Introduction
This build uses only bows and doesn't lose much raw dps compared to a dw/bow setup. Considering it can stay at range and keep up the rotation in almost any condition, it may be the superior choice for many casual players. The build is easy to play and a ton of fun if you like bows.- 31k dps with Arms of Relequen, Spriggan's Thorns, Stormfist and Maelstrom Bow:
- 24k dps with Shacklebreaker, Spriggan's Thorns, Stormfist
Build Cheatsheets
I used https://www.elderscrollsbote.de/planer/ to embed the following builds, but I edited their JS to deactivate all the links (that's why I reference it here). Be aware some skills show an outdated description like [Bound Armaments] for example. Further down I explain exactly what all the skills do.
All the builds above have [Surge] and [Expert Hunter] slotted, in order to get Major Brutality and Major Savagery. Some players do not like to "waste" three slots for this and get these buffs with potions instead, allowing to put up to three more skills on their bars. I am not a fan of chugging away 200 gold per minute, but beside this, the double bow setup doesn't leave much room for improvement in terms of skill setup and Surge/Expert Hunter actually have some useful side-effects.
Notable Skills and Passives
Dark Magic
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5 second unavoidable stun that doesn't get cancelled by damage. Solid choice for PVP. |
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Spend magicka to restore a lot of stamina. Personally I don't like this skill, but many people do. (I run high stamina recovery instead) |
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Reduce stamina costs by 5%. A supreme sustain passive |
Daedric Summoning
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Impressive single target and AoE damage, takes away aggro, grants 20% stamina recovery from [Daedric Protection] and 2% weapon damage from [Expert Mage] and lets a group member deal 25% additional damage for 8 seconds. This ultimate is no joke. |
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A good tankyboi for leveling. That's about it. |
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Grants 8% stamina, 11% light attack damage and enables [Daedric Protection] in case we don't want to slot [Summon Atronach] |
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Reduce ultimate costs by 15%. Enough said. |
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Grants 20% stamina recovery. However you need to have a Daedric Summoning ability slotted. Gladly, both Atronach and Bound Armaments fit us well. |
Storm Calling
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5280 to all resistances, 10% movespeed and some decent AoE damage around you, which also can proc [Implosion]. A great skill for Maelstrom Arena, however I don't use it for PVE dps since this is a ranged build. |
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Grants Major Brutality (20% weapon damage) for 33 seconds and grants 2900 health whenever you crit. |
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5% more physical and shock damage. Great since we deal almost exclusively physical damage. This also boosts all damage portions of [Stormfist Monster Set] |
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A chance to deal significant burst damage for free, when hitting a low life target with physical or shock damage. [Volley], [Ballista] and [Stormfist] are excellent ways to trigger this. |
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2% additional weapon damage for each Sorcerer ability slotted (includes all three lines and ultimates). |
Psijic Order (optional)
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Our main attack. Deals less damage than [Focused Aim], but has good lifesteal and doesn't cripple your swiftness. Also synergizes with the light attack boost from [Bound Armaments] |
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Increases crit damage by 10%. Alternatively you can use [Lightweight Beast Trap]. |
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After casting 5 Psijic Order skills, you fire an orb at a nearby enemy. Works very well with [Crushing Weapon]. It's a cute little damage bonus. |
Bow
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Extremely powerful skill, gets boosted up to 37% from [Long Shots] and [Hawk Eye]. If you don't have the Psijic skill line, this is your main spammable attack. Downside: The casting time makes rotations awkward and can easily lead to your death in more action packed situations. If you get the Arms of Relequen set, Crushing Weapon weapon outshines this skill even damage wise. |
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Possibly the best PVE damage skill. With two bows, this gets even stronger due to permanent uptime of [Hawk Eye]. |
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Nice multipurpose skill for PVP: creates distance, stuns, heals you for a chunk and the damage is ok as well. |
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A good DoT, that becomes absurd once an enemy reaches low life. Again, consider the effects of [Long Shots] and [Hawk Eye] |
