The battlefield is your grove. Tend to it.
Gain 333 Weapon and Spell Damage for each status effect on your target, up to a maximum of 1665.
Pure Class Magicka Warden (MagDen) Solo Build for ESO Update 50. The build has insane sustain thanks to Wield Soul with the Druid's Resurgence script as the spammable, which restores 600 Stamina and Magicka on every use. Wild Adaptation and Glacial Obstinance add a lot of Weapon and Spell Damage. It also has great utility in the form of Blue Betty , which constantly cleanses debuffs, making some fights with purgable DoTs significantly easier.
This setup soloed Veteran Hard Mode Scalecaller Peak, Veteran Hard Mode Falkreath Hold, Veteran Castle Thorn and Veteran Frostvault. It parses 74.0k in the Regular setup.
Works for all kinds of solo content - overland at any Challenge Difficulty up to Vestige, World Bosses, Maelstrom Arena, Vateshran Hollows, early arcs in Infinite Archive, and Veteran Dungeon soloing.
I built a simulator that takes the current setup from the guide and plays it through the listed rotation. It uses the listed gear, skills, Champion Points, race, food, potions, target armor and target health. It tracks skill casts, light attacks, DoT ticks, cooldowns, execute scaling, crits and status effect rolls. It assumes 100% of light attacks hit and a 0.025 second weave average.
Most comparison tables use deterministic rolls on a 15 million HP target unless the row says 6m, random, or real CMX. There is no 15 million Target Dummy in ESO. I use that health value because the 6 million dummy dies too fast, so random crits, status effects and execute timing can move the DPS by a lot.
For comparison tables I keep the setup identical and change one thing at a time. That makes the tables better for comparing options than random dummy parses, where one run can get better crits, different status effects or a better execute window.
The baseline sim uses Whorl of the Depths instead of Sul-Xan's Torment because you can't parse with Sul-Xan on the dummy, and I wanted the simulator checked against a real parse. Sul-Xan comparison rows say whether the Soul buff is active.
| Run | Simulated DPS | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 15m deterministic sim | Used for most comparison tables | |
| 6m deterministic sim | Same setup on real dummy health | |
| Real 6m CMX parse | Recorded in game | |
| 100 random 6m sims | This is why random parses are unreliable when crits and status effects roll differently |
Class Masteries are a new U50 system where each class picks 2 of 5 passive bonuses (Class Mastery Points, not Skill Points). Activating subclassing disables Class Mastery, so it's a tradeoff between keeping your native skill lines or subclassing.
The battlefield is your grove. Tend to it.
Gain 333 Weapon and Spell Damage for each status effect on your target, up to a maximum of 1665.
Simply the best damage option.
Tap into the wellspring of permafrost's resolve.
Upgrades to also activate when casting Winter's Embrace abilities and to grant 15% Weapon and Spell Damage for 10 seconds if you are at full Health after the heal.
Simply the best damage option.
The twisting of seasons has tempered your will.
Reduce your damage taken by 3% for every status effect active on your attacker, up to a maximum of 15%.
Replace Glacial Obstinance with Green-Keeper's Hide if you need more survivability.
Expose your enemies to unrelenting cold.
Applying to an enemy also applies for 2 seconds, increasing their Critical Damage taken by 20%.
Not useful for this setup.
Share in the spoils of nature's abundance.
Upgrades rank 2 of to grant you and your group members for 3 seconds and an additional 125 Magicka and Stamina, up to once every 2 seconds.
Not useful for this setup.
A base setup that will work for most situations and which should be your starting point when making situational setups
| Front Bar | Back Bar |
|---|---|
| Slot 1: Wield Soul | Slot 1: Winter's RevengeMorph of Impaling Shards |
| Slot 2: Subterranean AssaultMorph of Scorch | Slot 2: Lotus BlossomMorph of Lotus Flower |
| Slot 3: Blue BettyMorph of Betty Netch | Slot 3: Elemental SusceptibilityMorph of Weakness to Elements |
| Slot 4: Traveling Knife | Slot 4: Elemental BlockadeMorph of Wall of Elements |
| Slot 5: Arctic BlastMorph of Arctic Wind | Slot 5: Ulfsild's Contingency |
| Ultimate: Wild GuardianMorph of Feral Guardian | Ultimate: Northern StormMorph of Sleet Storm |
Every Animal Companions ability on your bar will trigger the Advanced Species passive, increasing your Critical Damage by 5% each
Winter's Revenge and Arctic Blast are the first skills that have to go if you need to slot something situational, in that order, unless the situational skill specifically says that it's replacing something else
| Rotation | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| Priority List | Baseline | |
| Static Rotation | -2.0% |
Priority List
A list of priorities. Simply recast abilities when they run out and follow this list of priorities when there are multiple things to refresh.
