Rotation question

Lvcifyre93 · August 2020

Hi,

I'm a new player and I'm following this guide: https://alcasthq.com/eso-magicka-sorcerer-beginner-guide/#content16

It tells me that on lvl 30 I should have the following skills:

Level 30 Frontbar (Destruction Staff)
1. Annulment
2. Crystal Fragments (Base-skill: Crystal Shards)
3. Crushing Shock (Base-skill: Force Shock)
4. Elemental Blockade (Base-skill: Wall of Elements)
5. Summon Volatile Familiar (Base-skill: Summon Unstable Familiar)
6. Ultimate: Negate Magic

Level 30 Backbar (Restoration Staff)
1. Blessing of Protection (Burst heal)
2. Boundless Storm (Base-skill: Lightning Form) (Extra Resistance boost and speed buff)
3. Mutagen (Base-skill: Regeneration) (Keep this up for extra heals)
4. Liquid Lightning (Base-skill: Lightning Splash)
5. Summon Volatile Familiar (Base-skill: Summon Unstable Familiar)
6. Ultimate: Overload

But there's not really any mention of how to use them correctly (rotation, what to use when,..). Can anyone give some suggestion so that I can learn to play properly? Thanks!

newtinmpls · August 2020

The link is to an Alcast Video - go through and watch it again; I can't imagine he didn't demonstrate a rotation. He probably also listed possible alternate skills.

The short version is cast the buffs/longer lasting things first, then the shorter acting things (with keeping an eye on watching for Crystal Frags to proc - cast it when you see it proc).

Lvcifyre93 · August 2020

Hey, as far as I can tell, there's no video on that page, just text?

Lvcifyre93 · August 2020

Also, could you explain this please? "with keeping an eye on watching for Crystal Frags to proc - cast it when you see it proc". Thank you.

Aendruu · August 2020

Crystal Fragments has this in its description:
"Casting any other Magicka Ability has a 35% chance of causing your next Crystal Fragments to be instant, deal 33% more damage, and cost 50% less Magicka."

"Proc" is the abbreviation for 'Procedural Random Occurrence' which is the activation of this effect based on random chance, and you'll see the icon on your skill bar change colour when it's "procced". I also had great difficulty understanding ESO slang when I started playing earlier this year, but here's a guide that is very useful.

I hope this helps.

probo11 · August 2020

I would highly recommend using this guide Skinny Cheeks Gaming. He goes indepth for every pve aspect. The gear and rotation should be te same

newtinmpls · August 2020

Okay,

first off, @Lvcifyre93 my apologies - I did not realize you weren't looking through his videos.

Short answer: if you go here https://alcasthq.com/eso-dps-damage-dealer-beginner-guide/#abilityweaving

And scroll down to "the mechanics of dealing damage" and "building a rotation" he does give a bit of an explanation. That being said, I would still encourage you to check out his videos, because ... well for me I had to "see it" to start to "get it".

To start with I would point you to an older video - so the specifics will likely not be accurate, but the general principles still will be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p48ULh3TbgY

And thank you @Aendruu for translating my "ESO slang" my apologies. Guess I have picked up more stuff than I thought. Took me about 2 years to get the hang of moving while in combat, and now I can't "not" do it.

Aendruu · August 2020

You're welcome @newtinmpls. ESO is certainly an education! I still have to frequently refer to that guide to translate forum posts, and quite frankly haven't a clue what folk are talking about when they're discussing builds and technical mechanics. My thanks to you in return for sharing the weaving link and rotation video; they're extremely instructive for a newbie such as myself.

FrancisCrawford · August 2020

Lvcifyre93 wrote: »

Hi,

I'm a new player and I'm following this guide: https://alcasthq.com/eso-magicka-sorcerer-beginner-guide/#content16

It tells me that on lvl 30 I should have the following skills:

Level 30 Frontbar (Destruction Staff)
1. Annulment
2. Crystal Fragments (Base-skill: Crystal Shards)
3. Crushing Shock (Base-skill: Force Shock)
4. Elemental Blockade (Base-skill: Wall of Elements)
5. Summon Volatile Familiar (Base-skill: Summon Unstable Familiar)
6. Ultimate: Negate Magic

Level 30 Backbar (Restoration Staff)
1. Blessing of Protection (Burst heal)
2. Boundless Storm (Base-skill: Lightning Form) (Extra Resistance boost and speed buff)
3. Mutagen (Base-skill: Regeneration) (Keep this up for extra heals)
4. Liquid Lightning (Base-skill: Lightning Splash)
5. Summon Volatile Familiar (Base-skill: Summon Unstable Familiar)
6. Ultimate: Overload

But there's not really any mention of how to use them correctly (rotation, what to use when,..). Can anyone give some suggestion so that I can learn to play properly? Thanks!

