One Bar Magicka Sorcerer Solo Build - ESO Guide
This build is capable of soloing every Veteran dungeon that doesn't have a specific mechanic that requires multiple people. It's also capable of soloing most Hard Mode dungeons, and with some adjustments even the more difficult ones.
In this guide I'll be regularly using the terms Regular and Difficult. Regular refers to content that is intended to be solo-ed (such as Maelstrom Arena or Vateshran Arena) and to any overland content such as World Bosses, Dolmens, Dragons, Volcanic Vents, Harrowstorms, Mirrormoor Incursions, etc. Majority of dungeon fights will also fall under that category. Difficult refers to extremely difficult dungeon fights.
Skill Setups
Base 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: Crystal Fragments | Slot 1: Bound Aegis |
| Slot 2: Haunting Curse | |
| Slot 3: Hurricane | |
| Slot 4: Barbed Trap | |
| Slot 5: Wield Soul | |
| Ultimate: Summon Charged Atronach |
- Crystal Fragments - a spammable that will proc the Exploitation passive, increasing your Critical Chance by 6%. It will also heal you for 10% of your Max Health thanks to Blood Magic passive. Having it slotted will also trigger the Expert Mage passive, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2%
- Haunting Curse - this ability simply deals a lot of damage per cast. Having it slotted will also trigger the Expert Mage passive, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2%
- Hurricane - your source of Major Resolve which is a crucial defensive buff, and it also deals decent damage. Having it slotted will also trigger the Expert Mage passive, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2%
- Barbed Trap - a DoT that will also apply Hemorrhage status effect at the start and grant you Minor Force buff, increasing your Critical Damage by 10%. It will also trigger the Slayer passive
- Wield Soul ( Physical , Lingering Torment , Breach ) - a DoT that will also apply the Major Breach debuff, which reduces enemies' armor by 5948 and is crucial for any non-overland content. Since it's a Stamina ability that has to be re-cast every 10 seconds, it's going to improve our Magicka sustain by a lot. Use Razor Caltrops instead if you don't have access to Scribing
- Summon Charged Atronach - the most powerful ultimate Sorcerer has access to. It will also keep proccing Concussion status effect which will keep up the Minor Vulnerability debuff, which increases enemies' damage taken by 5%. Having it slotted will also trigger the Expert Mage passive, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2%
- Bound Aegis - an ability you can keep slotted on your backbar to gain its passive benefits. It will grant you Minor Resolve, Minor Protection and increase your Max Magicka by 8%
These are skills you can swap in depending on the situation.
- Simmering Frenzy - depending on how much you dislike barswapping, you can use Simmering Frenzy which goes on your backbar and only has to be activated once at the start of the fight
- Arterial Burst - for overland content where you don't need the Major Breach from Wield Soul you can replace it with Arterial Burst and use it as your spammable. In that case use Crystal Fragments only when you get the proc
- Blood Craze - use it instead of Wield Soul in overland content if you can't use Arterial Burst because you're not a Vampire
Final Setup
A more defensive setup for extremely difficult dungeon fights
| Front Bar | Back Bar |
|---|---|
| Slot 1: Crystal Fragments | Slot 1: Bound Aegis |
| Slot 2: Revealing Flare | |
| Slot 3: Hurricane | |
| Slot 4: Ulfsild's Contingency | |
| Slot 5: Wield Soul | |
| Ultimate: Summon Charged Atronach |
What Changes
Changes compared to the Base Setup
- Haunting Curse changes to Revealing Flare
- Barbed Trap changes to Ulfsild's Contingency
- Crystal Fragments - a spammable that will proc the Exploitation passive, increasing your Critical Chance by 6%. It will also heal you for 10% of your Max Health thanks to Blood Magic passive. Having it slotted will also trigger the Expert Mage passive, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2%
- Revealing Flare - this skill will passively grant you Major Protection, reducing your damage taken by 10%. It will also trigger the Magicka Aid passive, which increases Magicka Recovery by 10%
- Hurricane - your source of Major Resolve which is a crucial defensive buff, and it also deals decent damage. Having it slotted will also trigger the Expert Mage passive, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2%
- Ulfsild's Contingency ( Shock , Gladiator's Tenacity , Force ) - a delayed AoE damage that also grants you 8% damage reduction for 8 seconds and Minor Force for 22 seconds, which increases your Critical Damage by 10%. You should recast it every 8 seconds when under pressure and every 22 seconds otherwise. Having it slotted on your frontbar will also trigger the Magicka Controller passive which will slightly improve your damage and sustain. Use Barbed Trap instead if you don't have access to Scribing
- Wield Soul ( Physical , Lingering Torment , Breach ) - a DoT that will also apply the Major Breach debuff, which reduces enemies' armor by 5948 and is crucial for any non-overland content. Since it's a Stamina ability that has to be re-cast every 10 seconds, it's going to improve our Magicka sustain by a lot. Use Razor Caltrops instead if you don't have access to Scribing
- Summon Charged Atronach - the most powerful ultimate Sorcerer has access to. It will also keep proccing Concussion status effect which will keep up the Minor Vulnerability debuff, which increases enemies' damage taken by 5%. Having it slotted will also trigger the Expert Mage passive, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 2%
- Bound Aegis - an ability you can keep slotted on your backbar to gain its passive benefits. It will grant you Minor Resolve, Minor Protection and increase your Max Magicka by 8%
These are skills you can swap in depending on the situation.
