Maintenance for the week of March 2:
• PC/Mac: No maintenance – March 2

Wrathsun Is Close to Decent but Its Mechanics Are Hard to Build Around

ViggyBoi
ViggyBoi
✭✭✭
I've been messing around with Wrathsun quite a bit, and there are a number of pain points in its design that make it very awkward to build around in practice.

As it currently works, dealing damage with any Dawn’s Wrath ability generates a stack of Sunlight. At 40 stacks, you proc an unmorphed Nova and gain a 25% damage bonus to Dawn’s Wrath abilities for 10 seconds. If it were just this, the set would still have flaws but could at least be planned around. The main issue is that Wrathsun is designed like a burst set but functions like a ramp set, and because of this mismatch it struggles to function well as either.


Wrathsun asks for a long ramp (40 stacks) in order to access a short burst window (10 seconds). This would be fine if stack generation were consistent, but the only skills that can generate stacks are:

Single-target (Sunfire)

AoE but only register the first hit (Solar Barrage)

Channelled and not usable throughout an entire fight (Radiant Destruction)

At best, Reflective Light can generate multiple stacks in trash pulls because each projectile counts separately, but trash fights rarely last long enough to reach 40 stacks.
So realistically, Wrathsun only functions in boss fights. But even there, the 5-piece is inactive most of the time. For the majority of an encounter, you effectively do not have a 5-piece bonus.



The most consistent way I found to use the set was building ultimate windows around Wrathful Nova:

Open with Shooting Star -> build ultimate -> monitor stacks -> cast Solar Disturbance when near 40.

When Solar Disturbance and Wrathful Nova are cast together under the 25% buff, their combined damage can eclipse a Shooting Star. However, the setup required to do this consistently is extremely fragile. You must generate ultimate constantly in the background. Both Novas must land within the same 10s window. Being even a couple seconds late is a large DPS loss. Sitting on ultimate waiting for stacks is also a DPS loss. You are constantly choosing between holding ultimate and losing damage and spending ultimate and missing the synergy window.


This balancing act collapses entirely in execute. Radiant Destruction ticks 6 times over 3.8 seconds and becomes the fastest way to generate Sunlight stacks in the game. So fast, in fact, that ultimate generation cannot keep up. In practice, you open with Shooting Star, use tandem Novas mid-fight, then abandon the system entirely in execute. At that point the proc becomes a passive bonus rather than something you can build around.

Wrathsun’s value is also partially externalized through Nova synergy. The caster cannot activate their own synergy for the damage, must ramp into the proc, and align their own ult windows to make the most of the 5 piece. All of which to create value that is often realized by other players... sometimes. That feels more appropriate for a support set than a DPS class set, but just looking at the 2-4 piece bonuses Wrathsun is clearly the latter.

Another major usability issue is that Sunlight stacks fluctuate constantly and are difficult to track visually in real time making it even harder to plan around burst windows or knowing when to hold Ultimate or even predicting when or where the proc will land. basically, what should be a tactical decision becomes reactive.



Finally, I gotta adress the kiss-curse element. The 50% magicka loss is not the primary issue. The inconsistency around when it happens is.

Wrathsun pumps you with massive sustain via mag recovery during its burst window only to then abruptly punish sustain by nuking your mag by 50%. If the curse element were just the latter you absolutely could plan around it pairing Wrathsun with sets like Bahsei, but the recovery component actively works against potential pairings. Even if the magicka loss remained, the recovery portion should likely be replaced with a more neutral stat.

Suggestions

The issue with Wrathsun isn’t that it’s weak... ok well the issue isn't that its *unusable,* it’s that it’s unreliable to build around.

Some changes that would improve usability without inflating raw power:

1. Nova-Based Buff Activation

Allow the 25% Dawn’s Wrath bonus to be active whenever any Nova cast by the player is active. Meaning whether it is the proc or your own Solar Prison/Disturbance, you get the 25%. This improves consistency without increasing peak damage.

2. Reduce Stack Requirement

Lower from 40 -> ~20–25 stacks. This would better match the short 10s payoff window and allow it to function better as a ramping set.

3. Adjust the Kiss-Curse

Remove or replace the Magicka Recovery component. If the magicka loss remains, it should at least be predictable.

4. Improve Proc Control

Instead of triggering immediately on stack 40, allow the Nova to be placed via a Medium Attack. This would not increase the power of the proc, only the agency on where it lands. Once 40 stacks are reached you can just sit on it until you have your desired target in sight. Also consider increasing Sunlight duration from 15s to 30s OR LONGER that way you can keep your stacks in between add waves. I personally would prefer the stacks be 1m+ or indefinite within an instance but that's just me.

5. Revisit Nova’s Role

Nova is not primarily a damage ultimate. I've complained a bunch before about how I would love a Nova rework, and givent the right adjustments this set wouldn't need much of any changes as a result. If its damage or utility were slightly improved, it would better justify the current ramp, but as of right now, totally not worth the trouble.

