The Sorcerer class in Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) might be traditionally known for its damage-dealing prowess, but it also holds a unique and powerful potential as a Player versus Environment (PvE) tank. While perhaps less conventional than Dragonknights or Wardens in a tanking role, a Sorcerer tank brings distinct advantages to group play, particularly through clever use of the Dark Magic skill line. This guide will delve into the essential Sorcerer skills for PvE tanking, examining their strengths and weaknesses to help you build a robust and effective defensive character. We’ll explore how to leverage the Sorcerer’s toolkit to not only survive but also contribute significantly to your group’s success in dungeons, trials, and arenas.
Essential Sorcerer Tank Skills: Dark Magic Breakdown
The Dark Magic skill line is the cornerstone of a Sorcerer tank build. Let’s dissect the key skills and their morphs, evaluating their utility for tanking in ESO’s PvE environment.
Crystal Weapon: Situational Armor Debuff
Crystal Weapon, a morph of Crystal Shard, offers a situational but valuable debuff. Activating this ability followed by a Light or Heavy Attack reduces an enemy’s Armor by 1000. This armor reduction can be particularly beneficial for groups that are under the 18200 penetration cap, effectively increasing the damage output of your allies. While a Sorcerer Off Tank can utilize Crystal Weapon, its practicality is somewhat limited. Maintaining this debuff consistently can be challenging due to its frequent reactivation requirement, the stamina cost involved, and the need to drop block to execute attacks. In many group compositions, especially those with an Alkosh user or tanks employing Crimson Oath’s Rive or Tremorscale sets, the armor debuff from Crystal Weapon becomes redundant.
Shattering Spines: Optional Crowd Control
Shattering Spines, a morph of Encase, provides an optional crowd control tool. This skill immobilizes enemies directly in front of you and applies Major Maim, reducing their damage dealt. This makes it quite useful in 4-man dungeons, arenas, and specific trial encounters where controlling enemy movement and damage output is crucial. While the Scribing system offers arguably more potent immobilization options, Shattering Spines remains a viable and accessible alternative, particularly for players who haven’t yet unlocked or prefer not to use Scribing skills for this purpose.
Defensive Rune: Unnecessary Stun
Defensive Rune, a morph of Rune Prison, is generally considered unnecessary for effective tanking. It stuns an enemy that attacks you, but the stun application is delayed. The delayed nature of the stun and the inherent challenges of effectively using stuns in conjunction with pulling or chaining enemies render this skill less effective in typical tanking scenarios. While you could theoretically use it as a pre-cast skill when anticipating add pulls, its overall utility is limited compared to other tanking tools.
Dark Deal: Vital Sustain and Group Buff
Dark Deal, a morph of Dark Exchange, is a vital skill for Sorcerer tanks. This ability exchanges Magicka for Health and Stamina, providing a crucial source of Stamina recovery over time, which is essential for maintaining block, dodge rolls, and other tanking actions. Dark Deal is a cornerstone of Sorcerer tank sustain. However, it’s important to note that using Dark Deal requires dropping block, making timing critical. Employ it strategically when you are not under immediate threat from major mechanics or heavy attacks. Furthermore, Dark Deal procs the Exploitation passive, granting Minor Prophecy to your group, increasing their Spell Critical chance – a valuable group buff provided passively through your sustain management.
Dark Conversion: Optional Sustain Alternative
Dark Conversion, the other morph of Dark Exchange, offers an optional sustain alternative. Unlike Dark Deal, it trades Stamina for Health and Magicka. While Dark Deal is generally more universally useful for tanking due to stamina being the primary resource for defensive actions, Dark Conversion can find its niche in specific situations. For instance, in fights where you are running a double Staff build or heavily leveraging the Tri-Focus passive from the Destruction Staff skill line, Magicka sustain might become more critical. In such scenarios, Dark Conversion can serve as a valuable heal and Magicka sustain option, offering flexibility in resource management depending on your specific build and encounter.
Daedric Mines: Not Needed for Tanking
Daedric Mines and its morphs are generally not needed for tanking purposes. While this skill can be morphed to provide either delayed immobilization or a group shield, it is expensive in terms of Magicka cost. The Scribing system offers superior immobilization options, and there are more effective and Magicka-efficient group shield alternatives available from other skill lines and sets. While Daedric Mines could theoretically have niche uses in arena content where enemies spawn predictably and you want to root them in place, it is not a practical or efficient choice for most standard tanking scenarios in ESO.
Conclusion: Harnessing Sorcerer Dark Magic for Tanking
The Sorcerer class, while unconventional, provides a viable and interesting option for PvE tanking in ESO. By strategically utilizing the Dark Magic skill line, particularly the vital Dark Deal for sustain, and understanding the situational utility of skills like Crystal Weapon and Shattering Spines, you can build a capable and unique Sorcerer tank. While some Dark Magic skills like Defensive Rune and Daedric Mines are less impactful for tanking, a focused build centered around sustain and strategic debuff/crowd control can make a Sorcerer an effective and welcome addition to any PvE group. Remember to prioritize stamina management and group utility when developing your Sorcerer tank build for the best results in your ESO adventures.
