Stamina Sorcerer 12 Man PvE Build Guide
By Eigh1 PuppiesLast updated: Update 51 — October 7, 2026Related videos
Introduction
The Stamina Sorcerer in Update 51 is the strongest class for single target damage in the game, bar none. We’ve now seen parses go over 220K DPS, with Alduin most recently breaking 222k!
Damage this high comes with a relatively high skill gap. The Sorc is extremely dynamic and very proc heavy. We don’t have a ton of DoTs, but we have several different abilities that we need to react to: 
Crystal Weapon needs to be used once every three abilities, 
Bound Armaments plays like a shorter Merciless Resolve, and 
Haunting Curse has an awkward 12-second timer that doesn’t line up well with our other DoTs. Even our primary spammable, 
Shattering Knife, isn’t just a spammable. It provides an essential 10 second effect that we need to maintain while managing all of these other procs.
Power Overload adds the final layer of complexity. It turns our light attacks into an even stronger source of damage, but it also makes weaving a lot trickier. That makes fast, clean weaving one of the most important components of doing good damage on this class.
Table of contents
Core rotation concepts
Crystal Weapon
Crystal Weapon empowers our next three light or heavy attacks and reduces the target’s Armor by 1,000 for five seconds. Its Update 51 buff is one of the main reasons the Sorc is doing such insane single target damage. When used on cooldown, once every three skill casts, it deals nearly 25K DPS, around 12% of our total damage and the strongest source on our CMX. This ability determines the entire rotation and feel of the Sorc in Update 51.
Bound Armaments
Light and heavy attacks build Bound Armaments stacks for 10 seconds, up to eight stacks. We can fire up to four at a time to deal a ton of damage in a very short window. It’s strong, bursty, and plays a lot like the Nightblade’s bow proc. Managing these stacks is another huge part of the class’s playstyle.
Power Overload
Power Overload replaces our light attacks with more powerful Shock attacks, but it also narrows the margin for error in our light attack weave. It also procs Monolith of Storms, giving us another source of monoliths while it’s active. It’s one of the trickiest abilities in the game to use. BUT when used well, especially alongside the Shattered Paths Signet, it is by far the strongest ultimate in the game for personal damage.
Haunting Curse
Haunting Curse explodes after 3.5 seconds, then again 8.5 seconds later. This odd 12 second timer doesn’t line up well with our two 15 and two 20 second timers, so maximizing damage means reapplying it dynamically. You MUST allow the ability to fully expire before recasting, or you cancel the second explosion, which is a massive damage loss.
Skill setup
Standard bar setup for single-target boss encounters. Suggested changes for AoE boss encounters and other niche setups are detailed with the respective gear setups below.
FRONT BAR · Dual Wield
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BACK BAR · Two Handed
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FRONT BAR
| 1 | Crystal WeaponRotation defining ability. Cast once every three skills to add a unique and incredibly strong tick of damage to our light attacks. When played correctly, Crystal Weapon is the strongest source of damage on our CMX. |
| 2 | Haunting CurseExplodes after 3.5 seconds, then again 8.5 seconds later. Reapplying early resets the ability and cancels the second explosion. LET THIS SKILL FULLY EXPIRE. |
| 3 | Shattering KnifeSpec with Physical Damage / Assassin’s Misery / Force. Both a buff and a filler: Assassin’s Misery increases our chance to apply status effects, which is huge with Shattered Paths Signet. Maintain that effect as a priority, then use Knife as filler when no DoTs need reapplying and no other procs are ready. |
| 4 | Bound ArmamentsBuilds stacks with every light attack. We can fire it at four stacks, but it only becomes a top priority when we’re about to cap at eight. |
| 5 | Shocking BannerSpec with Shock Damage / Cavalier’s Charge / Heroism. Cavalier’s Charge is uniquely useful on the Sorc thanks to Hurricane. The Focus and Affix scripts can change in raid depending on group needs. |
| ULT | Flawless DawnbreakerSlotted for the Slayer passive in the Fighters Guild tree. We never cast this ultimate; it’s here for the passive. |
BACK BAR
| 1 | Liquid LightningOne of our strongest sources of Monolith of Storms procs. The DoT itself is relatively weak, but the extra set procs are very important. |
| 2 | HurricaneA strong DoT that also procs Monolith of Storms. Major Resolve and Minor Expedition add value to Mora Scribe’s Thesis, and Minor Expedition also boosts Cavalier’s Charge on Shocking Banner. |
| 3 | StampedeProcs the direct damage bonus from our Maelstrom Greatsword and is a decent DoT on its own. |
| 4 | Barbed TrapA strong DoT and source of Hemorrhaging. This is our primary flex slot. |
| 5 | Shocking BannerTurns off on bar swap if it isn’t slotted on both bars. |
| ULT | Power OverloadOur primary ultimate. Use it at the beginning of the fight until we reach 133 Ultimate, then toggle it off to preserve maximum Shattered Paths Signet value. |
SKILL BREAKDOWN & PRIORITIES
Crystal Weapon
Crystal Weapon got a huge buff during the Update 51 PTS cycle. After casting, our next three light attacks deal additional damage, up from 2 in U51. That gives us more damage for fewer casts from what was already a powerful ability. The first light attack can hit for up to an extra 63K damage, worth about 15K DPS over a fight. The second and third can each hit for up to an extra 25K, adding another 10K DPS between them. That totals around 25K DPS, making Crystal Weapon our strongest source of damage and the absolute top priority in our rotation. We cast it once every three skills, creating a Crystal Weapon, skill, skill, Crystal Weapon cadence.
Haunting Curse
Haunting Curse explodes after 3.5 seconds, then again 8.5 seconds later. This odd 12-second timer doesn’t line up well with our two 15 and two 20 second timers, so maximizing damage means reapplying it dynamically. You MUST allow the ability to fully expire before recasting, or you cancel the second explosion, which is a massive damage loss. Each explosion can hit for up to 84K damage, resulting in around 7K DPS in our static parse and around 10K in a dynamic parse.
Shattering Knife
We spec 
Shattering Knife with the Physical Damage Focus, Assassin’s Misery Signature, and Force Affix for 
Minor Force. The Physical Damage Focus gives us a source of 
Sundered, worth roughly 16K DPS for the effect itself, and giving us some relatively consistent extra weapon and spell damage. It also benefits from the Sorc’s 
Energized passive, which increases Physical and Shock Damage by 5%. Assassin’s Misery increases our chance to apply status effects by 100% for 10 seconds, which is massive with the 
Shattered Paths Signet. If somebody else in the group is already providing Assassin’s Misery, we can use Warrior’s Opportunity to increase Martial Damage taken by 8%. If that is covered too, Class Flourish is our fallback Signature Script. The Affix is flexible: run whichever buff or debuff your group needs most.
Knife has two uses in this build. First, maintain Assassin’s Misery as if it were a high-priority DoT, and second as long as that effect is active, only cast Knife as a filler when no DoTs need reapplying and no other procs are ready. Between its two ticks of damage, Knife deals around 8K DPS, just below 
Monolith of Storms on our CMX.
Bound Armaments
Bound Armaments is one of the strongest abilities in this toolkit. Every light attack builds a stack, creating a dagger we can launch as a projectile. We want to cast it at four stacks: each dagger can hit for up to 26K, so a full four-stack cast can deal over 100K damage. Played correctly over a fight, this ability is worth roughly 17K DPS.
The skill can hold up to eight stacks, which gives us some flexibility even though we want to cast at four. Below that eight-stack cap, prioritize our DoTs ahead of Bound Armaments. When we’re about to reach eight stacks, casting Bound Armaments becomes a top priority because we can’t build any more. Every light attack at the cap wastes a potential stack, giving us fewer procs over the fight and costing a surprising amount of DPS.
Shocking Banner
We run 
Shocking Banner with the Shock Damage Focus for 6% increased Direct Damage, Cavalier’s Charge for up to 450 Weapon and Spell Damage based on movement speed, and the Heroism Affix for 
Minor Heroism. Cavalier’s Charge is uniquely useful on the Sorc because 
Hurricane provides 
Minor Expedition.
The Focus and Affix should follow the group’s needs. Most commonly, that means Shock for Direct Damage or Physical for Martial Damage, with 
Minor Courage in optimized groups or Minor Heroism when that buff isn’t otherwise covered.
Flawless Dawnbreaker
We never cast this ultimate. It’s here for the 
Slayer passive in the Fighters Guild tree, which increases Weapon and Spell Damage by 3% per Fighters Guild ability slotted. A 3% increase is MASSIVE with the Sorc’s already high base Weapon and Spell Damage, making this a no-brainer passive buff.
Liquid Lightning
Liquid Lightning is actually the weakest DoT in our setup, hitting for around 7.7K per tick, once every second for 15 seconds in a large AoE. Its main job is proccing Monolith of Storms, and it does that very well. Because it ticks every second, the first and fifth ticks arrive relatively close together compared to Hurricane, which ticks every two seconds. Liquid Lightning is also a shorter DoT, so we cast it more often and get those first and fifth ticks more often. It also gives our group the Conduit synergy, one of the strongest synergies in the game and a valuable addition to an optimized raid comp.
Hurricane
Hurricane is another reliable proccer of Monolith of Storms, though it triggers the set a little less often than Liquid Lightning. It deals Physical Damage in a whirling wind around us, increasing in size and damage as it progresses. While active, it also gives us 
Major Resolve for nearly 6K extra resistances and Minor Expedition for movement speed.
Both buffs add value to 
(Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis: Major Resolve contributes Critical Chance, and Minor Expedition contributes Critical Damage. Minor Expedition also increases the value of Cavalier’s Charge on our Banner. Those extra interactions help make these choices uniquely strong on the Sorc.
Stampede
Stampede deals a decent amount of damage on its own, but its main purpose is activating the direct damage bonus from our Maelstrom Greatsword. With this much of our damage coming from light attacks and direct damage procs, that buff is extremely important. Stampede lasts 15 seconds while the weapon’s buff lasts 18, so we have a little room to delay the refresh if a higher priority skill needs attention. Just make sure we don’t lose the weapon buff.
Barbed Trap
Barbed Trap is basically a Swiss Army knife of utility. It has a strong upfront hit and DoT, and it gives us a reliable source of 
Hemorrhaging, one of the strongest status effects in the game. It also provides Minor Force, though our Knife already covers that buff in this setup. Trap is strong damage, but it’s our primary flex slot when we need extra utility or survivability.
Shocking Banner
We slot Banner on the back bar as well because it turns off on bar swap if it’s only on one bar. Having to recast it would make the skill unworthwhile.
Power Overload
This skill will absolutely check your weaving. It replaces our light attacks with Shock attacks that can hit for nearly 80K, consuming 21 Ultimate per attack with 
Power Stone. The ultimate is incredibly strong on its own, but it’s uniquely good this patch because of its interaction with Shattered Paths Signet. Its empowered light attacks can also proc Monolith of Storms, giving us another way to trigger the set during the opener and execute.
We can start at 500 Ultimate and use Power Overload until the next cast would take us below 133 Ultimate, then we turn it off and rebuild Ultimate as the fight progresses, preserving the maximum damage bonus from Shattered Paths Signet. At around 20%, we’ll naturally be sitting near 350 Ultimate, s we can turn Power Overload back on and keep using it while staying at or above 133 Ultimate, so we continue to get the Signet’s full status effect damage bonus. As tricky as it is, this ability is an absolute cheat code.
ALTERNATE & SITUATIONAL SKILLS
CLASS SKILLS
Greater Storm AtronachreplacesPower OverloadGreater Storm Atronach is one of the most important group buff ultimates in the game and historically a major reason to bring a Sorc. It deals strong single target damage and offers the Charged Lightning synergy, granting nearby allies Major Berserk for 10 seconds, which increases damage done by 10%. Power Overload is stronger for personal DPS, but Greater Storm Atronach is often better for overall group DPS in 12 player content.
Summon Charged AtronachreplacesPower OverloadThe AoE version of Storm Atronach. It deals strong AoE damage, but its main value is the Charged Lightning synergy, granting nearby allies Major Berserk for 10 seconds, which increases damage done by 10%. It isn't our strongest option for raw AoE damage in Update 51. We primarily run it for group utility.
Crystal FragmentsreplacesCrystal WeaponA strong, bursty alternative to Crystal Weapon. Each non ultimate ability we cast has a 33% chance to make the next Crystal Fragments instant, cheaper, and substantially stronger. It was a staple of the Sorc for years. Crystal Weapon is stronger right now, but if you're struggling with weaving, Crystal Fragments can still take the Sorc well over 200K DPS.
Daedric TombreplacesBarbed TrapA niche but very strong option for AoE fights and bosses with huge hitboxes, where multiple mines can hit the same target, such as Taleria.
Mages' WrathreplacesShocking BannerA strong execute that doesn't quite make our standard bar setup, but can be worthwhile when the execute phase is the most dangerous part of the fight. Mage's Wrath deals its strongest damage below 20%, helping us get through those intense phases faster and giving the group a better chance to secure the clear. Good example use cases would include the first or third boss in Sanity's Edge.
WEAPON SKILLS
Endless HailreplacesStampedeWhen running a bow on the back bar, which is optimal in AoE situations, use this instead of Stampede and pair it with the VMA bow.
Poison InjectionreplacesBarbed TrapIf you want to run a bow on the back bar as a playstyle preference, use this instead of Barbed Trap and pair it with the Master's Bow.
Elemental BlockadereplacesStampedeWhen running a Destruction Staff on the back bar, which can be very good in AoE situations, use this instead of Stampede and pair it with the VMA Inferno Staff.
Elemental RagereplacesPower OverloadWhen running a Destruction Staff on the back bar for extra AoE damage, Elemental Rage gives us more overall AoE damage than Power Overload, which is a single target ultimate. It's the strongest ultimate per cast available to us with a Destruction Staff.
WORLD
Exhilarating DrainreplacesBarbed TrapExhilarating Drain is especially strong in fights with extended downtime, with Sunspire being the most notable example. While a dragon is in the air, use it to build a lot of Ultimate for Power Overload on the landing. That gives us more Overload attacks during the damage phase. It may not last through the entire phase, but the extra Ultimate can keep it going through much of it while we maintain the maximum status effect damage bonus from Shattered Paths Signet. While less common today, it remains a solid option whenever a fight gives us significant downtime to generate Ultimate.
Simmering FrenzyreplacesBarbed TrapKnown as toggling, Simmering Frenzy provides Weapon and Spell Damage. It can give the Sorc a decent DPS gain in extremely optimized, short, bursty scenarios, but it takes careful decisions and makes survivability a lot trickier.
GUILD
Scalding RunereplacesBarbed TrapGenerally our next best World DoT for shorter single target fights. This is one of our weaker flex options, but it works well when we can pre DoT a short burst phase. The dragons in Sunspire are a great example: extremely optimized groups can push them in 20–30 seconds. Casting Rune before the dragon lands lets us get its full duration while spending more of the phase on our other abilities.
Mystic OrbreplacesBarbed TrapMystic Orb is an absolute must have in your group. Its Combustion synergy deals more damage per activation than any other synergy in the game, and while most comparable damage synergies can only be consumed by four to six players, all 11 of your allies can activate Combustion from the same Orb. This makes it incredibly good for group damage, a reliable way to proc essential sets like Alkosh, and a significant source of resources for the group. Even if Mystic Orb is a personal DPS loss, the damage and utility provided through Combustion make it a massive group DPS gain.
Shooting StarreplacesPower OverloadIn AOE situations where you are running a Bow, Shooting Star becomes the best ultimate. If you are running a staff, use Elemental Rage.
ALLIANCE WAR
Anti-Cavalry CaltropsreplacesBarbed TrapThis skill is valuable in any boss fight with multiple targets or frequent adds, but it also excels in short single target burst phases. In fights lasting 15 seconds or less, you can get the full damage value of this ability. By comparison, a 20 second DoT like Scalding Rune would only deal around 75% of its total damage before the fight ends, preventing it from getting its full value. This makes shorter DoTs like Caltrops especially valuable when maximizing damage in a limited burst window.
Recommended skill setup for trash pulls. Some options change depending on gear, which is detailed in the next section of this guide.
FRONT BAR · Dual Wield
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BACK BAR · Bow
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FRONT BAR
| 1 | Liquid LightningShort, strong, bursty AoE. |
| 2 | Quick CloakA strong, long DoT that can be prebuffed out of combat. |
| 3 | Whirling BladesOur primary AoE spammable. |
| 4 | Mages' WrathStrong AoE execute when a target is below 20% Health. |
| 5 | Camouflaged HunterSlotted primarily for the Slayer passive in the Fighters Guild tree. |
| ULT | Flawless DawnbreakerAn extra buff slot for the Slayer passive in the Fighters Guild tree. |
BACK BAR
| 1 | Proximity DetonationA great ability to prebuff between trash pulls. |
| 2 | Arrow BarrageOne of the strongest AoE DoTs in the game when paired with the Maelstrom Bow. |
| 3 | Shocking ContingencyA relatively strong DoT that can be armed before combat. Our likely flex slot. |
| 4 | Dark DealUse between trash pulls for sustain. Run the other morph, Dark Conversion instead if you need Magicka. |
| 5 | HurricaneA strong AoE that we can activate before the pull starts. |
| ULT | Summon Charged AtronachA strong AoE ultimate. Its Charged Lightning synergy provides Major Berserk, making it a group DPS gain over ultimates with more raw personal damage. |
SKILL BREAKDOWN & PRIORITIES
GENERAL RULE FOR TRASH DAMAGE
The goal in trash is AoE burst. Elite mobs in the most recent raids can have up to 5 million HP, which means that with eight damage dealers, each DD only needs to contribute roughly 625K total damage to kill that target. This is a slight oversimplification: buff DDs will contribute less while parse DDs contribute more, but the principle remains the same. Ideally, we want that 625K damage to come from abilities that hit every elite mob at once, rather than killing each target individually.
When executed properly, most trash pulls should last less than 10 seconds, which makes many traditional DoTs far less valuable. Because of this, we want to prioritize AoE abilities that can be cast out of combat and between trash pulls, allowing us to enter each pack with our abilities already rolling. Once the pull starts, we can cast one or two additional abilities before focusing solely on using our AoE spammable to quickly burst down the entire pack.
LIQUID LIGHTNING
Liquid Lightning is one of the few AoEs worth casting in trash even without Monolith of Storms. It ticks once every second for 15 seconds, so a 10–12 second pull gives us most of its duration. Compared to our longer 20 second DoTs, that makes it a relatively bursty AoE. It also provides the strong 
Conduit synergy for our group, so its value goes beyond its damage per tick.
QUICK CLOAK
Quick Cloak is one of the stronger DoTs in the game. While it isn’t quite valuable enough for single target fights on the Sorc, it becomes an obvious choice in trash because we can prebuff it between pulls. Its damage starts immediately without costing us a GCD once combat begins. It also provides 
Major Expedition, which is useful if a support isn’t running Rapids for whatever reason.
WHIRLING BLADES
Whirling Blades is the strongest AoE spammable the Sorc has access to. Its wide radius makes it especially useful at the start of a pull while enemies are still being stacked, or in groups where the stack is a little loose. It also gains strong execute scaling, making it our go to spammable until targets reach the threshold for 
Mages' Wrath.
MAGES' WRATH
Mages' Wrath is what we want to start using when a target drops below 20% Health. It does not have to be the primary target. You can cast it on a weaker add too. Casting it on that low health target triggers a massive execute explosion that, most importantly, hits all nearby enemies. It effectively gives us an AoE execute even stronger than our primary spammable, Whirling Blades.
CAMOUFLAGED HUNTER
Camouflaged Hunter is a buff skill. It provides 
Major Savagery, our Major Critical Chance buff, and 
Minor Berserk after dealing critical damage from an enemy’s flank. 
Dark Deal and our healer’s 
Combat Prayer already provide Minor Berserk in this setup, so that part is less relevant.
Most importantly, Camouflaged Hunter gives us 3% extra Weapon and Spell Damage through Slayer. With our class passives pushing our base Weapon and Spell Damage so high, percentage increases become massive on the Sorc.
FLAWLESS DAWNBREAKER
Flawless Dawnbreaker is another Fighters Guild buff slot for Slayer. We’ll rarely, if ever, cast this ultimate in content. It’s here to increase our damage.
PROXIMITY DETONATION
Proxy Det is a little tricky. After an eight second delay, it explodes around us, with damage increasing by 100% for each target hit. That makes it another valuable prebuff between pulls, ideally timed to explode as combat starts.
Try to time it so the explosion goes off when you are close to as many adds as possible, including low health adds for maximum scaling. When timed and positioned correctly, 
Proximity Detonation does a ton of damage.
ARROW BARRAGE
Like Liquid Lightning, 
Arrow Barrage is a strong AoE that ticks every second, but this one only lasts 10 seconds. In a 10–12 second pull, we get its full value. We can cast it while running into the pack and use it as a prebuff, since there is about a one second delay before it lands. That makes it even more valuable in trash.
The Maelstrom Bow increases that damage even further, making Arrow Barrage one of the absolute strongest AoE DoTs we can run in trash.
SHOCKING CONTINGENCY
Shocking Contingency is our flex skill. It’s a relatively strong DoT that we can arm before combat, but it isn’t so strong that we should give up useful group utility to keep it. 
Streak for example can be more beneficial for mechanics like the levers in Dreadsail Reef, or even help stack pulls before combat if you can swap into a tankier setup. The Sorc is well known for that kind of utility, so consider Streak whenever it makes sense for your group.
