Updated: Markarth DLC, Greymoor Chapter
Type: Dungeon, Trial, Arena & Overland
Buildname: Curse
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Trials & Dungeons Setup
- Resource Management
- Rotation
- AoE Setup
- Maelstrom Arena
- Update Log & Changes
Introduction
Welcome to the Magicka Necromancer Build PvE “Curse” for Elder Scrolls Online. Make sure to bookmark the link as I will keep updating the build for each new Update of ESO. The “Curse” build is made for PvE Trials, Arenas and Dungeons. You can also find other Magicka Necromancer content on the website such as:
- Magicka Necromancer Beginners Guide
- Magicka Necromancer Beginner 160CP Build
- Solo Magicka Necromancer Build
Necromancer is a new class that got implemented with the Elsweyr Chapter. Necromancer stands out due to abilities and passives like Glacial Colossus, Unnerving Boneyard, Stalking Blastbones, Death Knell, Last Gasp and Undead Confederate that make them very powerful. On top of that, the extra 1250 Health and the extra 1500 Spell Penetration will give you a huge advantage over other classes.
- Necromancer Class
- High Single Target (ST) Damage
- High Ranged & Melee Damage
- Crazy Area of Effect (AoE) Damage
- Good Sustain
- Easy Survivability due to magicka shield
- Trials, Dungeons and Maelstrom!
Trials & Dungeons Setup
Gear used: 5x Perfect False God’s Devotion, 5x Mother’s Sorrow, 2x Maw of the Infernal on a High Elf with Artaeum Picked Fish Bowl
- Unbuffed: Out of combat, Buff-Food active
- Buffed: In Combat, All raid buffs from the Target dummy, Buff-food, Spell Power Potion and Weapon Damage Enchantment active.
Gear
You will find 3 different setups here. Setup 1 is the preferred setup. For people that do not have all the gear yet can use the Setup 2 which is easier to obtain and beginners can use Setup 3.
- Setup 1 is with Trial Gear
- Setup 2 is without Trial Gear
- Setup 3 is for Beginners
There are plenty of good Magicka DPS sets in the game, you can check out the “Endgame Magicka DPS Sets Article” with an explanation for each set.
Gear Setup 1
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Mother’s Sorrow | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Mother’s Sorrow | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Mother’s Sorrow | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Zaan | Heavy | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Zaan | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Weapon 1 | Mother’s Sorrow | Fire | Nirnhoned | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Perfected Crushing Wall | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Gear Setup 2
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Law of Julianos | Heavy | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Law of Julianos | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Law of Julianos | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Mother’s Sorrow | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Mother’s Sorrow | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Maw of the Infernal | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Maw of the Infernal | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Weapon 1 | Law of Julianos | Fire | Nirnhoned | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Crushing Wall | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Gear Setup 3 Beginner
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Law of Julianos | Heavy | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Law of Julianos | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Law of Julianos | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Magnus’ Gift | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Magnus’ Gift | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Magnus’ Gift | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Magnus’ Gift | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Willpower | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Willpower | Jewelry | Healthy | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Willpower | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Weapon 1 | Law of Julianos | Fire | Precise or Nirnhoned | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Law of Julianos | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Where can I get the gear?
Perfected False God’s Devotion: vSunspire
False God’s Devotion: Sunspire
Mother’s Sorrow: Deshaan, Guildtrader
Perfected Crushing Wall (Maelstrom Staff): vMaelstrom Arena
Crushing Wall (Maelstrom Staff): Maelstrom Arena
Zaan: vScalecaller Peak
Iceheart: vDirefrost Keep
Maw of the Infernal: vThe Banished Cells II, Maj Undaunted Chest
Willpower: Guildstore
Magnus’ Gift: Craftable
Law of Julianos: Craftable
Mechanical Acuity: Craftable
Skills
| Fire Staff Mainbar | Fire Staff bar |
|---|---|
| Slot 1: Mystic Siphon | Slot 1: Unstable Wall of Elements |
| Slot 2: Skeletal Arcanist | Slot 2: Unnerving Boneyard |
| Slot 3: Ricochet Skull | Slot 3: Harness Magicka |
| Slot 4: Stalking Blastbones | Slot 4: Channeled Acceleration |
| Slot 5: Mystic Orb | Slot 5: Necrotic Potency |
| Ultimate: Shooting Star | Ultimate: Glacial Colossus |
Skills Explanation
- Shocking Siphon: Deals good damage and restores 2880 Magicka over 12 seconds. This ability needs a CORPSE to be activated.
