This beginner build for the Magicka Arcanist class in The Elder Scrolls Online is a great place to get started! This build focuses on powerful damage abilities to melt your enemies!
Arcanist Class Overview
The Arcanist Class is an extremely powerful way to play in The Elder Scrolls Online. Arcanists have many similarities with other classes in ESO such as dedicated Class Skill lines for DPS, for Healing, and for Tanking. Arcanists are also extremely unique in that they make use of a powerful new game mechanic called Crux. For a more detailed guide be sure to review our ESO Arcanist Class Guide located here.
Primary Sets
Our main 5 piece set on this build is Mother’s Sorrow, a fantastic light armor set that is easy to obtain and offers excellent stats by boosting our Maximum Magicka as well as Critical Chance.
Next, the War Maiden set is another easy-to-obtain gear set in ESO that buffs Magic damage skills, including most of the Arcanist’s class damage abilities, by a whopping 600 damage!
For the final two pieces of gear on this build Armor Of The Trainee is recommended for the extra Health and Magicka. This set can be easily farmed in any of ESO’s starting zones.
Mother’s Sorrow
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(2 items) Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka
(3 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(4 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(5 items) Adds 1528 Critical Chance
War Maiden
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(2 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(3 items) Adds 1096 Maximum Magicka
(4 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(5 items) Adds 600 Weapon and Spell Damage to your Magic Damage abilities.
Armor Of The Trainee
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(1 item) Adds 1454 Maximum Health
(2 items) Adds 1454 Maximum Magicka
(3 items) Adds 1454 Maximum Stamina
*2 bonus only
Alternative Sets
For alternative sets, I also recommend any options that improve the sustain of your build such as Wretched Vitality. Another great all-around crafted set is Order’s Wrath.
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(2 items) Adds 129 Magicka Recovery
(3 items) Adds 129 Stamina Recovery
(4 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(5 items) While in combat, applying a Major Buff or Debuff to a target grants you 260 Magicka and Stamina Recovery for 15 seconds. While in combat, applying a Minor Buff or Debuff to a target grants you 130 Magicka and Stamina Recovery for 15 seconds.
Order’s Wrath
LVL 50 – CP 160
SET BONUS
(2 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(3 items) Adds 129 Weapon and Spell Damage
(4 items) Adds 657 Critical Chance
(5 items) Adds 943 Critical Chance, Increases your Critical Damage and Critical Healing by 8%.
Sample Gear Loadout
Note that the location of these gear pieces (weapons, jewelry or body pieces) is not important and can be mixed and matched depending on which pieces you acquire first.)
| Weapon/Armor | Set | Trait | Weight | Glyph |
| Main Hand | Armor Of The Trainee Lightning Staff | Precise | NA | Absorb Magic |
| Backup | Armor Of The Trainee Inferno Staff | Infused | NA | Weapon/Spell Damage |
| Head | War Maiden | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Shoulder | War Maiden | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Chest | War Maiden | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Waist | War Maiden | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Gloves | War Maiden | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Legs | Mother’s Sorrow | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Feet | Mother’s Sorrow | Divines | Light | Magicka |
| Necklace | Mother’s Sorrow | Arcane | NA | Weapon Damage |
| Ring 1 | Mother’s Sorrow | Arcane | NA | Magicka Recovery |
| Ring 2 | Mother’s Sorrow | Arcane | NA | Magicka Recovery |
Attributes
Most of our skills cost Magicka to cast, so putting all of your Attribute Points into the Magicka stat makes the most sense.
64 Magicka
0 Health
0 Stamina
Race, Mundus, and Consumables
Breton will be the best choice for a true ESO beginner on this build due to having the best sustain in ESO which is VERY helpful for maintaining the Arcanist’s complete set of skills, especially on a Magicka-focused build like this one. For more details on all ESO Races and passive bonuses be sure to check out our Full ESO Race Guide.
Mundus
The Thief
Increases the Critical Strike rating by 1333
With 7 Divines armor pieces
Increases the Critical Strike rating by 2167
Food/Drink
Witchmother’s potent brew
Increase Max Magicka by 2856, Max Health by 3094, and Magicka Recovery by 315 for 2 hours.
These effects are scaled based on your level.
Potions
Basic Magicka Potions
Sample Skill Loadout
Main Weapon: LIGHTNING STAFF – Click on a Skill Name to learn more
Backup Weapon: INFERNO STAFF – Click on a Skill Name to learn more
Sample Rotation
Buffs: Maintain your Cruxweaver Armor and Recuperative Treatise. Cast Reconstructive Domain and stay inside this rune for the extra healing.
Damage: Start on the backbar by casting Elemental Blockade and Elemental Drain if the enemy is a boss. Bar Swap.
Next, cast Escalating Runeblades to build up Crux. You may also cast Chakram Of Destiny for a shield or Cephaliarch’s Flail to immobilize enemies depending on what’s needed. All 3 abilities build up Crux.
Once at 3 Crux stacks, cast Pragmatic Fatecarver to melt all enemies in front of you!
Ultimates: The Tide King’s Gaze is useful when you need to kill an enemy very quickly, like with a boss. For more difficult encounters, facing off against multiple hard-hitting enemies, this is where you’ll want to use Sanctum Of The Abyssal Sea for a huge damage shield, allowing you to survive pretty much anything!
Important Passives
- Erudition
- Fated Fortune
- Splintered Secrets
- Harnessed Quintessence
- Implacable Outcome
- Evocation
- Prodigy
- Concentration
- Elemental Force
- Ancient Knowledge
- Destruction Expert
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How To Create Powerful ESO Builds
Crafting the Perfect Build for you in The Elder Scrolls Online can be frustrating. Which skills are best for each class? What about passives? The best race? The best armor type and weapons? The best trait and glyphs? There are literally THOUSANDS of different options!
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