ESO STAMINA SORCERER PVE BUILD

Writer: @xGAMxHQ
Role: DPS
Patch: Update 41 – Scions of Ithelia

The Fragment Stamina Sorcerer PVE Build for ESO (The Elder Scrolls Online) is optimized for all players looking for the ultimate build guide on setups for Trials, Dungeons, and Arenas, whether you’re a beginner, a long-time veteran, or just returning to the game.

The Damage Dealer (DPS) role in ESO is responsible for many things, including:
• Eliminating all enemies on the battlefield in the correct order from most to least threatening.
• Positioning yourself out of harm’s way to allow your support roles to easily heal and buff you.
• Doing your part during a fight to ensure key mechanics are done properly to avoid group wipes.

The Stamina Sorcerer PVE build covers everything you need to know, including recommended armor setups, skills, champion points, and many alternatives to meet various needs. Please read the entire build and bookmark the page, as it will update with each new patch.

RECENT UPDATES

MARCH 05 / 2024: – UPDATE 41 – SCIONS OF ITHELIA
• No changes.

RACE

DARK ELF

ORC

KHAJIIT

The races that offer the best passives for Stamina-based Damage Dealers are Dark Elf, Orc, and Khajiit, though all races are more than capable of making good Damage Dealers. The Stamina Sorcerer PVE build utilizes the Dark Elf racial passives, as it’s the best option to maximize your Weapon and Spell Damage and Maximum Magicka and Stamina. Choose a race that best suits your needs.

Dark Elves excel at hybridized builds that use both Magical and Martial Damaging abilities, such as the Stamina Sorcerer. They provide increased Maximum Magicka and Stamina by 1,910 and your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258. Even though they don’t provide you with any additional self-sustain, they do have significant resistance to Flame Damage.

Orcs provide the best Health sustain, allowing you to restore 2,125 Health every 4 seconds while dealing damage. They also increase your Weapon and Spell Damage by 258, Sprint Movement Speed by 10%, Maximum Health by 1,000, and Maximum Stamina by 1,000.

Khajiit is another excellent option for hybridized builds, increasing your Maximum Health, Magicka, and Stamina by 915 and your Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 90. They are also the only race that provides a way to increase your Critical Damage.

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

MAGICKA

HEALTH

STAMINA

Spend all Attribute Points into Stamina regardless of your choice of race and armor setup, as Maximum Health is not critical to the Stamina Sorcerer PVE build.

Aiming to have a Maximum Stamina value that exceeds your Maximum Magicka value ensures that you always restore Stamina when you activate the Luminous Shards or Energy Orb synergy provided by your Healers.

TRIAL SETUP

Below is a Damaged-focused Setup for the Stamina Sorcerer PVE build. It utilizes sets from Dungeons, Trials, Arenas, and Scrying to maximize your damage output.

	SET NAME	TRAIT	ENCHANTMENT	WEIGHT/TYPE	ACQUIRED
HEAD	Slimecraw	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Light	Veteran Wayrest Sewers I
SHOULDERS	(Perfected) Arms of Relequen	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	(Veteran) Cloudrest +1
CHEST	(Perfected) Arms of Relequen	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	(Veteran) Cloudrest +1
HANDS	(Perfected) Arms of Relequen	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	(Veteran) Cloudrest +1
WAIST	(Perfected) Arms of Relequen	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	(Veteran) Cloudrest +1
LEGS	Harpooner's Wading Kilt	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Scrying
FEET	(Perfected) Arms of Relequen	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	(Veteran) Cloudrest +1
NECKLACE	Berserking Warrior	Bloodthirsty	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Hel Ra Citadel
RING	Berserking Warrior	Bloodthirsty	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Hel Ra Citadel
RING	Berserking Warrior	Bloodthirsty	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Hel Ra Citadel
FRONT BAR (MAIN HAND)	Berserking Warrior	Nirnhoned	Flame Damage	Dagger	Hel Ra Citadel
FRONT BAR (OFF-HAND)	Berserking Warrior	Charged	Poison Damage	Dagger	Hel Ra Citadel
BACK BAR	Perfected Merciless Charge	Infused	Weapon/Spell Damage	Greatsword	Veteran Maelstrom Arena