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Deal more damage the farther you are away from the target. Good in PVP, sadly not great in PVE since you want to be near the group to receive buffs. |
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Get up to 25% increased damage with Bow abilities by using light attacks. In traditional setups this rarely reaches 5 stacks, however with two bows it is up all the time. |
Medium Armor
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Grants 2296 crit (~12%) with 7 pieces of medium armor. |
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Up to 21% stamina regeneration and 14% reduced stamina costs. This is crucial for sustain. |
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A whopping 12% increased weapon damage. |
Fighters Guild
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We put this ultimate on our front bar for 5% additional weapon damage (+3% from [Slayer]). Do not use this skill in single target fights. |
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Grants 10% crit chance (+3% weapon damage from [Slayer]) by being slotted. In PVP you can use it to detect enemy players. |
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A solid replacement for [Race Against Time] if you don't have the Psijic line. In fact it is the better dps choice IF you consistently land the traps. |
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Grants 3% weapon damage for each Fighters Guild ability slotted. |
Assault (trained in Battlegrounds or Cyrodiil Campaigns)
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A strong stamina/weapon based heal over time. Not often needed in PVE since we have lifesteal with [Surge], but in Maelstrom and PVP this skill can be considered necessary. |
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Hands down a very strong AoE damage over time. It's a grind to get, but worth it. Possible replacements would be [Hurricane] or [Acid Spray] |
Item Sets, Mundus, Enchantments, Food
Set 1:
Twice Fanged Serpent,
Spriggan's Thorns,
Unfathomable Darkness
-> Armor penetration is desperately needed. The more the better.
Set 2: Arms of Relequen, Mechanical Acuity, Strength of the Automaton, Hunding's Rage, Shacklebreaker
-> Any of those will do fine.
Monsterset: Stormfirst
-> Has a lot of synergies with the sorcerer skillset and the stamina recovery is nice.
Mundus Stone: [The Lover]
-> You need as much penetration as possible. If you constantly overpenetrate (which won't happen unless you are in a very serious raid group), you could swap to the Warrior stone.
Traits and Enchantments:
Armor: Divine + stamina enchantments (but fill Health first for at least 17k with food active)
Jewelry: 2 x Robust with Weapon Damage enchantment, 1 x Infused with Stamina recovery enchantment.
Weapons: Sharpened (penetration) or Nirnhoned (increased damage), 1xPoison Enchantment, 1xWeapon Damage Enchantment
Food: [Dubious Camoran Throne] or [Orzorga's Triple Trifle Pocket] if you struggle getting over 17k HP and 2000 stamina recovery.
Being a Stage 3 Vampire is the optimum for another 10% stamina and magicka recovery and less damage taken on low life.
-> Armor penetration is desperately needed. The more the better.
Set 2: Arms of Relequen, Mechanical Acuity, Strength of the Automaton, Hunding's Rage, Shacklebreaker
-> Any of those will do fine.
Monsterset: Stormfirst
-> Has a lot of synergies with the sorcerer skillset and the stamina recovery is nice.
Mundus Stone: [The Lover]
-> You need as much penetration as possible. If you constantly overpenetrate (which won't happen unless you are in a very serious raid group), you could swap to the Warrior stone.
Traits and Enchantments:
Armor: Divine + stamina enchantments (but fill Health first for at least 17k with food active)
Jewelry: 2 x Robust with Weapon Damage enchantment, 1 x Infused with Stamina recovery enchantment.
Weapons: Sharpened (penetration) or Nirnhoned (increased damage), 1xPoison Enchantment, 1xWeapon Damage Enchantment
Food: [Dubious Camoran Throne] or [Orzorga's Triple Trifle Pocket] if you struggle getting over 17k HP and 2000 stamina recovery.
Being a Stage 3 Vampire is the optimum for another 10% stamina and magicka recovery and less damage taken on low life.
Rotation
LA = Light Attack. Activate Critical Surge before the fight.1. Endless Hail + LA
2. Razor Caltops + LA
3. Poison Injection + LA +Swap
4. Race Against Time + LA
5. Crushing Weapon + LA repeatedly, until Endless Hail runs out. Finding a good rhythm with Crushing weapon is difficult and you need to make sure you actually fire the light attacks before casting it again.
Refresh Critical Surge and Race Against Time when necessary, but leave them run out for a few seconds if you are currently on the backbar.
You shouldn't run out of stamina, but if so, use a few heavy attacks instead of LA to recover.
Endless Hail should be the first skill on the back bar, because it needs about 2 seconds for the Maelstrom Bow effect to register, before you can swap weapons.