Remember to treat this as a base to work from…
Always adjust as needed for YOUR specific situation!

the build basics

Make sure to read the notes along with the graphics as they are often JUST AS IMPORTANT!

 

top races

 

This is purely a ranking by top dps passives
Other passives can be beneficial too!

Examples:

Breton: Magicka Sustain + Resistances

  • Only 3-4% DPS behind Dark Elf for Magicka

Imperial: 2k Health + 6% Cost Reduction

  • Only 3-4% DPS behind Dark Elf for Stamina

ANY race can be FINE for DPS on all modes

 

mundus stone

  • The Thief is usually the strongest for PvE

 

food & drinks

Single Primary Stat options are the highest DPS if you don’t need the additional Max Health or sustain

However, I usually recommend Bi-Stat food instead as you only lose ~1% dps but gain 5395 Max Health

Tri-Stat Health + Stamina + Magicka work great for both Stamina and Magicka stacking setups

I use these when I need a little more of my Off-Resource pool to work with but don’t want to give up the Max Health

Primary Stat + Recovery options are great for damage and sustain if you don’t mind the missing Max Health

Primary Stat + Off-Resource Recovery options are also great if your Off-Resource is harder to sustain than your Main Resource (also missing Max Health)

Health + Primary Stat + Recovery options are good compromises if you need more well-rounded stats

 

potions

UESP has a great Alchemy Calculator if you want to see all possible combinations

  • If you already have the Major Crit Chance and the Major Weapon/Spell Damage Buffs, you can craft the Tri-Stat Restoration Potions (also from Daily Login Rewards) to help with sustaining both your Stamina and Magicka

  • Heroism Potions are great in this scenario as well to squeeze out more Ultimates, but the ingredients are a bit expensive

The Essence of Spell Power potions are recommended if you ARE NOT getting your Sorcery/Prophecy buffs from skills and you need the additional Magicka return

The Essence of Weapon Power potions are recommended if you ARE NOT getting your Brutality/Savagery buffs from skills and you need additional Stamina return

 

champion points

IMPORTANT NODES

Force of Nature
Top priority over the 4 shown if more Penetration is needed

Backstabber/Fighting Finesse
Top priorities over the 4 shown if under the Crit Dmg cap

Biting Aura
EZ choice over Deadly Aim for AoE Trash encounters

 

Need help with the Penetration and Crit Damage caps? Check out these charts

  • For short burst encounters, “Exploiter” moves up into the “Crit Dmg CP” range, as long as Off-Balance is coordinated

  • If Off-Balance is NOT present, choose from the best of the other remaining 4 to the left of it

 

TOP GEAR setups

For a full list of the best DPS sets, check out my tier list
For more details on when to use what, check out top DPS sets video

setup #1: TRADITIONAL

TWO 5 PC SETS, 1PC MONSTER SET + MYTHIC, ARENA SET BACKBARRED

The 1pc monster set can also be run in the “shoulder” slot instead of the “head” slot - both options are equal

 

setup #2: NO ARENA SETS

TWO 5 PC SETS (1 FRONT BAR + 1 BACK BAR) + 2PC MONSTER SET + MYTHIC

With this setup, you give up the Arena Set to allow for a Mythic and a full 2pc Monster Set to be run together

 

SETUP #3: DOUBLE ARENA SETS

5 PC SET, 2PC MONSTER SET, MYTHIC, 2 arena sets, 2PC cRIT CHANCE

With this setup, you give up your 2nd 5pc Set to allow for a Mythic, a full 2pc Monster Set, and 2 Arena Sets to be run together

 

SETUP #4: REVERSE TRADITIONAL

TWO 5 PC SETS, 1PC MONSTER SET + MYTHIC, ARENA SET front-BARRED

Similar to the “Traditional Setup” except the Arena Set is on the front bar instead of the back bar

additional NOTES

  • Configure the # of Medium/Light Armor pieces to your needs but always keep at least 1 Medium and 1 Light Armor piece

  • Body and jewelry pieces are always interchangeable as long as you are keeping the weights that you want

  • And finally, the options listed are just my favorites - there are plenty of other sets that work great too

skill bar setups

spammable setup

ALTERNATIVE SKILLS

Replacing Silver Shards/Wrecking Blow

Other options like Venom Skull, Ricochet Skull, Force Pulse, and Whirling Blades can work well too

Swapping Boneyard to Front & Barbed Trap to Back

  • Barbed Trap gives 3% Weapon/Spell Damage and Boneyard gives 8% Crit Chance in execute under 25%

  • Both bonuses are pretty equal so you can decide which is better for your situation

full dot setup

ALTERNATIVE SKILLS

Scalding Rune

  • This can also be used as a semi-spam alongside of Detonating Siphon though it will be a bit tougher to sustain on Stamina setups

  • If going this route, move Boneyard or Barbed Trap to the back bar

easier to manage

(no weapon/spell power pots needed)

ALTERNATIVE SKILLS

Replacing Silver Shards/Wrecking Blow

Other options like Venom Skull, Ricochet Skull, Force Pulse, and Whirling Blades can work well too

Swapping Boneyard to Front & Barbed Trap to Back

  • Barbed Trap gives 3% Weapon/Spell Damage and Boneyard gives 8% Crit Chance in execute under 25%

  • Both bonuses are pretty equal so you can decide which is better for your situation

Deadly Cloak

If Major Sorcery/Brutality is already provided through Igneous Weapons:

  • Move Barbed Trap to Degeneration’s back bar spot and slot Deadly Cloak on the front bar

Thanks for stopping by

Thanks to UESP.net as well for the great tools for some of the screenshots

If these guides have been helpful to you, please consider checking out my Patreon!
A lot of work goes into these and the support really helps a ton!