Static Rotation
This might be easier for some players, but it is weaker than the priority list.
Lotus Blossom stays outside this repeating Static Rotation because it lasts 60 seconds. Refresh it separately when it runs out and cast Northern Storm when available.
Pre-buff
These abilities can be pre-cast before entering combat.
A few examples of final setups you could end up with after applying the situational skills to the base setup
A setup for trash packs
| Front Bar | Back Bar |
|---|---|
| Slot 1: Wield Soul | Slot 1: Winter's RevengeMorph of Impaling Shards |
| Slot 2: Subterranean AssaultMorph of Scorch | Slot 2: Lotus BlossomMorph of Lotus Flower |
| Slot 3: Blue BettyMorph of Betty Netch | Slot 3: Razor CaltropsMorph of Caltrops |
| Slot 4: Traveling Knife | Slot 4: Elemental BlockadeMorph of Wall of Elements |
| Slot 5: Arctic BlastMorph of Arctic Wind | Slot 5: Silver LeashMorph of Silver Bolts |
| Ultimate: Wild GuardianMorph of Feral Guardian | Ultimate: Northern StormMorph of Sleet Storm |
Changes compared to the Base Setup
A setup which trades damage for more survivability. Use it against harder boss fights or if you simply want a tankier build and don't mind fights taking longer
| Front Bar | Back Bar |
|---|---|
| Slot 1: Wield Soul | Slot 1: Arctic BlastMorph of Arctic Wind |
| Slot 2: Subterranean AssaultMorph of Scorch | Slot 2: Lotus BlossomMorph of Lotus Flower |
| Slot 3: Blue BettyMorph of Betty Netch | Slot 3: Elemental SusceptibilityMorph of Weakness to Elements |
| Slot 4: Traveling Knife | Slot 4: Elemental BlockadeMorph of Wall of Elements |
| Slot 5: Revealing Flare | Slot 5: Ulfsild's Contingency |
| Ultimate: Wild GuardianMorph of Feral Guardian | Ultimate: Northern StormMorph of Sleet Storm |
Changes compared to the Base Setup
| Setup | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | Baseline | |
| Tanky | -6.3% |
The only passive you specifically have to skip is Tri Focus
Some trees are only needed when using situational skills, for example Psijic Order provides nothing without Precognition
Class - Animal Companions
Bond with Nature
- High Priority
Savage Beast
- High Priority
Flourish
- High Priority
Advanced Species
- High Priority
Class - Green Balance
Accelerated Growth
- Medium Priority
Nature's Gift
- High Priority
Emerald Moss
- Low Priority
Maturation
- High Priority
Class - Winter's Embrace
Glacial Presence
- High Priority
Frozen Armor
- High Priority
Icy Aura
- High Priority
Piercing Cold
- High Priority
Weapon - Dual Wield
Slaughter
- Low Priority
Dual Wield Expert
- High Priority
Controlled Fury
- Medium Priority
Ruffian
- Low Priority
Twin Blade and Blunt
- High Priority
Weapon - Destruction Staff
Tri Focus
- Do Not Unlock (only when using Ice Staff)
Penetrating Magic
- Low Priority
Elemental Force
- Medium Priority
Ancient Knowledge
- Medium Priority
Destruction Expert
- Low Priority
Armor - Light Armor
Grace
- Low Priority
Evocation
- High Priority
Spell Warding
- High Priority
Prodigy
- High Priority
Concentration
- High Priority
Armor - Medium Armor
Dexterity
- High Priority
Wind Walker
- High Priority
Improved Sneak
- Not needed
Agility
- High Priority
Athletics
- High Priority
Guild - Mages Guild
Persuasive Will
- Not needed
Mage Adept
- High Priority
Everlasting Magic
- High Priority
Magicka Controller
- High Priority
Might of the Guild
- Low Priority
Guild - Undaunted
Undaunted Command
- Not needed
Undaunted Mettle
- High Priority
Guild - Psijic Order
Clairvoyance
- Low Priority
Spell Orb
- Not needed
Concentrated Barrier
- Low Priority
Deliberation
- Not needed
Alliance War - Support
Magicka Aid
- Medium Priority
Combat Medic
- Not needed
Battle Resurrection
- Not needed
Race - Your Race
Get all of your racials, no matter which race you are
Craft - Alchemy
Solvent Proficiency
- Not needed
Keen Eye: Reagents
- Not needed
Medicinal Use
- High Priority
Chemistry
- Not needed
Laboratory Use
- Not needed
Snakeblood
- Not needed
Overland (Base) is your starting point and works for most situations. Crafted is a beginner version using only craftable sets. Instanced is a swap for Arenas and Dungeons where enemies have higher armor.
