Templar Build Advice

Alendris · April 2021

Looking for some advice on building my Templar, primarily for solo/leveling PVE and eventual casual group play as a tank/backup DPS. Weapon selection will be S&B on the front bar, with dual swords on the back bar.

I'm looking for recommendations on stamina vs. magicka point allocations, and smart skill selection that will synergize well between both loadouts.

Has anyone seen any good builds along these lines?

Much appreciated!

jekyto · April 2021

Im using myself one build that is usually hybrid tank/dps for no heal grouping in pledges and overland(never tried on vet dlc hm's but may work on some places). Im runing with full stam attributes and thief mundus, also champion points set for stam dd. So im in 5 heavies crimsons to not think about healing myself, this way i only taunt, cc and dps. Grothdar monster set and powerful assault jewels + weapons (dual wield front bar and sword + board backbar). On backbar skills are razor caltrops, time stop, extended ritual, pierce armor, silver leash and war horn ulti. Front bar are repentance, barbed trap, the almighty jabs, camouflaged hunter and echoing vigor, dawnbreaker ulti. Im having lots of fun with this build so you may wanna try it out

Zodiarkslayer · April 2021

If you are looking for "casual" group play, I assume you mean normal dungeons?

For that you can go full on Stamina Spec. You do not need Heavy Armor at all. Just take good Solo Sets, like Hundings Rage, Leviathan or Spriggan's Thorn. Then have your Sword and Board on the backbar for that occasion only. Slot Pierce armor and Defensive Stance, together with Inner Beast, Rune and Ritual. Your playstyle will determine wether that works. The margin for error is lower than with Heavy Armor and more health, but that comes with wanting to be a tank AND a dps. It is litterally what you ask for.

If you are uncomfy with that try Seventh Legion Brute on some of the Body Slots. It synergises much better with Stam DPS.

Otherwise in Solo environment, a Bow or Two hander is a better Backbar option. MUCH BETTER! SnB is a Meme in SOLO at this point.

You should be fine, if you replace the SnB and Inner Beast abilities with Bow/2Hand ones and maybe Trap from the Fighters Guild.

Remember to slot at least one ability, that gives you Major Brutality. Templars do not have that as a class option. And use Fighter Guild Abilities as much as possible on your frontbar.

Have Fun Jabbing!

Sangwyne · April 2021

I would recommend against playing Templar as a tank as it doesn't have some of the tools that other tanks do, like a decent %HP heal or reliable way to regain stamina while blocking; Focus just doesn't quite cut it. Stamina Templar is still quite viable as a DPS though, and Dual Wield/Bow Stamplars make excellent use of Deadly Strike with their primary spammable Jabs, along with Endless Hail, Quick Cloak, Barbed Trap and Dawnbreaker. If you want to still play it as an offtank, you can also pick up Leeching Plate, which is great for soloing most content in the game and has the added benefit of having both its heal and damage boosted by 20% with Deadly Strike. With that loadout, you should be fine for tanking pretty much any normal or even DLC dungeon, but for Vet DLC and Trials I would recommend either gearing up entirely for survivability or swapping classes, as unfortunately Templar is simply not in a great spot right now, especially as a tank.

BXR_Lonestar · April 2021

Sangwyne wrote: »

I would recommend against playing Templar as a tank as it doesn't have some of the tools that other tanks do, like a decent %HP heal or reliable way to regain stamina while blocking; Focus just doesn't quite cut it. Stamina Templar is still quite viable as a DPS though, and Dual Wield/Bow Stamplars make excellent use of Deadly Strike with their primary spammable Jabs, along with Endless Hail, Quick Cloak, Barbed Trap and Dawnbreaker. If you want to still play it as an offtank, you can also pick up Leeching Plate, which is great for soloing most content in the game and has the added benefit of having both its heal and damage boosted by 20% with Deadly Strike. With that loadout, you should be fine for tanking pretty much any normal or even DLC dungeon, but for Vet DLC and Trials I would recommend either gearing up entirely for survivability or swapping classes, as unfortunately Templar is simply not in a great spot right now, especially as a tank.

I have a templar tank and I actually use him in far more content than I use my DK tank in because my templar tank is far more versatile and needs zero support (unlike my DK when he's wearing full support gear). I think people look down on templar tanks because too many try to make them into traditional tanks where you have more stam than mag, but a templar tank can be down right awesome for certain applications - especially as an Offtank - when built as a mag tank. Templar heals scale better off of mag/max magika than they do stam. Mag spec allows you to use timestop for a root, which also increases your defensive capabilities. Magika sustain is easy and can be supplemented with a resto back bar for heavy attacks. You just need to be Argonian or run harmony jewelry or a sustain set like Stone Keeper to help with stam management (or go frost staff and ignore stam altogether).

sollo_0 · April 2021

I used to run my templar as a tank. You really have to work hard to be effective. Survivability is easy, problem is no chains or crowd control. You really have to work hard to control the mob, whereas DKs can use talon+chains most of the time.

Sangwyne · April 2021

BXR_Lonestar wrote: »

I have a templar tank and I actually use him in far more content than I use my DK tank in because my templar tank is far more versatile and needs zero support (unlike my DK when he's wearing full support gear). I think people look down on templar tanks because too many try to make them into traditional tanks where you have more stam than mag, but a templar tank can be down right awesome for certain applications - especially as an Offtank - when built as a mag tank. Templar heals scale better off of mag/max magika than they do stam. Mag spec allows you to use timestop for a root, which also increases your defensive capabilities. Magika sustain is easy and can be supplemented with a resto back bar for heavy attacks. You just need to be Argonian or run harmony jewelry or a sustain set like Stone Keeper to help with stam management (or go frost staff and ignore stam altogether).

Yah, but I wouldn't exactly say DK is the gold standard for tanks anymore. Necro's 15% DOT damage reduction (DR), 10% Spirit Guardian DR and access to Major/Minor protection outclasses anything DK has, their sustain is better by miles, and they have access to several useful buffs. Honestly, I feel like people still have this outdated perception of DK as a tank class when the reality is that it hasn't been competitive for quite a while, and the only reason it's still taken is because it's even worse on other roles but trial groups need its unique buffs. DK has some spell resistance and 10% block mitigation, but no actual damage reduction skills past Wings (lmao), which no one uses for good reason. The thing is, Templar also has spell resistance and 10% block mitigation, plus many other useful skills for tanks; the only difference is GDB, which isn't even that great, as it scales off of missing health for some reason. Compare GDB to literally any other % heal in the game and it falls short. So yeah, it wasn't a diss at Templar tanks, I think they are just as viable as DK tanks. But that's not saying much.

BejaProphet · April 2021

I’m very glad you like the necro tank, and I don’t even mind if the community consensus is that it’s better than DK. But I think you are over selling the class.

5% from minor protection is available to every tank from fighter guild line.

Major protection is dependent on corpses being available. Then it’s 2 seconds per corpse.

Spirit guardian depends on your pet surviving. And you continually casting it to get it back. And giving up a skill slot for it...

And there is the big kicker in my book, the number of skill slots you have to consume to get all these necro perks. As a long time DK tank, I have often glanced over the fence to see if I’m missing out. And every time I concluded that though I saw some nice abilities on other classes, I none the less wouldn’t use them even if I was that class because I wouldn’t give up a tool crucial for performing the job of tank.

I’m not meaning to discredit necro tanking. I’m happy you like the tool kit. I’m just saying running off a list of buffs isn’t fair when there is so much to qualify there.