Replies: 28

The Lightning Ward

Sorcerer Tank

Updates

• 07/25/15 – VDSA complete with this build!  Also added more thoughts on a dps-tank build in the Final Notes section.
• 08/15/15 – Recorded and posted video tanking vet Crypt of Hearts.

Foreword Notes

• This is a fast-paced, bar-swapping, magicka-dependent endgame pve build that I’ve been steadily tweaking for a while now and wanted to post before 1.7 changes tanking significantly. (for better or for worse…)
• I have a lot of fun with this build. Yes, sorcs aren’t the default tanking class, but they can do really well once you get good at it.
• This is a cost reduction and regen build – because you don’t have a solid self-heal like the DK’s GDB or various Templar skills, it’s all about having your Hardened Ward up all the time.
• This is not trial approved yet, although I’m confident it would do well with some tweaks here and there.

Race

I’m a Breton, for the max magicka and spell cost reduction, but an Altmer would also work, for the Magicka Recovery and Elemental Damage passives. Any of the other tanking races (Imperial, Nord, Orc) would also be fine.

Mundus

I ran with The Mage for a long time, but switched to The Atronach for magicka recovery even before I switched to drinks and saw a huge benefit, so I’ve stuck with it.

Champion Points

Current Champion Rank: 252.

The Warrior

Recommended priority:

1. Block Expertise to 12%
2. Bastion to 10%
3. The rest into Spell Shield to unlock Shield Expert passive, which I am currently working on.

Current allocation:

The Steed

• Block Expertise (35) – 12%
• Spell Shield – everything else

The Lord

• Bastion (28) – 10%
• Heavy Armor Focus (18) – 5%

The Thief

Recommended Priority:

1. Magician to 8% cost reduction
2. Arcanist
3. Mooncalf
4. Tumbling

Current allocation:

The Tower

• Magician (32) – 8%
• Bashing Focus (2) – 1.6%

The Lover

• Mooncalf (10) – 5%
• Arcanist (27) – 10%

The Shadow

• Tumbling (13) – 5%

The Mage

Recommended Priority:

This is really up to you where you focus for damage – if I put together a more solid damage build for tanking vDSA, I would switch it around, but this is what I have now, mostly for PvP.  I like the Riposte passive in the Atronach for damage return chance on blocking, so my points went there first.

Current allocation:

The Apprentice

• Elemental Expert (27) – 10%
• Elfborn (2) – 1.6%
• Spell Erosion (1) – 1%

The Atronach

• Blade Expert (31) – 11%

The Ritual

• Thaumaturge (23) – 8.9%

Gear

• Since you’re not getting any health from food, most of it comes from gear enchants + attributes. I first tried with 26k health, then went down to just under 25k because I felt my magicka was lacking.
• Bloodspawn is my personal choice here – with the Sorcerer’s ult cost reduction passive, I enjoy having my ultimate up as often as possible, and it helps the group as well. You could also use Engine Guardian, Malubeth, or any two-piece set with stats you’d find useful.
• 5H/1L/1M for the Undaunted Mettle passive

Attributes & Stats

With:

• Tri-drinks
• Boundless Storm up (Major Resolve, Major Ward)
• Bound Aegis toggled (Minor Resolve, Minor Ward)

Skills

Veteran Dungeons

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Bosses

• Bound Aegis – More armor, spell resist, and max magicka. Keep in on both bars so it stays toggled.
• Boundless Storm – Keep this up all the time. Armor, spell resist, a small DoT that gives a chance to proc Disintegration, and makes you look cool as hell.
• Absorb Magic – Block bosses/adds you have to hold for days with this on your bar, and gives a good heal if you’re getting hit by spells
• Pierce Armor – Your standard taunt and debuff.
• Hardened Ward – Your extra 6k+ health that should be up as often as possible. (More than 6k if you’re using food instead of drinks, since it scales off max magicka.)
• Aggressive Warhorn – Extra stats and damage for you and your team. With Bloodspawn it’s up often.

