Sorcerer Class in ESO - Everything you need to know! - ESO Hub

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Sorcerers in ESO are one of the most versatile classes, because they are extremely good DPS in both PvE and PvP content. Sorcerers also make good healers and decent tanks.Sorcerers in ESO can use conjuration and destruction spells to hurl lightning bolts, wield dark magic to snare and stun, and summon Daedric combat followers from Oblivion. The horrors of Oblivion and the power of lightning itself are yours to command with the ESO Sorcerer Class. As a Sorcerer, unlimited power is at your fingertips, allowing you to call powerful lightning strikes from above, support your allies, suppress your enemies, or overwhelm your foes with Daedric monsters.

Since the Sorcerer class is available with the ESO (Elder Scrolls Online) base game, you can play the class from the get-go if you want. If you want to learn more about all classes that you can play in ESO please visit the Classes Overview Page.

Sorcerer Class Introduction

Sorcerers are one of the most popular classes in-game. They are pretty easy to play and with the support of their pets they also have a pretty easy time dealing damage passively. They have strong skills in regards to survival and are great for solo play thanks to the size of their magic shields that absorb big amounts of damage. Sorcerers are also good healers and decent tanks, below you can find a list of the pros and cons of the Sorcerer class in ESO.

General Sorcerer Pros and Cons

Sorcerers are the most played class in ESO, most commonly played as a Magicka Sorcerer damage dealer (DPS) setup. However, Sorcerer healers, Stamina Sorcerer damage dealers (DPS) and Sorcerer tanks are also used but are more niche, you can create viable builds with all different specs in ESO.

Pros:

very beginner friendly
great for solo play
strong damage dealers (DPS)
has pets for support/damage
huge magic shield size
insane mobility
great healing

Cons:

stamina damage dealer (DPS) difficult to master
tanking specs aren't very common

Let's take a look at the specific Sorcerer roles in order to show you the pros and cons of each spec.

DPS Sorcerer Pros and Cons

The Sorcerer class is most commonly played as a Magicka Sorcerer damage dealer (DPS), but you can also find Stamina Sorcerer damage dealers (DPS) in the game, they are harder to master but also very fun to play.

Pros:

easy rotation
pets play a high factor in dealing damage passively
stamina builds are fast and fun to play
deals a lot of damage while being easy to play
great healing capabilities while dealing damage
one of the best solo specs

Cons:

some players dislike pets in their group because they block the line of sight

Healer Sorcerer Pros and Cons

Sorcerers are good healers, they have a pet that has a big burst heal and they can also utilize the restoration staff to further boost their heals. However, Sorcerer healers are not that common, they are mostly used in niche situations.

Pros:

great healing output
burst heal with their Summon Twilight Matriarch pet
can use Lightning Splash skill to provide conduit synergy support to the group

Cons:

not many class specific heals available
pet heals can be unreliable because the pet can die and you have to resummon it again

Tank Sorcerer Pros and Cons

Sorcerers can be decent tanks, but they aren't very common because they are harder to master and less rewarding to play compared to other tanking specs.

Pros:

good resource management
strong pet heal
easy survivability
great defensive capabilities
good magic shield

Cons:

pet heal can be unreliable because the pet can die
no unique class based tanking skills

Sorcerer Class Skill Lines explained

Next we are going to take a look at the three class skill lines that the Sorcerer has. Of course you can use any skill line available in the game to create your own playstyle. Most if not all builds do use a mix between class and non class skill lines.

You can find a full list of all the Sorcerer class skill lines on the Sorcerer Skills Overview Page.

Dark Magic Skill Line

The Dark Magic skill line is part of the Sorcerer toolkit and has a focus on offensive and support abilities. In addition to powerful abilities, you can also select passives that increase your sustain and support capabilities even further. This skill tree is very useful for Crowd Control (CC).

Its Ultimate base ability is . This casts a large Area of Effect (AoE) and suppresses magic for 12 seconds. In its morph it also heals you and your allies standing inside it and as morph the globe also damages enemies standing inside it.

is one of the abilities in this skill line which is usually an essential skill. Take a look at this video to see how it is used.