Note: The Cloudrest Trial breaks up its set piece drops as follows:
• +0 = Weapons
• +1 = Armor
• +2 = Purple Jewelry
• +3 = Gold Jewelry

INTERMEDIATE SETUP

The Intermediate Setup for the Stamina Sorcerer PVE build is optimized for Damage Dealers that may not be ready for Trial content but want to replace crafted sets. Many Dungeon and Overland sets are easy to collect while effective in early to mid-game content.

	SET NAME	TRAIT	ENCHANTMENT	WEIGHT/TYPE	ACQUIRED
HEAD	Stormfist	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Light	Veteran Tempest Island
SHOULDERS	Stormfist	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Undaunted Enclave
CHEST	Aegis Caller	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Unhallowed Grave
HANDS	Aegis Caller	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Unhallowed Grave
WAIST	Aegis Caller	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Unhallowed Grave
LEGS	Aegis Caller	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Unhallowed Grave
FEET	Aegis Caller	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Unhallowed Grave
NECKLACE	Briarheart	Robust	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Wrothgar or Guild Stores
RING	Briarheart	Robust	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Wrothgar or Guild Stores
RING	Briarheart	Robust	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Wrothgar or Guild Stores
FRONT BAR (MAIN HAND)	Briarheart	Nirnhoned	Flame Damage	Dagger	Wrothgar or Guild Stores
FRONT BAR (OFF-HAND)	Briarheart	Charged	Poison Damage	Dagger	Wrothgar or Guild Stores
BACK BAR	Merciless Charge	Infused	Weapon/Spell Damage	Greatsword	Maelstrom Arena

Stormfist drops from a relatively easy base game dungeon. It’s also useful in late-game builds optimized for AOE-specific setups.

Aegis Caller replaces Hunding’s Rage to increase overall damage, especially AOE damage.
• Make sure you also farm the helmet piece to easily switch to Harpooner’s Wading Kilt when you can Scry for it.

Briarheart replaces Order’s Wrath on the front bar to further increase your Weapon and Spell Damage while also providing another source of self-healing.
• If you don’t have Barbed Trap yet, you could continue to use Order’s Wrath for the extra Critical Damage.
• If you have the Transmute Crystals to spare, change the trait from Robust to Bloodthirsty for even more damage.

Merciless Charge replaces Order’s Wrath on the back bar, as it is easy to get from Normal Maelstrom Arena if you have the patience to farm it. Otherwise, equip a Briarheart Greatsword to ensure the best uptimes.

BEGINNER SETUP

Your options for beginner gear are typically limited to crafted sets or something cheap in guild stores. The Beginner Setup for the Stamina Sorcerer PVE build includes only crafted sets and is optimized for freshly created characters and CP160 Damage Dealers looking for an excellent build to start farming more challenging content.

	SET NAME	TRAIT	ENCHANTMENT	WEIGHT/TYPE	ACQUIRED
HEAD	Spell Parasite	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Light	Crafted
SHOULDERS	Spell Parasite	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Crafted
CHEST	Hunding's Rage	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Crafted
HANDS	Hunding's Rage	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Crafted
WAIST	Hunding's Rage	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Crafted
LEGS	Hunding's Rage	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Crafted
FEET	Hunding's Rage	Divines	Maximum Stamina	Medium	Crafted
NECKLACE	Order's Wrath	Robust	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Crafted
RING	Order's Wrath	Robust	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Crafted
RING	Order's Wrath	Robust	Physical Harm	Jewelry	Crafted
FRONT BAR (MAIN HAND)	Order's Wrath	Nirnhoned	Flame Damage	Dagger	Crafted
FRONT BAR (OFF-HAND)	Order's Wrath	Charged	Poison Damage	Dagger	Crafted
BACK BAR	Order's Wrath	Infused	Weapon/Spell Damage	Greatsword	Crafted

Spell Parasite increases Weapons and Spell Damage and is equipped until you can replace it with a suitable monster set.

