What is the best class for a hybrid build centered around the Pelinal set? Before anyone says anything, yes I know hybrids are not entirely optimal. But I have absolutely no intention of stepping foot in a trial with such a character. I just want to have a hybrid build that can do things solo (world bosses, dungeons, vMA, etc.), be a solid member in group dungeon content (ideally as a non-DPS, because the queues are shorter and I tend to enjoy it more), and have at least some PvP success. To clarify, while I know tank builds are often hybrids—and I’m not averse to using the hybrid character as a tank at some point—I’m not specifically looking for a tank.

Given the inherent weaknesses of hybrid builds, I think it’s important to leverage its strengths as much as possible: These strengths include flexibility to utilize Stam and Magicka abilities together in a creative/effective way, being able to paper over the different flaws that Stam and Magicka builds of a particular class may have, and sometimes being able to leverage together different class passives that weren’t necessarily balanced around being leveraged at the same time.

My inclination is to think that hybrid DK and hybrid Wardens are probably the best, with hybrid Nightblades and Necromancers being solid options too.

My logic with the hybrid DK is based on several things: MagDK’s suffer from lack of burst and lack of an execute, but a hybrid would avoid those issues, particularly the latter. Meanwhile, StamDKs miss out on some of the powerful self-healing that a MagDK gets (from Flame Lash, Burning Embers, Obsidian Shard, and Coagulating Blood). Also, I think a build that leans on both Magicka and Stamina could get even more use out of Battle Roar and Combustion.

My logic with the Warden is that you basically take a Stamden but make its healing even better, give it access to Fetcher Infection (which will be really strong particularly next patch), an extra AOE DoT, and the option to use Screaming Cliff Racer—which does more damage than Cutting Dive. I don’t love that the Prophecy/Savagery and the Sorcery/Brutality buffs are separated behind different morphs of the same abilities though.

The idea with a Nightblade would basically just be to leverage the huge sustained self-heals of a Magblade with the burst of a Stamblade.

Hybrid Necromancers could be good. You’d get executes—which Magicka Necromancers basically lack. And you’d get access to some very strong healing abilities that Stamina Necromancers lack. Overall, though, the Necromancer class seems to have largely been built around having most abilities be useful for both Stam and Magicka builds, so I’m not sure it adds enough to justify the downsides of hybrids.

I think Sorcerers are probably not as good, because pets and shields scale off of Magicka only, and because their passive healing relies on consistent crits, which is harder to achieve if you’d need to pump both spell and weapon critical.

My thought with Templars is not so much that hybrid Templars would be bad as it is that I don’t really see what you get from it that you don’t have on a Magplar already. I don’t really think Magplars and Stamplars have wildly different strengths and weaknesses, which makes a hybrid less useful.


What do you all think? Is there something I’m missing?