Playing a DPS Warden. Should I use Frost Staff?

AGamerCalledDaz · June 2022

Hello,

I'm playing the Warden class for the first time. My character is wearing Light Armor, DPS, and all the points spent in Magicka. I have a question about which Staff to choose? Will a Frost Staff benefit me more than a Destruction Staff? I've briefly looked over the skills and I think there's one which increases frost damage or increases the crit chance while using a Frost Staff. I will check over the skills when I play next. At this time the Warden I'm playing is under level 10.

Any advice for me please?

Thanks

Soarora · June 2022

Either works, it just depends on what direction you want to take with the build. A warden dps with an ice staff is a type of support dps called a brittleden, which in groups is tasked with supplying high minor brittle uptimes. Due to the ice staff, you can also block more damage, immobilize, and give shields that block projectiles. However, I think inferno still does more damage and a lot of people (even on mag characters) have been using MA 2h sword backbar with daggers frontbar so if you're going for maximum damage then ice staff might not be the way to go. Though I'd also like to note that brittledens can do a lot of damage as well and I also have one myself so I may be biased

MudcrabAttack · June 2022

A charged ice staff would place minor brittle on almost everything touched by your Winters Revenge skill, it debuffs targets and let’s everyone in your party deal more damage. Typically one person in a group would use it, I’ve been using it on my stamina warden in trials to give groups brittle. Brittle can buff both AOE and single target damage the same amount

However a flame staff could buff just your own damage by a bit more on average

haelgaan · June 2022

sure, it's fun and fits with the class spells. warden is a versatile class, also strong as stam dps, healer, or tank!

EnerG · June 2022

Not a dps. But i have a warden hybrid healer with symphony, spell power cure. Frostbite and dual ice staff, I can heal trials effectively and still do 22k/s+ with proper weaving between heals and dps, I highly reccomend the dual ice staff, I may not be the best healer or dps, but I do both above average and have amazing fun.

AGamerCalledDaz · June 2022

Thanks for the advice and replies everyone!

As I'm new to the Warden, I'm currently following the Advisor Skill point system while I'm playing. I will try out both types of Staves along the way.

ixthUA · June 2022

Ice staff is far superior if you like to solo (including in dungeons).

CP5 · June 2022

While I do bring plenty of other characters into trials, my frost staff wielding warden always does well, since the class both gets more ice damage and more damage to recently chilled targets. The change to frost reach into a full damage spammable, that always applies chilled and brittle was also a nice touch, so if you were to try a frost staff more I would highly recommend that and a masters frost staff from dragonstar arena if you get the chance, having your most cast skill provide a nice bonus to your spell damage makes for a fairly enjoyable build to us.

essi2 · June 2022

If you want to take the Frost warden theme all the way, I don't see there being any huge disadvantage to using a frost staff.

Piercing Cold is 10% Frost Damage done and Inferno staff is 10% damage done with single target abilities.

Burn damage is nice, but so is Minor Brittle.

BuzzZaw60 · June 2022

EnerG wrote: »

Not a dps. But i have a warden hybrid healer with symphony, spell power cure. Frostbite and dual ice staff, I can heal trials effectively and still do 22k/s+ with proper weaving between heals and dps, I highly reccomend the dual ice staff, I may not be the best healer or dps, but I do both above average and have amazing fun.

Not to try and hijack the OP's thread...but I'm getting back into the game and trying to re-work a Hybrid Templar for Heal and Damage. Would a Double Frost Staff Setup be the way to go then?

MrGarlic · June 2022

I made a solo Magicka Ice-Warden for running around open world and it is a lot of fun.

I kitted her with Mother's Sorrow Ice Staff, plus jewellery, Winterborn Clothing (x5) and Iceheart's head and shoulders. I have a resto staff on the backbar with associated restoration skills.

With some warden frost skills, there a lots of frost related damage to deal.

Mother's Sorrow is farmed from Deshaan or trader.
Winterborn set is from Maelstrom Arena normal. (Not tradable.)
Iceheart monster set is from Direfrost Keep, undaunted chests or the Golden Vendor in Cyrodiil (on rotation)

Not the best DPS, but if you wanted to go with a role-play-style frosty character with some utility, those are some options.

WrathOfInnos · June 2022

You can do fine with any weapon combination these days. Daggers + Greatsword is technically the highest damage when the enemy does not move. On a frost build I find Ice Staff (front bar) + Inferno Staff (back bar) to be best. The Ice Staff gives you access to Frost Reach, morphed from Destructive Touch, which is one of the best spammables in the game and guarantees Minor Brittle procs. The Inferno Staff back bar allows you to use Unstable Wall of Flame, which is simply better than the Frost version for dps. You can really choose anything though, if you like a bow, battleaxe or swords it all works well.