DARK DEAL
Use Dark Deal between pulls to restore Stamina. It has no damage utility and a cast time, so we should avoid using it in the middle of a trash pull. It also gives us Minor Berserk, which we can apply before combat. If Magicka is the resource you’re struggling with, run 
Dark Conversion instead. Choose the morph that restores the resource you need most.
HURRICANE
Hurricane deals Physical Damage around us, increasing in size and damage over its duration. It also provides Major Resolve for resistances and Minor Expedition for movement speed. In trash, we can activate it before the pull starts, getting that damage rolling without spending a GCD in combat. That makes an already strong AoE even more valuable.
SUMMON CHARGED ATRONACH
Summon Charged Atronach isn’t necessarily our strongest ultimate for raw AoE damage. Its main value is the Charged Lightning synergy, which grants nearby allies 
Major Beserk for 10 seconds, increasing their damage done by 10%.
The ultimate itself is strong, but if your group reliably gets Major Berserk elsewhere, such as a DK’s Lead from the Front passive, you can run 
Shooting Star instead. Alternatively, if you are running a Destruction Staff, use 
Elemental Rage for even more individual DPS.
ALTERNATE & SITUATIONAL SKILLS
CLASS SKILLS
StreakreplacesShocking ContingencyStreak is a strong mobility option for mechanics like the levers in Dreadsail Reef. It can also help stack pulls before combat if you can swap into a tankier setup. Run it over Shocking Contingency when that utility benefits your group.- Daedric TombreplacesShocking ContingencyDaedric Tomb is a niche but very strong AoE option when you can get targets to hit multiple mines.
WEAPON SKILLS
- Elemental BlockadereplacesArrow BarrageWhen opting for a Destruction Staff in trash, replace Arrow Barrage with Elemental Blockade and pair it with the Maelstrom Inferno Staff. Wall of Elements is one of the strongest AoEs in the game. It is just less optimal than Arrow Barrage with the Maelstrom Bow in very short trash pulls.
- Elemental RagereplacesSummon Charged AtronachA strong option for more personal AoE damage when your group already has Major Berserk covered. It can be especially valuable in pulls that last long enough for its full duration, or when enemies take longer to stack and late arriving adds can still be hit by the remaining ticks. Requires a Destruction Staff.
GUILD
- Shooting StarreplacesSummon Charged AtronachShooting Star is a strong option for personal damage when Major Berserk is already covered. Its initial blast deals damage comparable to a big burst ultimate like Elemental Rage, but also restores 10 Ultimate per enemy hit, up to 60. In trash, that refund makes each cast much cheaper. Over several pulls, the extra Ultimate can often give us one or two additional ultimate casts that we would not get otherwise.
Race Against TimereplacesShocking ContingencyRace Against Time is one of my favorite mobility skills in the game. It provides Major Expedition for 4 seconds, removes snares, and grants Minor Force for 20 seconds. Minor Force only matters if you are not running the Velothi Ur Mage’s Amulet and do not have a Werewolf in the group. The extra mobility is incredibly useful for mechanics away from the group, such as pulling levers in Dreadsail Reef, since movement between encounters can be one of the biggest limiting factors in trial time.- Mystic OrbreplacesShocking ContingencyMystic Orb is an absolute must have in your group. Its Combustion synergy deals more damage per activation than any other synergy in the game, and while most comparable damage synergies can only be consumed by four to six players, all 11 of your allies can activate Combustion from the same Orb. This makes it incredibly good for group damage, a reliable way to proc essential sets like Alkosh, and a significant source of resources for the group. Even if Mystic Orb is a personal DPS loss, the damage and utility provided through Combustion make it a massive group DPS gain.
ALLIANCE WAR
- Anti-Cavalry CaltropsreplacesShocking ContingencyIf your group’s trash pulls are a little slower, around 15 to 20 seconds, Anti-Cavalry Caltrops will deal more damage than Proxy Det. In less optimized groups, those longer pulls let Caltrops run its full duration and deal all of its damage, making it one of the strongest AoEs in the game in this scenario.
How to choose the best flex slot and which survivability skills work best on the Sorc.
FRONT BAR · Dual Wield
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BACK BAR · Two Handed
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FRONT BAR
| 1 | Crystal WeaponRotation defining ability. Cast once every three skills to add a unique and incredibly strong tick of damage to our light attacks. When played correctly, Crystal Weapon is the strongest source of damage on our CMX. |
| 2 | Haunting CurseExplodes after 3.5 seconds, then again 8.5 seconds later. Reapplying early resets the ability and cancels the second explosion. LET THIS SKILL FULLY EXPIRE. |
| 3 | Shattering KnifeSpec with Physical Damage / Assassin’s Misery / Force. Both a buff and a filler: Assassin’s Misery increases our chance to apply status effects, which is huge with Shattered Paths Signet. Maintain that effect as a priority, then use Knife as filler when no DoTs need reapplying and no other procs are ready. |
| 4 | Bound ArmamentsBuilds stacks with every light attack. We can fire it at four stacks, but it only becomes a top priority when we’re about to cap at eight. |
| 5 | Shocking BannerSpec with Shock Damage / Cavalier’s Charge / Heroism. Cavalier’s Charge is uniquely useful on the Sorc thanks to Hurricane. The Focus and Affix scripts can change in raid depending on group needs. |
| ULT | Flawless DawnbreakerSlotted for the Slayer passive in the Fighters Guild tree. We never cast this ultimate; it’s here for the passive. |
BACK BAR
| 1 | Liquid LightningOne of our strongest sources of Monolith of Storms procs. The DoT itself is relatively weak, but the extra set procs are very important. |
| 2 | StampedeProcs the direct damage bonus from our Maelstrom Greatsword and is a decent DoT on its own. |
| 3 | Flex slotThis is our primary flex slot. We’ll replace Barbed Trap with a survivability option that fits the situation as needed. |
| 4 | HurricaneA strong DoT that also procs Monolith of Storms. Major Resolve and Minor Expedition add value to Mora Scribe’s Thesis, and Minor Expedition also boosts Cavalier’s Charge on Shocking Banner. |
| 5 | Shocking BannerTurns off on bar swap if it isn’t slotted on both bars. |
| ULT | Power OverloadOur primary ultimate. Use it at the beginning of the fight until we reach 133 Ultimate, then toggle it off to preserve maximum Shattered Paths Signet value. |
ALTERNATE & SITUATIONAL SKILLS
CLASS SKILLS
Hardened WardreplacesBarbed TrapHardened Ward is one of the strongest shields in the game, though it scales better on tanks and Magicka Sorcerers. In 12 man content, mitigation is often more valuable than extra healing because we already have two healers. A shield effectively increases our net health pool, giving those healers more room to keep us alive. That can be a much larger survivability gain than adding a redundant source of healing.
Regenerative WardreplacesBarbed TrapA weaker shield than Hardened Ward, but it also gives nearby allies Minor Intellect and Minor Endurance for sustain. If those buffs are missing and you need a shield, this can be a very good option.
Suppression FieldreplacesFlawless DawnbreakerOften called Negate, this ultimate used to be much more common in heavy add encounters and remains one of the strongest crowd control tools in the game. It suppresses enemy AoE effects in its area and stuns them. This morph also deals damage every second, so though it is a pretty large DPS loss, it is not worth nothing.
Dark ConversionreplacesBarbed TrapOur strongest class BURST heal. It costs Stamina and restores a large amount of Health and Magicka when the cast finishes, followed by more Magicka over time. The one second cast means the heal is not immediate, so anticipate incoming damage instead of treating it as an emergency button. It is worth knowing about, but is not my go to unless its sustain component or the Minor Berserk becomes useful.- Dark DealreplacesBarbed TrapDark Deal costs Magicka and restores Stamina instead. Choose the morph based on which resource you can most reliably spend for the heal, or simply whichever one restores the resource you are struggling to sustain the most.
Critical SurgereplacesBarbed TrapThough it is not a burst heal, I consider Critical Surge the Sorc’s strongest general healing option. It heals us whenever we deal critical damage, up to once every second. As long as we keep doing damage, we keep healing, and that healing adds up very quickly.
ALLIANCE WAR
Echoing VigorreplacesBarbed TrapEchoing Vigor is one of the best healing options in raid situations because its HoT stacks between players. During mechanics with heavy incoming damage, multiple DDs can slot and cast Echoing Vigor together, typically giving each player 3 to 4 simultaneous stacks of the HoT and providing an enormous amount of group healing.
Resolving VigorreplacesBarbed TrapA strong self heal over a short duration. It also provides Minor Resolve, increasing our Armor and giving us more survivability when we need it most.
Boss setups
Recommended gear setups for each boss type in the game. Skill setup will mostly stay the same. Any changes are notated below. Trash setups are discussed in detail in the next section. Disclaimer: a general recommendation will never be the most optimal setup. Tweak for real encounters as it relates to differing strats and raid comps.
Best build for the parse dummy.
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Hand |  Mora Scribe's Thesis | Dagger |  Charged |  Flame |
| Off Hand | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Dagger | Charged |  Glyph of Poison |
| Backup |  Merciless Charge | Greatsword |  Infused |  Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head |  Mora Scribe's Thesis | Light |  Divines |  Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders |  Slimecraw | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest |  Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands |  Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist |  Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs |  Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet |  Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace |  Mora Scribe's Thesis | — |  Robust |  Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 |  Mora Scribe's Thesis | — |  Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 |  Shattered Paths Signet | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
(Perfected) Mora Scribe's Thesis
From the trial Lucent Citadel, (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis increases your Critical Chance by 154 per Major Buff that you have active, up to 1536 or roughly 7%, and your Crit Damage by 1% for every Minor Buff you have active, up to 12%. This helps a class with no passive source of Crit Chance or Crit Damage both reach the 125% Crit Damage cap and get around 64% Critical Chance. Not that there’s necessarily a target to shoot for, but anything below 60% Crit Chance I would consider relatively low for Update 51, and while an alternative option like 
(Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca would work just fine, the Sorc’s distinct lack of these essential stats makes the already competitive (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis a smidge more optimal in optimized raid environments where you can benefit from the max values of this set. Even in situations like the parse dummy though, the Sorc gets away with a couple extra buffs because of Hurricane. This utility makes (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis that much more optimal and niche for the Sorc.
Monolith of Storms
The next best set for the Sorc is Monolith of Storms. This is a class set from the Infinite Archive. When Hurricane or Liquid Lightning deals damage with its first or fifth tick, it creates a monolith near the enemy for 10 seconds, up to once every second at a maximum of three. Power Overload actually procs this as well with every tick. The monoliths link together, dealing Shock Damage every two seconds to enemies near the links. Each active monolith gives us 100 Weapon and Spell Damage, maxing out at 300 since we can only have three monoliths at a time. The set does a pretty average amount of DPS, around 10–11K in our PTS testing, but the extra Weapon and Spell Damage is what makes it preferable to its alternatives.
the Shattered Path's Signet
The Shattered Paths Signet increases our damage done with status effects by 1% for every Ultimate we have, capping out at 133%. When we reach 133 Ultimate, our light attacks apply a random status effect once every two seconds. To quell any doubts, yes, this mythic has been nerfed numerous times, and yes, it’s still the best single target option for the Sorc. The Sorc is one of the few classes with strong, constant sources of Shock Damage, which means we’re proccing Concussed very often. Status effects alone make up about 25% of our DPS output.
The Sorc can get away with this better than any other class because of Power Overload. This is no longer a cheesy meme ult. We can use it at the very beginning of a fight, turn it off before dropping below that 133 Ultimate value, then turn it back on right at the end to burst down our target, all while maintaining the maximum value of this incredibly powerful mythic.
(Perfected) Merciless Charge
(Perfected) Merciless Charge is the strongest arena weapon for boss damage in the game. It boosts our Direct Damage by 12%, and Direct Damage is the most common damage type in this build.
Slimecraw
When running a mythic and an arena weapon, we have room for a one piece monster bonus. Critical Chance is the strongest one piece stat we can get from gear, so we want a monster set whose one piece bonus gives Critical Chance. My preference is 
Slimecraw because its shoulder is so common thanks to the set’s historical relevance.
ALTERNATE SETS
REPLACES MORA'S (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
Slivers of Null ArcaRun on weapons and jewelry.
Arms of RelequenRun on weapons and jewelry.
Ansuul's TormentRun on weapons and jewelry.
Whorl of DepthsRun on weapons and jewelry.
Mantle of SiroriaRun on weapons and jewelry.- Beserking WarriorRun on weapons and jewelry.
Aegis CallerRun on weapons and jewelry.
Tide-Born WildstalkerRun on weapons and jewelry.
Order's WrathRun on weapons and jewelry.
REPLACES MONOLITH (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Aegis CallerRun on body.
- Slivers of Null ArcaRun on body.
- Arms of RelequenRun on body.
- Ansuul's TormentRun on body.
- Tide-Born WildstalkerRun on body.
Highland SentinelRun on body.- Order's WrathRun on body.
REPLACES SHATTERED PATH (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
Huntsman's WarmaskStrongest single target mythic, especially when replacing Power Overload with a different parse ultimate.
REPLACES VMA GREATSWORD (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
Caustic ArrowStrongest single target arena weapon when running a bow. Use Poison Injection in place of Barbed Trap and Endless Hail in place of Stampede.
BRP DaggersDecent single target arena weapon option. Run on the front bar with an easy to maintain proc set like Aegis Caller on the back bar. Requires Blade Cloak, which we can only slot if we are not running Banner. Not recommended with Monolith or Mora’s.
CHOOSING AN ALTERNATE SET
How to Choose an Alternate Set
All of the alternate set options that we’ve given here are very strong, but it can be difficult to know exactly which sets to pair together, and more specifically, which set should go on the body and which set should go on your weapons and jewelry when replacing one of our main options. There are a few rules that we need to follow.
Minor Slayer
The first and most important rule is to make sure that we always have a Trial set equipped. The third stat line on every DPS oriented Trial set in the game gives 
Minor Slayer, a buff that increases our damage done to all PvE enemies by 5%. This is the strongest third piece stat line in the game. If we analyze only the value of a set’s five piece bonus, compare something like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca to 
Aegis Caller. The damage from the actual five piece procs aren't too far off from one another, but the key factor that makes (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca so much stronger on a one to one basis is that Minor Slayer bonus on the third line.
Medium Armor
Our next consideration is that, regardless of which sets we pair together, we need to run a Medium Armor set on the body. We could take a set like 
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths, for example, which is very strong, but if we run it on the body, it’s going to be a significant DPS loss compared to even most dungeon sets, regardless of that third piece stat line. The primary reason for this is that, in the Update 51 meta, we run Medium Armor primarily for Critical Damage and Light Armor primarily for Penetration. There are tons of sources of Penetration in the game, and it’s a lot easier to reach the pen cap than it is to reach the Critical Damage cap. So most of the time, we’ll need to run Medium Armor on the body to make sure that we’re at the Critical Damage cap in 12 man encounters.
Sets that give Stats
Once we have a Trial set equipped and a Medium Armor set on the body, we have to be aware of any sets that gives us a stat bonuses. For example, 
(Perfected) Ansuul's Torment gives us a 7% damage increase, and if we run this set on our Front Bar Weapons, we would only have this damage bonus active while on the Front Bar. A more pertinent example for the Sorc is Monolith of Storms. We run Hurricane and Liquid Lightning on our backbar, so in order to get the ticks of these DOTs to proc Monolith of Storms, we need the 5th piece active regardless of which bar we are on. If you're pairing 2 sets that are best run on the body, run the set that is worth the largest DPS gain on the body as a priority.
Proc Sets
Finally, if you are choosing between two proc sets, consider how each one triggers. (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca fires a crystal at three stacks, then has a four second cooldown before it can build stacks again. Its short cooldown makes it easy to keep active on the body if you are replacing Monolith of Storms. When paired with Monolith, though, we'd run 
Slivers of the Null Arca on weapons and jewelry so Monolith continues to proc, otherwise, we'd nuke the sets DPS.
Alternate Set Info
(Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca
(Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca is the strongest single target proc set in ESO right now. The main reason we use (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis is that the Sorc gets a couple of extra Major and Minor Buffs through skills like Hurricane, which makes Mora’s a tad stronger. In content, Null Arca is just as competitive and can even pull ahead depending on the situation. Weigh which buffs you’re getting and how consistently they’re maintained when choosing between the two.
Run (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Arms of Relequen
(Perfected) Arms of Relequen comes from the trial Cloudrest. Every time you Light Attack, you apply a stack of Harmful Winds to the target. This stacks up to 10 times and deals a ton of damage. Historically, Relequen was meta for single target for a very long time, but it received a nerf a few patches ago that gave (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca a slight edge. A lot of people have forgotten about this set since then, but it’s still extremely strong and is only worth a little bit less DPS than what’s considered the strongest single target set in the game.
Run (Perfected) Arms of Relequen on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Arms of Relequen on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Aegis Caller
Aegis Caller is a Medium Armor set from the dungeon Unhallowed Grave. It’s one of the strongest proc sets in the game. It deals its damage in a large AoE radius, making it extremely valuable for AoE encounters as well as single target ones. Its raw damage is a little bit lower than a set like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca, but still comparable. This set procs whenever we deal critical damage with a martial melee attack, which means it will proc from our front bar Light Attacks. The proc lasts for 11 seconds with a 12 second cooldown, so we can effectively get near 100% uptime. Because we can proc the set by simply Light Attacking, it’s extremely easy to run on the front bar.
Run Aegis Caller on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Aegis Caller on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths is a Light Armor set from the trial Dreadsail Reef. Whenever you deal damage with a Light Attack, you apply a DoT to the target that deals Frost Damage over eight seconds. When that effect ends, a five meter whirlpool is created around the target for six seconds, dealing a ton of AoE damage. Because of that AoE damage, Whorl is a great option for both single target and AoE encounters. The entire effect can occur once every 18 seconds, leaving a pretty short window of downtime between procs. As a Light Armor set, Whorl should only replace (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis and should stay on weapons and jewelry.
Advancing Yokeda
Berserking Warrior is a Heavy Armor set from the trial Hel Ra Citadel, and it gives us a ton of one of the most important stats in the game: Critical Chance. With five pieces active, AY gives us 986 Critical Chance at base. Whenever you deal Martial melee damage, your Critical Chance increases by another 298 for five seconds, stacking up to five times. To keep those stacks from dropping, make sure that you Light Attack on your front bar at least once every five seconds. For our Sorc boss setups, consider this a single target option. Because it’s a Heavy Armor set, run it exclusively on weapons and jewelry, replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
(Perfected) Ansuul's Torment
(Perfected) Ansuul's Torment is a Medium Armor set from the trial Sanity’s Edge. At base, it increases your damage done to monsters by 7%. Whenever you interrupt a target while in combat, that bonus increases to 21% for 30 seconds. Because that proc condition is rarely something we can activate in an organized raid, for all intents and purposes we consider (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment primarily for its reliable 7% damage done increase.
Run (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Mantle of Siroria
(Perfected) Mantle of Siroria is a Light Armor set from the trial Cloudrest, and this is another classic. With five pieces active, (Perfected) Mantle of Siroria gives us 200 Weapon and Spell Damage passively. Whenever you deal damage with a Light or Heavy Attack, you create a ring of fire beneath you for eight seconds. Standing in that ring increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by another 44 for five seconds, stacking up to ten times. That gives us 440 Weapon and Spell Damage at max stacks, or 640 total when we include the passive portion of the five-piece bonus. For our Sorc boss setups, we’re considering this stat increase for single target damage. This set can be a little tricky to maintain though. You need to recreate the ring as often as possible and make sure that you stand inside it at least once every five seconds to refresh your stacks. We can get away with running a set that gives a stat increase on the front bar because that buff comes from a proc. It lasts regardless of which bar we’re on as long as we maintain our stacks. Because (Perfected) Mantle of Siroria is a Light Armor set, we only want to run it on weapons and jewelry, replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Tide-Born Windstalker
Tide-Born Wildstalker is a craftable set found at the Tide-Born Foundry in Solstice. It increases your direct damage done to monsters by 15%, which is a huge buff and makes it one of the strongest craftable sets in the game. If you don’t have any of the previous options, Tide-Born can perform very close to our meta sets.
Run Tide-Born Wildstalker on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Tide-Born Wildstalker on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Highland Sentinel
Highland Sentinel is the next strongest craftable set, and its crafting station can be found in West Weald. This set gives us a ton of Critical Chance, which is one of the most valuable stats in the game, but its proc condition is very odd. With five pieces active, the set gives us 986 Critical Chance passively. Then, every second that you stand still in combat gives you a stack of Sentinel’s Eye, adding another 443 Critical Chance per stack, up to three stacks. Every second that you move removes one stack. This condition can be very tricky to maintain, especially for newer players, so I don’t necessarily recommend Highland Sentinel as a go to replacement. But if you’re okay trying to min max with the tools that you have, you can pair Tide-Born Wildstalker with Highland Sentinel and have very good success. Generally, I would use Tide-Born Wildstalker first. Run Highland Sentinel on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Order's Wrath
A slightly weaker but much easier option to maintain is 
Order's Wrath. This set gives us a little bit less Critical Chance than Highland Sentinel, but it also gives us Critical Damage, making it strong and versatile for newer players, unoptimized groups, or even solo and four man groups. You can craft it at Steadfast Hammer and Saw in High Isle and Amenos.
Run Order's Wrath on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Order's Wrath on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Mythics and Arena Weapons
The Huntsman's Warmask
Huntsman's Warmask is one of our strongest options for raw single target damage. Without Power Overload, we get much less value from Shattered Paths Signet, so Huntsman’s Warmask is usually the better choice. Bashing a target applies Hunter’s Mark, increasing damage done to that target by 15% but reducing damage to other targets by 50%. For a Sorc focused on tunneling the boss, that tradeoff is largely irrelevant, making this an extremely strong mythic for boss fights.
