――― Animals, da most notorious gang in da city…ya get me? …(Placide, Voodoo Boys)
――― 一度はAnimal Companionsのスキルで埋め尽くしたビルドを作りたかっただろ?正直になれよ。….(俺)
The new subclass system can edit role-specific subclasses setup, but it requires many armory slots.
In my case, most sub characters have only 2-3 armory slots, so they can't have both a PvP and a PvE-DPS setup.
I need a build which can do PvE content with PvP subclasses.
※This build can:
- Solo/Group Arena V
Beam-DPS is generally more welcomed, but if you die often, an Oaken build may serve you better. - Trial N(except Cloudrest; requires swap for mechanics)
For Trial V with HA, get Rakkhat's Voidmantle.
(Not beginner-friendly, costly gear. Remember you can always swap characters for Trial V.) - Dungeon V(If you know mechs well)
Don’t be too eager for HM. I’ve cleared several DLC HMs with Oaken and random groups, but I’ve also failed.
Honestly, [Animal Companions] is strong and suitable for a HA build. (And, it's possibly within your PvP armory slot.)
Deep Fissure and Swarm provide 3 important debuffs for a long time (Major Breach, Minor Breach, and Minor Vulnerability). Dive easily causes [Off-Balance], which boosts HA damage just before you start HA. Bond with Nature will heal you every time you cast(and expire) an Animal skill.
In most situations, simply keeping Animal skills active is enough.
※Caution. When you use Dive, keep away from your target more than 7m. When you want to proc Noble Duelist's Silks, within 7m.
Rotation / Flow
- Preparation: Cast Deep Fissure & Netch before battle.
- Engage: Procs Noble Duelist’s Silks.
- Step back (7m+): Use Dive on main target (applies Off-Balance) → HA ×3.
Off-Balance lasts 7s; immunity lasts 15s.
Off-Balance need to 7m away when Dive just hit. not when you cast Dive. - Repeat: After Off-Balance ends, Dive another enemy + HA.
Unlike Sorc HA, Animal HA can start Off-Balance whenever you want. - If needed: Spam Netch for heals.
If you must split from healers, remember Bond with Nature and Netch cost nothing.
(I call this NetR…no, “Netch Runner”)
Subclass
[Animal Companions] plus two subclasses. I confirmed the following subclasses match well. A pair of [Aedric Spear] and [Storm Calling] is balanced as a whole.
↑Offensive to Defensive↓
- T1: Aedric Spear: Offensive Shield
- Ne1: Grave Lord: Offensive AoE
- S3: Storm Calling: Offensive HA
- D3: Earthen Heart: Defensive Shield
It's better than [Ardent Flame] for this build, which rarely uses DoT skills, poison or flame skills, or a Flame Staff. Mountain's Blessing is useful for a Damage Dealer.
I intentionally omitted Nightblade and Arcanist because you can create a common beam build if you use their subclasses.
Performance Overview (3M Dummy Average, Flawless Execution)
- [Aedric Spear] and [Storm Calling] : 57k. Well-balanced.
- [Aedric Spear] and [Grave Lord] : 52k. AoE Bomb type.
Due to the AoE skill Blighted Blastbones, the actual DPS in PT is higher than the dummy score. - [Storm Calling] and [Earthen Heart] : 48k. Support type.
While the DPS is lower, these skill lines offer great potential. for example, Cinder Storm with Power Surge allows for simultaneous attacking and healing, and Magma Armor with Bolt Escape can be used to ignore difficult mechanics. I think a solo build may have this flexibility because you never know what will happen in random groups you will join.
Skills
Three skills & Ultimate are mostly fixed from Animal Companions. Other skills are flexible depending on the situation.
Skills should have long-lasting effects or be self-sustaining, because HA builds can only cast skills every 3 seconds. Deep Fissure requires recasting every nine seconds, Cutting Dive every ten seconds, and Betty Netch every twenty-five seconds for maximum efficiency. The rotation is almost full. Adding high-DPS skills to the 4th and 5th slots will likely not improve your actual DPS.
4th & 5th Skill Options
- Swarm (Growing Swarm or Fetcher Infection)
Default choice if you need to pick from [Animal Companions]. Grants Minor Vulnerability and 5% Critical damage. Either morph is fine.
Growing Swarm is limited to one target, but Minor Vulnerability is unaffected. Don’t hesitate to recast before HA—each cast also procs Bond with Nature.
Fetcher Infection is a complex skill. While the description states "Every second cast, 60% increased damage" this does not apply per target. If you use the first Fetcher Infection on target A, the next use of Fetcher Infection will always be treated as the second use. If the target is still A, the first effect is overwritten. If used on a different target B, Fetcher Infection is cast on B with 60% increased damage. After the second use, it resets to the first use.
Given this information, you might think you should use the second Fetcher Infection on the BOSS and the first on the Adds. However, this isn't discernible via a dedicated buff; you must judge by observing Fetcher Infection's actual damage output, making it practically impossible in reality(※ If you use Combat Metronome, you can show the information). Moreover, using a single-target DoT skill on adds is inefficient to begin with. (Note: This second-use determination persists even after combat ends, so it's possible to use the first Fetcher Infection before boss battle. Aiming for high scores on the Training Dummy also requires this tearful adjustment for the "second use".)