That looks like an old build. For example, Mutagen has been out of the game for a while. Rapid Regeneration is a much inferior form if you're playing solo. Rapid Regeneration isn't something you "keep up for extra heals" at all; rather, you use it more like a burst heal.

In fact, the only reason I'd use the restoration staff skills is to level them up. Otherwise, I'd replace them by the Twilight Matriarch for healing. Another option is to just rely on your shield plus the Rapid Regeneration morph from the restoration staff. And once you unlock it, Critical Surge will be a better choice if you're only healing yourself.

It's also weird that neither ultimate skill is Greater Storm Atronach. That's the best choice for most fights.

As for Annulment -- I wouldn't use that either. Empowered Ward is easier to play with than the other shield options, or if you want maximum shield strength then go with the Hardened Ward morph instead.

Also, for most purposes the shorter-duration morphs of Wall of Elements and Lightning Splash now feel better, although in the toughest/longest fights that may not really hold true.

Nestor · August 2020

Underneath it all, you are creating Muscle Memory. Like you do when learning to Touch Type or play an instrument, chop vegetables, play sports etc.

So, start off Slow on activating things. As you get used to the controls, things will naturally speed up. Your goal is to not think about the skills that you apply, but to just apply them. If that makes any sense.

What can also help is to follow the same pattern with most builds, like the following:

1. Buff
2. Damage over Time
3. Spam Damage
4. Shield
5. Recovery

Or whatever works for you. Pick a pattern and slot the skills that match the pattern. Then you just go 1 2 3 4 5 or 1 2 3 3 3 4 5 1 2 3 3 etc.

Some people use the "back bar" for buffs and shields and recovery. Then the main bar for damage. Some use one bar for single target, and one for AoE. Don't think you have to follow builds and rotations exactly, it is more important to understand how active skills, passive skills and gear all mesh together to give efficient results.

Nice thing is every class has buffs, damage over times, spams, shields and recoveries. So, once you learn one class, other classes are easier to learn.

And, again, create a rotation that makes sense to you, it will be more effective.

El_Borracho · August 2020

There really isn't a rotation for a beginner/Under Level 50 build.

Go to his endgame build here:

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

And scroll way down the page to find his rotations for pet and non-pet.

FrancisCrawford · August 2020

Pinging @Alcast because there's been a thread started about an out-of-date page.

E.g., one subpoint to the OP's question was when you should cast Mutagen in your solo(?) rotation. I imagine that the answer is different for the replacement skill than it was when Mutagen still existed.

newtinmpls · August 2020

Oh, thanks for the ping...I didn't even think of that!

Alcast · August 2020

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

Pinging @Alcast because there's been a thread started about an out-of-date page.

E.g., one subpoint to the OP's question was when you should cast Mutagen in your solo(?) rotation. I imagine that the answer is different for the replacement skill than it was when Mutagen still existed.

Thanks for the ping.

@Lvcifyre93 There isn't really a rotation till you reach a certain level. The Dungeon/Trials builds usually contain a rotation when you take a look at the table of contents. You could also check out youtube, many players have different good rotations.

FrancisCrawford · August 2020

Alcast wrote: »

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

Pinging @Alcast because there's been a thread started about an out-of-date page.

E.g., one subpoint to the OP's question was when you should cast Mutagen in your solo(?) rotation. I imagine that the answer is different for the replacement skill than it was when Mutagen still existed.

Thanks for the ping.

@Lvcifyre93 There isn't really a rotation till you reach a certain level. The Dungeon/Trials builds usually contain a rotation when you take a look at the table of contents. You could also check out youtube, many players have different good rotations.

With that out of the way, let me add that overland/landscape fights are usually fast enough that there's no time for a "rotation" anyway. There can be no concept of rotation unless a fight is likely to last at least 10 seconds or so, and really no "rotation" discussion is much worth the trouble unless the fight will be at least in the 20-30 second range. But generalities include:

For long-running damage-over-time skills such as Wall of Elements (either morph), Lightning Splash (either morph), and so on, considerations start:

The earlier they start hitting the enemies, the better. But note that different skills have different geometry.
Do any of them run so long that casting them multiple seconds before the fight and regenerating the magicka used works? In particular, Boundless Storm's speed buff is perhaps more useful before the fight than during it.
You'd like to refresh them as soon as they end ... unless you're at the point that you can end the fight quickly with direct damage, mainly single-target skills.

Buffs that don't need to hit anything, such as Critical Surge, are even better candidates to cast early.

Also -- Endless Fury is just plain a fun skill. Trying using it for a while and see whether you agree.

Lvcifyre93 · August 2020

Wow, I didn't receive any email notification from the comments so I just read this now. THANK YOU everyone for sharing your wisdom!