Wrathsun is an interesting idea with real potential, but right now its mechanics make it difficult to use intentionally. These are just my ideas on how to fix it and I hope in the future it and many other class sets get a second pass.
  • SugaComa
    SugaComa
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    In prefer wrathsun over over the other set, stand in a circle and use a spear ability .. awesome but why aren't you playing at my feet it's always under the boss or the roaring blue flames of hell . Making it pointless
  • ViggyBoi
    ViggyBoi
    ✭✭✭
    SugaComa wrote: »
    In prefer wrathsun over over the other set, stand in a circle and use a spear ability .. awesome but why aren't you playing at my feet it's always under the boss or the roaring blue flames of hell . Making it pointless

    Yeah Aetheric Lancer is also one of those neat conceptually but tedious in practice sets. Especially since its proc condition basically makes it pvp only pretty much. Its way more consistent than Wrathsun though even though the essence thief style random spawn makes it hard to use depending on the combat.
  • YandereGirlfriend
    YandereGirlfriend
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    IMO, there's too much going on in the set. The Mag/sustain aspect always just seemed extra for the sake of being extra.

    Streamlining it by removing the Magicka cruft and then allowing the Nova to be self-synergized while respecting your chosen morph of the skill would both be big Ws. As would allowing Solar Barrage and the Nova ultimate to properly generate stacks for every enemy hit per tick, which just feels like an outright bugged interaction at the moment.

    Most of the Archive sets come so close to being good but then it feels as though ZOS got shook at the last second of actually making them viable due to the grind or something.
    Edited by YandereGirlfriend on February 23, 2026 12:40AM
  • ViggyBoi
    ViggyBoi
    ✭✭✭
    IMO, there's too much going on in the set. The Mag/sustain aspect always just seemed extra for the sake of being extra.

    Streamlining it by removing the Magicka cruft and then allowing the Nova to be self-synergized while respecting your chosen morph of the skill would both be big Ws. As would allowing Solar Barrage and the Nova ultimate to properly generate stacks for every enemy hit per tick, which just feels like an outright bugged interaction at the moment.

    Most of the Archive sets come so close to being good but then it feels as though ZOS got shook at the last second of actually making them viable due to the grind or something.

    The way its set up it honestly reads like the devs were worried it would be too strong without the restrictions because of the big synergy but like... even accounting that Nova in general isnt used by anyone outside organized pvp groups because it does no damage nor provide any meaningful utility. If anything it needs to proc more often/have a higher uptime. So instead of dealing with it potentially over performing, some overcorrections were made.
  • ZhuJiuyin
    ZhuJiuyin
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Most of the Archive sets come so close to being good but then it feels as though ZOS got shook at the last second of actually making them viable due to the grind or something.

    Completely agree. Aerie's Cry would be great if Eagle's damage were increased by 10%; Pyrebrand should allow critical hits in the current version; Soulcleaver should change the 3 items Bonuses to Weapon and Spell Damage; Monolith of Storms should have its damage increased by 10% and be triggered every time it's hit by a Storm Calling skill; Wrathsun should reduce the stack count to 20 and allow self-synergy. This would allow these class sets to compete with other mainstream sets.
    "是燭九陰,是燭龍。"──by "The Classic of Mountains and Seas "English is not my first language,If something is ambiguous, rude due to context and translation issues, etc., please remind me, thanks.
  • Dalinar4
    Dalinar4
    ✭✭
    Personally I love Templar in general. Favorite class by far. My favorite skill in it's entire line-up is the Nova ult. Mostly I've used it in PvP as the Synergy is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, in the game. I was stoked when the Wrathsun set came out, and started the grind immediately. You can imagine my disappointment with how lack-luster it is. It has some usefulness as a dueling set and a debuff set, but it is very weak dps wise. I did enjoy seeing the Nova drop on people pouring oil up above me though. That was fun.

    In terms of fixing it.
    I'm a big fan of the K.I.S.S. mentality. (Keep it simple stupid) Get rid of the Mag recovery, lower the needed stacks, and let it be self synergized. I would love to see it respect your current morph, or even be it's own unique morph, but the Self Synergy is the big one for me.
  • ViggyBoi
    ViggyBoi
    ✭✭✭
    Dalinar4 wrote: »
    Personally I love Templar in general. Favorite class by far. My favorite skill in it's entire line-up is the Nova ult. Mostly I've used it in PvP as the Synergy is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, in the game. I was stoked when the Wrathsun set came out, and started the grind immediately. You can imagine my disappointment with how lack-luster it is. It has some usefulness as a dueling set and a debuff set, but it is very weak dps wise. I did enjoy seeing the Nova drop on people pouring oil up above me though. That was fun.

    In terms of fixing it.
    I'm a big fan of the K.I.S.S. mentality. (Keep it simple stupid) Get rid of the Mag recovery, lower the needed stacks, and let it be self synergized. I would love to see it respect your current morph, or even be it's own unique morph, but the Self Synergy is the big one for me.

    I absolutely wanted to include self synergy as a potential fix but I thought it would be too unrealistic of a request. But yeah, easy fix indeed.
Sign In or Register to comment.