(Perfected) Caustic Arrow
(Perfected) Caustic Arrow is a strong playstyle alternative if you want a bow for single target boss fights. Casting 
Poison Injection gives us 330 Weapon and Spell Damage against enemies affected by it. It isn’t nearly as strong as the Maelstrom Greatsword for this build, so treat it as a playstyle choice rather than a meta substitution.
(Perfected) Spectral Cloak
(Perfected) Spectral Cloak reduces our damage taken and increases our damage done by 6% while 
Blade Cloak is active. We don’t really have room for Quick Cloak in the meta Update 51 bars, but dropping Banner can open that slot. It isn’t stronger than our main setup and is rarely used in a meta Sorc build, but it’s a solid alternative if you don’t have the Maelstrom Greatsword or the other options.
Best build for your average Single Target Oriented Boss fights
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Hand | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Dagger | Charged | Flame |
| Off Hand | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Dagger | Charged | Glyph of Poison |
| Backup | Merciless Charge | Greatsword | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Light | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders | Slimecraw | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace | Mora Scribe's Thesis | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 | Mora Scribe's Thesis | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Shattered Paths Signet | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
(Perfected) Mora Scribe's Thesis
From the trial Lucent Citadel, (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis increases your Critical Chance by 154 per Major Buff that you have active, up to 1536 or roughly 7%, and your Crit Damage by 1% for every Minor Buff you have active, up to 12%. This helps a class with no passive source of Crit Chance or Crit Damage both reach the 125% Crit Damage cap and get around 64% Critical Chance. Not that there’s necessarily a target to shoot for, but anything below 60% Crit Chance I would consider relatively low for Update 51, and while an alternative option like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca would work just fine, the Sorc’s distinct lack of these essential stats makes the already competitive (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis a smidge more optimal in optimized raid environments where you can benefit from the max values of this set. Even in situations like the parse dummy though, the Sorc gets away with a couple extra buffs because of Hurricane. This utility makes (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis that much more optimal and niche for the Sorc.
Monolith of Storms
The next best set for the Sorc is Monolith of Storms. This is a class set from the Infinite Archive. When Hurricane or Liquid Lightning deals damage with its first or fifth tick, it creates a monolith near the enemy for 10 seconds, up to once every second at a maximum of three. Power Overload actually procs this as well with every tick. The monoliths link together, dealing Shock Damage every two seconds to enemies near the links. Each active monolith gives us 100 Weapon and Spell Damage, maxing out at 300 since we can only have three monoliths at a time. The set does a pretty average amount of DPS, around 10–11K in our PTS testing, but the extra Weapon and Spell Damage is what makes it preferable to its alternatives.
the Shattered Path's Signet
The Shattered Paths Signet increases our damage done with status effects by 1% for every Ultimate we have, capping out at 133%. When we reach 133 Ultimate, our light attacks apply a random status effect once every two seconds. To quell any doubts, yes, this mythic has been nerfed numerous times, and yes, it’s still the best single target option for the Sorc. The Sorc is one of the few classes with strong, constant sources of Shock Damage, which means we’re proccing Concussed very often. Status effects alone make up about 25% of our DPS output.
The Sorc can get away with this better than any other class because of Power Overload. This is no longer a cheesy meme ult. We can use it at the very beginning of a fight, turn it off before dropping below that 133 Ultimate value, then turn it back on right at the end to burst down our target, all while maintaining the maximum value of this incredibly powerful mythic.
(Perfected) Merciless Charge
(Perfected) Merciless Charge is the strongest arena weapon for boss damage in the game. It boosts our Direct Damage by 12%, and Direct Damage is the most common damage type in this build.
Slimecraw
When running a mythic and an arena weapon, we have room for a one piece monster bonus. Critical Chance is the strongest one piece stat we can get from gear, so we want a monster set whose one piece bonus gives Critical Chance. My preference is Slimecraw because its shoulder is so common thanks to the set’s historical relevance.
ALTERNATE SETS
REPLACES MORA'S (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Slivers of Null ArcaRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Arms of RelequenRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Ansuul's TormentRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Whorl of DepthsRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Mantle of SiroriaRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Beserking WarriorRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Aegis CallerRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Tide-Born WildstalkerRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Order's WrathRun on weapons and jewelry.
REPLACES MONOLITH (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Aegis CallerRun on body.
- Slivers of Null ArcaRun on body.
- Arms of RelequenRun on body.
- Ansuul's TormentRun on body.
- Tide-Born WildstalkerRun on body.
- Highland SentinelRun on body.
- Order's WrathRun on body.
REPLACES SHATTERED PATH (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Huntsman's WarmaskStrongest single target mythic, especially when replacing Power Overload with a parse ultimate.
REPLACES VMA GREATSWORD (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
Crushing WallStrong back bar alternative for boss damage. Run Elemental Blockade over Stampede.- Caustic ArrowStrongest single target arena weapon when running a bow. Use Poison Injection in place of Barbed Trap and Endless Hail in place of Stampede.
- BRP DaggersDecent single target arena weapon option. Run on the front bar with an easy to maintain proc set like Aegis Caller on the back bar. Requires Blade Cloak, which we can only slot if we are not running Banner. Not recommended with Monolith or Mora’s.
CHOOSING AN ALTERNATE SET
How to Choose an Alternate Set
All of the alternate set options that we’ve given here are very strong, but it can be difficult to know exactly which sets to pair together, and more specifically, which set should go on the body and which set should go on your weapons and jewelry when replacing one of our main options. There are a few rules that we need to follow.
Minor Slayer
The first and most important rule is to make sure that we always have a Trial set equipped. The third stat line on every DPS oriented Trial set in the game gives Minor Slayer, a buff that increases our damage done to all PvE enemies by 5%. This is the strongest third piece stat line in the game. If we analyze only the value of a set’s five piece bonus, compare something like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca to Aegis Caller. The damage from the actual five piece procs aren't too far off from one another, but the key factor that makes (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca so much stronger on a one to one basis is that Minor Slayer bonus on the third line.
Medium Armor
Our next consideration is that, regardless of which sets we pair together, we need to run a Medium Armor set on the body. We could take a set like (Perfected) Whorl of the Depths, for example, which is very strong, but if we run it on the body, it’s going to be a significant DPS loss compared to even most dungeon sets, regardless of that third piece stat line. The primary reason for this is that, in the Update 51 meta, we run Medium Armor primarily for Critical Damage and Light Armor primarily for Penetration. There are tons of sources of Penetration in the game, and it’s a lot easier to reach the pen cap than it is to reach the Critical Damage cap. So most of the time, we’ll need to run Medium Armor on the body to make sure that we’re at the Critical Damage cap in 12 man encounters.
Sets that give Stats
Once we have a Trial set equipped and a Medium Armor set on the body, we have to be aware of any sets that gives us a stat bonuses. For example, (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment gives us a 7% damage increase, and if we run this set on our Front Bar Weapons, we would only have this damage bonus active while on the Front Bar. A more pertinent example for the Sorc is Monolith of Storms. We run Hurricane and Liquid Lightning on our backbar, so in order to get the ticks of these DOTs to proc Monolith of Storms, we need the 5th piece active regardless of which bar we are on. If you're pairing 2 sets that are best run on the body, run the set that is worth the largest DPS gain on the body as a priority.
Proc Sets
Finally, if you are choosing between two proc sets, consider how each one triggers. (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca fires a crystal at three stacks, then has a four second cooldown before it can build stacks again. Its short cooldown makes it easy to keep active on the body if you are replacing Monolith of Storms. When paired with Monolith, though, we'd run Slivers of the Null Arca on weapons and jewelry so Monolith continues to proc, otherwise, we'd nuke the sets DPS.
Alternate Set Info
(Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca
(Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca is the strongest single target proc set in ESO right now. The main reason we use (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis is that the Sorc gets a couple of extra Major and Minor Buffs through skills like Hurricane, which makes Mora’s a tad stronger. In content, Null Arca is just as competitive and can even pull ahead depending on the situation. Weigh which buffs you’re getting and how consistently they’re maintained when choosing between the two.
Run (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Arms of Relequen
(Perfected) Arms of Relequen comes from the trial Cloudrest. Every time you Light Attack, you apply a stack of Harmful Winds to the target. This stacks up to 10 times and deals a ton of damage. Historically, Relequen was meta for single target for a very long time, but it received a nerf a few patches ago that gave (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca a slight edge. A lot of people have forgotten about this set since then, but it’s still extremely strong and is only worth a little bit less DPS than what’s considered the strongest single target set in the game.
Run (Perfected) Arms of Relequen on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Arms of Relequen on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Aegis Caller
Aegis Caller is a Medium Armor set from the dungeon Unhallowed Grave. It’s one of the strongest proc sets in the game. It deals its damage in a large AoE radius, making it extremely valuable for AoE encounters as well as single target ones. Its raw damage is a little bit lower than a set like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca, but still comparable. This set procs whenever we deal critical damage with a martial melee attack, which means it will proc from our front bar Light Attacks. The proc lasts for 11 seconds with a 12 second cooldown, so we can effectively get near 100% uptime. Because we can proc the set by simply Light Attacking, it’s extremely easy to run on the front bar.
Run Aegis Caller on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Aegis Caller on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths is a Light Armor set from the trial Dreadsail Reef. Whenever you deal damage with a Light Attack, you apply a DoT to the target that deals Frost Damage over eight seconds. When that effect ends, a five meter whirlpool is created around the target for six seconds, dealing a ton of AoE damage. Because of that AoE damage, Whorl is a great option for both single target and AoE encounters. The entire effect can occur once every 18 seconds, leaving a pretty short window of downtime between procs. As a Light Armor set, Whorl should only replace (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis and should stay on weapons and jewelry.
Advancing Yokeda
Berserking Warrior is a Heavy Armor set from the trial Hel Ra Citadel, and it gives us a ton of one of the most important stats in the game: Critical Chance. With five pieces active, AY gives us 986 Critical Chance at base. Whenever you deal Martial melee damage, your Critical Chance increases by another 298 for five seconds, stacking up to five times. To keep those stacks from dropping, make sure that you Light Attack on your front bar at least once every five seconds. For our Sorc boss setups, consider this a single target option. Because it’s a Heavy Armor set, run it exclusively on weapons and jewelry, replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
(Perfected) Ansuul's Torment
(Perfected) Ansuul's Torment is a Medium Armor set from the trial Sanity’s Edge. At base, it increases your damage done to monsters by 7%. Whenever you interrupt a target while in combat, that bonus increases to 21% for 30 seconds. Because that proc condition is rarely something we can activate in an organized raid, for all intents and purposes we consider (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment primarily for its reliable 7% damage done increase.
Run (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Mantle of Siroria
(Perfected) Mantle of Siroria is a Light Armor set from the trial Cloudrest, and this is another classic. With five pieces active, (Perfected) Mantle of Siroria gives us 200 Weapon and Spell Damage passively. Whenever you deal damage with a Light or Heavy Attack, you create a ring of fire beneath you for eight seconds. Standing in that ring increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by another 44 for five seconds, stacking up to ten times. That gives us 440 Weapon and Spell Damage at max stacks, or 640 total when we include the passive portion of the five-piece bonus. For our Sorc boss setups, we’re considering this stat increase for single target damage. This set can be a little tricky to maintain though. You need to recreate the ring as often as possible and make sure that you stand inside it at least once every five seconds to refresh your stacks. We can get away with running a set that gives a stat increase on the front bar because that buff comes from a proc. It lasts regardless of which bar we’re on as long as we maintain our stacks. Because (Perfected) Mantle of Siroria is a Light Armor set, we only want to run it on weapons and jewelry, replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Tide-Born Windstalker
Tide-Born Wildstalker is a craftable set found at the Tide-Born Foundry in Solstice. It increases your direct damage done to monsters by 15%, which is a huge buff and makes it one of the strongest craftable sets in the game. If you don’t have any of the previous options, Tide-Born can perform very close to our meta sets.
Run Tide-Born Wildstalker on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Tide-Born Wildstalker on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Highland Sentinel
Highland Sentinel is the next strongest craftable set, and its crafting station can be found in West Weald. This set gives us a ton of Critical Chance, which is one of the most valuable stats in the game, but its proc condition is very odd. With five pieces active, the set gives us 986 Critical Chance passively. Then, every second that you stand still in combat gives you a stack of Sentinel’s Eye, adding another 443 Critical Chance per stack, up to three stacks. Every second that you move removes one stack. This condition can be very tricky to maintain, especially for newer players, so I don’t necessarily recommend Highland Sentinel as a go to replacement. But if you’re okay trying to min max with the tools that you have, you can pair Tide-Born Wildstalker with Highland Sentinel and have very good success. Generally, I would use Tide-Born Wildstalker first. Run Highland Sentinel on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Order's Wrath
A slightly weaker but much easier option to maintain is Order's Wrath. This set gives us a little bit less Critical Chance than Highland Sentinel, but it also gives us Critical Damage, making it strong and versatile for newer players, unoptimized groups, or even solo and four man groups. You can craft it at Steadfast Hammer and Saw in High Isle and Amenos.
Run Order's Wrath on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Order's Wrath on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Mythics and Arena Weapons
The Huntsman's Warmask
Huntsman's Warmask is one of our strongest options for raw single target damage. Without Power Overload, we get much less value from Shattered Paths Signet, so Huntsman’s Warmask is usually the better choice. Bashing a target applies Hunter’s Mark, increasing damage done to that target by 15% but reducing damage to other targets by 50%. For a Sorc focused on tunneling the boss, that tradeoff is largely irrelevant, making this an extremely strong mythic for boss fights.
(Perfected) Caustic Arrow
(Perfected) Caustic Arrow is a strong playstyle alternative if you want a bow for single target boss fights. Casting Poison Injection gives us 330 Weapon and Spell Damage against enemies affected by it. It isn’t nearly as strong as the Maelstrom Greatsword for this build, so treat it as a playstyle choice rather than a meta substitution.
(Perfected) Spectral Cloak
(Perfected) Spectral Cloak reduces our damage taken and increases our damage done by 6% while Blade Cloak is active. We don’t really have room for Quick Cloak in the meta Update 51 bars, but dropping Banner can open that slot. It isn’t stronger than our main setup and is rarely used in a meta Sorc build, but it’s a solid alternative if you don’t have the Maelstrom Greatsword or the other options.
Best build for AOE oriented boss fights. Our ST setup is still the best option for AOE, but more AOE specific alternatives are provided below.
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Hand | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Dagger | Charged | Flame |
| Off Hand | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Dagger | Charged | Glyph of Poison |
| Backup | Merciless Charge | Greatsword | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Light | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders | Slimecraw | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace |  Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 | Mora Scribe's Thesis | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Mora Scribe's Thesis | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
(Perfected) Mora Scribe's Thesis
From the trial Lucent Citadel, (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis increases your Critical Chance by 154 per Major Buff that you have active, up to 1536 or roughly 7%, and your Crit Damage by 1% for every Minor Buff you have active, up to 12%. This helps a class with no passive source of Crit Chance or Crit Damage both reach the 125% Crit Damage cap and get around 64% Critical Chance. Not that there’s necessarily a target to shoot for, but anything below 60% Crit Chance I would consider relatively low for Update 51, and while an alternative option like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca would work just fine, the Sorc’s distinct lack of these essential stats makes the already competitive (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis a smidge more optimal in optimized raid environments where you can benefit from the max values of this set. Even in situations like the parse dummy though, the Sorc gets away with a couple extra buffs because of Hurricane. This utility makes (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis that much more optimal and niche for the Sorc.
Monolith of Storms
The next best set for the Sorc is Monolith of Storms. This is a class set from the Infinite Archive. When Hurricane or Liquid Lightning deals damage with its first or fifth tick, it creates a monolith near the enemy for 10 seconds, up to once every second at a maximum of three. The monoliths link together, dealing Shock Damage every two seconds to enemies near the links. Each active monolith gives us 100 Weapon and Spell Damage, maxing out at 300 since we can only have three monoliths at a time. The set does a pretty average amount of DPS, around 10–11K in our PTS testing, but the extra Weapon and Spell Damage is what gives it a slight edge over its alternatives.
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet
Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet is our strongest mythic for AoE damage. The Shattered Paths Signet is still strong, but status effects are most effective against a single target. Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet gives us Offensive Penetration, which helps us reach the pen cap when AoE targets do not all have debuffs like Crusher for example. Most importantly, it increases our damage done to monsters by 15%, but this comes at the cost of reducing our Light and Heavy Attack damage by 99%.
That penalty matters in single target fights, where Light Attacks make up a meaningful share of our DPS. In AoE situations though, those attacks still hit only one target while our AoE abilities scale with the number of enemies. If Liquid Lightning ticks for 10K on one target, that is 10K damage per second. Against two targets, it is 20K, and against three, its 30K, and so on. Since light attacks can only target one enemy at a time, giving them up costs relatively little in an AoE scenario. That makes Velothi’s 15% damage bonus the strongest mythic option for this setup.
Important: Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet does not mean we stop light attack weaving. Light attacks still proc enchants, status effects, and help maintain Ultimate generation. Keep weaving even though the attacks themselves barely deal damage.
(Perfected) Merciless Charge
(Perfected) Merciless Charge is still the strongest arena weapon even for AoE boss damage on the Sorc. Most of our toolkit deals Direct Damage, so improving that damage across the full fight is worth a little more than the damage from Perfected Crushing Wall or Perfected Thunderous Volley in most situations. Those weapons can make more sense in short, bursty trash pulls, where one cast hits a larger pack. AoE boss fights usually have fewer targets and a longer damage window, which makes Merciless Charge a tad more valuable for a class as direct damage heavy as the Sorc is.
Slimecraw
When running a mythic and an arena weapon, we have room for a one piece monster bonus. Critical Chance is the strongest one piece stat we can get from gear, so we want a monster set whose one piece bonus gives Critical Chance. My preference is Slimecraw because its shoulder is so common thanks to the set’s historical relevance.
ALTERNATE SETS
REPLACES MORAS (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Whorl of DepthsRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Aegis CallerRun on weapons and jewelry.
Storm-Cursed's RevengeRun on weapons and jewelry.
REPLACES MONOLITH (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Aegis CallerRun on body.
REPLACES VMA GREATSWORD
- Crushing WallStrong AoE arena weapon. Run Elemental Blockade over Stampede.
vMA BowStrong AoE arena weapon. Run Endless Hail over Stampede.
CHOOSING AN ALTERNATE SET
How to Choose an Alternate Set
All of the alternate set options that we’ve given here are very strong, but it can be difficult to know exactly which sets to pair together, and more specifically, which set should go on the body and which set should go on your weapons and jewelry when replacing one of our main options. There are a few rules that we need to follow.
Minor Slayer
The first and most important rule is to make sure that we always have a Trial set equipped. The third stat line on every DPS oriented Trial set in the game gives Minor Slayer, a buff that increases our damage done to all PvE enemies by 5%. This is the strongest third piece stat line in the game. If we analyze only the value of a set’s five piece bonus, compare something like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca to Aegis Caller. The damage from the actual five piece procs aren't too far off from one another, but the key factor that makes (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca so much stronger on a one to one basis is that Minor Slayer bonus on the third line.
Medium Armor
Our next consideration is that, regardless of which sets we pair together, we need to run a Medium Armor set on the body. We could take a set like (Perfected) Whorl of the Depths, for example, which is very strong, but if we run it on the body, it’s going to be a significant DPS loss compared to even most dungeon sets, regardless of that third piece stat line. The primary reason for this is that, in the Update 51 meta, we run Medium Armor primarily for Critical Damage and Light Armor primarily for Penetration. There are tons of sources of Penetration in the game, and it’s a lot easier to reach the pen cap than it is to reach the Critical Damage cap. So most of the time, we’ll need to run Medium Armor on the body to make sure that we’re at the Critical Damage cap in 12 man encounters.
Sets that give Stats
Once we have a Trial set equipped and a Medium Armor set on the body, we have to be aware of any sets that gives us a stat bonuses. For example, (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment gives us a 7% damage increase, and if we run this set on our Front Bar Weapons, we would only have this damage bonus active while on the Front Bar. A more pertinent example for the Sorc is Monolith of Storms. We run Hurricane and Liquid Lightning on our backbar, so in order to get the ticks of these DOTs to proc Monolith of Storms, we need the 5th piece active regardless of which bar we are on. If you're pairing 2 sets that are best run on the body, run the set that is worth the largest DPS gain, or the least amount DPS loss on the body as a priority.
Alternate Set Info
Aegis Caller
Aegis Caller is a Medium Armor set from the dungeon Unhallowed Grave. It’s one of the strongest proc sets in the game. It deals its damage in a large AoE radius, making it extremely valuable for AoE encounters as well as single target ones. Its raw damage is a little bit lower than a set like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca, but still comparable. This set procs whenever we deal critical damage with a martial melee attack, which means it will proc from our front bar Light Attacks. The proc lasts for 11 seconds with a 12 second cooldown, so we can effectively get near 100% uptime. Because we can proc the set by simply Light Attacking, it’s extremely easy to run on the front bar.