- Simmering Frenzy - depending on how much you dislike barswapping, you can use Simmering Frenzy which goes on your backbar and only has to be activated once at the start of the fight
Passives
You should get all passives except for Tri Focus.
Class - Dark Magic
Unholy Knowledge - Medium Priority
Blood Magic - High Priority
Persistence - Low Priority
Exploitation - High Priority
Class - Daedric Summoning
Rebate - Medium Priority
Power Stone - High Priority
Daedric Protection - High Priority
Expert Summoner - High Priority
Class - Storm Calling
Capacitor - High Priority
Energized - High Priority
Amplitude - High Priority
Expert Mage - High Priority
Weapon - Dual Wield
Slaughter - High Priority
Dual Wield Expert - High Priority
Controlled Fury - High Priority
Ruffian - Medium Priority
Twin Blade and Blunt - High Priority
Weapon - Destruction Staff
Tri Focus - Do Not Unlock
Penetrating Magic - Low Priority
Elemental Force - Medium Priority
Ancient Knowledge - Medium Priority
Destruction Expert - Low Priority
Armor - Light Armor
Grace - Low Priority
Evocation - Low Priority
Spell Warding - Low Priority
Prodigy - High Priority
Concentration - High Priority
Armor - Medium Armor
Dexterity - High Priority
Wind Walker - Low Priority
Improved Sneak - Not needed
Agility - High Priority
Athletics - Low Priority
Armor - Heavy Armor
Resolve - Medium Priority
Constitution - Low Priority
Juggernaut - Medium Priority
Revitalize - Low Priority
Rapid Mending - Low Priority
Guild - Fighters Guild
Intimidating Presence - Medium Priority
Slayer - High Priority
Banish the Wicked - Medium Priority
Skilled Tracker - Medium Priority
Bounty Hunter - Not needed
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
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
Vampirism
Becoming a Vampire can allow you to use Simmering Frenzy if you don't mind switching to your backbar once per fight and Arterial Burst for overland content
Gear
Base Setup
This is my suggested setup for regular content, such as Solo Arenas, World Bosses, Dolmens, Dragons, Volcanic Vents, Harrowstorms, Mirrormoor Incursions and majority of the dungeons.
| Gear Slot | Set | Weight/Type | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head |
Slimecraw | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Shoulders |
Beacon of Oblivion | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Chest |
Ansuul's Torment | Medium | Divines | Magicka |
Hands |
Beacon of Oblivion | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Belt |
Beacon of Oblivion | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Legs |
Beacon of Oblivion | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Boots |
Beacon of Oblivion | Light | Divines | Magicka |
Necklace |
Ansuul's Torment | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Ansuul's Torment | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Ring of the Pale Order | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Frontbar Main Hand |
Ansuul's Torment | Dagger | Nirnhoned | Absorb Stamina |
Frontbar Off Hand |
Ansuul's Torment | Mace | Charged | Shock |
- For Ranged build, replace Maces/Daggers with a Bow of the same set with Precise trait and Absorb Stamina enchant
- Order's Wrath is an extremely powerful set despite being crafted so it's a good replacement for Ansuul's Torment if you don't have access to it
- For more difficult encounters you can use Heavy Beacon of Oblivion piece on your Chest and use Ansuul's Torment on another body piece (Shoulders, Legs or Boots)
Final Setup
This is the crafted gear setup you can start with.
| Gear Slot | Set | Weight/Type | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Head |
Claw of the Forest Wraith | Light | Training / Divines | Magicka |
Shoulders |
Claw of the Forest Wraith | Light | Training / Divines | Magicka |
Chest |
Order's Wrath | Heavy | Training / Reinforced | Magicka |
Hands |
Order's Wrath | Light | Training / Divines | Magicka |
Belt |
Order's Wrath | Light | Training / Divines | Magicka |
Legs |
Order's Wrath | Medium | Training / Divines | Magicka |
Boots |
Order's Wrath | Light | Training / Divines | Magicka |
Necklace |
Claw of the Forest Wraith | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Claw of the Forest Wraith | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Ring |
Claw of the Forest Wraith | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Increase Magical Harm |
Frontbar Main Hand |
Assassin's Guile | Mace | Nirnhoned | Absorb Stamina |
Frontbar Off Hand |
Assassin's Guile | Mace | Charged | Shock |
- Use Daggers instead of Maces if you don't plan on using this gear setup for any instanced content (Dungeons, Arenas)
- For Ranged build, replace Maces/Daggers with a Bow of the same set with Sharpened (for instanced content) or Precise (for overland content) trait and Absorb Stamina enchant
- Use Training traits if you're still leveling. If you're already max level and have enough Champion Points you can instead use Divines and Reinforced on the chest piece
Champion Points
Race
For solo PvE you need both damage and survivability, so every race brings something to the table, but these two stand out as the best options for damage and survivability respectively
Mundus
Attributes
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.
Food
Your sustain can vary greatly because it's impacted by your armor weight composition, your race and how much blocking/dodge rolling you're required to do in a certain fight. Choose the food with more recoveries if you can't sustain
Potions
Use the Spell Power potions (Increase Spell Power, Spell Critical, Restore Magicka). They'll greatly improve your sustain and provide Major Sorcery and Major Prophecy which are crucial.
Gameplay
FAQ
No, you don't need a different setup. Use the Regular skill and gear setups from this guide for both Maelstrom Arena and Vateshran Hollows.
THANKS FOR READING
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Head
Shoulders
Chest
Hands
Belt
Legs
Boots
Necklace
Ring
Frontbar Main Hand
Frontbar Off Hand