Understanding ESO Damage Scaling

The Elder Scrolls Online’s combat system can be confusing, especially for new players. How do you increase the damage of your abilities? How do you increase your healing? In Update 33, Dynamic Stat Scaling will be introduced to ESO, vastly simplifying the process and allowing players to theorycraft an even bigger variety of fun and unique builds!

Stat Scaling In The Elder Scrolls Online

Stat Scaling in The Elder Scrolls Online describes the process of increasing your character’s basic attributes and statistics in order to improve the efficiency of your skills. In simple terms, increasing your stats leads to greater damage and improved healing.

The primary stats players need to increase to see those gains in efficiency are Magicka, Stamina, Weapon Damage and Spell Damage. These stats are paired together as follows:

• Maximum Stamina and Weapon Damage
• Maximum Magicka and Spell Damage

Each pair of maximum resource pool and weapon stat work together to increase the overall power of your abilities. This combination is known as your “Highest Offensive Stats.”

Highest Offensive Stats In The Elder Scrolls Online

Your Highest Offensive Stats determine the strength of your damage skills and healing skills in The Elder Scrolls Online. Adding to these stats will further increase the strength of your abilities while reducing these stats will similarly reduce your damage output and healing. Consider the following example of a Nightblade build with the stats listed below:

• 15,000 Magicka
• 23,000 Health
• 30,000 Stamina
• 2,800 Spell Damage
• 3,300 Weapon Damage

To determine the Highest Offensive Stats for this build we need to look at both Magicka vs. Stamina and Weapon Damage vs. Spell Damage. These values compare like this:

• 30,000 Stamina > 15,000 Magicka
• 3,300 Weapon Damage > 2,800 Spell Damage

Since both Stamina and Weapon Damage are the highest of each pair respectively these become our Highest Offensive Stats which are then used together to calculate the Strength of our abilities. Adding more Stamina or Weapon Damage (or both) will increase the effectiveness of our healing and damage skills even further.

Dynamic Stat Scaling in ESO

For many years in ESO the cost component of your skills determined which stats would be considered for damage calculation. If an ability cost Magicka to cast, its efficiency was determined by your Maximum Magicka and Spell Damage. If an ability cost Stamina to cast, its efficiency was determined by your Maximum Stamina and Weapon Damage.

With the introduction of Update 33 to The Elder Scrolls Online the cost component of your resource no longer matters for damage or healing calculations. What matters instead is your “Highest Offensive Stats” as explained above. In this new system, even if an ability costs Magicka to cast, that ability can still be improved by having more Stamina or Weapon Damage if those values are your Highest Offensive Stats. Similarly, if an ability costs Stamina to cast, that ability can still be improved by having more Magicka or Spell Damage if those are your Highest Offensive Stats. This new process is known as Dynamic Stat Scaling.

The developers for ESO explained the introduction of Dynamic Stat Scaling like this:

“In Update 33, the changes are focused on making almost every player ability in the game scale dynamically with your highest offensive stats when applicable… we want to ensure you feel empowered to pick an ability or weapon based on the gameplay mechanics and expression they offer you first and foremost, with fewer restrictions.”

Ultimately this will lead to better gameplay and build options which are determined more by your class skills and chosen weapons rather than your primary resource alone.

Dynamic Skills To Consider

With the introduction of Dynamic Stat Scaling in Update 33, nearly any skill in the game is now a viable option for any build. Stamina builds can make use of unique Magicka skills that they might not have used before and vice versa. Below are some ideas for unique skill combinations to try using your secondary resource to spice up your build in ESO Update 33.

Stamina Nightblade

• Impale – ranged execute
• Lotus Fan – gap closer and AOE DOT
• Merciless Resolve – greater healing and damage
• Concealed Weapon – speed
• Twisting Path – AOE DOT
• Shrewd Offering – Burst Heal

Magicka Nightblade

• Killer’s Blade – healing execute
• Ambush – gap closer and empower
• Steel Tornado – AOE execute
• Reverse Slice – AOE execute
• Rally – burst heal and damage buff
• Deadly Cloak – major evasion
• Twisting Path – AOE DOT
• Shrewd Offering – Burst Heal

Stamina Dragonknight

• Burning Embers – DOT and heal
• Flames Of Oblivion – damage
• Draw Essence – AOE damage and heal
• Cinder Storm – AOE heal
• Elemental Blockade – AOE damage
• Combat Prayer – heal and minor berserk

Magicka Dragonknight

• Noxious Breath – AOE Major Breach
• Stone Giant – damage and stagger
• Stampede – gap closer and AOE damage
• Carve – damage shield and DOT
• Steel Tornado – AOE execute
• Executioner – single target execute

Stamina Sorcerer

• Crystal Fragments – ranged damage
• Summon Twilight Matriarch – healing
• Endless Fury – ranged execute
• Liquid Lightning – AOE damage
• Elemental Blockade – AOE damage
• Combat Prayer – heal and minor berserk

Magicka Sorcerer

• Crystal Weapon – ranged damage
• Bound Armaments – light attack buff
• Brawler – damage shield
• Steel Tornado – AOE execute

Stamina Templar

• Explosive Charge – AOE damage and gap closer
• Blazing Spear – AOE DOT
• Solar Barrage – AOE damage
• Radiant Glory – ranged execute
• Breath Of Life – strong heal

Magicka Templar

• Power Of The Light – minor breach
• Rally – heal and buff
• Carve – damage shield and DOT
• Shrouded Daggers – damage and buff
• Steel Tornado – AOE execute

Stamina Warden

• Deep Fissure – damage and major breach
• Winter’s Revenge – AOE damage
• Nature’s Embrace – burst heal

Magicka Warden

• Reverse Slash – AOE execute
• Brawler – damage shield
• Steel Tornado – AOE execute

Stamina Necromancer

• Unnerving Boneyard – AOE DOT and Major Breach
• Skeletal Arcanist – AOE damage
• Resistant Flesh – heal and armor

Magicka Necromancer

• Stampede – gap closer and AOE DOT
• Reverse Slash – AOE execute
• Rally – burst heal and buff
• Steel Tornado – AOE execute

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