Therefore, Fetcher Infection should only be used on bosses. When employed this way, it functions as a high-performance single-target DoT skill, delivering an average 30% increased damage.
If you're fed up with reading this far, I recommend using Growing Swarm. I get fed up when I punch scarecrows too. Theoretically, this one has higher stats. - Radiant Ward (T1: Aedric Spear)
Good and common choice from the Templar skill line. It also works as spammable AoE direct damage. In most cases, Heavy Attack weaving with the skill is the best strategy. - Critical Surge (S3: Storm Calling)
If you require more healing. - Crushing Shock
If you need an interrupt. - Banner Bearer ( [Magical Banner] )
In group play, it can increase group DPS. For solo, I confirmed Swarm usually performs better. - Blighted Blastbones (Ne1: Grave Lord)
For PT (Group/Trial). Good AoE damage, but it requires frequent recasting. If enemies are few, you should use an alternate skill.
Because it applies Disease status effects and acts like a tracking missile, the skill can yield higher DPS in actual combat than on a training dummy. - Detonating Siphon (Ne1: Grave Lord)
If you need DPS for a single target. Other Grave Lord skills(Blighted Blastbones, Boneyard) can make the rotation too complex. - Igneous Shield (D3: Earthen Heart)
Mountain's Blessing requires at least one Earthen Heart skill. Therefore, your shield skill must be Igneous Shield if you use the Earthen Heart subclass. - Eruption (D3: Earthen Heart)
It provides a small amount of AoE damage but offers the highest DPS among Earthen Heart skills. - Dampen Magic (Light Armor), Torchbearer ( e.g. [Healing Torch] ), Ulfsild's Contingency ([Warding Contingency])
If your class skill lines have no defensive options. Class skills are generally more advantageous, so prioritize them.
Training Dummy
2025/11/8
I have added a new screenshot of a 3 million health dummy parse, reaching approximately 59k DPS. (Storm Calling+Aedric Spear)
My score with a standard, attack-focused Heavy Attack build (Assassination, Templar, and Grave Lord ※) was nearly 61k. Therefore, I estimate the attack performance of the build is about 2k–3k lower than an attack-focused build under similarly ideal conditions.
※ Like [Backstabber], [Assassination]'s passives and off-balance require enemies back or flank. These builds are not for solo. Also, you wouldn't adopt Highland Sentinel if solo.
Non-Heavy Attack Oaken
See the setup tab (Non-HA-PTDD) for details.
When you join a PUG PT as a Damage Dealer (DD), it generally requires strong AoE DPS. This is one of the builds that the subclasses of Animals HA can create. The AoE specialized one-bar build is slightly stronger than poorly optimized beam DDs.
The gear set for Non-HA-PTDD does not perfectly match that of Animals HA, making it difficult to use the build as an alternative. However, just having that option available can be quite a relief.
I recommend creating an AoE DD build like this via Caro's Skill Point Saver.
Tips / Addon Advise
Enchant
I usually share the gears( Sergeant's Mail, Noble Duelist's Silks) via my house storage.
These gears should preferably be enchanted with Tri-stats because this build does not have heavy spam skills.
With Tri-stat gear, you can use the same set for both stamina and magicka builds.
Stamina Convertible
The build doesn't need to be magicka type. If you want to be stamina, Animal Companions's morph can be adjusted. Fetcher Infection to Growing Swarm. For a one-by-one style, Stamina works better.
Cutting Dive is better than Screaming Cliff Racer because of Critical Surge.
Blue Betty pairs well with Radiant Ward. Bull Netch is good with Banner Bearer. Lack of stamina can be fatal, so Bull Netch remains a solid choice.
Race
Unfortunately, Khajiit is out... Critical damage bonus is 25%(Animal) + 12%(Aedric Spear) + 10%(Minor Force). Critical cap is near if you are in PT.
Curse
For pure PvE, Vampire isn’t needed. HA builds are resource-friendly, so skill costs rarely matter.
About HA weaving
Light attack:
LClick(LA) → Push Skill button immediately (LA animation canceled) → (1sec, skill animations can't be canceled) → next LClick …
Heavy attack(Lightning staff):
LHold(HA) → (1sec, HA Dot1) → (1sec, HA Dot2) → (HA direct damage) → LRelease & Push Skill button immediately (HA animation canceled) → next LHold …
Addon
- Caro's Skill Point Saver
This addon lets you auto-respec all your skills, CP, and attributes. Keep empty armory slot, and respec to any build you want. - XL Gear Banker
This addon lets you bulk deposit and withdraw your gear to and from your bank or house storage. You can share common gears which you frequently use account-wide. - Hyper Tanking Tools
The addon has Off-Balance tracker.
https://www.esoui.com/downloads/info2901-CarosSkillPointSaverBuildsChampionPointsPresetsGearQuickslotsAppearancesOutfits.html
https://www.esoui.com/downloads/info2482-XLGearBanker.html
https://www.esoui.com/downloads/info2778-HyperTankingTools.html
Q. How did this page (and image) end up looking like this?
A. I kept making ChatGPT tweak and polish my writing… and somehow, here we are. Probably my previous discussion about Cyberpunk2077 caused it. I thought it looked funny, so I just left it like that.
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