General usage:

Make sure Bound Aegis is toggled, pop Hardened Ward, Aggressive Warhorn if it’s up, run in and taunt boss.  Make sure Boundless Storm and your Hardened Ward are up all the time.  If you’re feeling comfortable, you can switch to your second bar and keep Liquid Lightning up on the boss too.

AoE/trash

• Bound Aegis – As above.
• Restraining Prison – Your DK Talons equivalent, plus a snare. It’s cast in front of you though, so positioning is important.
• Liquid Lightning – Bit of extra dps for the group.
• Inner Fire – Your ranged taunt.
• Crystal Fragments – Extra dps and knockdown for troublesome mobs. This will proc off anything that costs magicka on your bar, so if you’re Encasing and dropping Liquid Lightning and ranged taunting it will proc several times.
• Absorption Field – Stun all enemies in the Field until your dps drops them, dispel any spells the mobs have dropped, and give you and your team some extra regen while you’re at it.

General usage:

Pop Boundless Storm and Hardened Ward from first bar, switch to second bar, Inner Fire the biggest threat, watch them all run towards you, cast Restraining Prison once or twice until most are rooted, drop Liquid Lightning, Inner Fire/switch to bar one for Pierce Armor the remaining big threats/all mobs, reapply Restraining Prison.  Drop Absorption Field if they’re mostly within range.

Crystal Frags should have proced multiple times during this so throw it at any big threats/casters to knock them down.

Dragonstar Arena (VETERAN & NORMAL)

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Bosses

• Same as above

AoE/trash

You have to be more careful with your resources in DSA – with that in mind I’ve added these skills to the bar:

• Absorb Magic – For the block cost reduction. So many trash mobs to block.
• Dark Conversion – Convert your extra stamina to magicka and health.
• Replenishing Barrier – For when it gets hairy, and the Magicka Aid Support line passive doesn’t hurt either.

General Usage:

Keep Boundless Storm and Hardened Ward up, bar switch to AoE bar.  Inner Fire anything coming in you can’t reach with Pierce Armor, Restraining Prison them when most are on you/a DK in your group has chained them in.  If you find yourself out of magicka if you’ve had to Inner Fire multiple times in a row, or recast Boundless Storm/Hardened Ward too much, use Dark Conversion.  Most of the time I don’t need it in the middle of a round, but if you do it’s okay to take a few seconds and use up your extra stamina for magicka and health.  Usually I use it in between rounds to have full magicka for the next one.

Don’t be afraid to ask your healer/a Templar for shards and Repentance.  For bosses/trash that you have to bash constantly/CC break constantly, extra stamina is much needed.  Mystic Orbs on trash doesn’t hurt either, although I’ve successfully run both DSA and VDSA without.  You’re mostly self-sufficient with the amount of regen you have.

Footage

My card can’t handle me playing the game on high and recording, so apologies for the poor quality – and looks like YouTube lost some sharpness in the upload too. Veteran Crypt of Hearts no death, speed run, and gold key shown from my point of view.

Final Notes

• If I was going to go into trials with this build, I’d stack more health and more resistance and sacrifice some extra (stam, before magicka) regen.
• This build works really well (with some practice) for vDSA, you just need a DK friend with chains for the rounds to go faster.
• If you wanted a more dps-tank build for vDSA, you could.  Switch to food instead of drinks, sacrifice Bound Aegis for Inner Light on both bars and put a destro staff with Impulse on your second bar instead of 1H&S.  Add Crystal Frags or Endless Fury onto your first bar by replacing Absorb Magic.  I’m toying with the idea of having Overload as the ultimate on one bar and switching into it for a single target boss – keeping Inner Fire on the Overload bar as well.  You can still block while in Overload and Overload light attacks would really help with wrecking.

• This topic was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by  KaPoTun.