Run Aegis Caller on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Aegis Caller on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths is a Light Armor set from the trial Dreadsail Reef. Whenever you deal damage with a Light Attack, you apply a DoT to the target that deals Frost Damage over eight seconds. When that effect ends, a five meter whirlpool is created around the target for six seconds, dealing a ton of AoE damage. Because of that AoE damage, Whorl is a great option for both single target and AoE encounters. The entire effect can occur once every 18 seconds, leaving a pretty short window of downtime between procs. As a Light Armor set, Whorl should only replace (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis and should stay on weapons and jewelry.
Storm-Cursed's Revenge
Storm-Cursed's Revenge is a niche set that’s uniquely strong on the Sorc. Whenever we deal Shock Damage, we have a 15% chance to deal additional Shock Damage to that enemy and up to two others within five meters. Energized increases our damage done with Shock Damage, helping make this one of the strongest AoE proc sets available to the class.
For longer AoE boss encounters, (Perfected) Whorl of the Depths and Aegis Caller tend to perform a little better. In short, bursty AoE situations, Storm-Cursed's Revenge can pull ahead because its procs deal damage immediately. As a Light Armor set, keep it on weapons and jewelry with a Medium Armor set on the body.
Arena Weapons
(Perfected) Crushing Wall
(Perfected) Crushing Wall is one of the strongest AoE arena weapons in the game. It dramatically increases the damage of the already powerful 
Wall of Elements, giving that one ability more damage than a full proc set like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca. On the Stam Sorc, Wall can be tricky to sustain because it is so expensive. If damage to a second boss or the smaller adds in a boss might matter more, this is our strongest alternative arena weapon for AoE boss fights when we can sustain it.
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley is also one of our strongest AoE arena weapon options. It increases the damage of 
Endless Hail to a level comparable to a full proc set like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca, though it is slightly weaker. We mainly use this weapon in trash with Arrow Barrage, a shorter 10 second DoT that we can cast before the pull and that lines up better with burst damage. For AoE boss fights, run Endless Hail when adds or another boss need more damage and Wall of Elements is too expensive to sustain.
SUGGESTED ABILITIES WITH THIS GEAR SETUP
The full skill setup is discussed in the Skill Setup section — what changes with this gear is covered below.
FRONT BAR · Dual Wield
1
2
3
4
5
ULT
BACK BAR · Greatsword
1
2
3
4
5
ULT
SUGGESTED SKILL CHANGES
Quick Cloak
Quick Cloak is a strong AoE DoT that lasts 30 seconds. In this setup, we drop Shocking Banner, which mostly boosts our single target damage, and use that slot for damage that can hit every target around us. Quick Cloak also gives us Major Evasion while active, adding a lot of defensive value in fights with heavy AoE damage.
Shocking Contingency
With Shocking Banner off the bar, we have room for another AoE DoT on the back bar. Shocking Contingency fills that flex slot and helps us damage as many targets as possible at once.
Summon Charged Atronach
We use Summon Charged Atronach in content because this setup drops Power Overload and Shattered Paths Signet. It may not be the ultimate that deals the most raw damage on its own, but its Charged Lightning synergy adds significantly more damage for the group. Rotating that synergy with a Dragonknight’s Lead from the Front passive helps maintain Major Beserk uptimes. The Atronach itself still deals strong damage, but if you don't have any need for the extra Major Beserk uptimes for whatever reason, run Elemental Rage if you are running a Destro Staff and Shooting Star if you are not.
Best Setup if you can't do 12 Man Raids
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Bar (Main Hand) | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Dagger | Charged | Flame |
| Front Bar (Off Hand) | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Dagger | Charged | Glyph of Poison |
| Back Bar | Merciless Charge | Greatsword | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders | Slimecraw | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace | Tide-Born Wildstalker | — |  Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 | Tide-Born Wildstalker | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Shattered Paths Signet | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
Tide-born Windstalker
Tide-Born Wildstalker is a craftable set found at the Tide-Born Foundry in Solstice. It increases your direct damage done to monsters by 15%, which is a huge buff and makes Tide-Born one of the strongest craftable sets in the entire game. If you don’t have any of the previously mentioned options, you can run Tide-Born Wildstalker with very similar success to our meta options.
Monolith of Storms
Monolith of Storms is a class set from the Infinite Archive. When Hurricane or Liquid Lightning deals damage with its first or fifth tick, it creates a monolith near the enemy for 10 seconds, up to once every second at a maximum of three. Power Overload actually procs this as well with every tick. The monoliths link together, dealing Shock Damage every two seconds to enemies near the links. Each active monolith gives us 100 Weapon and Spell Damage, maxing out at 300 since we can only have three monoliths at a time. The set does a pretty average amount of DPS, around 10–11K in our PTS testing, but the extra Weapon and Spell Damage is what makes it preferable to its alternatives.
The Shattered Path's Signet
The Shattered Paths Signet increases our damage done with status effects by 1% for every Ultimate we have, capping out at 133%. When we reach 133 Ultimate, our light attacks apply a random status effect once every two seconds. To quell any doubts, yes, this mythic has been nerfed numerous times, and yes, it’s still the best single target option for the Sorc. The Sorc is one of the few classes with strong, constant sources of Shock Damage, which means we’re proccing Concussed very often. Status effects alone make up about 25% of our DPS output.
The Sorc can get away with this better than any other class though because of Power Overload. This is no longer a cheesy meme ult. We can use it at the very beginning of a fight, turn it off before dropping below that 133 Ultimate value, then turn it back on right at the end to burst down our target, all while maintaining the maximum value of this incredibly powerful mythic.
(perfected) Merciless Charge
(Perfected) Merciless Charge is the strongest arena weapon for boss damage in the game. It boosts our Direct Damage by 12%, and Direct Damage is the most common damage type in this build.
Slimecraw
When running a mythic and an arena weapon, we have room for a one piece monster bonus. Critical Chance is the strongest one piece stat we can get from gear, so we want a monster set whose one piece bonus gives Critical Chance. My preference is Slimecraw because its shoulder is so common thanks to the set’s historical relevance.
The most easily obtainable high DPS setup
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Bar (Main Hand) | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Dagger | Charged | Flame |
| Front Bar (Off Hand) | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Dagger | Charged | Glyph of Poison |
| Back Bar | Merciless Charge | Greatsword | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders | Slimecraw | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest | Order's Wrath | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands | Order's Wrath | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist | Order's Wrath | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs | Order's Wrath | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet | Order's Wrath | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace | Tide-Born Wildstalker | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 | Tide-Born Wildstalker | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Shattered Paths Signet | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
Tide-born Windstalker
Tide-Born Wildstalker is a craftable set found at the Tide-Born Foundry in Solstice. It increases your direct damage done to monsters by 15%, which is a huge buff and makes Tide-Born Wildstalker one of the strongest craftable sets in the entire game. If you don’t have any of the previously mentioned options, you can run Tide-Born Wildstalker with very similar success to our meta options.
Order's Wrath
Technically, Highland Sentinel is the next best craftable. Howver, a slightly weaker but much easier option to maintain that I'm going to recommend is Order's Wrath. This set gives us a bit less Critical Chance than Highland Sentinel, but it also gives us Critical Damage, making the set very strong and versatile for newer players, unoptimized groups, or even solo and four man situations. This set can be crafted at Steadfast Hammer and Saw in the High Isle and Amenos region. Keep Order's Wrath on the body so its stats remain active on both bars.
The Shattered Path's Signet
The Shattered Paths Signet increases our damage done with status effects by 1% for every Ultimate we have, capping out at 133%. When we reach 133 Ultimate, our light attacks apply a random status effect once every two seconds. To quell any doubts, yes, this mythic has been nerfed numerous times, and yes, it’s still the best single target option for the Sorc. The Sorc is one of the few classes with strong, constant sources of Shock Damage, which means we’re proccing Concussed very often. Status effects alone make up about 25% of our DPS output.
The Sorc can get away with this better than any other class though because of Power Overload. This is no longer a cheesy meme ult. We can use it at the very beginning of a fight, turn it off before dropping below that 133 Ultimate value, then turn it back on right at the end to burst down our target, all while maintaining the maximum value of this incredibly powerful mythic.
(perfected) Merciless Charge
(Perfected) Merciless Charge is the strongest arena weapon for boss damage in the game. It boosts our Direct Damage by 12%, and Direct Damage is the most common damage type in this build.
Slimecraw
When running a mythic and an arena weapon, we have room for a one piece monster bonus. Critical Chance is the strongest one piece stat we can get from gear, so we want a monster set whose one piece bonus gives Critical Chance. My preference is Slimecraw because its shoulder is so common thanks to the set’s historical relevance.
Best generic Bow/Bow setup for 12 man pve
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Hand | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Bow | Charged | Flame |
| Backup | Caustic Arrow | Bow | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head | Mora Scribe's Thesis | Light | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders | Slimecraw | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet | Monolith of Storms | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace | Mora Scribe's Thesis | — | Robust | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 | Mora Scribe's Thesis | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Shattered Paths Signet | — | Bloodthirsty | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
(Perfected) Mora Scribe's Thesis
From the trial Lucent Citadel, (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis increases your Critical Chance by 154 per Major Buff that you have active, up to 1536 or roughly 7%, and your Crit Damage by 1% for every Minor Buff you have active, up to 12%. This helps a class with no passive source of Crit Chance or Crit Damage both reach the 125% Crit Damage cap and get around 64% Critical Chance. Not that there’s necessarily a target to shoot for, but anything below 60% Crit Chance I would consider relatively low for Update 51, and while an alternative option like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca would work just fine, the Sorc’s distinct lack of these essential stats makes the already competitive (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis a smidge more optimal in optimized raid environments where you can benefit from the max values of this set. Even in situations like the parse dummy though, the Sorc gets away with a couple extra buffs because of Hurricane. This utility makes (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis that much more optimal and niche for the Sorc.
Monolith of Storms
The next best set for the Sorc is Monolith of Storms. This is a class set from the Infinite Archive. When Hurricane or Liquid Lightning deals damage with its first or fifth tick, it creates a monolith near the enemy for 10 seconds, up to once every second at a maximum of three. Power Overload actually procs this as well with every tick. The monoliths link together, dealing Shock Damage every two seconds to enemies near the links. Each active monolith gives us 100 Weapon and Spell Damage, maxing out at 300 since we can only have three monoliths at a time. The set does a pretty average amount of DPS, around 10–11K in our PTS testing, but the extra Weapon and Spell Damage is what makes it preferable to its alternatives.
the Shattered Path's Signet
The Shattered Paths Signet increases our damage done with status effects by 1% for every Ultimate we have, capping out at 133%. When we reach 133 Ultimate, our light attacks apply a random status effect once every two seconds. To quell any doubts, yes, this mythic has been nerfed numerous times, and yes, it’s still the best single target option for the Sorc. The Sorc is one of the few classes with strong, constant sources of Shock Damage, which means we’re proccing Concussed very often. Status effects alone make up about 25% of our DPS output.
The Sorc can get away with this better than any other class because of Power Overload. This is no longer a cheesy meme ult. We can use it at the very beginning of a fight, turn it off before dropping below that 133 Ultimate value, then turn it back on right at the end to burst down our target, all while maintaining the maximum value of this incredibly powerful mythic.
(perfected) Caustic Arrow
(Perfected) Caustic Arrow is a strong playstyle alternative if you want a bow for single target boss fights. Casting Poison Injection gives us 330 Weapon and Spell Damage against enemies affected by it. It isn’t nearly as strong as the (Perfected) Merciless Charge for this build, so treat it as a playstyle choice rather than a meta substitution.
Slimecraw
When running a mythic and an arena weapon, we have room for a one piece monster bonus. Critical Chance is the strongest one piece stat we can get from gear, so we want a monster set whose one piece bonus gives Critical Chance. My preference is Slimecraw because its shoulder is so common thanks to the set’s historical relevance.
ALTERNATE SETS
REPLACES MORA'S (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Slivers of Null ArcaRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Arms of RelequenRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Ansuul's TormentRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Whorl of DepthsRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Mantle of SiroriaRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Advancing YokedaRun on weapons and jewelry. Requires switching to a melee weapon setup.
- Aegis CallerRun on weapons and jewelry. Requires switching to a melee weapon setup.
- Tide-Born WildstalkerRun on weapons and jewelry.
- Order's WrathRun on weapons and jewelry.
REPLACES MONOLITH (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Aegis CallerRun on body. Requires switching to a melee weapon setup.
- Slivers of Null ArcaRun on body.
- Arms of RelequenRun on body.
- Ansuul's TormentRun on body.
- Tide-Born WildstalkerRun on body.
- Highland SentinelRun on body.
- Order's WrathRun on body.
REPLACES SHATTERED PATH (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
- Huntsman's WarmaskStrongest single target mythic, especially when replacing Power Overload with a parse ultimate.
- Velothi Ur-Mage's AmuletBest mythic when you need to optimize for AoE damage.
REPLACES MASTER'S BOW (IN ORDER OF HIGHEST DPS)
vMA BowStrongest arena weapon for AoE damage when running a bow. Use Arrow Barrage in trash and Endless Hail for longer boss encounters.
CHOOSING AN ALTERNATE SET
How to Choose an Alternate Set
All of the alternate set options that we’ve given here are very strong, but it can be difficult to know exactly which sets to pair together, and more specifically, which set should go on the body and which set should go on your weapons and jewelry when replacing one of our main options. There are a few rules that we need to follow.
Minor Slayer
The first and most important rule is to make sure that we always have a Trial set equipped. The third stat line on every DPS oriented Trial set in the game gives Minor Slayer, a buff that increases our damage done to all PvE enemies by 5%. This is the strongest third piece stat line in the game. If we analyze only the value of a set’s five piece bonus, compare something like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca to Aegis Caller. The damage from the actual five piece procs aren't too far off from one another, but the key factor that makes (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca so much stronger on a one to one basis is that Minor Slayer bonus on the third line.
Medium Armor
Our next consideration is that, regardless of which sets we pair together, we need to run a Medium Armor set on the body. We could take a set like (Perfected) Whorl of the Depths, for example, which is very strong, but if we run it on the body, it’s going to be a significant DPS loss compared to even most dungeon sets, regardless of that third piece stat line. The primary reason for this is that, in the Update 51 meta, we run Medium Armor primarily for Critical Damage and Light Armor primarily for Penetration. There are tons of sources of Penetration in the game, and it’s a lot easier to reach the pen cap than it is to reach the Critical Damage cap. So most of the time, we’ll need to run Medium Armor on the body to make sure that we’re at the Critical Damage cap in 12 man encounters.
Sets that give Stats
Once we have a Trial set equipped and a Medium Armor set on the body, we have to be aware of any sets that gives us a stat bonuses. For example, (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment gives us a 7% damage increase, and if we run this set on our Front Bar Weapons, we would only have this damage bonus active while on the Front Bar. A more pertinent example for the Sorc is Monolith of Storms. We run Hurricane and Liquid Lightning on our backbar, so in order to get the ticks of these DOTs to proc Monolith of Storms, we need the 5th piece active regardless of which bar we are on. If you're pairing 2 sets that are best run on the body, run the set that is worth the largest DPS gain on the body as a priority.
Proc Sets
Finally, if you are choosing between two proc sets, consider how each one triggers. (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca fires a crystal at three stacks, then has a four second cooldown before it can build stacks again. Its short cooldown makes it easy to keep active on the body if you are replacing Monolith of Storms. When paired with Monolith, though, we'd run Slivers of the Null Arca on weapons and jewelry so Monolith continues to proc, otherwise, we'd nuke the sets DPS.
Alternate Set Info
(Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca
(Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca is the strongest single target proc set in ESO right now. The main reason we use (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis is that the Sorc gets a couple of extra Major and Minor Buffs through skills like Hurricane, which makes Mora’s a tad stronger. In content, Null Arca is just as competitive and can even pull ahead depending on the situation. Weigh which buffs you’re getting and how consistently they’re maintained when choosing between the two.
Run (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Arms of Relequen
(Perfected) Arms of Relequen comes from the trial Cloudrest. Every time you Light Attack, you apply a stack of Harmful Winds to the target. This stacks up to 10 times and deals a ton of damage. Historically, Relequen was meta for single target for a very long time, but it received a nerf a few patches ago that gave (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca a slight edge. A lot of people have forgotten about this set since then, but it’s still extremely strong and is only worth a little bit less DPS than what’s considered the strongest single target set in the game.
Run (Perfected) Arms of Relequen on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Arms of Relequen on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Aegis Caller
Aegis Caller is a Medium Armor set from the dungeon Unhallowed Grave. It’s one of the strongest proc sets in the game. It deals its damage in a large AoE radius, making it extremely valuable for AoE encounters as well as single target ones. Its raw damage is a little bit lower than a set like (Perfected) Slivers of Null Arca, but still comparable. This set procs whenever we deal critical damage with a martial melee attack, which means it will proc from our front bar Light Attacks. The proc lasts for 11 seconds with a 12 second cooldown, so we can effectively get near 100% uptime. Because we can proc the set by simply Light Attacking, it’s extremely easy to run on the front bar.
Run Aegis Caller on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Aegis Caller on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths
(Perfected) Whorl of the Depths is a Light Armor set from the trial Dreadsail Reef. Whenever you deal damage with a Light Attack, you apply a DoT to the target that deals Frost Damage over eight seconds. When that effect ends, a five meter whirlpool is created around the target for six seconds, dealing a ton of AoE damage. Because of that AoE damage, Whorl is a great option for both single target and AoE encounters. The entire effect can occur once every 18 seconds, leaving a pretty short window of downtime between procs. As a Light Armor set, Whorl should only replace (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis and should stay on weapons and jewelry.
Advancing Yokeda
Berserking Warrior is a Heavy Armor set from the trial Hel Ra Citadel, and it gives us a ton of one of the most important stats in the game: Critical Chance. With five pieces active, AY gives us 986 Critical Chance at base. Whenever you deal Martial melee damage, your Critical Chance increases by another 298 for five seconds, stacking up to five times. To keep those stacks from dropping, make sure that you Light Attack on your front bar at least once every five seconds. For our Sorc boss setups, consider this a single target option. Because it’s a Heavy Armor set, run it exclusively on weapons and jewelry, replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
(Perfected) Ansuul's Torment
(Perfected) Ansuul's Torment is a Medium Armor set from the trial Sanity’s Edge. At base, it increases your damage done to monsters by 7%. Whenever you interrupt a target while in combat, that bonus increases to 21% for 30 seconds. Because that proc condition is rarely something we can activate in an organized raid, for all intents and purposes we consider (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment primarily for its reliable 7% damage done increase.
Run (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
(Perfected) Mantle of Siroria
(Perfected) Mantle of Siroria is a Light Armor set from the trial Cloudrest, and this is another classic. With five pieces active, (Perfected) Mantle of Siroria gives us 200 Weapon and Spell Damage passively. Whenever you deal damage with a Light or Heavy Attack, you create a ring of fire beneath you for eight seconds. Standing in that ring increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by another 44 for five seconds, stacking up to ten times. That gives us 440 Weapon and Spell Damage at max stacks, or 640 total when we include the passive portion of the five-piece bonus. For our Sorc boss setups, we’re considering this stat increase for single target damage. This set can be a little tricky to maintain though. You need to recreate the ring as often as possible and make sure that you stand inside it at least once every five seconds to refresh your stacks. We can get away with running a set that gives a stat increase on the front bar because that buff comes from a proc. It lasts regardless of which bar we’re on as long as we maintain our stacks. Because (Perfected) Mantle of Siroria is a Light Armor set, we only want to run it on weapons and jewelry, replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Tide-Born Windstalker
Tide-Born Wildstalker is a craftable set found at the Tide-Born Foundry in Solstice. It increases your direct damage done to monsters by 15%, which is a huge buff and makes it one of the strongest craftable sets in the game. If you don’t have any of the previous options, Tide-Born can perform very close to our meta sets.
Run Tide-Born Wildstalker on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Tide-Born Wildstalker on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Highland Sentinel
Highland Sentinel is the next strongest craftable set, and its crafting station can be found in West Weald. This set gives us a ton of Critical Chance, which is one of the most valuable stats in the game, but its proc condition is very odd. With five pieces active, the set gives us 986 Critical Chance passively. Then, every second that you stand still in combat gives you a stack of Sentinel’s Eye, adding another 443 Critical Chance per stack, up to three stacks. Every second that you move removes one stack. This condition can be very tricky to maintain, especially for newer players, so I don’t necessarily recommend Highland Sentinel as a go to replacement. But if you’re okay trying to min max with the tools that you have, you can pair Tide-Born Wildstalker with Highland Sentinel and have very good success. Generally, I would use Tide-Born Wildstalker first. Run Highland Sentinel on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Order's Wrath
A slightly weaker but much easier option to maintain is Order's Wrath. This set gives us a little bit less Critical Chance than Highland Sentinel, but it also gives us Critical Damage, making it strong and versatile for newer players, unoptimized groups, or even solo and four man groups. You can craft it at Steadfast Hammer and Saw in High Isle and Amenos.
Run Order's Wrath on weapons and jewelry when replacing (Perfected) Mora Scribe’s Thesis.
Run Order's Wrath on the body when replacing Monolith of Storms.
Mythics
The Huntsman's Warmask
Huntsman's Warmask is one of our strongest options for raw single target damage. Without Power Overload, we get much less value from Shattered Paths Signet, so Huntsman’s Warmask is usually the better choice. Bashing a target applies Hunter’s Mark, increasing damage done to that target by 15% but reducing damage to other targets by 50%. For a Sorc focused on tunneling the boss, that tradeoff is largely irrelevant, making this an extremely strong mythic for boss fights.
SUGGESTED ABILITIES WITH THIS GEAR SETUP
The full skill setup is discussed in the Skill Setup section — what changes with this gear is covered below.