Switching gear for trash packs isn't worth it unless you're using gear-swap addons
| Gear Slot | Set | Weight/Type | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head |
Slimecraw | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Shoulders |
Aerie's Cry | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Chest |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Hands |
Aerie's Cry | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Belt |
Aerie's Cry | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Legs |
Aerie's Cry | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Boots |
Aerie's Cry | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Necklace |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Ring of the Pale Order | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Frontbar Main Hand |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Dagger | Charged | Shock |
Frontbar Off Hand |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Dagger | Charged | Poison |
Backbar Main Hand |
Crushing Wall | Ice Staff | Infused | Weapon Damage |
Fallback Gear
If you don't have it, use in order
If you don't have it, use in order
Alternative (same bonus)
| Gear Slot | Set | Weight/Type | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head |
Highland Sentinel | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Shoulders |
Order's Wrath | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Chest |
Tide-Born Wildstalker | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Hands |
Order's Wrath | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Belt |
Order's Wrath | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Legs |
Order's Wrath | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Boots |
Order's Wrath | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Necklace |
Tide-Born Wildstalker | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Tide-Born Wildstalker | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Highland Sentinel | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Frontbar Main Hand |
Tide-Born Wildstalker | Dagger | Charged | Shock |
Frontbar Off Hand |
Tide-Born Wildstalker | Dagger | Charged | Poison |
Backbar Main Hand |
Tide-Born Wildstalker | Ice Staff | Infused | Weapon Damage |
The setup in the table uses only crafted gear, but if you already own parts of the Base setup like Ring of the Pale Order you can start using them immediately.
| Gear Slot | Set | Weight/Type | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head |
Slimecraw | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Shoulders |
Aerie's Cry | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Chest |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Hands |
Aerie's Cry | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Belt |
Aerie's Cry | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Legs |
Aerie's Cry | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Boots |
Aerie's Cry | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Necklace |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Ring of the Pale Order | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Frontbar Main Hand |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Dagger | Charged | Shock |
Frontbar Off Hand |
Sul-Xan's Torment | Dagger | Charged | Poison |
Backbar Main Hand |
Crushing Wall | Ice Staff | Infused | Weapon Damage |
Fallback Gear
If you don't have it, use in order
If you don't have it, use in order
Alternative (same bonus)
Use the Penetration Calculator to fine-tune your penetration for different content. Overland enemies have 9,100 armor while Instanced enemies (Arenas and Dungeons) have 18,200.
Damage comparison for the set options.
Instanced Enemy - 18,200 Armor
All of these use 5 Light / 2 Medium.
