Magicka or Stamina build for Solo Templar?

SilverBride · January 2023

I just rolled a Templar and will primarily be doing solo content. Which would be better for that, magicka or stamina?

The_Titan_Tim · January 2023

Your best bet would be to mix the two, take what you love of both variations and make your own build, personally I run a primarily Stamina based build with dual-wield and two-handed, using Biting Jabs, Carve and Stampede but also have Blazing Spear, Vampire’s Bane and Radiant Oppression.

If you’re going for ease-of-play, leaning more into Magicka might be the best choice, as your Puncturing Sweeps (magicka morph of Biting Jabs) will heal you based on your damage, and most of your utility abilities all cost magicka.

SilverBride · January 2023

Thanks for the advice!

I currently have 2 magicka based characters and 2 stamina based characters in addition to the new one, and I am drawn a bit more toward the stamina side, although I do enjoy magicka a lot, too. I'll look at the weapons and skills you mentioned.

ADarklore · January 2023

Magplar has been my main for years, I have several Magplar alts. I was devastated with U35 and the nerfing to Puncturing Sweeps and the janky animation change. However, after just getting the Oakensoul ring yesterday, I'm going back to my newest Magplar and leveling him up to use a full Oakensoul build.

People complain about the nerf to Puncturing, but it was also quite OP. For a skill that both heals and does awesome damage, there was a reason many sites rated it the best solo class. Not only did it do a ton of damage but was also the most survivable. Thus, with so many sites proclaiming the 'Godplar' the highest amongst solo builds, it was inevitable that ZOS would nerf it. However, IMO they should have reduced the damage but kept healing the same... I think that would have been fair. I also wonder if they changed the animation due to it looking/acting weird after they reduced it to three hits from four? In any case, all I know is that it looks dorky now and I'm not a fan.

My Oakensoul loadout will be: Puncturing Sweeps, Blazing Spear, Radiant Glory, Explosive Charge, and Breath of Life... with Flawless Dawnbreaker Ultimate.

Personally, I prefer to have a gap closer to get in close to use Sweeps quickly. On two bar builds, I'd run Sweeps, Reflective Light, Blazing Spear, Explosive Charge and Radiant Glory. With heals and utility on back bar.

The above loadout is for solo content, I don't do HARD MODE content. I plan to replace Explosive Charge in his World Boss/soloing Group Dungeon Oakensoul loadout with Purifying Light. We'll see how that works.

I also always run with a Companion tank, which helps tons with survivability.

As for gear, I run NMA and War Maiden. Honestly I think War Maiden is a highly underrated set that works perfectly with Magplar and Magblade- as both classes tend to focus on 'magic damage' skills. The only thing it doesn't buff is any skill that isn't 'magic' so if you use Destro staff skills they wouldn't get the buff. But you're getting a 600 WD/SD buff for your magic damage skills, which is huge IMO.

AJTC5000 · January 2023

Definitely recommend Magplar for solo play but you also have the options to hybridise - e.g. run a 2H back-bar for stampede. Been playing Magplar for nigh-on 8 years and I started a Stamplar about a year ago - for me, Stam does more damage but is also way more of a glass cannon, mostly relying on Vigor uptime for heals. You could always run something like Ring of the Pale Order though for extra survivability off of that bonus damage.

Really I guess it depends on what kind of solo content you're going to be doing. Are you just questing or doing overland stuff in general? Either will be more than fine. Are you attempting solo dungeons or solo vet-mode arenas? The Magplar may have more survivability here, but depending on how you play you could make the Stamplar work.

I've shilled before and will shill again, but do check out Skinny's Templar page on his site - builds for solo content included

https://www.skinnycheeks.gg/templar

SilverBride · January 2023

@ADarklore Thank you for your information, it will be very helpful as I level and get my build set up. I particularly like that it's one bar and I already have an Oakensoul ring ready.

And thanks @AJTC5000 for the link. I'll check out those builds and see if any may work well for me.

WrathOfInnos · January 2023

Agree on hybrid. For solo you'll want magicka jabs for the self-heal and stamina Power of the Light for the armor debuff. In group content it is the opposite, stamina jabs is better damage if you have a healer, and Purifying Light is nice for the group heal if a tank already debuffs with Pierce Armor.

Radiant glory is also very nice for solo, as you basically can't die once execute starts. This is even better for Altmer since they get mitigation while channeling. Between Puncturing Sweeps and beam you'll have a good self heal throughout the fight, and as magicka you can also slot Honor the Dead/Breath of Life as a panic heal for you or others.

Zodiarkslayer · January 2023

My previous choice would've been based on race. Or rather I would choose a race according to the playstyle I wanted with that character. However...
It is the age of hybridisation! All that thinking is less important now. Lucky us!

Templar needs to be aggressive and up close. The class simple doesn't work if you do not do that.
So melee weaponry is a reasonable choice. Stacking into Stamina does not prevent you from stacking into Spell Damage and Magicka Recovery simultaniously. Which you can then utilise with Illuminate passive and the use of Chanelled Focus instead of the Stam morph for even more Magicka back. Templar is a good hybrid class, imo.

If you use Biting Jabs and predominantly Stamina abilities, you should definetly use Extended Ritual and Restoring Focus together. I find strong SOLO Bosses to be impossible without these two HoTs.
Razor Caltrops is AoE Major Breach. It synergises really well with either morph of Jabs, since Jabs is also AoE.

If you want inspiration, here are my two Templars (with identical frontbars, btw):
Stamina: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Special:EsoBuildData?id=327508
Magicka: https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Special:EsoBuildData?id=452592

Actually you can do everything you want. The only real major blunder you should avoid is staking Weapon Damage.

nb_rich · January 2023

When it comes to solo play any class, weapon and armor combination will work because its so easy.

If you plan to branch off of the solo play and play some group content I would say stamplar. I originally played magplar but sustain on magic builds are so bad to me. Stamplar (which is my main class) probably takes the most advantage of the hybridization. Sustain is amazing since you have a good balance of magic and stamina based skills. Repentance provides health and stamina which adds to the amazing sustain stamplars already have. Jabs provides major brutality and sorcery and refreshes every time you jab and carries over to your back bar (do not need potions or waste a slot hircines rage).

Magplar to me is a pointless at this point besides maybe for solo arenas (which any class can complete easy now because of pale of order ring). Also because sweeps provides healing, for solo play it would be boring because all your doing is mashing one button the entire solo run. Also if you are playing solo there are really no overland gear that is good for magicka dps builds besides mother sorrow. Most of the best magicka dps gear is from dungeons and trials while stam dps has more options when it comes to overland that are interesting and worth trying solo.

What I do for a new build is make one and save it in the armory (you get 2 free armory slots and free station to put in your home which I believe you can get for free also) then when you get gold switch your attributes (eg all 64 points into stam for stam dps and 64 points into mag for mag dps). This way you can try both with no real downside.