FRONT BAR · Bow
1
2
3
4
5
ULT
BACK BAR · Bow
1
2
3
4
5
ULT
SUGGESTED SKILL CHANGES
Endless Hail
When running a bow on the backbar, we can no longer use Stampede, so our best replacement is Endless Hail. We always want to run an AOE skill associated with our weapon for the sake of proccing our enchants: 
Elemental Blockade with a Destruction Staff, Quick Cloak with Dual Wield, Stampede with a greatsword, and in this case, Endless Hail with a bow. Outside of that necessity, Endless Hail is a very strong AOE on its own.
Poison Injection
Poison Injection is a relatively weak dot on its own. It's primary purpose is to proc the strongest single target arena bow that we have access to, (Perfected) Caustic Arrow. This weapon increases our Weapon and Spell damage by 330 to targets afflicted by Poison Injection, playing a similar role in increasing our damage output, just at a lower value than (Perfected) Merciless Charge's 12% Direct Damage bonus.
Trash Setups
Sul-Xan is our most important trash buff. When we don't have it active, we run this build.
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Bar (Main Hand) |  Sul-Xan's Torment | Dagger |  Nirnhoned |  Glyph of Absorb Stamina |
| Front Bar (Off Hand) | Sul-Xan's Torment | Dagger |  Precise | Glyph of Poison |
| Back Bar | vMA Bow | Bow | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head |  Slimecraw | Light | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders |  Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace | Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 |  Sul-Xan's Torment | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Sul-Xan's Torment | — | Robust | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
(Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment
(Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment is an absolute staple in trash builds. Whenever an enemy you've recently damaged dies, it will leave behind a vengeful soul, which, once collected gives 2160 Critical Chance and 12% Critical Damage for 30 seconds. This soul only lasts for 6 seconds, so you'll want to collect it quickly. Crit is king in trash pulls. Because an optimal trash rotation involves getting to and casting your spammable as quickly as possible, the amount of abilities you actually end up casting in a good pull are very few. For this reason, damage done is largely determined by how often you crit, so running a set that provides a buff that increases our Crit Chance is valuable on its own, but the Crit Damage (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment offers also helps bring us to the Crit Damage cap in trash where debuffs like 
Major Brittle might be less reliable. Finally, its 30 second duration means that it's very easy to maintain pull to pull AND we can even get some of the buff to bleed over into boss pulls if we play our cards right. It's an absolute must have!
Tide-Born Wildstalker
Tide-Born Wildstalker is our strongest general trash pairing with (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment. This crafted set increases our direct damage done to monsters by 15%. Once the pull begins and our setup is down, most of our casts should be direct damage spammables like Whirling Blades and Mages' Wrath, so that bonus gets a ton of value. The Sorc doesn't have another strong AoE trial set like the Necromancer's 
Corpseburster, so Tide-Born Wildstalker is simply the clear choice here.
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet is our strongest Mythic for this AOE setup. It gives us Offensive Penetration, which helps when single target debuffs like Crusher aren't covering everything we're hitting, and Minor Force, which adds value when we're not already receiving that buff from the group.
The biggest reason we run it is the 15% damage done bonus against monsters. We lose 99% of our Light and Heavy Attack damage, but this is an easy trade in AOE encounters. The raw damage done of an ability numerically doubles when you're attacking two targets, triples when you're attacking 3, and so on: if an AoE ability ticks for 20K against 1 target, 20K times 2 targets is now worth 40K total damage done. Light Attacks can only hit one target at a time, so the more targets there are, the less raw DPS value the Light Attack is worth.
As an IMPORTANT NOTE just because you have the Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet equipped DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN STOP LIGHT ATTACKING. Light Attack Weaving still procs enchants, which do decent damage on their own, help proc status effects which do very good damage, and help maintain ult gen. They're still incredibly important.
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley increases Arrow Barrage’s already strong damage. In trash, we can cast Arrow Barrage while approaching a pack, getting it started before combat, and its short 10 second duration means that we'll be able to get its full value even in a quick trash pull. On a cast to cast basis, that makes the ability stronger than a longer dot like Elemental Blockade if we aren't getting Elemental Blockade's full duration for example. That said, if your trash pulls last longer, in the 15 to 20 second range, Elemental Blockade + (Perfected) Crushing Wall will likely be a tad more optimal.
Slimecraw
When running a Mythic and Arena Weapon, we will have room for a 1 piece monster bonus. Crit Chance is the strongest one piece stat that we can obtain for gear, so we will want to run any monster set whose one piece is a line of Crit Chance. My preference is Slimecraw, just because it tends to be the most common shoulder people have due to its historical relevance.
Whenever we have our Sul-Xan Buff active, we can run a parse set until we need to reapply it again.
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Bar (Main Hand) | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Dagger | Nirnhoned | Glyph of Absorb Stamina |
| Front Bar (Off Hand) | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Dagger | Precise | Glyph of Poison |
| Back Bar | vMA Bow | Bow | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head | Slimecraw | Light | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders | Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest |  Ansuul's Torment | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands |  Ansuul's Torment | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist |  Ansuul's Torment | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs |  Ansuul's Torment | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet |  Ansuul's Torment | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace | Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 | Tide-Born Wildstalker | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Tide-Born Wildstalker | — | Robust | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
(Perfected Ansuul's Torment)
(Perfected) Ansuul's Torment is a Medium Armor set from the trial Sanity’s Edge that adds a ton of Critical Chance through its two piece bonus and the additional Perfected five piece stat line, while also increasing our damage done to monsters by 7%. Whenever we interrupt an enemy while in combat, the set gives us an additional 14% damage done to monsters for 30 seconds.
With our (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment buff active, (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment is the next best trial set we can run in trash. It follows the same idea as Tide-Born Wildstalker: increasing our damage done beats the AoE proc alternatives available to a Sorc. We take the 7% bonus to skills like Whirling Blades and Mages' Wrath. Swap (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment on for pulls where the (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment buff is already active, then swap back to(Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment before the buff expires. It's a small optimization, but an optimization nonetheless.
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet is our strongest Mythic for this AOE setup. It gives us Offensive Penetration, which helps when single target debuffs like Crusher aren't covering everything we're hitting, and Minor Force, which adds value when we're not already receiving that buff from the group.
The biggest reason we run it is the 15% damage done bonus against monsters. We lose 99% of our Light and Heavy Attack damage, but this is an easy trade in AOE encounters. The raw damage done of an ability numerically doubles when you're attacking two targets, triples when you're attacking 3, and so on: if an AoE ability ticks for 20K against 1 target, 20K times 2 targets is now worth 40K total damage done. Light Attacks can only hit one target at a time, so the more targets there are, the less raw DPS value the Light Attack is worth.
As an IMPORTANT NOTE just because you have the Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet equipped DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN STOP LIGHT ATTACKING. Light Attack Weaving still procs enchants, which do decent damage on their own, help proc status effects which do very good damage, and help maintain ult gen. They're still incredibly important.
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley increases Arrow Barrage’s already strong damage. In trash, we can cast Arrow Barrage while approaching a pack, getting it started before combat, and its short 10 second duration means that we'll be able to get its full value even in a quick trash pull. On a cast to cast basis, that makes the ability stronger than a longer dot like Elemental Blockade if we aren't getting Elemental Blockade's full duration for example. That said, if your trash pulls last longer, in the 15 to 20 second range, Elemental Blockade + (Perfected) Crushing Wall will likely be a tad more optimal.
Slimecraw
When running a Mythic and Arena Weapon, we will have room for a 1 piece monster bonus. Crit Chance is the strongest one piece stat that we can obtain for gear, so we will want to run any monster set whose one piece is a line of Crit Chance. My preference is Slimecraw, just because it tends to be the most common shoulder people have due to its historical relevance.
Whenever we have an ult ready, we generally want to use it with Mechanical Acuity in Trash
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Bar (Main Hand) |  Mechanical Acuity | Sword | Charged | Glyph of Absorb Stamina |
| Front Bar (Off Hand) | Mechanical Acuity | Sword | Charged | Glyph of Poison |
| Back Bar | Merciless Charge | Greatsword | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head |  Balorgh | Light | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders | Mechanical Acuity | Medium | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest |  Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium |  Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands |  Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist |  Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs |  Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet |  Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace | Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 | Mechanical Acuity | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Mechanical Acuity | — | Robust | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
(Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment
(Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment is an absolute staple in trash builds. Whenever an enemy you've recently damaged dies, it will leave behind a vengeful soul, which, once collected gives 2160 Critical Chance and 12% Critical Damage for 30 seconds. This soul only lasts for 6 seconds, so you'll want to collect it quickly. Crit is king in trash pulls. Because an optimal trash rotation involves getting to and casting your spammable as quickly as possible, the amount of abilities you actually end up casting in a good pull are very few. For this reason, damage done is largely determined by how often you crit, so running a set that provides a buff that increases our Crit Chance is valuable on its own, but the Crit Damage (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment offers also helps bring us to the Crit Damage cap in trash where debuffs like Major Brittle might be less reliable. Finally, its 30 second duration means that it's very easy to maintain pull to pull AND we can even get some of the buff to bleed over into boss pulls if we play our cards right. It's an absolute must have!
In trash, I generally recommend (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment with 
Mechanical Acuity over (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment with Mechanical Acuity. Most groups won't reach the Critical Damage cap without (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment. In an extremely optimized group with tight stacks and a comp that covers that gap, (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment can be a little stronger. If your (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment buff is about to expire before an Mechanical Acuity pull, stay with (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment. If you already have your (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment buff before the pull, then swap to (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment and Mechanical Acuity.
MEchanical Acuity
In burst fights, Mechanical Acuity is the absolute strongest set that you can run. Whenever you deal non critical damage, you gain a stack of Mechanical Acuity for four seconds, granting 20% Critical Strike Chance per stack. You can gain one stack per second, up to five stacks, and each new stack refreshes the four second duration. Once you Reach five stacks, or if the effect expires before you do, Mechanical Acuity cannot activate again for 25 seconds.
Again, Crit is king in trash pulls, an optimal trash rotation involves getting to and casting your spammable as quickly as possible, so the amount of abilities you actually end up casting in a good pull are very few. Because of its long cooldown though, we will usually try to run acuity anytime we are planning on dropping our ultimate in trash, to further increase our burstiest damaging moments.
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet is our strongest Mythic for this AOE setup. It gives us Offensive Penetration, which helps when single target debuffs like Crusher aren't covering everything we're hitting, and Minor Force, which adds value when we're not already receiving that buff from the group.
The biggest reason we run it is the 15% damage done bonus against monsters. We lose 99% of our Light and Heavy Attack damage, but this is an easy trade in AOE encounters. The raw damage done of an ability numerically doubles when you're attacking two targets, triples when you're attacking 3, and so on: if an AoE ability ticks for 20K against 1 target, 20K times 2 targets is now worth 40K total damage done. Light Attacks can only hit one target at a time, so the more targets there are, the less raw DPS value the Light Attack is worth.
As an IMPORTANT NOTE just because you have the Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet equipped DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN STOP LIGHT ATTACKING. Light Attack Weaving still procs enchants, which do decent damage on their own, help proc status effects which do very good damage, and help maintain ult gen. They're still incredibly important.
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley increases Arrow Barrage’s already strong damage. In trash, we can cast Arrow Barrage while approaching a pack, getting it started before combat, and its short 10 second duration means that we'll be able to get its full value even in a quick trash pull. On a cast to cast basis, that makes the ability stronger than a longer dot like Elemental Blockade if we aren't getting Elemental Blockade's full duration for example. That said, if your trash pulls last longer, in the 15 to 20 second range, Elemental Blockade + (Perfected) Crushing Wall will likely be a tad more optimal.
Slimecraw
When running a Mythic and Arena Weapon, we will have room for a 1 piece monster bonus. Crit Chance is the strongest one piece stat that we can obtain for gear, so we will want to run any monster set whose one piece is a line of Crit Chance. My preference is Slimecraw, just because it tends to be the most common shoulder people have due to its historical relevance.
Proper Arkasis stacks in optimized raid groups help players get their ults for trash right after bosses and/or get the ults back for bosses after trash
| SLOT | SET | TYPE | TRAIT | ENCHANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Bar (Main Hand) |  Arkasis's Genius | Dagger | Charged | Glyph of Absorb Stamina |
| Front Bar (Off Hand) | Arkasis's Genius | Dagger | Charged | Glyph of Poison |
| Back Bar | vMA Bow | Bow | Infused | Glyph of Weapon Damage |
| Head | Slimecraw | Light | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Shoulders |  Arkasis's Genius | Heavy | Divines | Glyph of Stamina |
| Chest | Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Hands | Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Waist | Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Legs | Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Feet | Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Infused | Glyph of Stamina |
| Necklace | Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 1 |  Arkasis's Genius | — | Infused | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
| Ring 2 | Arkasis's Genius | — | Robust | Glyph of Increase Physical Harm |
GEAR INFO
Arkasis Genius
Arkasis's Genius is a very niche but very powerful set. From the Dungeon Stonegarden, this Heavy Armor set restores 44 ultimate to you and the closest 3 allies whenever you drink a potion. What groups can do, is plan "Arkasis Stacks" where the team splits into 3 groups of 4, and a callout is made for everybody to consume a potion, giving each stacked player 176 ultimate instantly.
This is most commonly performed both right after boss fights assuming players are dumping their front bar ults even to finish a boss fight as quickly as possible, and right BEFORE a boss fight as well so that players can freely drop ultimates in trash, and still be guaranteed to get one back before the boss.
(Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment
(Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment is an absolute staple in trash builds. Whenever an enemy you've recently damaged dies, it will leave behind a vengeful soul, which, once collected gives 2160 Critical Chance and 12% Critical Damage for 30 seconds. This soul only lasts for 6 seconds, so you'll want to collect it quickly. Crit is king in trash pulls. Because an optimal trash rotation involves getting to and casting your spammable as quickly as possible, the amount of abilities you actually end up casting in a good pull are very few. For this reason, damage done is largely determined by how often you crit, so running a set that provides a buff that increases our Crit Chance is valuable on its own, but the Crit Damage (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment offers also helps bring us to the Crit Damage cap in trash where debuffs like Major Brittle might be less reliable. Finally, its 30 second duration means that it's very easy to maintain pull to pull AND we can even get some of the buff to bleed over into boss pulls if we play our cards right. It's an absolute must have!
Since we most often use Arkasis's Genius right before or after a boss, we want the (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment buff to bleed into the boss fight or get its first activation immediately following a boss fight. If we use Arkasis's Genius in the middle of a series of trash pulls, run (Perfected) Ansuul's Torment when the (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment buff is already active.
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet
The Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet is our strongest Mythic for this AOE setup. It gives us Offensive Penetration, which helps when single target debuffs like Crusher aren't covering everything we're hitting, and Minor Force, which adds value when we're not already receiving that buff from the group.
The biggest reason we run it is the 15% damage done bonus against monsters. We lose 99% of our Light and Heavy Attack damage, but this is an easy trade in AOE encounters. The raw damage done of an ability numerically doubles when you're attacking two targets, triples when you're attacking 3, and so on: if an AoE ability ticks for 20K against 1 target, 20K times 2 targets is now worth 40K total damage done. Light Attacks can only hit one target at a time, so the more targets there are, the less raw DPS value the Light Attack is worth.
As an IMPORTANT NOTE just because you have the Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet equipped DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN STOP LIGHT ATTACKING. Light Attack Weaving still procs enchants, which do decent damage on their own, help proc status effects which do very good damage, and help maintain ult gen. They're still incredibly important.
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley
(Perfected) Thunderous Volley increases Arrow Barrage’s already strong damage. In trash, we can cast Arrow Barrage while approaching a pack, getting it started before combat, and its short 10 second duration means that we'll be able to get its full value even in a quick trash pull. On a cast to cast basis, that makes the ability stronger than a longer dot like Elemental Blockade if we aren't getting Elemental Blockade's full duration for example. That said, if your trash pulls last longer, in the 15 to 20 second range, Elemental Blockade + (Perfected) Crushing Wall will likely be a tad more optimal.
Slimecraw
When running a Mythic and Arena Weapon, we will have room for a 1 piece monster bonus. Crit Chance is the strongest one piece stat that we can obtain for gear, so we will want to run any monster set whose one piece is a line of Crit Chance. My preference is Slimecraw, just because it tends to be the most common shoulder people have due to its historical relevance.
Passives
Class — Daedric Summoning
Expert SummonerSorcerer · Daedric SummoningPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Magicka and Stamina by 5%. Increases your Max Health by 5% if you have a permanent pet active.Expert SummonerExpert SummonerSorcerer · Daedric SummoningPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Magicka and Stamina by 5%. Increases your Max Health by 5% if you have a permanent pet active.–High PriorityA direct damage increase from the extra 5% Stamina. Increasing our max resources directly increases our damage output.
Power Stone–High PriorityAn absolute must have passive. Reducing Ultimate costs is an extremely powerful bonus.
RebateSorcerer · Daedric SummoningPASSIVEPassive descriptionYou restore 371 Magicka or Stamina when one of your non-Ultimate Daedric Summoning abilities end. The resource returned is dictated by the ability's cost.RebateRebateSorcerer · Daedric SummoningPASSIVEPassive descriptionYou restore 371 Magicka or Stamina when one of your non-Ultimate Daedric Summoning abilities end. The resource returned is dictated by the ability's cost.–High PriorityHelpful sustain passive.
Daedric ProtectionSorcerer · Daedric SummoningPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduce your damage taken by 5% while you have a Daedric Summoning ability active.Daedric ProtectionDaedric ProtectionSorcerer · Daedric SummoningPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduce your damage taken by 5% while you have a Daedric Summoning ability active.–Medium PriorityHelpful mitigation passive.
Class — Dark Magic
Blood MagicSorcerer · Dark MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhen you cast a Dark Magic ability with a cost, you heal for 1600 Health if you are not at full Health. This portion of the ability scales off your Max Health. If your Health is full, the higher of your Max Magicka or Stamina is increased by 10% for 10 seconds.Blood MagicBlood MagicSorcerer · Dark MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhen you cast a Dark Magic ability with a cost, you heal for 1600 Health if you are not at full Health. This portion of the ability scales off your Max Health. If your Health is full, the higher of your Max Magicka or Stamina is increased by 10% for 10 seconds.–High PriorityHelpful passive healing that we trigger often because we cast Crystal Weapon so frequently. At full Health, the extra max resource also increases our damage.
Exploitation–High PriorityOne of the most important group passives in the game and a major reason to include a Sorc in a raid comp.
Unholy KnowledgeSorcerer · Dark MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the Health, Magicka, and Stamina costs of your non Core Combat abilities by 6%.Unholy KnowledgeUnholy KnowledgeSorcerer · Dark MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the Health, Magicka, and Stamina costs of your non Core Combat abilities by 6%.–High PriorityVery helpful sustain passive.
PersistenceSorcerer · Dark MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionAfter blocking an attack, your next Health, Magicka, or Stamina ability costs 18% less.PersistencePersistenceSorcerer · Dark MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionAfter blocking an attack, your next Health, Magicka, or Stamina ability costs 18% less.–Medium PriorityNice to have, but we rarely use it in our normal rotation.
Class — Storm Calling
Amplitude–High PriorityOne of the Sorc’s most important damage passives. Works extremely well alongside Static Reverberation.
CapacitorSorcerer · Storm CallingPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 141.CapacitorCapacitorSorcerer · Storm CallingPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 141.–High PriorityHelpful sustain passive.
Energized–High PriorityA strong passive that unlocks some niche options for the Class. It gives the Sorc extra value from unique sets and skills that other classes can’t use as effectively.
Expert Mage–High PriorityAn obvious and important damage increase.
Weapon — Two Handed
Balanced BladeWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
Reduces the Stamina cost of your Two-Handed abilities by 15%.Balanced BladeBalanced BladeWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
Reduces the Stamina cost of your Two-Handed abilities by 15%.–High PriorityStampede is expensive. This passive helps quell some of that pressure.
ForcefulWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
Your Light and Heavy Attacks damage up to 3 other nearby enemies for 100% of the damage inflicted to the primary target.ForcefulForcefulWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
Your Light and Heavy Attacks damage up to 3 other nearby enemies for 100% of the damage inflicted to the primary target.–High PriorityWe only benefit from this passive on our backbar but it's still very strong.
Heavy WeaponsWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH A TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
Grants a bonus based on the type of weapon equipped: Swords increase your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258. Axes increase your Critical Damage done by 12%. Maces increase your Offensive Penetration by 2974.Heavy WeaponsHeavy WeaponsWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH A TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
Grants a bonus based on the type of weapon equipped: Swords increase your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258. Axes increase your Critical Damage done by 12%. Maces increase your Offensive Penetration by 2974.–High PriorityThe reason we run a greatsword
Battle RushWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
Increases your Stamina Recovery by 30% for 10 seconds after killing a target.Battle RushBattle RushWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
Increases your Stamina Recovery by 30% for 10 seconds after killing a target.–Low PriorityNice passive for sustain, but you have to get the final blow on your target, making its use case low.
Follow UpWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
When you complete a fully-charged Heavy Attack, your damage done with Two Handed attacks increases by 10% for 4 seconds.Follow UpFollow UpWeapon · Two HandedPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH TWO-HANDED WEAPON EQUIPPED
When you complete a fully-charged Heavy Attack, your damage done with Two Handed attacks increases by 10% for 4 seconds.–Low PriorityWe shouldn't ever heavy attack in an optimized rotation.