Body
Compares Sul-Xan's Torment + X body set.
| Body Set | Source | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerie's Cry | Class Set - Infinite Archive | Baseline | |
| Whorl of the Depths | Trial - Dreadsail Reef | -10.2% | |
| Tide-Born Wildstalker | Crafted | -10.6% | |
| Frostbite | Overland - Blackwood | -12.6% | |
| Highland Sentinel | Crafted | -12.6% | |
| Order's Wrath | Crafted | -13.4% | |
| Symmetry of the Weald | Overland - West Weald | -15.4% | |
| Mother's Sorrow | Overland - Deshaan | -15.6% | |
| Law of Julianos | Crafted | -16.5% | |
| Hunding's Rage | Crafted | -17.2% |
Weapons + Jewelry
Compares Aerie's Cry + X weapons and jewelry set.
| Set | Source | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansuul's Torment | Trial - Sanity's Edge |
+1.1%
-7.7%
|
|
| Sul-Xan's Torment | Trial - Rockgrove |
Baseline
-10.4%
|
|
| Whorl of the Depths | Trial - Dreadsail Reef | -1.5% | |
| Slivers of the Null Arca | Trial - Lucent Citadel | -1.8% | |
| Aegis Caller | Dungeon - Unhallowed Grave | -5.3% | |
| Highland Sentinel | Crafted | -7.7% | |
| Tide-Born Wildstalker | Crafted | -8.1% | |
| Order's Wrath | Crafted | -9.2% | |
| Symmetry of the Weald | Overland - West Weald | -9.3% | |
| Pillar of Nirn | Dungeon - Falkreath Hold | -9.5% | |
| Tzogvin's Warband | Dungeon - Frostvault | -9.6% | |
| Frostbite | Overland - Blackwood | -10.2% | |
| Mother's Sorrow | Overland - Deshaan | -10.8% | |
| Briarheart | Overland - Wrothgar | -11.8% | |
| Law of Julianos | Crafted | -11.8% | |
| Hunding's Rage | Crafted | -12.5% | |
| Deadly Strike | PvP - Cyrodiil | -12.7% |
Overland Enemy - 9,100 Armor
All of these use 3 Light / 4 Medium. Minor Slayer does not work against Overland enemies.
Body
Compares Sul-Xan's Torment + X body set.
| Body Set | Source | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerie's Cry | Class Set - Infinite Archive | Baseline | |
| Ansuul's Torment | Trial - Sanity's Edge |
-1.8%
-11.2%
|
|
| Slivers of the Null Arca | Trial - Lucent Citadel | -4.3% | |
| Whorl of the Depths | Trial - Dreadsail Reef | -5.1% | |
| Aegis Caller | Dungeon - Unhallowed Grave | -6.1% | |
| Frostbite | Overland - Blackwood | -8.4% | |
| Highland Sentinel | Crafted | -8.4% | |
| Tide-Born Wildstalker | Crafted | -9.2% | |
| Order's Wrath | Crafted | -9.4% | |
| Pillar of Nirn | Dungeon - Falkreath Hold | -10.0% | |
| Mother's Sorrow | Overland - Deshaan | -11.2% | |
| Tzogvin's Warband | Dungeon - Frostvault | -11.5% | |
| Deadly Strike | PvP - Cyrodiil | -11.9% | |
| Symmetry of the Weald | Overland - West Weald | -11.9% | |
| Law of Julianos | Crafted | -12.4% | |
| Briarheart | Overland - Wrothgar | -12.8% | |
| Hunding's Rage | Crafted | -13.0% |
Weapons + Jewelry
Compares Aerie's Cry + X weapons and jewelry set.
| Set | Source | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansuul's Torment | Trial - Sanity's Edge |
+0.5%
-8.6%
|
|
| Sul-Xan's Torment | Trial - Rockgrove |
Baseline
-10.7%
|
|
| Whorl of the Depths | Trial - Dreadsail Reef | -1.5% | |
| Aegis Caller | Dungeon - Unhallowed Grave | -2.2% | |
| Slivers of the Null Arca | Trial - Lucent Citadel | -2.3% | |
| Highland Sentinel | Crafted | -3.2% | |
| Tide-Born Wildstalker | Crafted | -5.1% | |
| Order's Wrath | Crafted | -5.4% | |
| Pillar of Nirn | Dungeon - Falkreath Hold | -5.5% | |
| Frostbite | Overland - Blackwood | -6.1% | |
| Symmetry of the Weald | Overland - West Weald | -6.3% | |
| Tzogvin's Warband | Dungeon - Frostvault | -6.3% | |
| Mother's Sorrow | Overland - Deshaan | -7.3% | |
| Law of Julianos | Crafted | -8.5% | |
| Briarheart | Overland - Wrothgar | -8.6% | |
| Hunding's Rage | Crafted | -9.2% | |
| Deadly Strike | PvP - Cyrodiil | -9.7% |
This table compares front bar weapon options. Non-Dagger rows use the listed skill swap from the Additional Changes column.