Hunding’s Rage and Order’s Wrath increase your Critical Chance, Critical Damage, Maximum Stamina, and Weapon and Spell Damage.

While this configuration is not required, it will provide the most optimal progression path for a beginner DPS.

SKILLS

FRONT BAR

Rapid Strikes (Morph of Flurry | Skill Line: Duel Wield)

Daedric Prey (Morph of Daedric Curse | Skill Line: Daedric Summoning)

Twilight Tormentor (Morph of Winged Twilight | Skill Line: Daedric Summoning)

Bound Armaments (Morph of Bound Armor | Skill Line: Daedric Summoning)

Volatile Familiar (Morph of Unstable Familiar | Skill Line: Daedric Summoning)

Ultimate: Flawless Dawnbreaker (Morph of Dawnbreaker | Skill Line: Fighters Guild)
• Slotted for passives.

BACK BAR

Stampede (Morph of Critical Charge | Skill Line: Two Handed)

Barbed Trap (Morph of Trap Beast | Skill Line: Fighters Guild)

Twilight Tormentor (Morph of Winged Twilight | Skill Line: Daedric Summoning)

Hurricane (Morph of Lightning Form | Skill Line: Storm Calling)

Volatile Familiar (Morph of Unstable Familiar | Skill Line: Daedric Summoning)

Ultimate: Greater Storm Atronach (Morph of Storm Atronach | Skill Line: Daedric Summoning)
• Your main Ultimate.

ALTERNATIVE SKILLS

TWILIGHT MATRIARCH

Skill Line: Daedric Summoning
Base Skill: Winged Twilight
Twilight Matriarch can replace Twilight Tormentor for an incredibly strong burst heal, though it deals less damage than its counterpart. Twilight Matriarch is a must-have ability while in solo Arenas.

DARK DEAL

Skill Line: Dark Magic
Base Skill: Dark Exchange
Dark Deal can replace Barbed Trap if you don’t yet have access to that skill or lack self-sustain. Like Barbed Trap, it grants you Minor Force, but it also grants you Minor Berserk for the duration; however, it doesn’t last as long nor deal damage.

CRYSTAL WEAPON

Skill Line: Dark Magic
Base Skill: Crystal Shard
Crystal Weapon can replace Rapid Strikes to reduce an enemy’s Physical and Spell Resistance. This is very useful in situations where your group cannot meet Offensive Penetration requirements.

CAMOUFLAGED HUNTER

Skill Line: Fighters Guild
Base Skill: Expert Hunter
Camouflaged Hunter can replace Twilight Tormentor on the front bar to grant yourself Major Savagery and Prophecy without needing Weapon Power Potions. It also grants you Minor Berserk while attacking an enemy from its flank.

CRITICAL SURGE

Skill Line: Storm Calling
Base Skill: Surge
Critical Surge can replace Twilight Tormentor on the back bar to grant yourself Major Brutality and Sorcery without needing Weapon Power Potions. It also allows you to heal yourself each second you deal Critical Damage to an enemy.

PASSIVES

Most passives in the skill lines you utilize are worth investing in; however, some are more critical to the build than others.

Below is a complete list of only the most essential passives to the Stamina Sorcerer PVE build, which should be unlocked first if possible.

DAEDRIC SUMMONING

All Passives

DARK MAGIC

Unholy Knowledge
Blood Magic
Exploitation

STORM CALLING

All Passives

DUAL WIELD

All Passives

TWO HANDED

Heavy Weapons
Balanced Blade

LIGHT ARMOR

Evocation
Prodigy
Concentration

MEDIUM ARMOR

Dexterity
Wind Walker
Agility

FIGHTERS GUILD

Intimidating Presence
Slayer
Banish the Wicked
Skilled Tracker

UNDAUNTED

Undaunted Command
Undaunted Mettle

RACIAL

All Passives

ALCHEMY

Medicinal Use

MUNDUS STONE

THE THIEF

EASTMARCH

ALIK'R DESERT

MALABAL TOR

The Stamina Sorcerer PVE build uses The Thief Mundus Stone to increase Critical Strike Rating or Critical Chance by 1212 or 5.5%.