Weapon — One Hand and Shield
Battlefield MobilityWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Reduces the Movement Speed penalty of Bracing. Current penalty: 36%Battlefield MobilityBattlefield MobilityWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Reduces the Movement Speed penalty of Bracing. Current penalty: 36%–Not needed
Deadly BashWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Improves your standard Bash attacks, causing them to deal 500 more damage and cost 50% less Stamina.Deadly BashDeadly BashWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Improves your standard Bash attacks, causing them to deal 500 more damage and cost 50% less Stamina.–Not needed
Deflect BoltsWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Increases the amount of damage you can block from projectiles and ranged attacks by 14%.Deflect BoltsDeflect BoltsWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Increases the amount of damage you can block from projectiles and ranged attacks by 14%.–Not needed
FortressWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Reduces the Stamina cost of your One Hand and Shield abilities by 15% and reduces the cost of blocking by 36%.FortressFortressWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Reduces the Stamina cost of your One Hand and Shield abilities by 15% and reduces the cost of blocking by 36%.–Not needed
Sword and BoardWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 5% and the amount of damage you can block by 20%.Sword and BoardSword and BoardWeapon · One Hand and ShieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH ONE HAND WEAPON AND SHIELD EQUIPPED
Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 5% and the amount of damage you can block by 20%.–Not needed
Weapon — Dual Wield
AmbidextrousWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE DUAL WIELDING
Increases Weapon and Spell Damage by 6% of off-hand weapon's damage.AmbidextrousAmbidextrousWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE DUAL WIELDING
Increases Weapon and Spell Damage by 6% of off-hand weapon's damage.–High PriorityBig damage increase, a huge part of the reason Dual Wield has been meta for so long.
RuffianWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE USING DUAL WIELD ATTACKS
Gives you a 15% damage bonus when attacking stunned, immobilized, or silenced enemies.RuffianRuffianWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE USING DUAL WIELD ATTACKS
Gives you a 15% damage bonus when attacking stunned, immobilized, or silenced enemies.–High PriorityThere are lots of abilities that apply these types of effects in a 12 man comp. 
Twin Blade and BluntWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE DUAL WIELDING
Grants a bonus based on the type of weapon equipped: Each axe increases your Critical Damage done by 6%. Each mace increases your Offensive Penetration by 1487. Each sword increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 129. Each dagger increases your Critical Chance rating by 657.Twin Blade and BluntTwin Blade and BluntWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE DUAL WIELDING
Grants a bonus based on the type of weapon equipped: Each axe increases your Critical Damage done by 6%. Each mace increases your Offensive Penetration by 1487. Each sword increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 129. Each dagger increases your Critical Chance rating by 657.–High PriorityThe reason we run Daggers most of the time but swords with Acuity. 
Controlled FuryWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE DUAL WIELDING
Reduces the Stamina cost of Dual Wield abilities by 15%.Controlled FuryControlled FuryWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE DUAL WIELDING
Reduces the Stamina cost of Dual Wield abilities by 15%.–Medium PriorityThis passive is decent when running Dual Wield abilities, which really only apply to Trash Pulls for this build.
Focused KillerWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE DUAL WIELDING
Increases damage with Dual Wield abilities by 20% against enemies with under 25% Health.Focused KillerFocused KillerWeapon · Dual WieldPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHILE DUAL WIELDING
Increases damage with Dual Wield abilities by 20% against enemies with under 25% Health.–Medium PriorityThis passive is good when running Dual Wield abilities, but we will really only slot any dual wield skills in trash pulls.
Weapon — Bow
AccuracyWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Increases your Critical Chance rating by 1314.AccuracyAccuracyWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Increases your Critical Chance rating by 1314.–High PriorityWhen running a bow, this is a massive passive Crit Chance increase
Hawk EyeWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Dealing damage with a Light or Heavy Attack increases the damage of your Bow abilities by 5% for 5 seconds, stacking up to 5 times.Hawk EyeHawk EyeWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Dealing damage with a Light or Heavy Attack increases the damage of your Bow abilities by 5% for 5 seconds, stacking up to 5 times.–High PriorityWhen running a bow, this is a very strong passive but has a very high mastery curve.
Vinedusk TrainingWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Increases your damage done by 5% against enemies 15 meters or closer. Increases your Critical Chance rating by 1314 against enemies further than 15 meters.Vinedusk TrainingVinedusk TrainingWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Increases your damage done by 5% against enemies 15 meters or closer. Increases your Critical Chance rating by 1314 against enemies further than 15 meters.–High PriorityWhen running a bow, this is a very strong passive in boss fights. Generally, the bonus for staying further away is a little more valuable, but not by a ton.
RangerWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Reduces the Stamina cost of Bow abilities by 15%.RangerRangerWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Reduces the Stamina cost of Bow abilities by 15%.–Medium PriorityWhen running a bow, this is a nice passive for expensive skills like Endless Hail.
Hasty RetreatWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Grants you Major Expedition for 4 seconds after you use Roll Dodge. Major Expedition increases your Movement Speed by 30%.Hasty RetreatHasty RetreatWeapon · BowPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH BOW EQUIPPED
Grants you Major Expedition for 4 seconds after you use Roll Dodge. Major Expedition increases your Movement Speed by 30%.–Low PriorityCool little passive, but not good for damage in any kind of way.
Weapon — Restoration Staff
AbsorbWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
Restores 600 Magicka whenever you block an attack. This effect can occur once every .25 seconds.AbsorbAbsorbWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
Restores 600 Magicka whenever you block an attack. This effect can occur once every .25 seconds.–Not needed
Cycle of LifeWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
Your fully-charged Heavy Attacks restore 30% more Magicka.Cycle of LifeCycle of LifeWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
Your fully-charged Heavy Attacks restore 30% more Magicka.–Not needed
Essence DrainWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
You gain Major Mending for 4 seconds after completing a fully-charged Heavy Attack, increasing your healing done by 16%. You also heal yourself or an ally within 12 meters of the target for 50% of the damage inflicted by the final hit of a fully-charged Heavy Attack.Essence DrainEssence DrainWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
You gain Major Mending for 4 seconds after completing a fully-charged Heavy Attack, increasing your healing done by 16%. You also heal yourself or an ally within 12 meters of the target for 50% of the damage inflicted by the final hit of a fully-charged Heavy Attack.–Not needed
Restoration ExpertWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
Increases your healing by 15% on allies under 30% Health.Restoration ExpertRestoration ExpertWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
Increases your healing by 15% on allies under 30% Health.–Not needed
Restoration MasterWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
Increases healing with Restoration Staff spells by 5%.Restoration MasterRestoration MasterWeapon · Restoration StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH RESTORATION STAFF EQUIPPED
Increases healing with Restoration Staff spells by 5%.–Not needed
Weapon — Destruction Staff
Ancient KnowledgeWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
Inferno Staves increases your damage done with damage over time and Status Effects by 12%. Lightning Staves increases your damage done with direct damage and channeled effects by 12%. Equipping an Ice Staff reduces the cost of blocking by 36% and increases the amount of damage you block by 20%.Ancient KnowledgeAncient KnowledgeWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
Inferno Staves increases your damage done with damage over time and Status Effects by 12%. Lightning Staves increases your damage done with direct damage and channeled effects by 12%. Equipping an Ice Staff reduces the cost of blocking by 36% and increases the amount of damage you block by 20%.–High PriorityThis is the main Weapon Bonus when running a Destruction Staff: primarily in trash.
Elemental ForceWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
Increases your chance to apply status effects by 100%.Elemental ForceElemental ForceWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
Increases your chance to apply status effects by 100%.–High PriorityStatus Effects are a HUGE source of damage these days. When running a Destro, this is a must have passive.
Penetrating MagicWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
Your Destruction Staff abilities ignore 2974 of the enemy's Spell Resistance.Penetrating MagicPenetrating MagicWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
Your Destruction Staff abilities ignore 2974 of the enemy's Spell Resistance.–High PriorityWe mainly run a Destro in Trash for Wall of Elements. Debuffs are maintained less consistently in trash/aoe situations. For this reason, getting a pen bonus to wall is one of many reasons it's so valuable in AOE.
Destruction ExpertWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
When you kill an enemy with a Destruction Staff ability, you restore 3600 Magicka. When you absorb damage using a Destruction Staff Damage Shield, you restore 1800 Magicka. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds.Destruction ExpertDestruction ExpertWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
When you kill an enemy with a Destruction Staff ability, you restore 3600 Magicka. When you absorb damage using a Destruction Staff Damage Shield, you restore 1800 Magicka. This effect can occur once every 10 seconds.–Low PriorityMost skills that we will actually run from this skill tree won't get the final tick on an enemy to proc this passive.
Tri FocusWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
Fully-charged Inferno Staff Heavy Attacks deal an additional 4486 Flame Damage over 20 seconds. Fully-charged Lightning Staff Heavy Attacks damage nearby enemies for 100% of the damage done. Fully-charged Ice Staff Heavy Attacks grant you a damage shield that absorbs 5280 damage. This effect scales off your Max Health. While an Ice Staff is equipped, blocking costs Magicka instead of Stamina.Tri FocusTri FocusWeapon · Destruction StaffPASSIVEPassive descriptionWith Destruction Staff Equipped
Fully-charged Inferno Staff Heavy Attacks deal an additional 4486 Flame Damage over 20 seconds. Fully-charged Lightning Staff Heavy Attacks damage nearby enemies for 100% of the damage done. Fully-charged Ice Staff Heavy Attacks grant you a damage shield that absorbs 5280 damage. This effect scales off your Max Health. While an Ice Staff is equipped, blocking costs Magicka instead of Stamina.–Low PriorityWe should be rarely heavy attacking, but prebuffing a heavy attack with a flame staff is a VERY niche way to get some extra damage occasionally.
Armor — Light Armor
ConcentrationArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Physical and Spell Penetration by 939 for each piece of Light Armor worn.ConcentrationConcentrationArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Physical and Spell Penetration by 939 for each piece of Light Armor worn.–High PriorityOne of the most important passives from this tree. While not typically required on the Sorc, running one piece of Light Armor is pretty common in raid comps to solve any gaps in reaching the Pen Cap.
ProdigyArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Weapon and Spell Critical rating by 219 for each piece of Light Armor equipped.ProdigyProdigyArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Weapon and Spell Critical rating by 219 for each piece of Light Armor equipped.–High PriorityIf the Stam Sorc runs one piece of Light Armor, it will likely be for this passive.
EvocationArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Magicka Recovery by 4% for each piece of Light Armor equipped. Reduces the Magicka cost of your abilities by 2% for each piece of Light Armor equipped.EvocationEvocationArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Magicka Recovery by 4% for each piece of Light Armor equipped. Reduces the Magicka cost of your abilities by 2% for each piece of Light Armor equipped.–Medium PriorityThis is really good for mag builds when running 1 piece of light armor, but not incredibly helpful for the Stam Sorc.
GraceArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the effectiveness of snares applied to you by 4% for each piece of Light Armor worn. Reduces the cost of Sprint by 3% for each piece of Light Armor worn.GraceGraceArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the effectiveness of snares applied to you by 4% for each piece of Light Armor worn. Reduces the cost of Sprint by 3% for each piece of Light Armor worn.–Medium PriorityWith one piece of Light Armor equipped, the reduction in cost to sprint is what is valuable from this passive
Spell WardingArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Spell Resistance by 726 for each piece of Light Armor equipped.Spell WardingSpell WardingArmor · Light ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Spell Resistance by 726 for each piece of Light Armor equipped.–Medium PriorityNice passive defense if we have any Light Armor.
Armor — Medium Armor
AgilityArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2% for each piece of Medium Armor worn.AgilityAgilityArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2% for each piece of Medium Armor worn.–High PriorityA massive passive DPS increase when running medium armor.
AthleticsArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases the Movement Speed bonus of Sprint by 3% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the cost of Roll Dodge by 4% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped.AthleticsAthleticsArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases the Movement Speed bonus of Sprint by 3% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the cost of Roll Dodge by 4% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped.–High PriorityMovement speed is very important in raids both for getting around and for getting out of mechs. Most importantly, it decreases the cost of roll dodge, the single greatest evasion mechanic in the game.
DexterityArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Critical Damage and Healing done rating by 2% for every piece of Medium Armor equipped.DexterityDexterityArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Critical Damage and Healing done rating by 2% for every piece of Medium Armor equipped.–High PriorityThis is the passive that makes Medium Armor meta. Crit Damage is tough to come by, and running 6 pieces of medium armor will likely be required to hit the cap in raids.
Wind WalkerArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Stamina Recovery by 4% per piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the Stamina cost of your abilities by 2% per piece of Medium Armor equipped.Wind WalkerWind WalkerArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Stamina Recovery by 4% per piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the Stamina cost of your abilities by 2% per piece of Medium Armor equipped.–High PriorityOne of few sustain passives to be ranked as high priority. It provides a MASSIVE amount of Stamina Recovery and Cost Reduction. An obvious must have for the Stam Sorc. 
Improved SneakArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the cost of Sneak by 7% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the size of your detection area while Sneaking by 5% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped.Improved SneakImproved SneakArmor · Medium ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the cost of Sneak by 7% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the size of your detection area while Sneaking by 5% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped.–Not neededWe aren't sneaking around in 12 man content.
Armor — Heavy Armor
ConstitutionArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Health Recovery by 4% for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped. You restore 108 Magicka and Stamina when you take damage for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped. This effect can occur once every 4 seconds.ConstitutionConstitutionArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Health Recovery by 4% for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped. You restore 108 Magicka and Stamina when you take damage for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped. This effect can occur once every 4 seconds.–Not needed
JuggernautArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Max Health by 2% for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped.JuggernautJuggernautArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Max Health by 2% for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped.–Not needed
Rapid MendingArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your healing received by 1% for each piece of Heavy Armor worn.Rapid MendingRapid MendingArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your healing received by 1% for each piece of Heavy Armor worn.–Not needed
ResolveArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Physical and Spell Resistance by 343 for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped.ResolveResolveArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Physical and Spell Resistance by 343 for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped.–Not needed
RevitalizeArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases the Magicka or Stamina your Heavy Attacks restore by 4% for each piece of Heavy Armor worn.RevitalizeRevitalizeArmor · Heavy ArmorPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases the Magicka or Stamina your Heavy Attacks restore by 4% for each piece of Heavy Armor worn.–Not needed
World — Soul Magic
Soul ShatterWorld · Soul MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHEN SOUL ABILITY IS SLOTTED
When your Health drops below 20% your soul explodes, dealing 1600 Magic Damage to enemies within 8 meters of you. This effect can occur once every 2 minutes and scales off your Max Health.Soul ShatterSoul ShatterWorld · Soul MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionWHEN SOUL ABILITY IS SLOTTED
When your Health drops below 20% your soul explodes, dealing 1600 Magic Damage to enemies within 8 meters of you. This effect can occur once every 2 minutes and scales off your Max Health.–Medium PriorityIt's pretty rare that this passive will proc for any reliable amount of DPS, but a passive that does damage can't be disregarded. 
Soul LockWorld · Soul MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionKilling an enemy has a 10% chance of automatically filling an empty Soul Gem.Soul LockSoul LockWorld · Soul MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionKilling an enemy has a 10% chance of automatically filling an empty Soul Gem.–Low PriorityPure convenience 
Soul SummonsWorld · Soul MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionAllows you to revive once every 1 hour without spending a Soul Gem.Soul SummonsSoul SummonsWorld · Soul MagicPASSIVEPassive descriptionAllows you to revive once every 1 hour without spending a Soul Gem.–Low PriorityPure convenience
Guild — Fighters Guild
Banish the WickedGuild · Fighters GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH A FIGHTERS GUILD ABILITY SLOTTED
You generate 3 Ultimate whenever you kill an enemy.Banish the WickedBanish the WickedGuild · Fighters GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionWITH A FIGHTERS GUILD ABILITY SLOTTED
You generate 3 Ultimate whenever you kill an enemy.–High PriorityVery strong passive for ult gen
Skilled TrackerGuild · Fighters GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionYour Fighters Guild abilities deal an additional 10% damage. This bonus doubles against player Vampires and Werewolves.Skilled TrackerSkilled TrackerGuild · Fighters GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionYour Fighters Guild abilities deal an additional 10% damage. This bonus doubles against player Vampires and Werewolves.–High PriorityOnly worth running if you're using Barbed Trap
Slayer–High PriorityOne of the strongest passives in the game. The reason we run Dawnbreaker on the front bar.
Bounty HunterGuild · Fighters GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionAllows you to accept bounty quests from the Fighters Guild in Cyrodiil.Bounty HunterBounty HunterGuild · Fighters GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionAllows you to accept bounty quests from the Fighters Guild in Cyrodiil.–Not neededQuesting Passive
Intimidating PresenceGuild · Fighters GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionAllows you to Intimidate NPCs in conversation. Reduces the Stamina cost of your Fighters Guild abilities by 15%.Intimidating PresenceIntimidating PresenceGuild · Fighters GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionAllows you to Intimidate NPCs in conversation. Reduces the Stamina cost of your Fighters Guild abilities by 15%.–Not neededQuesting Passive
Guild — Mages Guild
Everlasting MagicGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases the duration of your Mages Guild abilities by 2 seconds.Everlasting MagicEverlasting MagicGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases the duration of your Mages Guild abilities by 2 seconds.–Medium PriorityThis bonus also applies to Shooting Star, so it's very strong when running a Mage's Guild ability, but its use case for the Stam Sorc will be pretty low.
Magicka ControllerGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Max Magicka and Magicka Recovery by 2% for each Mages Guild ability slotted.Magicka ControllerMagicka ControllerGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Max Magicka and Magicka Recovery by 2% for each Mages Guild ability slotted.–Medium PriorityExtra mag isn't something we should ever turn down, but it's not that important in a Stamina Build.
Mage AdeptGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the Magicka and Health cost of your Mages Guild abilities by 15%.Mage AdeptMage AdeptGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the Magicka and Health cost of your Mages Guild abilities by 15%.–Low PriorityOnly good if you're running a Mages Guild ability (not including Shooting Star).
Might of the GuildGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionCasting a Mages Guild ability grants you Empower, increasing the damage of your Heavy Attacks against monsters by 150% for 10 seconds.Might of the GuildMight of the GuildGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionCasting a Mages Guild ability grants you Empower, increasing the damage of your Heavy Attacks against monsters by 150% for 10 seconds.–Low PriorityEmpower is a useless buff outside of heavy attack builds. We should never heavy attack in an optimal rotation.
Persuasive WillGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionAllows you to Persuade NPCs in conversation.Persuasive WillPersuasive WillGuild · Mages GuildPASSIVEPassive descriptionAllows you to Persuade NPCs in conversation.–Not neededQuesting Passive
Guild — Psijic Order
ClairvoyanceGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the cost of your Psijic Order abilities by 15%.ClairvoyanceClairvoyanceGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the cost of your Psijic Order abilities by 15%.–Low PriorityNice passive if you ever are running a Psijic ability, but we will rarely run one on this build.
Concentrated BarrierGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhile you have a Psijic Order ability slotted and are Bracing, you gain a damage shield that absorbs 5000 damage. This damage shield recharges back to full strength after you spend 10 seconds not Bracing.Concentrated BarrierConcentrated BarrierGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhile you have a Psijic Order ability slotted and are Bracing, you gain a damage shield that absorbs 5000 damage. This damage shield recharges back to full strength after you spend 10 seconds not Bracing.–Low PriorityNice defensive passive if you ever have a Psijic ability slotted, but ranked as "low priority" because we will rarely slot a Psijic ability.
DeliberationGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhile you are casting or channeling a Psijic Order ability you reduce your damage taken by 30%.DeliberationDeliberationGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhile you are casting or channeling a Psijic Order ability you reduce your damage taken by 30%.–Low PriorityNice defensive passive if you ever have a Psijic ability slotted, but ranked as "low priority" because we will rarely slot a Psijic ability.
See the UnseenGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionThe insight you have gained from the Psijic Order grants you vision of the spiritual world. You can now interact with rifts all throughout Tamriel.See the UnseenSee the UnseenGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionThe insight you have gained from the Psijic Order grants you vision of the spiritual world. You can now interact with rifts all throughout Tamriel.–Low PriorityThe loot from these portals will rarely give you anything worthwhile.
Spell OrbGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhen you cast a Psijic Order ability while you are in combat, you generate a spell charge for 10 seconds. When you reach 5 spell charges, you launch a spell orb at the closest enemy to you dealing 1124 Magic Damage. This effect scales off your highest offensive stats.Spell OrbSpell OrbGuild · Psijic OrderPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhen you cast a Psijic Order ability while you are in combat, you generate a spell charge for 10 seconds. When you reach 5 spell charges, you launch a spell orb at the closest enemy to you dealing 1124 Magic Damage. This effect scales off your highest offensive stats.–Not neededThis passive is only decent if you're running a Psijic skill that you're going to use often, like Ele Weapon, which we will never do.
Guild — Undaunted
Undaunted CommandGuild · UndauntedPASSIVEPassive descriptionActivating a synergy restores 4% of your Max Health, Stamina, and Magicka. Current Bonus: 640 Health, 480 Stamina, and 480 Magicka.Undaunted CommandUndaunted CommandGuild · UndauntedPASSIVEPassive descriptionActivating a synergy restores 4% of your Max Health, Stamina, and Magicka. Current Bonus: 640 Health, 480 Stamina, and 480 Magicka.–High PriorityA necessary passive for sustain in content.