Daedric Summoning Skill Line

The Daedric Summoning skill line is part of the Sorcerer toolkit and has a focus on summoned pets, defensive and offensive abilities. In addition to powerful abilities, you can also select passives that increase your support capabilities even further. Especially as the so-called Petsorc you rely a lot on this tree and this is where you draw your most power from.

Its Ultimate base ability is . This can be morphed in either or . is an immobile storm atronach that deals a lot of damage and provides a synergy that anyone can use that is standing close by. is an even better alternative for sorcerer players that play in melee range, as it will deal additional damage to enemies around it.

is one of the abilities in this skill line which is usually an essential skill. Take a look at this video to see how it is used.

Storm Calling Skill Line

The Storm Calling skill line is part of the Sorcerer toolkit and has a focus on offensive and defensive abilities. In addition to the powerful abilities, you can also select passives that increase your damage and sustain capabilities even further. This is an important tree if you want to deal pure damage and is often used by sorcerers that want to deal damage without one or more pets.

Its Ultimate base ability is . This ability replaces your Light and Heavy Attacks with a new, stronger ability. Its first morph, additionally restores Magicka while casting it, the other morph increases the range of Light Attacks and radius of Heavy Attacks. It also increases the damage.

is one of the abilities in this skill line which is usually an essential skill. Take a look at this video to see how it is used.

Sorcerer Class Builds for ESO

Below you can find a full list of common Sorcerer builds. If you are a new player we do recommend starting with the beginner guides. However, you can also go take a look at the endgame builds to see what the class can look like when you reach endgame.

Beginner Sorcerer Class Guides & Builds

The Beginner Sorcerer guides and builds are meant for new players. They introduce you to the Sorcerer class and give you a good starting point for your adventure in ESO.

PvE Solo Sorcerer Class Builds

The PvE Solo Sorcerer builds are optimized for solo gameplay. The builds below have a good balance between damage, survivability, healing and movement. Everything you need to get through ESO alone. Of course, you can also use these solo builds in a group, especially useful in random groups.

PvE Dungeon & Trial META Sorcerer Class Builds

The Meta Sorcerer builds listed below are meant to be played in a group. The Meta Sorcerer builds have a very cookie cutter approach and rely heavily on other group members.

If you are interested in PvP, you can take a closer look at this page, as it lists a variety of PvP builds and explains them in detail.

ESO PvP Builds

Is the Sorcerer Class Beginner Friendly?

The Sorcerer class is one of the most beginner friendly classes in ESO. It is often recommended to players that need help with picking a starter class to start out in ESO. That might also be the reason why you see so many Magicka Sorcerers running around with their pets. But why, what makes the Magicka Sorcerer so beginner friendly?

The pets that you can summon are very strong and the is one of the first skills that you can unlock. Enemy monsters often attack the pets instead of you, therefore you won't take any damage even if you forget to slot a heal. Pets automatically deal damage even if you don't activate their special attack. This also gives quite a damage boost to your character, because new players often lack damage, the pet kinda takes care of that. Later on you also get a second pet called and one of the morphs called provides you with a powerful heal.

In addition to that, Sorcerers also get a more powerful shield than most other classes have, the . They also get a very powerful damage ability early game called . And later in the game you will also be able to unlock the skill that provides you with a lot of heals as long as you deal damage.

If you are a new player we do recommend checking out the Sorcerer Beginner Guide.

Magicka Sorcerer Damage Dealer Showcase

Magicka Sorcerers are very powerful magicka users which benefit a lot from class abilities and passives. Powerful passives such as and already boost your damage sky high. Class damage abilities such as , , , and are also beneficial to the overall high damage of a Magicka Sorcerer Build.

The video below shows the Solo Magicka Sorcerer Build in action, clearing the Unhallowed Grave dungeon which is meant for 4 players alone.

Stamina Sorcerer Damage Dealer Showcase

Stamina Sorcerers in ESO are a true powerhouse and can dish out a lot of damage. Stamina Sorcerers have great abilities such as , and that deal high damage. They also benefit from powerful Sorcerer specific passives such as , and .

The video below shows the Solo Stamina Sorcerer Build in action, clearing the famous Vateshran Hollows Solo Arena on veteran.