Each piece of Legendary Quality Divines armor increases this value by 9.0%. While wearing 7 pieces of Legendary Quality Divines armor, The Thief Mundus Stone increases your Critical Strike Rating by 1984 or 9.0%.

CONSUMABLES

FOOD

GARLIC COD WITH POTATO CRUST

Garlic Cod with Potato Crust offers the best stat boosts to your Maximum Health and Stamina and is the best option for this build, especially in group content. The ingredients are cheap and easy to find, or they can be purchased from guild stores if you haven’t learned the recipe.

Bonuses:
• Increase Maximum Health by 5395.
• Increase Maximum Stamina by 4936.
• Scales from Level CP150 – CP160.
• Lasts 1 hour.

Ingredients:
• Fish (1)
• Garlic (1)
• Potato (1)

LAVA FOOT SOUP-AND-SALTRICE

Lava Foot Soup-and-Saltrice offers the best stat boosts to your Maximum Stamina and Stamina Recovery. The Ingredients are cheap and easy to find, or they can be purchased from guild stores if you haven’t learned the recipe.

Bonuses:
• Increase Maximum Stamina by ~4936.
• Increase Stamina Recovery by ~493.
• Scales with your level.
• Lasts 2 hours.

Ingredients:
• Flour (1)
• Potato (1)
• Saltrice (1)
• Scrib Jelly (1)

ARTAEUM TAKEAWAY BROTH

Artaeum Takeaway Broth is a great option for a more balanced stat boost to Maximum Health, Stamina, and Stamina Recovery; however, it requires some expensive ingredients and higher quantities, meaning the food is also more expensive in guild stores. If Gold is an issue, Dubious Camoran Throne is much cheaper to craft for a small decrease in stats.

Bonuses:
• Increase Maximum Health by 3326.
• Increase Maximum Stamina by 3080.
• Increase Health Recovery by 406.
• Increase Stamina Recovery by 338.
• Lasts 2 hours.

Ingredients:
• Fish (20)
• Melon (5)
• Powdered Mother of Pearl (5)
• Torchbug Thorax (5)

POTIONS

WEAPON POWER POTIONS

Weapon Power Potions are your source of the Major Brutality and Savagery buffs, which are essential to all Stamina DPS builds.

Bonuses:
• Restore ~7582 Stamina.
• Gain Major Endurance.
• Gain Major Brutality.
• Gain Major Savagery.
• ~47.6-second duration.

Ingredients:
• Blessed Thistle (1)
• Dragonthorn (1)
• Water Hyacinth or Wormwood (1)

HEROISM POTIONS

Heroism Potions are the best option for building Ultimate; however, using these potions requires that you gain Major Brutality, Sorcery, Savagery, and Prophecy from sources. Critical Surge and Camouflaged Hunter will provide these buffs if you go this route. See the Alternative Skills section above. Unfortunately, each ingredient in this potion is relatively expensive.

Bonuses:
• Restore ~7582 Magicka.
• Restore ~7582 Stamina.
• Gain Major Intellect.
• Gain Major Endurance.
• Gain Minor Heroism.
• ~47.6-second duration.

Ingredients:
• Columbine (1)
• Dragon’s Blood (1)
• Dragon Rheum (1)

ESSENCE OF STAMINA

Essence of Stamina potions should only be used to better sustain your Stamina if you cannot afford to craft Heroism Potions or Weapon Power Potions.

Bonuses:
• Restore ~7582 Stamina.
• Gain Major Endurance.
• ~47.6-second duration.

These potions are generic world-dropped potions and are not worth crafting.

CHAMPION POINTS

The Champion Point (CP) system in ESO provides many powerful benefits that allow you to customize and strengthen your build. It is unlocked at Level 50 and maxes out at 3600 points. The CP system has three unique constellations: Craft, Warfare, and Fitness. The Warfare and Fitness constellations each have three subtrees.