Undaunted MettleGuild · UndauntedPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Max Health, Stamina, and Magicka by 2% per type of Armor (Heavy, Medium, Light) that you have equipped.Undaunted MettleUndaunted MettleGuild · UndauntedPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Max Health, Stamina, and Magicka by 2% per type of Armor (Heavy, Medium, Light) that you have equipped.–High PriorityAnother benefit of running one light armor piece is getting extra max resources. It's not worth slotting a piece of Light Armor specifically for this passive these days, but it's one you want ESPECIALLY if you are running 6 med 1 light.
Alliance War — Assault
Continuous AttackAlliance War · AssaultPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 10% and Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 20% for 10 minutes after you capture a Lumber Mill, Farm, Mine, or Keep. Gain Gallop at all times, increasing your Mount Speed by 15%.Continuous AttackContinuous AttackAlliance War · AssaultPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 10% and Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 20% for 10 minutes after you capture a Lumber Mill, Farm, Mine, or Keep. Gain Gallop at all times, increasing your Mount Speed by 15%.–Low PriorityPutting one point here for Major Gallop is ideal
Combat FrenzyAlliance War · AssaultPASSIVEPassive descriptionYou generate 20 Ultimate when you kill an enemy player.Combat FrenzyCombat FrenzyAlliance War · AssaultPASSIVEPassive descriptionYou generate 20 Ultimate when you kill an enemy player.–Not neededOnly worthwhile in Cyrodiil PvP.
ReachAlliance War · AssaultPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases the range of long-range abilities by 5 meters while near a keep or outpost. Any ability with a range greater than 28 meters is affected.ReachReachAlliance War · AssaultPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases the range of long-range abilities by 5 meters while near a keep or outpost. Any ability with a range greater than 28 meters is affected.–Not neededOnly worthwhile in Cyrodiil PvP.
Alliance War — Support
Magicka AidAlliance War · SupportPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Magicka Recovery by 10% for each Support ability slotted.Magicka AidMagicka AidAlliance War · SupportPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Magicka Recovery by 10% for each Support ability slotted.–Low PriorityThis is good if we slot a support ability, but otherwise not needed.
Battle ResurrectionAlliance War · SupportPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the time it takes you to resurrect another player by 30% while you are in a PvP area.Battle ResurrectionBattle ResurrectionAlliance War · SupportPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces the time it takes you to resurrect another player by 30% while you are in a PvP area.–Not neededOnly worthwhile in Cyrodiil PvP.
Combat MedicAlliance War · SupportPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your healing done by 20% when you are near a Keep.Combat MedicCombat MedicAlliance War · SupportPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your healing done by 20% when you are near a Keep.–Not neededOnly worthwhile in Cyrodiil PvP.
Craft — Alchemy
Medicinal UseCrafting · AlchemyPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhen using potions, resulting effects last 30% longer.Medicinal UseMedicinal UseCrafting · AlchemyPASSIVEPassive descriptionWhen using potions, resulting effects last 30% longer.–High PriorityEssential to max out so that we're getting 100% uptimes on our potion's effects
SnakebloodCrafting · AlchemyPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces duration of negative effects in potions by 100% when consumed.SnakebloodSnakebloodCrafting · AlchemyPASSIVEPassive descriptionReduces duration of negative effects in potions by 100% when consumed.–High PriorityOccasionally useful for certain potions that include negative reacting reagents
Racial — Dark Elf
DynamicRacial · Dark ElfPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Max Magicka and Max Stamina by 1910.DynamicDynamicRacial · Dark ElfPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Max Magicka and Max Stamina by 1910.–High PriorityDirect and significant DPS increase.
RuinationRacial · Dark ElfPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258.RuinationRuinationRacial · Dark ElfPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258.–High PriorityDirect and significant DPS increase.
Resist FlameRacial · Dark ElfPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Flame Resistance by 4620.Resist FlameResist FlameRacial · Dark ElfPASSIVEPassive descriptionIncreases your Flame Resistance by 4620.–Low PriorityDecent defensive utility but kind of niche.
Basic Build Information
CLASS MASTERIES
- Font of PowerBESTFont of Power makes Exploitation trigger from any Sorcerer ability and adds 6% Weapon and Spell Damage, increasing by another 1% per 1,750 of our higher Max Magicka or Stamina. In this build, that ends up being around 21% extra Weapon and Spell Damage! It's an absolutely massive buff and a no brainer Class Mastery choice.
- Static ReverberationBESTStatic Reverberation has a 20% chance to deal Shock Damage when a Sorcerer ability deals damage, up to once every 0.1 seconds. That chance rises by 1% for every 1% Health the target is missing. It pairs really well with Amplitude, which is strongest at the start of a fight and weakens as the target loses Health. Together, they give the Sorc consistent, high DPS throughout the fight. That's much better than the old damage profile, which tapered off as the fight entered execute.
RACE
- Dark Elf
Dark ElfRACERace descriptionThe racial skills of the Dark Elves reflect their intellect and agility, giving them bonuses in dual wielding, flame and lava resistance, weapon and spell damage, and base magicka and stamina. These bonuses allow them to adapt to anythingRacial passives
AshlanderIncreases your experience gain with the Dual Wield skill line by 15%. Reduces your damage taken from environmental lava by 50%.DynamicIncreases your Max Magicka and Max Stamina by 1910.Resist FlameIncreases your Flame Resistance by 4620.RuinationIncreases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258.BESTStrongest option for Stamina Based Characters, giving Max Stam and Weapon and Spell Damage - Khajiit
KhajiitRACERace descriptionThe racial skills of the feline Khajiit reflect their natural versatility and guile, giving them bonuses to pickpocketing, stealth, resource recovery, as well as base health, magicka, and stamina. These bonuses help them thrive in many ventures of life.Racial passives
CutpurseIncreases your experience gain with the Medium Armor skill line by 15%. Increases your chance to successfully pickpocket by 5%.
RobustnessIncreases your Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 90.
Lunar BlessingIncrease your Maximum Health, Magicka, and Stamina by 915.
Feline AmbushIncreases your Critical Damage and Critical Healing by 12%. Decreases your detection radius in Stealth by 3 meters.The Crit Damage makes this race very strong for 4 man/solo content, or newer players with less optimized groups.
MUNDUS
- The Thief
The ThiefMUNDUSMundus descriptionIncreases the Critical Strike rating by 1333
With 7 Divines armor pieces
Increases the Critical Strike rating by 2167BESTStrongest Mundus 99% of the time. - The Shadow
The ShadowMUNDUSMundus descriptionIncreases Critical Damage and Healing by 11%
With 7 Divines armor pieces
Increases Critical Damage and Healing by 17%Rarely used alternative. Can be good for solo content, or some 4 man content where we can use the Armorer to swap between Mundus Stones. - The Lover
The LoverMUNDUSMundus descriptionIncreases Physical and Spell Penetration by 2744
With 7 Divines armor pieces
Increases Physical and Spell Penetration by 4489Rarely used alternative. Can be good for solo content, or some 4 man content where we can use the Armorer to swap between Mundus Stones.
ATTRIBUTES
- 64 points into StaminaBESTMax Resources count as a Damage Modifier. This means that your abilities increase in damage value the higher your largest resource pool is, similarly to how your skills increase in damage the higher your Weapon Damage is. Therefore, the largest DPS increase comes from stacking all of our points into one resource.
FOOD
- Braised Rabbit with Spring Vegetables
Braised Rabbit with Spring VegetablesBlue Bistat · Ingredients: Greens (1), Seasoning (1), Small Game (1)FOODFood descriptionIncrease Max Health by 5395 and Max Stamina by 4936 for 1 hour.BESTRecommended Food for Content. Not the highest DPS but it's very close AND gives a ton of health. (Any CP 150 Blue Max Stam/Max Health food works). - Hearty Garlic Corn Chowder
Hearty Garlic Corn ChowderGreen Max ResourceFOODFood descriptionIncrease Max Stamina by 6048 for 35 minutes.Strongest option for raw DPS. (Any CP 150 Green Max Stam Food works). - Lava Foot Soup-and-Saltrice
Lava Foot Soup-and-SaltriceFOODFood descriptionIncrease Max Stamina by 4936 and Stamina Recovery by 493 for 2 hours. These effects are scaled based on your level.Best food to use if you're having issues sustaining. - Artaeum Takeaway Broth
Artaeum Takeaway BrothSustain FoodFOODFood descriptionIncrease Max Health by 3326, Health Recovery by 406, Max Stamina by 3080 and Stamina Recovery by 338 for 2 hours.Lowest DPS, but it provides some Max Stam, Max Health, and Stamina Recovery making it a versatile alternative if you're struggling with sustain and need more health than you'd have with Lava Foot.
POTIONS
- Essence of Heroism
Essence of HeroismDragon Rheum - Dragon's Blood - ColumbinePOTIONPotion descriptionGrants you Minor Heroism, restoring 1 Ultimate every 1.5 seconds for 47.6 seconds.
Restore 7582 Magicka Immediately.
Grants you Major Intellect which increases your Magicka Recovery by 30% for 47.6 seconds.
Restore 7582 Stamina immediately.
Grants Major Endurance which increases your Stamina Recovery by 30% for 47.6 seconds. (45s cooldown)BESTMost optimal potion. They are incredibly expensive though, so unless you're pushing extremely difficult content, you can opt for Heroism on your Banner DDs and run the next best options. - Essence of Health
Essence of HealthPOTIONPotion descriptionRestore 8369 Health Immediately.
Grants Major Fortitude which increases your Health Recovery by 30% for 52.8 seconds.
Restore 7582 Magicka immediately.
Grants you Major Intellect which increases your Magicka Recovery by 30% for 47.6 seconds.
Restore 7582 Stamina immediately.
Grants Major Endurance which increases your Stamina Recovery by 30% for 47.6 seconds. (45s cooldown).When sourcing heroism outside of potions, these are generally the best option overall for sustain - Essence of Armor
Essence of ArmorPOTIONPotion descriptionIncreases your Physical Resistance by 5280 for 47.6 seconds.
Restore 8369 Health immediately.
Grants Major Fortitude which increases Health Recovery by 30% for 47.6 seconds.
Restore 7582 Stamina immediately.
Grants Major Endurance which increases your Stamina Recovery by 30% for 47.6 seconds. (45s cooldown).If you're not having any sustain issues, and don't need Minor Heroism, these potions will make you borderline indestructible in raid scenarios, giving you tank like resistances. - Essence of Power
Essence of PowerPOTIONPotion descriptionGrants Major Brutality which increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 20% for 47.6 seconds.
Grants Major Savagery which increases your Weapon and Spell Critical by 2629 for 47.6 seconds.
Restore 7582 Stamina immediately.
Grants Major Endurance which increases your Stamina Recovery by 30% for 52.8 seconds. (45s cooldown).We will rarely have to run these potions because Major Brutality is usually provided by a DK’s Igneous Weapons, while Bound Armaments provides Major Savagery. However, if we’re missing Major Brutality or Savagery for WHATEVER reason, you MUST run these potions.
Champion points
SLOTTABLES
Deadly AimWarfare · Slottable - 25 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your damage done with single target attacks by 3% per stage (6% max).
Master-at-ArmsWarfare · Slottable - 25 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your damage done with direct damage attacks by 3% per stage (6% max).
Wrathful StrikesWarfare · Slottable - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 41 Weapon and Spell Damage to your damaging abilities per stage (205 max).
ExploiterWarfare · Extended Might · Slottable - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your damage done against Off Balance enemies by 2% per stage (10% max).ALT SLOTTABLES
Fighting FinesseWarfare · Slottable - 25 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your Critical Damage and Critical Healing done by 4% per stage (8% max).
BackstabberWarfare · Slottable - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your Critical Damage done by 2% per stage against enemies you are flanking (10% max).PASSIVES
- Precision
PrecisionWarfare · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 160 Critical Chance per stage (320 max).–High PriorityDirect DPS increase - Tireless Discipline
Tireless DisciplineWarfare · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 260 Max Stamina per stage (520 max)–High PriorityDirect DPS increase - Battle Mastery
Battle MasteryWarfare · Extended Might · Passive - 20 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your chance to apply a Martial status effect by 30% per stage (60% max).–High PriorityStatus effects are extremely important in U51 - Flawless Ritual
Flawless RitualWarfare · Extended Might · Passive - 20 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your chance to apply a Magical status effect by 30% per stage (60% max).–High PriorityStatus effects are extremely important in U51 - Mighty
MightyWarfare · Extended Might · Passive - 30 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 100 Weapon and Spell Damage to Martial attacks. Affects Physical, Poison, Disease, and Bleed Damage.–High PriorityDirect DPS increase - Piercing
PiercingWarfare · Extended Might · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 350 Offensive Penetration per stage (700 max).–High PriorityRaid Comps building for the Pen Cap assume players have this node maxed - War Mage
War MageWarfare · Extended Might · Passive - 30 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 100 Weapon and Spell Damage to Magical attacks. Affects Magic, Flame, Frost, and Shock Damage.–High PriorityDirect DPS increase - Elemental AegisElemental AegisWarfare · Staving Death · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesENCHANTEnchant descriptionReduces the damage you take from Magical attacks by 1% per stage. Affects Magic, Flame, Frost, and Shock Damage (2% max).–High PriorityVery strong passive for damage mitigation
- Hardy
HardyWarfare · Staving Death · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the damage you take from Martial attacks by 1% per stage. Affects Physical, Poison, Disease, and Bleed Damage (2% max).–High PriorityVery strong passive for damage mitigation - Preparation
PreparationWarfare · Staving Death · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces your damage taken from non-player attacks by 5% per stage (10% max).–High PriorityVery strong passive for damage mitigation - Quick Recovery
Quick RecoveryWarfare · Staving Death · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your healing received by 1% per stage (2% max).–High PriorityVery strong passive for damage mitigation - Eldritch Insight
Eldritch InsightWarfare · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 260 Max Magicka per stage (520 max).–Medium PriorityHelpful for sustain but not necessary on the StamSorc
SLOTTABLES
Boundless VitalityFitness · Slottable - 1 points per stage - 50 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 28 Max Health per stage (1400 max).
RejuvenationFitness · Slottable - 1 points per stage - 50 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 1.8 Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery per stage (90 max).
CelerityFitness · Wind Chaser · Slottable - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your Movement Speed by 2% per stage (10% max).
Expert EvasionFitness · Slottable - 50 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionYour next Roll Dodge is free of cost. After consuming this effect, you cannot gain it again for 30 seconds.ALT SLOTTABLES
FortifiedFitness · Slottable - 1 points per stage - 50 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 34.6 Armor per stage (1731 max).
Bloody RenewalFitness · Slottable - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionRestore 300 Stamina per stage, whenever you kill an enemy (1500 max).
SlipperyFitness · Slottable - 50 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionWhen you are affected by a disabling effect, you automatically Break Free for no cost. After using this effect, you become winded and cannot trigger this effect or others like it for 21 seconds.
Spirit MasteryFitness · Slottable - 50 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionDecreases the time it takes to resurrect an ally by 33%.PASSIVES
- Tumbling
TumblingFitness · Passive - 15 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the cost of Roll Dodge by 120 Stamina per stage (240 max).–High PriorityRoll dodge is the single greatest evasion mechanic in the game. Reducing its cost is incredibly helpful - Hero's Vigor
Hero's VigorFitness · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionGrants 280 Max Health per stage (560 max).–High PriorityFree extra health is always great - Fortification
FortificationFitness · Passive - 15 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases the amount of damage you can block by 2% per stage (4% max).–High PriorityBlocking is one of the most important defensive mechanics in the game. Increasing the amount of damage you can block is very important - Tireless Guardian
Tireless GuardianFitness · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the cost of Block by 20 Stamina per stage (40 max).–High PriorityBlocking is one of the most important defensive mechanics in the game. Reducing its cost is very helpful - Hasty
HastyFitness · Wind Chaser · Passive - 8 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your movement speed when Sprinting by 2% per stage (4% max).–High PriorityBeing fast is very helpful in getting out of mechanics - Defiance
DefianceFitness · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the cost of Break Free by 110 Stamina per stage (220 max).–Medium PriorityBreak free isn't that important outside of a few niche fights. In those specific fights, this node is great - Savage Defense
Savage DefenseFitness · Passive - 15 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the cost of bash by 45 Stamina per stage (90 max).–Medium PriorityReduces the cost of Bash. Helpful when mechanics require frequent interrupts. - Sprinter
SprinterFitness · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the cost of Sprint by 20 Stamina per stage (40 max).–Medium PrioritySprinting isn't particularly important in actual fights. It's very important in scorepushing when you're trying to get through a raid as quickly as possible though - Tempered Soul
Tempered SoulFitness · Passive - 25 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReturn to life after resurrection with 5% more resources per stage (10% max).–Medium PriorityIt's better than getting up with no resources but you'll still likely want to throw a heavy attack or two even with this passive - Mystic Tenacity
Mystic TenacityFitness · Survivor's Spite · Passive - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the duration of Elemental Status Effects applied to you by 5% per stage (25% max).–Medium PriorityThis node is good in very niche situations - Nimble Protector
Nimble ProtectorFitness · Walking Fortress · Passive - 3 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your Movement Speed while Bracing by 3% per stage (6% max).–Medium PriorityThe movement speed bonus sounds good, but isn't very noticeable while blocking. - Bashing Brutality
Bashing BrutalityFitness · Passive - 10 points per stage - 2 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your Bash damage by 60 per stage (120 max).–Low PriorityIncreases Bash damage. A niche benefit when we need to bash, such as applying Hunter’s Mark with Huntsman Warmask.
SLOTTABLES
Gifted RiderCraft · Slottable - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your Mount Speed by 2% per stage (10% max).
Steed's BlessingCraft · Slottable - 1 points per stage - 50 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your out of combat Movement Speed by .4% per stage (20% max).
War MountCraft · Slottable - 75 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionImproves your mastery with mounts, removing all mount Stamina costs outside of combat.PASSIVES
- Breakfall
BreakfallCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces your fall damage taken by 7% per stage (35% max).–High PriorityOne of the few nodes in this tree that are actually useful in a trial - Discipline Artisan
Discipline ArtisanCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases the experience gain for currently active skills and their skill lines by 3% per stage (15% max).–High PriorityVery good for leveling skills - Liquid Efficiency
Liquid EfficiencyCraft · Passive - 50 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionWhenever you use a potion or poison you have a 10% chance to not consume it.–High PriorityOne of the few nodes in this tree that's actually useful for raiding - Professional Upkeep
Professional UpkeepCraft · Passive - 1 points per stage - 50 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the cost of repairing your armor by 1% per stage (50% max).–High PrioritySave some gold for all those deaths - Rationer
RationerCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 3 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionAdds 10 minutes to the duration of any food or drink that increases your character's stats per stage (30 minutes max).–High PriorityOne of the few nodes in this tree that's actually useful for raiding - Steadfast Enchantment
Steadfast EnchantmentCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionYour Weapon Enchantments have a 10% chance to not consume a charge when activated per stage (50% max).–High PriorityOne of the few nodes in this tree that's actually useful for raiding - Steed's BlessingSteed's BlessingCraft · Slottable - 1 points per stage - 50 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your out of combat Movement Speed by .4% per stage (20% max).–High PriorityNot useful for raiding, but I can't live without this passive
- Wanderer
WandererCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the cost of Wayshrine usage by 10% per stage (50% max).–High PriorityYou'll save a lot of gold traveling between resets with this node - Soul Reservoir
Soul ReservoirCraft · Passive - 30 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionWhen you resurrect yourself or another player you have a 33% chance to not consume a Soul Gem.–Medium PrioritySoul gems are very easy to get - Cutpurse's Art
Cutpurse's ArtCraft · Passive - 25 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases the chance to get higher-quality loot when pickpocketing.–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Fleet Phantom
Fleet PhantomCraft · Passive - 8 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the Movement Speed penalty of Sneak by 5% per stage (25% max).–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Fortune's Favor
Fortune's FavorCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases the amount of gold you find in treasure chests and safeboxes by 10% per stage (50% max).–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Gilded Fingers
Gilded FingersCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your gold gained by 2% per stage (10% max).–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Homemaker
HomemakerCraft · Passive - 25 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionYou have a 10% chance to find a second furnishing plan whenever you find a furnishing plan in the world.–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Infamous
InfamousCraft · Passive - 25 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases the value of fenced items by 25%.–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Inspiration Boost
Inspiration boostCraft · Passive - 15 points per stage - 3 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases your crafting inspiration gained by 10% per stage (30% max).–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Meticulous Disassembly
Meticulous DisassemblyCraft · Passive - 50 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionImproves the chances of extracting Woodworking, Blacksmithing, Clothing, and Jewelry Crafting ingredients and allows the refining of more powerful resins, tempers, tannins, and platings from raw materials.–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Out of Sight
Out of SightCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 3 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionReduces the radius you can be detected while Sneaking by 1 meter per stage (3 meters max).–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Plentiful Harvest
Plentiful HarvestCraft · Passive - 10 points per stage - 5 stagesCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionYou have a 10% chance to gain double the yield from normal resource nodes per stage (50% max).–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference - Treasure Hunter
Treasure HunterCraft · Passive - 50 points per stage - 1 stageCHAMPION POINTChampion Point descriptionIncreases the quality of items you find in treasure chests.–Low PriorityValue is fully based on preference
Class mechanics
Crystal WeaponCAST ONCE EVERY THREE SKILLS.I’ll emphasize this one more time: your DPS on this build is MADE by properly weaving Crystal Weapon. We won’t prioritize any abilities above it, our static rotation is built around casting this skill one in every three abilities, with no exception.