| Front Bar Weapon | Additional Changes | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dual Wield Daggers | none | Baseline | |
| Lightning Staff | Traveling Knife -> Barbed Trap | -2.2% | |
| Inferno Staff | Traveling Knife -> Barbed Trap | -3.7% | |
| Bow | Traveling Knife -> Barbed Trap | -4.3% | |
| Ice Staff | Traveling Knife -> Barbed Trap | -5.3% | |
| Greatsword | Traveling Knife -> Barbed Trap | -5.6% | |
| Restoration Staff | Traveling Knife -> Barbed Trap | -10.2% | |
| Sword and Shield | Traveling Knife -> Barbed Trap | -12.9% |
Daggers use Charged Shock and Charged Poison . Every one-weapon option uses a Charged Poison weapon and keeps the same backbar Ice Staff. Sword and Shield uses a Charged Poison sword plus a Divines Magicka shield.
Alternative setups for different goals and content types
For solo you need both damage and survivability, so every race brings something to the table. I use Nord because in difficult solo content the armor racial is worth the DPS trade-off. If you want to use a different race, the table shows comparison between their DPS.
| Race | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| Khajiit | +3.8% | |
| Dark Elf | +3.6% | |
| High Elf | +3.6% | |
| Orc | +2.7% | |
| Breton | +1.5% | |
| Wood Elf | +0.7% | |
| Argonian | +0.5% | |
| Redguard | 0.0% | |
| Imperial | 0.0% | |
| Nord | Baseline |
For most content you should put all 64 points into Magicka. For difficult content you should devote as many attribute points as necessary to Health - for some content you'll be able to get away with 32 Health 32 Magicka, for the extremely difficult stuff you'll need 64 Health.
| Attributes | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| 64 Magicka | Baseline | |
| 32 Health / 32 Magicka | -1.9% | |
| 64 Health | -4.3% |
As you can see, the damage loss from changing attributes is minimal, but you gain up to 7808 Health, so change attributes whenever you struggle with some harder enemy.
| Setup | Simulated Parse | Damage Change |
|---|---|---|
| Orzorga's Smoked Bear Haunch + Armor Potion | Baseline | |
| Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl + Tri-Stat | +2.7% | |
| Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl + Heroism Potion | +3.5% |
The default option. Gives you 5,280 Armor, which is a lot of damage mitigation.
Use this if you need more sustain. It restores Stamina and Magicka on use, and also grants you Major Endurance and Major Intellect.
Basically a Tri-Stat Potion , but with the useless Restore Health changed to Minor Heroism . It's straight up an upgrade over Tri-Stat Potion , but expensive to craft.
All parses are recorded on the 6 million Target Dummy
Yes. This is a pure class setup, so it keeps Warden skill lines and uses Class Masteries instead of subclassing.
Yes. Lightning Staff, Bow, Inferno Staff, Ice Staff and Greatsword are the lowest-loss front-bar alternatives when Traveling Knife is replaced with Barbed Trap . Replacing the backbar is harder because Elemental Susceptibility is very strong for solo.
Yes, for Infinite Archive Arcs 1-4. Those arcs are still close enough to normal solo PvE content that a standard solo build works well, and you usually will not have enough important Visions yet to build around them. Some effects become more valuable in Infinite Archive, especially enemy Weapon and Spell Damage reductions, but you do not need a dedicated deep-IA build for Arcs 1-4.
For deep Infinite Archive runs, such as Arc 10+, this is not the right type of build. Deep IA setups have to change heavily around the Visions earned during that run, so they are usually built very differently from standard solo builds.
Yes, you can use this build at any Challenge Difficulty, including Vestige. Mobs hit a lot harder and you do less damage on the higher tiers, so fights take longer, but the build itself doesn't change.
No. Use the base skills and the Instanced gear setup for both Maelstrom Arena and Vateshran Hollows.
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