• The Craft constellation focuses on crafting, gold gain, movement speed, stealth, and increasing material yields.
• The Warfare constellation focuses on increasing damage, healing, and damage mitigation.
• The Fitness constellation focuses on your core stats, such as Maximum Health, various methods of recovery, and provides many defensive benefits.

The Champion Point allocation below is optimized for the Stamina Sorcerer PVE build, focusing on increasing the strength of your Single Target and Direct Damage abilities and your survivability.

Follow the recommended path below while levelling up and spending your Champion Points to see strong progression.

CRAFT

Steed’s Blessing (+50) (Slot 1)
Gilded Fingers (+10)
Fortune’s Favor (+10)
Wanderer (+15)
Steadfast Enchantment (+10)
Rationer (+10) (Slot 2)
Liquid Efficiency (+75) (Slot 3)
Rationer (+20)
Treasure Hunter (+50) (Slot 4)
Master Gatherer (+15)
Gifted Rider (+100) (Replace Slot 4)
Gilded Fingers (+40)
Breakfall (+50)
Steadfast Enchantment (+40)
Soul Reservoir (+33)
Beyond this point, you can continue to unlock passives or more slottable perks based on your preference.

WARFARE

Precision (+10)
Piercing (+10)
Master-at-Arms (+50) (Slot 1)
Wrathful Strikes (+50) (Slot 2)
Thaumaturge (+50) (Slot 3)
Deadly Aim (+50) (Slot 4)
Precision (+10)
Piercing (+10)
Tireless Disciple (+10)
Quick Recovery (+10)
Preparation (+20)
Battle Mastery (+20)
Mighty (+30)
Flawless Ritual (+20)
War Mage (+30)
Battle Mastery (+20)
Flawless Ritual (+20)
Tireless Disciple (+10)
Eldritch Insight (+20)
Elemental Aegis (+20)
Hardy (+20)
Beyond this point, you can continue to unlock passives or more slottable perks based on your preference:
Exploiter (50) significantly increases your damage done to Off Balance enemies, and can replace Deadly Aim in situations where enemies can be set Off Balance.

FITNESS

Rejuvenation (+50) (Slot 1)
Sprinter (+10)
Hasty (+8)
Celerity (+50) (Slot 2)
Tumbling (+15)
Mystic Tenacity (+10)
Hero’s Vigor (+20)
Fortified (+50) (Slot 3)
Boundless Vitality (+50) (Slot 4)
Tireless Guardian (+10)
Fortification (+30)
Hasty (+8)
Sprinter (+10)
Defiance (+20)
Tumbling (+15)
Beyond this point, you can continue to unlock passives or more slottable perks based on your preference:
Spirit Mastery (50) can replace Celerity or Fortified to significantly increase your resurrection speed. This is a must-have skill during group content.

TIPS & TRICKS

• To maximize your damage output, cast Bound Armaments when it reaches four stacks of Light Attacks. While you’re learning your rotation, it may work best for you to cast it only when you remember to. The rotation will flow better with practice.
• Ensure Stampede is up at all times to significantly increase the damage of your Direct Damage abilities.

Below, you will find how to begin a Dynamic rotation. This means you activate your skills accordingly depending on the situation and duration of your skills. It yields the best possible DPS and resource management but can be more challenging.

LA = Light Attack

Pre-buff with Hurricane, Volatile Familiar, and Twilight Tormentor. After the initial cast, do not cast Twilight Tormentor again.

Begin combat on your back bar:
Stampede > LA > Barbed Trap > LA > Greater Storm Atronach > Bar Swap >
LA > Daedric Prey > LA > Bound Armaments > LA > Rapid Strikes until your DOT abilities need to be reapplied or Bound Armaments reaches four stacks.

ARCHIVED CHANGES

NOVEMBER 14 / 2023: – UPDATE 40 – INFINITE ARCHIVE
• Build Published.