Bound ArmamentsFIRE BEFORE STACKS CAP AT EIGHT.Likewise we cannot let Bound Armaments cap out. Getting to eight stacks means our light attacks no longer generate new ones. And when a light attack doesn't build a stack we miss out on a potential proc of Bound Armaments. Casting this ability just one less time in a parse can result in a noticeable DPS loss.
Power OverloadA TIGHTER WEAVING WINDOW WITH ENORMOUS DAMAGE POTENTIAL.Power Overload is easily the most difficult ability to use on the Sorc, and messing it up is the easiest way to tank your parse. It changes how our light attacks work. To understand this, we have to understand a term called the Global Cooldown. The Global Cooldown is a mechanic that dictates how quickly you can cast abilities. The GCD in ESO is 1 second, so you cannot cast abilities any quicker than one second apart from the previous ability, no matter how hard you button mash.
Light attacks operate independently on their own GCD separate from skill casts. Dagger light attacks in particular feel like they can be sent roughly 0.6 seconds apart. Power Overload Changes that cadence to feel closer to 0.8 seconds, narrowing our margin for error dramatically. This is important because of the Que Window. Normally, we can precast an ability about .4 to.5 seconds before the GCD is over, and the ability will auto fire once the GCD is up. Because Power Overload narrows that margin though, we have to be alot more precise. We can't just cast our Light Attack "roughly" within that que window anymore, we have to be almost picture perfect: the Light Attack exactly 1 second from the previous Light Attack followed by a skill cast exactly 1 second from the previous skill cast.
Prioritize landing your light attacks first. Missing them altogether is the biggest damage loss. Slow weaving is also a noticeable DPS loss though, so once you’re consistently hitting your Light Attacks, gradually work toward faster and cleaner weaving.
Light Attack WeavingFAST, CLEAN LIGHT ATTACKS ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOU DPS ON THE SORCLight attack weaving is essential for good damage in ESO, but it’s especially important on the Sorc. A lot of our damage depends as much on how cleanly we weave as on which buttons we press. Faster weaving fits more Power Overload attacks into a shorter window and builds more Bound Armaments stacks over the fight.
Missing a light attack is especially punishing at the beginning of a parse. We lose an entire tick of Power Overload AND a Bound Armaments stack. Even one missed stack can potentially mean one fewer Bound Armaments procs over the fight, and that can cost 1–2K DPS in a parse. These small losses add up very quickly. Practice weaving on this class and make sure you get this mechanic down.
Haunting CurseYOU MUST LET THIS ABILITY FULLY EXPIREHaunting Curse is a pretty solid DOT, but I wouldn’t call it a priority either. The only note for this ability is to make sure it fully expires. If you recast Haunting Curse too early, it will override the previous cast, which means you miss a full tick of damage that you were already waiting x amount of seconds for, now for nothing.
Monolith of StormsSTRONGEST CLASS SET FOR THE SORC IN U51Monolith of Storms creates a monolith when the initial hit or fifth tick of a Storm Calling ability deals damage, up to once every second and up to three monoliths at a time. Power Overload uniquely procs this set with every cast as well. The Monoliths last 10 seconds and link together, dealing damage that scales with our Weapon and Spell Damage. Each active monolith also grants 100 Weapon and Spell Damage.
In our PTS testing, this set dealt around 10K DPS, about 5% of our total damage, while it was bugged and not proccing as often as it should. That suggests it should be even stronger once it’s working correctly. In addition to this, the extra weapon and spell damage extends its value beyond simply the number on the CMX.
This is why we run a weaker standalone DoT like Liquid Lightning. Its fast ticks create frequent Monolith Procs, netting an overall DPS gain despite the weaker DOT.
Font of PowerMUST HAVE CLASS MASTERY
Font of Power takes our already essential 
Exploitation passive and causes it to trigger from any Sorcerer ability. Exploitation supplies our group with 2,974 Penetration, while Font of Power adds 6% Weapon and Spell Damage plus another 1% for every 1,750 of our higher Max Magicka or Stamina.
In this build, that works out to around 21% extra Weapon and Spell Damage. That is an absolutely massive increase, especially because 
Expert Mage and our other bonuses already give the Sorc a very high base amount of these stats. This is an obvious, no brainer mastery choice.
Static Reverberation and AmplitudeCREATES A NEW AND VERY STRONG DAMAGE PROFILE FOR SORC
Static Reverberation starts with a 20% chance to deal Shock Damage whenever a Sorcerer ability deals damage, up to once every 0.1 seconds. That chance increases by 1% for every 1% Health the target is missing, so as the target gets lower, the mastery procs much more often and becomes one of our top sources of damage.
Amplitude works in the opposite direction. It increases damage done by 1% for every 10% current Health the target has, giving us our biggest bonus at the start of the fight and gradually losing value as the target’s Health drops.
Historically, that gave the Sorc a very front heavy damage profile. Static Reverberation changes that though. As Amplitude gets weaker, Static Reverberation gets stronger and the result is a much more consistent damage profile across the fight, which is a more preferable damage profile for most endgame fights.
EnergizedALLOWS NICHE SETS AND SKILLS TO BECOME VIABLE OPTIONS WHERE THEY MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE BE ON OTHER CLASSES.We get a 5% increase to our Shock and Physical damage done thanks to the Energized passive. This unlocks some skills and sets for the Sorc that can be uniquely strong that other classes can't use as effectively, like Storm-Cursed's Revenge for example.
Expert MageFREE DPSExpert Mage gives us 108 Weapon and Spell Damage per Sorc ability slotted. For simply using our meta abilities, the Sorc naturally has high weapon and spell damage, which makes sources that increase weapon and spell damage, like Font of Power, all the more valuable.
Rotation
- 1Crystal WeaponOur most important ability. Recast once every three skills, with no exception.
- 2Shattering KnifeMaintain Assassin’s Misery. Its increased chance to apply status effects makes it one of our most important buffs when paired with Shattered Paths Signet.
- 3Bound ArmamentsCast before we overcap at eight stacks so we keep building stacks of this incredibly strong ability.
- 4StampedeA strong DoT, but most importantly it procs our Maelstrom Greatsword. The weapon’s buff lasts 18 seconds while Stampede lasts 15, so an immediate refresh isn’t essential. It becomes a top priority when we’re about to lose that buff.
- 5HurricaneOne of our stronger DoTs and an important source of Monolith of Storms procs.
- 6Barbed TrapA strong, versatile DoT and our only source of Hemorrhaging, one of the strongest status effects in the game. It can also supply Minor Force, though we already have that buff in this setup.
- 7Liquid LightningOne of our weaker DoTs, but one of the strongest sources of procs for Monolith of Storms.
- 8Haunting CurseA very strong DoT, but it doesn’t provide any extra utility like the skills above it, making it our lowest priority DoT. You MUST allow this ability to fully expire or you'll cancel the second explosion, resulting in a significant DPS loss.
- 9Bound ArmamentsAt four or more stacks, cast when the priorities above are covered. As long as we aren’t about to overcap at eight, there’s no pressure to fire it immediately.
- 10Shattering KnifeOur filler when none of the previous priorities need attention.
PRE-PULL
- 8 Stacks of Bound Armaments
- Activate Font of Power
- Start your Prebuff far enough away so that Hurricane doesn't pull the fight early
PRE-BUFF
Run up to the dummyFirst Light AttackOPENER
DYNAMIC NOTES
Dynamic Rotation Notes
Pre-pull
There are a few extra things we can do before a pull to increase our DPS, both on the dummy and in content. One common dummy example is casting an arming ability like 
Scalding Rune during the pre buff, then swapping into the actual parse setup before the fight starts. A big mistake that alot of players make is simply writing things like this off as "cheese". It's counterproductive. Looking for these opportunities helps us progress as players, because in content we can do so much more.
For example, we can carry our (Perfected) Sul-Xan's Torment buff from the previous trash pack into the boss. Another example, on bosses with some sort of spawn timer, you can sometimes lay Scalding Rune, Barbed Trap, 
Anti-Cavalry Caltrops, 
Mystic Orb, Endless Hail, and even Elemental Blockade at the spawn point before swapping into your primary setup, which allows you to get a MASSIVE burst of damage right at the beginning of a fight. Learning to use tricks like this instead of dismissing them as "cheese" is a step in progression more players should take.
For the Sorc opener, build eight stacks of Bound Armaments and activate Font of Power by casting a Sorcerer ability before starting the fight. Then, start far enough from the dummy that Hurricane doesn't erroneously start the fight.
Pre-buff
The goal with our prebuff is simple: cast as many abilities out of combat as possible. We finish the pre buff with Barbed Trap, and officially start the parse with a Light Attack before Trap ticks. If the timing is right, none of these abilities should tick the dummy before you are ready.
Opener
Once we cast that first Light Attack, we are into the opener. The goal here is to establish our remaining DOTs, but we still need to respect the priority list. Some buffs matter more than getting every DoT down immediately, and some procs take priority over those DoTs.
Start with Stampede for the Maelstrom Greatsword buff, then Shattering Knife for Assassin's Misery. Those are two of the most important buffs in this setup. Next, cast the eight stack Bound Armaments proc so we can start building them again. At this point, we will have used 3 light attacks, so reapply Crystal Weapon, then cast our remaining DOTs, Haunting Curse and Liquid Lightning.
From there, follow the priority list. Reapply DoTs as they expire and use your spammable when no DOTs need reapplied. Turn off Power Overload when you reach roughly 133 Ultimate so you can keep the maximum Shattered Paths Signet bonus.
SPAM PRIORITY
Spam priorityCast whichever is highest on the list1Shattering Knife — Buff2Bound Armaments — At 8 stacks3Haunting Curse4Bound Armaments — Below 8 Stacks- BUFF
- AT 8 STACKS
- HAUNTING CURSE
- BELOW 8 STACKS
- SHATTERING KNIFE
PREPULL
- 8 Stacks of Bound Armaments
- Activate Font of Power
- Start your Prebuff far enough away so that Hurricane doesn't pull the fight early
PREBUFF
Run up to the dummyFirst Light AttackOPENING
ROTATION
Spam priorityCast whichever is highest on the list1Shattering Knife — Buff2Bound Armaments — At 8 stacks3Haunting Curse4Bound Armaments — Below 8 Stacks2×Spam priorityCast whichever is highest on the list1Shattering Knife — Buff2Bound Armaments — At 8 stacks3Haunting Curse4Bound Armaments — Below 8 Stacks2×Spam priorityCast whichever is highest on the list1Shattering Knife — Buff2Bound Armaments — At 8 stacks3Haunting Curse4Bound Armaments — Below 8 Stacks2×Spam priorityCast whichever is highest on the list1Shattering Knife — Buff2Bound Armaments — At 8 stacks3Haunting Curse4Bound Armaments — Below 8 Stacks2×REPEATSTATIC NOTES
Static Rotation Notes
Dynamic Abilities: Bound Armaments, Shattering Knife, and Haunting Curse
The static rotation is very simple. We cast four DoT timers consecutively, and the rest is proc management. Crystal Weapon is written into the rotation, so even though it plays like a spammable, we don't have to decide when to use it. Most of our dynamic choices happen right after a Crystal Weapon cast, and they come down to Bound Armaments, Shattering Knife, or Haunting Curse.
Maintaining the Assassin's Misery buff from Shattering Knife is our top priority. If it is about to expire, refresh it. Status effects account for a massive portion of our damage, so keeping that buff up matters a lot. Next, cast Bound Armaments at eight stacks so that we don't cap out. Every Light Attack at the cap wastes a potential stack. Then, if Haunting Curse has expired, that is our next priority, and when none of those abilities need reapplied, use Shattering Knife as filler.
Power Overload
Outside those decisions, the trickiest part of this static rotation is Power Overload. It narrows the margin of error for weaving, so your Light Attacks need to land at nearly the same point in every GCD. We want to turn Power Overload off around 133 Ultimate, usually between 130 and 150. If you can toggle it off between GCDs without slowing your weave, that will result in a noticeable damage gain, but don't stress over forcing it. The toggle can feel finicky, so try pairing it with an easy cast animation like Barbed Trap or Hurricane.
In my parse, I usually turned Power Overload off during the first DoT reapplication, when I came back to the start of the static sequence after the opener and one full rotation. That happened at roughly 80% Health.
Execute
We do not slot a dedicated execute ability in this setup, but I treat roughly 15 to 20% as the start of our execute phase. That is when we reactivate Power Overload and start making decisions about which DOTs we should stop casting.
At around 15%, we should stop casting Barbed Trap and Hurricane because they will not get through at least half of their duration at this point, which makes a single cast of our spammable Shattering Knife worth more total damage done even over 10 seconds than a single cast of either Barbed Trap or Hurricane. Around 12%, make your last Liquid Lightning cast to squeeze out a few more Monolith of Storms procs. Stampede's Final Cast is also usually around 12%, but that is not a fixed cutoff. What matters is whether the (Perfected) Merciless Charge's 18 second direct damage buff will last through the entire execute phase or not. We will normally cast Stampede somewhere below 20% naturally, and doing so should allow the buff to last until the end of the fight. If the buff is about to fall off though at say, 10%, you should reapply Stampede. If the buff will last to the end though, let the DoT expire.
Finally, we stop casting Haunting Curse at 8%, since we only MIGHT get the first explosion at this point, and definitely not the second. From there, keep Assassin's Misery active if it needs a refresh, and simply use Bound Armaments and Crystal Weapon as needed, filling with Shattering Knife until the fight ends.
- 1Power OverloadActivate between 15 and 20%
- 2Barbed TrapStop Casting at 15%
- 3HurricaneStop Casting at 15%
- 4Liquid LightningStop Casting at 12%
- 5StampedeStop casting at 12% or if your vMA Greatsword buff will last to the end of the fight
- 6Haunting CurseStop Casting at 8%
EXECUTE NOTES
Power Overload (15 to 20%)
Turn Power Overload back on somewhere between 15 and 20%, whenever you have a clean back bar swap that will not disrupt your weave. Aim to have more than about 350 Ultimate when you reactivate it. From there, Power Overload should last until the end of the fight without taking us below 133 Ultimate, keeping us at the max Shattered Paths Signet value.
20 Second DoTs (15%)
Barbed Trap and Hurricane are 20 second DoTs that we cast mainly for their damage. Hurricane has some extra benefits, but those make relatively little difference this late in the fight. If we cast it once below 20%, it will usually last until the end anyway, and if it does fall off, it should only be down for a couple of seconds.
Think about a DoT’s damage per cast. We cast a skill like Hurricane not because it ticks for X amount of damage per second, but because we know that we will get more total damage by casting Hurricane one time than if we cast our spammable one time, but only assuming Hurricane gets all 20 seconds of its duration. If the fight will end in 10 seconds or less, we get only about half of that damage, or half the value of that cast. At that point, a spammable cast will usually be worth a little more than refreshing the 20 second DOT.
Short DoTs (12%)
Make your last Liquid Lightning cast around 12%. It's a shorter DoT, so even with only about seven seconds left, we can still get half its duration. Casting it later also gives us another chance at Monolith of Storms procs near the end of the fight. Power Overload can trigger Monolith during execute too, so Liquid Lightning is not our only source of late procs, but the more the merrier.
Stampede is usually a final cast around 12% too, but the important part is the 18 second (Perfected) Merciless Charge direct damage buff. We will most likely naturally cast this ability between 15 to 20%, and that will often carry that buff through the end of the fight. If you are approaching 12% and Stampede has, say, five seconds left though, refresh it early so the buff lasts through execute. Watch the buff and the pace of the fight rather than treating 12% as a fixed cutoff.
Spam Only (8% and Below)
Stop casting Haunting Curse at about 8%. Its first explosion might not even land before the boss dies at this point. From here, we simply cast Crystal Weapon once every three skills, use Bound Armaments whenever it reaches four stacks, and use Shattering Knife as a filler when we have nothing else to cast.
Parses and In Game Content
222K+ Stamina Sorcerer Parse · Alduin — Dynamic Rotation U51 Live
Pre-pull and opening
There is no fancy prebuff here, and Alduin still pushes well over 220K. Start far enough from the dummy so that Hurricane does not erroneously start the fight, then cast Power Overload, Hurricane, and Crystal Weapon. Run up and throw Barbed Trap. If you time it right, you can even cast Liquid Lightning before the first light attack starts the parse. From there, cast Stampede and Haunting Curse, and you are into the spammable portion of the dynamic rotation about two seconds into the Off Balance phase. Alduin even starts with zero stacks of Bound Armaments and still breaks 220K.
Rotation
Cast Crystal Weapon once every three skills as a priority over everything else. Otherwise, watch your timers and reapply DoTs once they have fully expired. Cast Bound Armaments at four stacks when no DOTs need reapplied and use Shattering Knife as a spammable otherwise. If several DoTs are about to expire together, follow the priority list above.
Power Overload
The only real consideration in this parse is Power Overload. We want to keep our Ultimate above 133 for the full value of Shattered Paths Signet and to keep your light attacks proccing status effects. We'll make our last cast of Power Overload at about 164 Ultimate, which leaves 143, then we'll turn it off before another light attack drops you below that threshold. Follow the dynamic rotation until about 17%. Alduin has roughly 332 Ultimate when he turns Power Overload back on for the final burst. He does dip below the 133 ult threshold at around 2%, but getting those extra Overload attacks in exchange for one or two status effect procs is a completely fine trade at the end of the fight.
Turning Power Overload on and off can be a little tricky. It can feel like the toggle eats a full global cooldown if you pair it with an ability that has a heavier animation. Try to toggle it alongside a skill with an easy animation without slowing your weave. Maintain your regular DOT timers as a priority, but make that optimization when you can.
Execute
In this parse, execute begins at about 17% when Alduin turns Power Overload back on. Stop casting Hurricane and Barbed Trap at 15%, then stop Liquid Lightning, Stampede, and Haunting Curse at 12%. The exception is the Maelstrom Greatsword buff. If that direct damage bonus looks like it will run out, reapply Stampede above 10% so the buff lasts through the final burst in the fight.
FAQ
Is the pet build dead?
It's not "dead" but the strongest version of the Sorcerer does not currently include them. If you would like to see a pet build let me know! If I get enough requests I'll make one!
Why use one Robust jewelry piece?
When parsing in Lava Foot, running 1 Robust gets us JUST to the next percentage threshold increase of Font of Power. 1% extra Weapon and Spell damage + the extra max resources for the Sorc is worth more than an infused jewelry piece with a Weapon Damage Enchant. Recheck this when running different food though.
Can I use Atronach instead of Overload?
Yes. Power Overload is stronger for personal DPS, but the Greater Storm Atronach offers the Charged Lightning synergy, granting nearby allies Major Berserk for 10 seconds. That can make the Atronach better for overall group DPS in 12 man content. If you drop Power Overload for a focused boss fight, consider Huntsman’s War Mask instead of Shattered Path Signet, since you will get much less value from the Signet without Power Overload.
Why am I having sustain issues?
Sustain on the Sorc can be a little tricky. Double check and make sure that you have the build copied exactly AND that you're using Lava Foot, Potions that restore Stamina + give Major Endurance, and are taking the Shard Synergy from the dummy on cooldown. Failing just one of these can pose a significant problem to your sustain. If all of these items are checked, you are likely overcasting Stamina abilities, and need to work more on the rotation.
I’m nowhere near this number. What’s going on?
Generally, if you're at less than 100K DPS, I find most players are simply using the wrong dummy. The 21 Mil dummy gives all the buffs and debuffs provided by an average raid comp: you should be receiving these things in real content in an optimized group. If that's not the case, rotation is 90% of the equation unfortunately. Don't hesitate to reach out on Metafy and Discord if you need help!
Where is the Healing in This Build?
That comes from the healers. In an optimized group, your healers cover most healing. Slot a heal or shield for mechanics that separate you from them, as covered in the Survival setup. If you're more interested in solo content/builds, check out the solo guides I have for this class (coming soon).
Why are Stamina and Magicka Sorcerers the Same Build?
Years ago, ESO introduced hybridization. Most offensive abilities now scale from your higher Max Stamina or Max Magicka and your higher Weapon or Spell Damage, regardless of which resource the ability costs. Maximum resources do not directly determine your Weapon Damage or Critical Chance stats. Update 51 also combines Brutality and Sorcery under Brutality, and Savagery and Prophecy under Savagery. This lets Stamina and Magicka Sorcerers share much of the same gear and skill setup. Each ability still costs its listed resource, so choose your attributes and sustain tools around the skills you use, your group support, and the encounter.
Should I Reapply my DOTs right BEFORE they Expire or let them run ALL THE WAY OUT?
In a perfect world, you let your DOT cook to exactly 0 seconds, and reapply it the moment the skill hits 0. This is the goal, but obviously impossible to do perfectly 100% of the time: whether it be because of weaving or because of timer overlap. When you have multiple abilities expiring at the same time, it's okay to begin reapplication up to 1 second early, and follow the given priority order to maximize DPS in these situations.
Can I use a Different Weapon than What's Recommended?
You can absolutely use a different weapon. This guide gives you the setup I recommend for the strongest performance, but if you prefer bows, there's a Bow/Bow version here for exactly that reason. Just make the related skill changes with it. Swapping the weapon without changing the abilities that require it can cost you much more than the difference between the weapons themselves. Keep in mind though, the smaller choices still add up: a 1% DPS loss in ten different places is roughly a 10% loss overall.