Healer Sorcerer Showcase

Magicka Sorcerers have very strong burst heals thanks to the pet. You can also support your group with Minor Intellect (Increased Magicka Recovery) through the skill and Minor Prophecy (Increased Spell Critical) through the passive.

For more information on the Sorcerer Healer I do recommend checking out the Sorcerer Healer Build.

Tank Sorcerer Showcase

Sorcerer Tanks are the least used spec but they also have some cool mechanics. You can combine and to pretty much create an infinite resource loop, making it very easy to sustain. You basically trade health for magicka and magicka for stamina+health if needed. The only tricky part there is that when you use you drop block for a split second, be careful to not get hit with something big while block is not active.

have great self sustain and healing. With the skill we have endless Magicka sustain and covers the Stamina sustain. Those abilities synergize really well together and can basically be used infinitely. Just keep in mind, when you use Dark Deal, you drop block for a split second! Dark Deal also heals you for approx. 10’000 per cast. On top of that we also have the that heals us for 35% of our maximum Health, which is around 22’000 Health non-crit.

For more information on the Sorcerer Tank I do recommend checking out the Sorcerer Tank Build.

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What race is best for Sorcerer in ESO?

It all depends on how you want to play your character. For tanking, Nords, Argonians and Imperials are great. For healing, Bretons, Altmer and Argonians bring a lot to the table. As DPS, Orc, Khajiit, Dunmer and Altmer are really good!

Is Sorcerer a good class ESO?

Sorcerers are one of the top classes in ESO. It all depends on your personal playstyle and whether you choose PvE or PvP. Generally speaking, it's a very good class, especially at tanking.

Is a Breton Sorcerer good?

A Breton is really good at magicka DPS or healing, as their passives support these builds the most.

Is Nord good for Sorcerer?

A Nord is exceptionally good at tanking, as their passives support these kind of builds the best.

Is Imperial good for Sorcerer?

An Imperial is exceptionally good at tanking, as their passives support these kind of builds the best.

Is Altmer good for Sorcerer?

An Altmer (High Elf) is really good at magicka DPS, as their passives support these builds the most.

Is Dunmer good for Sorcerer?

Dunmer (Dark Elf) are pretty versatile and good at basically everything, even if they aren't really specialized. Especially their fire damage passive is pretty great!

Is Khajiit good for Sorcerer?

Khajiit are pretty versatile and good at basically everything, even if they aren't really specialized. Their strongest capability is possibly their crit passive.

Is Argonian good for Sorcerer?

Argonians have great passives when it comes to tanking and healing, so that they make great tanks and healers, even in PvP.

Is Bosmer good for Sorcerer?

A Bosmer's (Wood Elf) racial passives are more targeted towards DPS, especially Stamina DPS. Which makes them not necessarily ideal for tanks or healers.

Is Redguard good for Sorcerer?

Redguard's racial passives are more targeted to either tanks or Stamina DPS. Even though their skills are even better for tanking.

Is Orc good for Sorcerer?

Orcs are exceptionally good at dealing damage. Their passives are especially targeted at Stamina DPS, but they can also be a good choice for Magicka DPS.

What is the best tank race in ESO?

Nords, Imperials and Argonians are really great as tanks in ESO. All of them have great racial passives that support a tanking role.

What is the best healer race in ESO?

Breton, Altmer and Argonians are really great as healers in ESO. All of them have great racial passives that support a healing role.

What is the best DPS race in ESO?

For Stamina, Orcs, Bosmer and Khajiit are the best. For Magicka, Altmer, Khajiit and Breton are really great!

Can Sorcerer use magic?

Yes, every class can use magic. It is called Magicka in ESO and is a stat that every race and class has. Sorcerers have three specific class skill lines called Daedric Summoning, Dark Magic and Storm Calling.

What weapon should a Sorcerer use?

It all depends on your playstyle. Tanks usually wield a shield and one-hand weapon, whereas Stamina DPS use either daggers or axes and Magicka DPS use destruction staves, and healers use restorations staves.

What's the best class in ESO?

It all depends on your playstyle and what you want to achieve in ESO. There's no "one class is the best" as it all depends on the build and whether you want to play it in PvE or PvP.

