Winter's Dawn - 57k@3M, OneBar, Solo, Ultimate spam W13T2: VengeanceLeech(IA1: 1vsMany) - Warden Build PvE - ESO

• Build Concept
• Core Mechanic
• Situations
• CP(Slottable)
• Skill Swap
• Gear Set & Alternatives
• Training Dummy
• Tips / Addon Advice

Build Concept

This build operates in two main ways:
A. Standard Frost Oaken Build
B. Ultimate AoE Chill Build
Players can freely adjust the build's focus between A and B.
This guide will primarily focus on the AoE Chill Build (Point B).

For example, this build has recently been used to nearly solo Ghishzor(Event Version) without relying on stacking outside the walls (and also all Solstice WBs and Apocrypha WBs, Walks-like-thunder, Talon&Fang … ).
In these particular battle, Permafrost's uptime was near 90% at its peak. (In this build, Permafrost always means Sleet Storm's morph. https://eso-hub.com/en/skills/warden/winters-embrace/permafrost )

※ (In-game tooltip) Permafrost: dealing 650 Frost Damage every 1 second for 13 seconds to enemies around you and reducing their Movement Speed by 70% and applying the Chilled status effect.

Previous Build with a similar concept: 
Ice Dancer
https://eso-hub.com/en/builds/shinntarou4649/9d28b7fa-b7b2-4305-a595-3c243853d1b1/ice-dancerone-bar-solo-cheap-gear-can-vet-arenasbefore-subclass-no-more-updated
※ I'll change the build's access from public to 'only accessible to people who know the link.' It's outdated. 

Core Mechanic

The Chill status effect is the most critical component of this build's performance.
Chill triggers Baron Zaudrus, which is essential for cycling your Ultimate ability. 

Permafrost(https://eso-hub.com/en/skills/warden/winters-embrace/permafrost), Arctic Blast, and Elemental Susceptibility apply Chill.
Shimmering Shield, Prism, Restoring Spirit, and Savage Beast provide a direct boost to Ultimate.
All three relevant class skill lines—Animal Companions, Winter's Embrace, and Dawn's Wrath—are tightly interwoven and mutually dependent.

Simply put, this build can only truly spam its Ultimate skill when using Permafrost. 
I think the build is fun to play. 
Warden is fun.

Situations

• Melee range:
  Set your skills, focus on the main enemy, and guard.
  Frost staff LA weaving can be extremely solid(LClick → Push skill button(LA animation cancellation) → RClick guard (Skill animation cancellation)). Even though you are attacking, you can guard most attacks until your magicka runs out.
  If Magicka is low, perform HA weaving (LHold → HA start → HA launch & LRelease & Push skill button → RClick guard). You gain a shield and magicka.
  Frost build is advantageous during a resource-draining battle. This is why Frost build is strong against WB.
  ※ For this specific aspect, HA Sorc is better than this Frost build. Sergeant's Mail's HA damage and class skill combo can yield more DPS and a greater shield.
• Out of Melee Range / Running in Melee range:
  In glorious battle, sometimes you must run around the battlefield to handle mechanics, to avoid deadly attacks, and so on. Warden's skills perform well in the situation. 
  Cast Subterranean Assault and run; after 3 seconds, turn back to face the enemies. Spamming Blue Betty removes your negative effects and heals you via Bond with Nature. Crystallized Shield is the best shield for dealing with ranged attacks.
  Warden's skills can continue dealing damage to enemies and easily counter escape prevention mechanics (such as [Tanking aim], snare effects) if you are running around.
  In my opinion, some commonly used high-DPS solo builds(Sergeant's Mail HA, Ring of the Pale Order Beam) slightly lack these properties.

CP(Slottable)

• [Deadly Aim] & [Master-at-Arms]: Basic options. Chill is a type of “Direct damage” and “Single target” effect. If you really need another star for any reason, [Deadly Aim](Single Target) should be dropped if you use Subterranean Assault. if you rely on status effects or [Occult Overload], [Master-at-Arms](Direct damage) should be dropped.
• [Reaving Blows]: This star is effective in this build because the majority of your damage comes from Direct Damage sources. In most cases, the heal value nearly equals that of Living Dark.
  2025/11/9 Confirmed Chill NEVER triggers Reaving Blows.
• [Occult Overload]: This is a good potential source of damage for only one slot. It also applies other status effects.
• [Siphoning Spells] & [Shield Master]: As enemies become stronger, your Magicka depletes faster due to the need for longer periods of guarding and more frequent casting of Shimmering Shield. [Rejuvenation] can't solve the problem.
• [Bracing Anchor]: For Veteran Bosses and IA (Infinite Archive), defensive stars like [Bracing Anchor] are recommended to avoid instant death. You should keep your Warfare stars offensive where possible, making Fitness stars the priority for defense.

Skill Swap

The Weapon skill and Subterranean Assault are considered fixed. I recommend keeping the 3rd to 5th skill slots easily swappable.

3rd Skill

To gain [Dawn's Wrath]'s passive, you need at least one of the following skills.

• Living Dark: A defensive option.
• Power of the Light: An offensive option.

