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ESO Buffs and Debuffs - The Major and Minor System header

ESO Buffs and Debuffs - The Major and Minor System

ESO Buffs and Debuffs - The Major and Minor System

Welcome to the ESO Buffs and Debuffs Guide. Below you can find a list of all the Major and Minor buffs and debuffs that exist in ESO (Elder Scrolls Online). There are also a few other named buffs and debuffs that are listed that aren't within the Major and Minor system. Most of the buffs and debuffs a player has access to are placed within the Major and Minor system. Major being the bigger value than Minor.

You can find a more in depth description of how these buffs and debuffs interact with each other in the bottom part of this page. It is important to understand that you can't stack two of the same Major or Minor buffs.

For example if you use Unstoppable Brute in combination with Volatile Armor, you will only gain the Major Resolve buff once and not twice, because the same Major buff doesn't stack. However, combining Major Resolve and Minor Resolve will work, because you can combine a Major and a Minor of the same buff or debuff. For example, you could use Volatile Armor in combination with Combat Prayer and gain both Major Resolve and Minor Resolve.

  • Same Major categories don't stack: Major Resolve + Major Resolve = Doesn't stack.
  • Different Major categories stack: Major Resolve + Major Evasion = Does stack.
  • Major + Minor categories stack: Major Resolve + Minor Resolve = Does stack.
  • Same rules apply for the Minor categories.
  • Unique buffs and debuffs do stack with Major and Minor buffs and debuffs.
  • You can have multiple Major and Minor buffs and debuffs of different types active at the same time.

The list below only shows named buffs and debuffs.

Buffs and Debuffs

Empower Increases the damage of your Heavy Attacks by 70%.
Major Aegis Decreases Damage Taken in Dungeons & Trials by 10%
Major Berserk Increases all damage done by 10%
Major Breach Reduces Physical and Spell Resistance by 5948
Major Brittle Increases Critical Damage taken by 20%
Major Brutality Increases Weapon Damage by 20%
Major Courage Increases Weapon Damage and Spell Damage by 430
Major Cowardice Reduces Weapon Damage and Spell Damage by 430
Major Defile Reduces Healing Received and Health Recovery by 16%
Major Endurance Increases your Stamina Recovery by 30%
Major Enervation Reduces Critical Damage by ?%
Major Evasion Reduces damage taken from Area of Effect attacks by 20%
Major Expedition Increases Movement Speed by 30%
Major Force Increases Critical Damage by 20%
Major Fortitude Increases Health Recovery by 30%
Major Gallop Increases Mounted Speed by 30%
Major Heroism Grants 3 Ultimate every 1.5 seconds
Major Intellect Increases your Magicka Recovery by 30%
Major Lifesteal Heals ? Health every second for you and allies who damage the target
Major Magickasteal Restores ? Magicka every second to you and allies who damage the target
Major Maim Reduces damage done by 10%
Major Mangle Reduces Maximum Health by ?%
Major Mending Increases Healing Done by 16%
Major Prophecy Increases Spell Critical chance by 12%
Major Protection Reduces damage taken by 10%
Major Resolve Increases Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance by 5948
Major Savagery Increases Weapon Critical by 12%
Major Slayer Increases damage dealt in Dungeons and Trials by 10%
Major Sorcery Increases Spell Damage by 20%
Major Timidity Unknown
Major Toughness Increases Maximum Health by ?
Major Uncertainty Reduces Critical Chance by 1314
Major Vitality Increases Healing Received by 16%
Major Vulnerability Increases Damage Taken by 10%
Minor Aegis Decreases Damage Taken in Dungeons & Trials by 5%
Minor Berserk Increases all damage done by 5%
Minor Breach Reduces Physical and Spell Resistance by 2974
Minor Brittle Increases Critical Damage taken by 10%
Minor Brutality Increases Weapon Damage by 10%
Minor Courage Increases Weapon Damage and Spell Damage by 215
Minor Cowardice Reduces Weapon Damage and Spell Damage by 215
Minor Defile Reduces Healing Received and Health Recovery by 8%
Minor Endurance Increases your Stamina Recovery by 15%
Minor Enervation Reduces Critical Damage by 10%
Minor Evasion Reduces damage taken from Area of Effect attacks by 10%
Minor Expedition Increases Movement Speed by 15%
Minor Force Increases Critical Damage by 10%
Minor Fortitude Increases Health Recovery by 15%
Minor Gallop Increases Mounted Speed by ?%
Minor Heroism Grants 1 Ultimate every 1.5 seconds
Minor Intellect Increases your Magicka Recovery by 15%
Minor Lifesteal Heals 600 Health every second for you and allies who damage the target
Minor Magickasteal Restores 168 Magicka every second to you and allies who damage the target
Minor Maim Reduces damage done by 5%
Minor Mangle Reduces Maximum Health by 10%
Minor Mending Increases Healing Done by 8%
Minor Prophecy Increases Spell Critical chance by 6%
Minor Protection Reduces damage taken by 5%
Minor Resolve Increases Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance by 2974
Minor Savagery Increases Weapon Critical by 6%
Minor Slayer Increases damage dealt in Dungeons and Trials by 5%
Minor Sorcery Increases Spell Damage by 10%
Minor Timidity Drains 1 Ultimate every 1.5 seconds for 10 seconds.
Minor Toughness Increases Maximum Health by 10%
Minor Uncertainty Reduces Critical Chance by 657
Minor Vitality Increases Healing Received by 8%
Minor Vulnerability Increases Damage Taken by 5%
Reave Restores 100 Magicka and 100 Stamina when you deal damage with a Light Attack or Heavy Attack on an enemy with a negative effect active on them
Stagger Increases damage taken by 65 per stack for 5 seconds.

