What Am I Not Understanding...

ACamaroGuy · January 2020

I'm a High Elf MagPlar champion point level 810. I am only a PvE player attempting some kind of off-balance build that also hits hard.
Build 1) weapon/jewelry War Maiden. Lightning/lightning staff nirnhoned/precise, shock/absorb enchantments. Necklace/rings all use the spell damage enchantment. All armor, jewelry and weapons are gold using gold glyphs. Monster set is Grundwulf in heavy. Armor is Underwhelming Surge. All armor pieces are using magicka glyphs. Spell damage is 2702, spell critical is 36.6%.
Build 2) weapon/jewelry Treasure Hunter. Lightning/lightning staff, powered/training, shock/absorb enchantments. Gold shock glyph and the stock absorb glyph. Purple lightning staff's. Gold rings/purple necklace with spell damage using gold glyphs. Monster set is Valkyn Skoria in heavy. Armor is War Maiden. The monster set is gold, the armor set is purple. Monster set is using gold magicka glyphs and the armor set pieces are using the stock magicka glyphs. Spell damage is 2134, spell critical is 50.0%.
ALL armor pieces from both sets have the divines trait and I am using The Shadow for my boon. All attribute points are in magicka and my champion points do not change between builds.
I tried to figure out what set is stronger by hitting a Betty Netch using only my Puncturing Sweep ability. Build one ranges from 7048 to 9680. Build two ranges from 6518 to 9240. The numbers do go up higher sometimes but these are the ones that showed up the most.
Questions 1) not having all gold armor effect this that much? 2) is the difference between spell damage (568) causing the gap in damage? 3) having major prophecy on Treasure Hunter conflicting/canceling my light armor Prodigy skill? If this is the case, should I remove the 2 skill points in Prodigy so I can keep the 129 spell damage from Treasure Hunter? If I make all my purple pieces gold and transmute my lightning staves to nirnhoned/infused, will I get better results then build one?
I do not want to use Mother's Sorrow over Treasure Hunter because I want the extra 129 spell damage and being that this is an overland build/setup, I don't intend on using crit pots. I used Puncturing Sweep because this is my main go to and because it's a constant press 'x' get 5 jabs.
I figured build two would be stronger because of the much higher higher critical percentage. What am I doing wrong? Thank you in advance for your help.

Iskiab · January 2020

For PvE right?

Here are some things:
- gold makes the biggest difference on weapons
- you need a vMA staff for your back bar. Burning buffs WoE’s damage and light attacking alone goes up to 20k damage. In addition DKs buff fire damage done
- Look at light attack weaving, you have to master it in this game
- Invest in crit, with CPs you get a large crit modifier so crits hit hard. You’ll also get a major crit buff from cycling Warhorns so it’s even more powerful in a trial
- Use magicka, crit and spell power potions. You don’t need treasure hunter

P.S. - thinking about it I’m not sure which type of destro is best, but the answer is usually fire.

ACamaroGuy · January 2020

Iskiab wrote: »

For PvE right?

Here are some things:
- gold makes the biggest difference on weapons
- you need a vMA staff for your back bar. Burning buffs WoE’s damage and light attacking alone goes up to 20k damage. In addition DKs buff fire damage done
- Look at light attack weaving, you have to master it in this game
- Invest in crit, with CPs you get a large crit modifier so crits hit hard. You’ll also get a major crit buff from cycling Warhorns so it’s even more powerful in a trial
- Use magicka, crit and spell power potions. You don’t need treasure hunter

P.S. - thinking about it I’m not sure which type of destro is best, but the answer is usually fire.

Fire for damage is correct. I'm going for an off-balance build. Just a for fun kind of build as I reexplore Nirn. This is my backup toon. My main is a StamPlar and I have all the gear the game offers, well not all of them but the ones that matter. One thing I have never done though is run VMA. I may give that a go and attempt for both the flame and lightning staff. As for the builds though, which one should I focus more on? Is build two any good at all or should I scrap it? Thanks.

Iskiab · January 2020

ACamaroGuy wrote: »

Iskiab wrote: »

For PvE right?

Here are some things:
- gold makes the biggest difference on weapons
- you need a vMA staff for your back bar. Burning buffs WoE’s damage and light attacking alone goes up to 20k damage. In addition DKs buff fire damage done
- Look at light attack weaving, you have to master it in this game
- Invest in crit, with CPs you get a large crit modifier so crits hit hard. You’ll also get a major crit buff from cycling Warhorns so it’s even more powerful in a trial
- Use magicka, crit and spell power potions. You don’t need treasure hunter

P.S. - thinking about it I’m not sure which type of destro is best, but the answer is usually fire.

Fire for damage is correct. I'm going for an off-balance build. Just a for fun kind of build as I reexplore Nirn. This is my backup toon. My main is a StamPlar and I have all the gear the game offers, well not all of them but the ones that matter. One thing I have never done though is run VMA. I may give that a go and attempt for both the flame and lightning staff. As for the builds though, which one should I focus more on? Is build two any good at all or should I scrap it? Thanks.

Where will you use it? Trials, dungeons or just overland?

ACamaroGuy · January 2020

Overland and dungeons, no trials.

Iskiab · January 2020

At 810CPs I found as a magplar I could solo almost everything with just sweeps. I’d load up my skill bar with other abilities I’d want to level, because well, leveling skills takes a ridiculously long time in this game.

For your questions:
Questions 1) not having all gold armor effect this that much?
- not really. Gold armour makes a difference in some sets but not others. The difference is pretty small. I’d focus on golding your weapons, not bother with jewellery (it’s too expensive)

2) not having the lightning in precise effect the outcome this much?
- I hear conflicting info on this. Trial healers all used to run infused back bar lightning for better off balance uptime, DKs in pvp swear by charged for the burning status effect. I’d actually try infused because the difference is small (if there is one) and infused will make your glyph hit harder

3) the difference between spell damage causing the gap in damage?
- spell damage and max mag yea

4) having major prophecy on Treasure Hunter conflicting/canceling my light armor Prodigy skill? Should I make all my purple pieces gold and transmute my lightning staves to precise/infused or nirnhoned/infused to get better results then build one?
- I’d go infused/infused. Wall of elements on your back bar will proc your back bar enchantment, on your front bar it’ll proc from light attacks (only light, heavy, and weapon abilities proc enchantments). Treasure hunter is definitely not overwritten by the LA passives

Other things I’d try:
- make sure you’re at the pen cap, it’s the best dps stat until you hit the cap
- Try the crit mundus instead. You’re unlikely to get good warhorn uptime in a dungeon
- make sure you’re light attack weaving
- make sure you have minor force, either from race against time or rearming trap
- Look into New Moon Acolyte, it’s a great magplar set

ACamaroGuy · January 2020

Thank you

Kel · January 2020

An off balance build will mostly benefit from lightning staves, as concussion with proc off balance far more frequently than fire.

If overland is your goal, and not trials, change from fire to lightning. You'll hit off balance after cool down almost instantly.
Overland has packs of mobs usually anyway, and lightning is great for AoE, while fire is best for single target. So lightning will still be best option for overland, aside from world bosses, perhaps. DPS shouldn't be all that important for overland content anyway, as its faceroll easy with just fists...😁

VaranisArano · January 2020

Just remember that War Maiden buffs magic damage specifically, so it only buffs your skills that deal magic damage. It won't buff your destro staff skills or elemental damage. That might be fine if you intend to mainly rely on Aedric Spear and the non-flame morphs in Dawn's Wrath.