Is Sorcerer a good class ESO?

Every class can be a good class in ESO. It all depends on your personal playstyle and whether you choose PvE or PvP. Generally speaking, it's a very good class, especially at DPSing.

Sorcerer Fashion Showcase

Lets take a look at a few cool Sorcerer outfits that you can create ingame.

Magicka Sorcerer Outfit

Piece	Item	Dye
Head	Hide Helmet
Shoulder	Greymoor Epaulets	Wisp Blue
Chest	Greymoor Jerkin	Arcane Blue Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue
Gloves	Meridian Gloves	Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue
Sash	Ancestral High Elf Sash	Alik'r Lapis
Pants	Moongrave Fane Guards	Arcane Blue Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue
Shoes	Greymoor Shoes	Arcane Blue Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue
Weapon	Abnur Tharn's Staff	Arcane Blue Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue

Stamina Sorcerer Outfit

Piece	Item	Dye
Head	Ancestral High Elf Helmet	Stalhrim Chrome Aetherial Blue
Shoulder	Sul-Xan Arm Cops	Aetherial Blue
Chest	Welkynar Jack	Stalhrim Chrome Aetherial Blue Marble White
Gloves	Sul-Xan Gauntlets	Stalhrim Chrome Aetherial Blue
Sash	Welkynar Sash	Aetherial Blue
Pants	Xivkyn Guards	Stalhrim Chrome Aetherial Blue Marble White
Shoes	Pyandonean Boots	Stalhrim Chrome
Weapon	Redguard Greatsword 1	Stalhrim Chrome Aetherial Blue Marble White

Healer Sorcerer Outfit

Piece	Item	Dye
Head	Arkthzand Armory Hat	Arcane Blue
Shoulder	Apostle Epaulets	Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue
Chest	Ancient Orc Robe	Arcane Blue Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue
Gloves	Trinimac Gloves	Arcane Blue
Sash	Redguard Sash 2	Arcane Blue Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue
Pants	Ancestral Orc Breeches	Arcane Blue
Shoes	Apostle Shoes	Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue
Weapon	Anequina Staff	Arcane Blue Alik'r Lapis Wisp Blue

Tank Sorcerer Outfit

Piece	Item	Dye
Head	Aldmeri Helm	Arcane Blue
Shoulder	Daedric Pauldrons	Dominion Fisher Yellow Wisp Blue
Chest	Daedric Cuirass	Arcane Blue Dominion Fisher Yellow Rank 9 Materials
Gloves	Nighthollow Gauntlets	Arcane Blue Aetherial Blue Rank 9 Materials
Sash	Tsaesci Belt	Rank 9 Materials
Pants	Orc Greaves 3	Arcane Blue Rank 9 Materials
Shoes	Daedric Sabatons	Arcane Blue Dominion Fisher Yellow Rank 9 Materials
Weapon	Pyandonean Staff	Arcane Blue Dominion Fisher Yellow Rank 9 Materials

Background Story of the Sorcerer Class in ESO

Below you can find information about the story of the Sorcerers in ESO. There is not much known, often information can be found in lorebooks that are found all over Tamriel.

Conjuration is the arcane art of summoning creatures and items from other planes for the usage and benefit of the conjurer. Its study has long languished due to its inherent perils, for summoned entities, particularly the more intelligent Daedra, resent being brought to Nirn to do another's bidding, and often seek to do the conjurer a mischief. The notable success I have had in formulating safe and reliable conjuration spells comes from my system of defining such magics as always having two essential and interlocking components: a summoning incantation and a binding rune. It is the latter part, of course, that protects the conjurer from the entity or item summoned by enthralling it to the summoner.

Heretofore conjuration has been quite a dangerous pursuit due to the fact that a conjuring wizard had to cast summoning and binding as two separate spells, and if the binding was miscast or cast too slowly, the conjurer might pay for the error with his life. My innovation has been to interweave the magics of summoning and binding so that they become one spell that manifests both effects simultaneously, thus ensuring that what is summoned is also necessarily bound. The apprentice is urged to apply himself diligently to study of the spells in the accompanying grimoire: though my methods have rendered conjuration less perilous, it is by no means an art to be attempted lightly and carelessly. The apprentice who does so will only briefly be a burden to his or her master.