Values and Percentages of Major and Minor Buffs and Debuffs


Lets look at the system a bit more in detail. Above we explained how the system functions with Major and Minor buffs and debuffs. However, there is a lot more to it, sometimes the wording, the values, the percentages or the function can be a bit confusing.

How are the values of Majors and Minors calculated?


Lets take the example of Major Resolve and Minor Resolve. For example lets say you are a dragonknight tank and cast the Volatile Armor skill and a templar healer casts the Combat Prayer skill on you. This will result in you gaining a total of 5948 + 2974 = 8922 physical and spell resistance. 660 resistance equals about 1% extra damage mitigation. That means you will gain around 13.5% extra damage mitigation just from these two buffs alone.

Lets take a loot at another example. Most bosses in ESO have 18200 resistance. Now we can use Pierce Armor to apply Major Breach and Minor Breach and reduce the resistance of the boss by a total of 5948 + 2974 = 8922. We could use other unique buffs from sets like Roar of Alkosh or Crimson Oath's Rive to further reduce the resistance of the enemy. Because unique buffs do stack with Major and Minor buffs and debuffs. Instead of debuffing the enemy you could of course also increase your own penetration value via passives like Concentration that will then also go against the resistance of the enemy

What are these weird values on Weapon and Spell Critical?


Major Savagery which can be found in skills like Camouflaged Hunter or Major Prophecy which can be found in Inner Light display their numbers in values instead of percentages. How much percentage do I actually gain when Major Savagery or Major Prophecy lists 2629 critical rating.

  • 100% critical would amount to 21912 critical rating.
  • 2629 critical rating = 12% (11.9979919679%) .
  • Major Savagery/ Major Prophecy = 12% critical.

That means you would gain 12% weapon critical from the Camouflaged Hunter skill and 12% spell critical from the Inner Light skill.

The same thing counts for Minor Savagery and Minor Prophecy. Minor Savagery can be found within the passive Hemorrhage from Nightblades and Minor Prophecy can be found in the Exploitation passive from the Sorcerer class.

  • 100% critical would amount to 21912 critical rating.
  • 1314 critical rating = 6% (5.99671412924%).
  • Minor Savagery/ Minor Prophecy = 6% critical.

Major and Minor Buffs and debuffs in ESO Sorcerer ShowcaseSorcerer Class



Unique Buffs and Debuffs


There are plenty of unique buffs and debuffs that aren't part of the Major and Minor system. For example we have an unique buff called Empower which is present in the Solar Barrage skill. Empower buffs your light and heavy attacks.

Another example would be Reave. Reave can be found on the Nightblade class with the ultimate Incapacitating Strike, while you have the skill slotted, Reave will provide you with extra sustain as long as the enemy has at least 1 negative effect on them.

Lets take a look at a set with an unique debuff. Roar of Alkosh applies a debuff on the enemy that reduces their resistance by up to 6000. The debuff isn't directly mentioned in the sets description. But when we have addons active that track buffs and debuffs, we will actually see that the enemy has a debuff named "Roar of Alkosh" applied to them.

The most important thing to remember is that when the buff or debuff on a skill or a set doesn't have Major or Minor mentioned in them, then it is an unique buff and will stack with the Major and Minor system.

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