4th skill

You are not limited to choosing just one skill below. However, I usually only pick one in most cases. If you use Blue Betty, the build adopts an aggressive playstyle. If you use Shimmering Shield, the build favors a more passive approach.

• Blue Betty: Aggressive, melee. It allows for longer guarding and skill spamming.
• Shimmering Shield: Passive, ranged. An important skill for Ultimate generation. This skill can perform well in 1-versus-many situations.

5th skill

• Arctic Blast: Default choice. Balanced.
  It provides AoE Direct Damage and Self-Healing. To maximize Baron Zaudrus's performance, you should maintain the uptime of at least one Chill-applying skill at all times.
• Torchbearer([Healing Torch]): Area Burst Heal and DoT remover. Signature: Crusader (removes negative effects).
  For a dragon(and Tho'at 4th later) solo or a small group.
  If you achieve enough kills, Banish the Wicked earns Ultimate nearly equal to Arctic Blast.
• Soul Burst([Chilling Burst]): for IA. Signature: Class mastery Affix: Interrupt 
• Radiant Oppression: Offensive, for PT.
  If you are in party. You can deal the highest Maximum damage, but the average DPS doesn't change much.

Ultimate

• Permafrost(https://eso-hub.com/en/skills/warden/winters-embrace/permafrost ): Default for 1-versus-many.
• Wild Guardian: Default for DD.
• Eternal Guardian: 
  Because the build rarely have skills that heal your ally, an auto-respawn bear is a good choice.
  Additionally, the execution damage bonus is higher than that of Wild Guardian. If you are aiming for the highest dummy score, the bear is probably optimal. (I don't want to try)

1st Skill

• Subterranean Assault or Deep Fissure: 
  Verdict: The choice is yours. 
  In my opinion, considering factors like PvE performance, DPS, Magicka sustain, Penetration, and the 9-second Ultimate cycle, Subterranean Assault slightly outperforms Deep Fissure.
  Your choice of morph has a ripple effect on the rest of your build. For instance, if you use Deep Fissure, you must change certain Scribing Affixes from Minor Breach to Minor Resolve, and the value of Elemental Susceptibility decreases since you already have access to Major Breach. Morph selection is a foundational decision for a solo Warden; it depends more on the content you are running than the skill’s raw power.
• Winter's Revenge: 
  A ranged source of Chilled that procs every 1 second (compared to Arctic Blast's 2 seconds). 
  Due to Baron Zaudrus's 1-second internal cooldown, running both Arctic Blast and Winter's Revenge simultaneously is inefficient for Ultimate spamming.
  In Infinite Archive (IA): Once you have stacked enough [Focused Efforts] visions, consider swapping Subterranean Assault for Winter's Revenge to maximize your status effect damage.

Weapon Skill

• Elemental Susceptibility: Major Breach, Status effects*3 per 7.5sec.
  As you know, recasting the skill on the same enemy reapplies 3 status effects. Therefore, the skill is a little bit of a DPS skill for solo.
• Destructive Reach: Status effect*1, grants 600 weapon/magic damage(via Perfected Destructive Impact)
• Crushing Shock: Status effect*3 per 2casts (by Concentrated Force)

Penetration
Overland .. 9100, Dragons … 13650, Instanced … 18200, IA … 9100 or 18200(Arc Final Boss)
:Infinite_Archive

• Default(7 light Tide-Born Wildstalker + Major Breach): 8761 + 5948 = 14709 (17683 with Minor Breach)
• WoE(Perfected Wrath of Elements + Major Breach): 9951 + 5948 = 15899 (18873 with Minor Breach)
• Non-Light main(1 light + Major Breach + Minor Breach): 1639 + 5948 + 2974 = 10561

Gear Set & Alternatives

5Set

• Tide-Born Wildstalker: for Solo, DD in PT. Offensive. Trait: Divines Enchant: Magicka
  This is the best damage set for this build because the majority of your damage comes from Direct Damage sources.
• Heartland Conqueror: for IA, Defensive. Trait: Sturdy Enchant: TriStat
  I recommend creating the non-light pieces of this set. The set can play multiple roles via your weapon trait. 
  If the Charged trait is used, the effect increases from 235% to 470%. If the Decisive trait is used, it accelerates your Ultimate cycle. In this build, alternative sets are required to boost Chill or boost Ultimate. If you keep this gear as a spare set, you don't need to bring any other sets in addition (Akaviri Dragonguard, Glacial Guardian, Symmetry of the Weald).
  In IA, Bonuses related to status effects (e.g., the Vision [Focused Efforts], which increases status effect chance by 12% and status effect damage by 500%) can greatly boost the build's DPS. If you get these effects, the set is better than Tide-Born. It's important to note that [Focused Efforts] isn't a Verse. The effect lasts for the entire run.
  :Focused_Efforts
• Frostbite: Outdated. 
  If you convert to the set from Tide-Born Wildstalker, your 3Mdummy score will drop by about 2k.