Taken from the correspondence of Sojourner Lilatha, sorcerer of the Psijic Order.

Esteemed Ritemaster Iachesis,

I apologize for the lateness of this missive. My wanderings took me far beyond the boundaries of civilization, where the fabric of the Mundus grows thin indeed. I only recently returned to the land of Summerset.

I encountered a fellow traveler on my journeys through the veil, Ritemaster—the Telvanni sorcerer, Divayth Fyr.

I'm sorry to report that his temperament has not improved. When Divayth left our isle of Artaeum, he was a sharp-elbowed upstart. In the intervening millennia, his power and vanity have grown a thousand-fold. Thankfully, his ambitions remain very narrow. He does not desire wealth or influence in his Great House Telvanni. He has no interest in accumulating followers or expanding his holdings beyond Tel Fyr. He seeks forbidden knowledge, and little else. This of course poses its own dangers. Forbidden knowledge is forbidden for a reason, after all.

We found each other on the Isle of Dranil Kir. I went to the island to investigate an ancient Psijic scrying device. When I entered the ruins, I found Divayth Fyr engaging in some profane Daedric ritual. I interrupted it, of course—not wanting to be devoured by whatever fellcreature he intended to pull from the void. He was far from pleased.

After a bout of cursing, he explained his intentions (in the most patronizing terms possible). Apparently, he intended to open a rift to a pocket dimension using a bizarre Dwarven device. I asked him why. He made a sour face and sighed. “Why do we do anything, my dear Lilatha? To prove that we can, of course."

He went on to ask me about a Daedric artifact he's keen to acquire. Well, not “ask," exactly. Fyr would never ask for help outright. No, he twisted his words to make it clear he was doing me a favor by bringing me into his confidence. I told him I hadn't heard anything, and urged him to conduct his Daedric experiments elsewhere.

In truth, I do know about this artifact, and Divayth is smart enough to know I was lying. I urge you to keep a close eye on him, Ritemaster. Divayth is not nefarious, but his motives remain too murky for my taste. Trifling with Daedric artifacts is a dangerous proposition, even for mages as powerful as Fyr. Perhaps one day he will temper that power with humility. I'm not optimistic.

Yours in magic,

Lilatha

Sorcerer Class in ESO - Everything you need to know!

Sorcerer Class in ESO - Everything you need to know!

Sorcerer Class Introduction

General Sorcerer Pros and Cons

DPS Sorcerer Pros and Cons

Healer Sorcerer Pros and Cons

Tank Sorcerer Pros and Cons

Sorcerer Class Skill Lines explained

Dark Magic Skill Line

Daedric Summoning Skill Line

Storm Calling Skill Line

Sorcerer Class Builds for ESO

Beginner Sorcerer Class Guides & Builds

PvE Solo Sorcerer Class Builds

PvE Dungeon & Trial META Sorcerer Class Builds

Is the Sorcerer Class Beginner Friendly?

Magicka Sorcerer Damage Dealer Showcase

Stamina Sorcerer Damage Dealer Showcase

Healer Sorcerer Showcase

Tank Sorcerer Showcase

Related pages

Frequently asked questions

What race is best for Sorcerer in ESO?

Is Sorcerer a good class ESO?

Is a Breton Sorcerer good?

Is Nord good for Sorcerer?

Is Imperial good for Sorcerer?

Is Altmer good for Sorcerer?

Is Dunmer good for Sorcerer?

Is Khajiit good for Sorcerer?

Is Argonian good for Sorcerer?

Is Bosmer good for Sorcerer?

Is Redguard good for Sorcerer?

Is Orc good for Sorcerer?

What is the best tank race in ESO?

What is the best healer race in ESO?

What is the best DPS race in ESO?

Can Sorcerer use magic?

What weapon should a Sorcerer use?

What's the best class in ESO?

Is Sorcerer a good class ESO?

Sorcerer Fashion Showcase

Magicka Sorcerer Outfit

Stamina Sorcerer Outfit

Healer Sorcerer Outfit

Tank Sorcerer Outfit

Background Story of the Sorcerer Class in ESO