Sorcerer tanks in Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) leverage the power of Dark Magic to control the battlefield and protect their allies. While not as conventional as Dragonknights or Wardens in a tanking role, Sorcerers bring unique utility and sustain through their class skills. This guide explores the essential Dark Magic skills for a Sorcerer tank, helping you understand their effectiveness and how to utilize them in your build.
Crystal Weapon: Situational Armor Debuff
Crystal Weapon, a morph of Crystal Shard, can be a valuable asset in groups that are under the penetration cap of 18200. Activating this ability before a Light or Heavy Attack applies a debuff that reduces the enemy’s Armor by 1000. For a Sorcerer tank, this skill presents a situational utility by increasing group damage output. However, maintaining Crystal Weapon’s uptime can be challenging. It requires frequent reactivation, consumes stamina, and forces you to drop block to attack. In many organized groups, especially those with an Alkosh user or tanks utilizing sets like Crimson Oath’s Rive or Tremorscale, the armor debuff from Crystal Weapon becomes redundant. Consider your group composition and penetration levels when deciding if Crystal Weapon fits your Sorcerer tank build.
Shattering Spines: Optional Crowd Control
Shattering Spines, a morph of Encase, offers a reliable crowd control option. This skill immobilizes enemies directly in front of you and applies Major Maim, reducing their damage by 30%. It proves particularly useful in 4-man dungeons, arenas, and specific trial encounters where controlling adds is crucial. While the Scribing system provides alternative and potentially stronger immobilization options, Shattering Spines remains a solid choice, especially for players who haven’t yet fully explored Scribing. It provides a dependable way to manage enemy groups and mitigate incoming damage, making it a viable, though optional, skill for a Sorcerer tank.
Defensive Rune: Unnecessary Stun
Defensive Rune, morphed from Rune Prison, is generally unnecessary for Sorcerer tanks. This skill stuns an enemy that attacks you after a short delay. While the concept of a reactive stun might seem appealing, its delayed nature and the mechanics of tanking make it ineffective. Stuns are often less useful when pulling or chaining enemies, which are core tanking actions. Furthermore, relying on a delayed stun for mitigation is unreliable in fast-paced combat scenarios. There are far more effective skills and strategies for damage mitigation and crowd control available to a Sorcerer tank.
Dark Deal: Vital Sustain
Dark Deal, a morph of Dark Exchange, is a vital skill for Sorcerer tanks, providing crucial sustain. This ability trades Magicka for Health and Stamina over time, offering a steady Stamina recovery, which is essential for blocking, dodging, and using stamina-based tanking skills. Dark Deal is indispensable for maintaining resources during prolonged fights. However, it’s important to note that using Dark Deal requires you to drop block, making timing critical. Use it strategically when you are not under immediate threat from heavy attacks or major mechanics. Additionally, Dark Deal procs the Exploitation passive, granting Minor Prophecy to your group, further enhancing its utility.
Dark Conversion: Optional Resource Management
Dark Conversion, the alternative morph of Dark Exchange, offers a different resource management option. Unlike Dark Deal, Dark Conversion trades Stamina for Health and Magicka. While Dark Deal is typically more beneficial for tanking due to stamina being the primary resource for defensive actions, Dark Conversion can be useful in specific situations. For instance, in encounters where you utilize a double Staff build or leverage the Tri-Focus passive from the Destruction Staff skill line, Magicka sustain becomes more important. Dark Conversion provides a viable Heal/Magicka sustain option when your build or the encounter demands it, offering flexibility in resource management.
Daedric Mines: Not Needed Crowd Control
Daedric Mines and its morphs are generally not needed for Sorcerer tanks in most scenarios. This skill is expensive and functions as a delayed immobilization or a group shield, depending on the morph chosen. While Daedric Mines can theoretically immobilize enemies or provide a shield, there are more efficient and cost-effective alternatives available, especially with the introduction of the Scribing system. In niche situations, such as certain arena encounters where enemies spawn predictably and rooting them in place might be strategically advantageous, Daedric Mines could have limited utility. However, for general tanking purposes in dungeons and trials, other skills offer superior crowd control and group support.