Light Armor vs. Medium Armor

Light … Offensive. High DPS, Snare immunity.
Recommended for PT, Easier enemies, IA prior to Arc 3.
Caution: You are weak against martial attacks including many HA from bosses due to Light Armor Penalties. I confirmed that Marauder in Arc 4 of IA can one-shot even when guarding. (I survived Marauder's Heavy Attack in Arc 3 with 7 pieces of Light Armor)
The build's stat(7 Lights, Destruct, with food) is about HP23822, 16420Armor

Medium … Defensive. Low block cost, High running speed.
Recommended for Strong WBs, and IA Arc 3or4. (If you want to reach Arc 5 later, this build probably can't help you.)
Caution: Icy Aura was reworked. The passive skill no longer has snare immunity. Therefore, when you are hit by snare attacks, your movement speed can be drastically reduced than you think.
The build's stat(7 Mids, Vengeance, with food, Minor Resolve, and [Bulwark]) is about HP29899, 27422Armor.

Weapon Set

• Blessing of the Potentates: Enchant: Frost Trait: Decisive
  Against many enemies, offensive. 
• Vengeance Leech: Enchant: Absorb Magicka Trait: Decisive
  Against many enemies, defensive.
  Sometimes, you need to spam normal skills rather than Ultimate(e.g. in case IA's Verse generates ultimate enough).
• Perfected Wrath of Elements: Enchant: Absorb Magicka Trait: Charged
  For fewer enemies (or Single Target). Of course, the overall DPS without Ultimate is better than that of Potentates.
• Perfected Destructive Impact: Enchant: Frost Trait: Precise
  For pure DPS. 
• Concentrated Force: Enchant: Absorb Magicka Trait: Charged 
  Support. Low DPS and high cost.
  However, if you need both DPS and ranged interrupt, it is probably better than other weapons with Crushing Shock or Soul Burst.
• Note: Trait Synergy
  The choice of trait depends on your active skills:
  Charged: Best paired with Winter's Revenge and Arctic Blast, as these skills apply the Chilled status effect based on probability.
  Decisive: Best paired with Permafrost(https://eso-hub.com/en/skills/warden/winters-embrace/permafrost ) which applies Chilled guaranteed, usingBaron Zaudrus.
• Note: Enchant
  Frost: Glacial Presence also affects frost enchants (confirmed as of 2025). This is ideal for increasing DPS or generating Ultimate via Baron Zaudrus.
  Absorb Magicka: Strong synergy with Heartland Conqueror and the Charged trait. This combo procs [Overcharged], restoring Magicka and maintaining Minor Magickasteal.
  While highly situational, the total Magicka restored from the "Absorb Magicka" with Heartland Conqueror and the Charged trait setup can nearly match the sustain provided by Blue Betty.
  ( Scaled to Blue Betty = 100, Minor Magickasteal: 50, Absorb Magicka Enchant: 25, [Overcharged] Status Effect: 10 )

Monster Set

• Iceheart: for PT, Non-Ult, Offensive. Enchant: Magicka
  Considering Glacial Presence, it is the best choice for this build's damage profile.
• Baron Zaudrus: for Ult. Enchant: TriStat
  I feel that if Permafrost([https://eso-hub.com/en/skills/warden/winters-embrace/permafrost] )'s uptime is about 70% over, Baron's DPS is better than Iceheart's.

Jewelry

• Armor of the Trainee: Trait: Triune Enchant: Weapon damage
  Use one or two pieces. You can gain the set bonus from only a single Trainee piece. Additionally, the value of the set bonus itself is higher than that of other sets.
• Eagle Eye: Trait: Bloodthirsty Enchant: Weapon damage
  Use two pieces. Any 2-piece set providing Critical Chance is acceptable.

Required Gear: 15 items, 11 equipped slots and 4 inventory items
Oaken 1, Heartland(M) 5, Trainee 2, Baron Zaudrus(MorL) 2,  Wrath of Elements 1, 
Iceheart(L) 2, Vengeance Leech 2.
Optional Inventory Gear: 11 inventory slots
Tideborn 5, Concentrated Force 1, Eagle Eye 2, Destructive Impact 1, Potentates 2.

Training Dummy

57k on a 3M dummy (Destructive touch). See Screenshot (SS).

For beginners, I must stress that the dummy score is strictly for reference purposes. These dummy scores were recorded in ideal training dummy conditions.

※ [Backstabber] only works better than [Fighting Finesse] when the tank perfectly taunts the boss and the DD remains behind the boss at all times. Deep Fissure & Fetcher Infection are redundant in PT because common tanks apply Major Breach, Minor Breach, and Minor Vulnerability. If these abilities were excluded, the dummy score would drop to 50k; however, your DPS in real PT probably won't drop. (if you use these skills, your DPS in PT won't rise significantly.) 
The difference in DPS reflects the cost of being able to adapt to different situations and ensure safety in real boss battles.

※ In my experience, using a lightning staff tends to boost the DPS by about 2k-3k.

Tips / Addon Advice

Skill Swapping
This build is designed for the player to adjust the Weapon, the 3rd to 5th skills, and the Ultimate based on the content. 
To facilitate swapping, I created multiple Dressing Room presets, each containing only one specific skill.
See the image for an example. (Potentates Page, Tips: How to swap skills quickly (Dressing Room))

Dressing Room 2018( .html )