wipe.

And bout stats for DPS is alwsy beet use set which give wpn dmg/crit o or soem dmg proc. You have enough stamina from atribute points, food and enchants.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · October 2018

In general, magic toons up max magic and Stam toons up weapon damage.

This is because there are more ways to percentage amp max magic then max Stam. And there are more ways to percentage amp weapon damage then spell damage. Though this is changing with the introduction of siroria and spell strategist sets, the former gives 600 spell damage and the later gives 500, single target, there are no max magic sets that give anything close to that, even with more percentage amps.