- Skeletal Arcanist: Deals good damage and is mainly here to give you the 200 extra Magicka Recovery from the Undead Confederate passive and the extra 1500 Spell Penetration from the Dismember passive.
- Ricochet Skull: This is your main spammable ability.
- Stalking Blastbones: This is a strong single target and AoE ability which also provides a corpse for your other abilities. It is your main source of corpses, make sure to remember it takes 2.5s to activate and another 0.5s to run to the enemy depending on your distance.
- Mystic Orb: Very powerful Single Target and AoE damage.
- Shooting Star: Increases your Max Magicka by 2% due to the Magicka Controller passive.
- Unstable Wall of Fire: This needs to be on the ground all the times as it deals a lot of damage with a strong explosion and also buffs the damage of your Light Attacks if you have a Maelstrom Staff.
- Unnerving Boneyard: Deals really good AoE damage, make sure that you activate this ability while a CORPSE is on the ground to get the 50% damage boost!
- Harness Magicka: This is your shield in case you get hit by a lot of damage, can bolster your health by a lot.
- Channeled Acceleration: Keep this up all the time to get the extra critical damage buff.
- Necrotic Potency: Can be used to drain corpses on the ground for extra ultimate points.
- Glacial Colossus: Can be activated to deal a lot of damage and apply Major Vulnerability to the enemy for a short duration.
Champion Points
If you need optimized defensive Champion Points for a specific trial I recommend checking out my Maximize Damage Mitigation in Trials Article.
- Calculator: In case you need help distributing your Champion Points, make sure to check out the Champion Points Calculator!
Champion Points [810]
The Ritual
44 Thaumaturge
The Atronach
73 Master-at-Arms, 23 Staff Expert
The Apprentice
64 Elemental Expert, 66 Elfborn
The Shadow
61 Tumbling, 61 Shadow Ward
The Lover
100 Arcanist
The Tower
37 Warlord, 11 Sprinter
The Lord
The Lady
49 Hardy, 49 Elemental Defender, 48 Thick Skinned
The Steed
81 Ironclad, 43 Spell Shield
Champion Points [600]
The Ritual
40 Thaumaturge
The Atronach
34 Master at Arms, 22 Staff Expert
The Apprentice
64 Elemental Expert, 40 Elfborn
The Shadow
29 Tumbling, 29 Shadow Ward
The Lover
100 Arcanist
The Tower
31 Warlord, 11 Sprinter
The Lord
The Lady
49 Hardy, 49 Elemental Defender, 37 Thick Skinned
The Steed
37 Ironclad, 28 Spell Shield
Champion Points [300]
The Ritual
18 Thaumaturge
The Atronach
16 Master at Arms, 18 Staff Expert
The Apprentice
32 Elemental Expert, 16 Elfborn
The Shadow
17 Tumbling, 17 Shadow Ward
The Lover
37 Arcanist
The Tower
18 Warlord, 11 Sprinter
The Lord
The Lady
27 Hardy, 27 Elemental Defender, 18 Thick Skinned
The Steed
16 Ironclad, 12 Spell Shield
Important Info for Magicka Necromancer Build PvE
Here you can find information about what race, buff-food, potions & poisons you want to use. I also do list all the passives that you need for this setup.
Buff-food
Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl
(Max Health, Max Magicka)
(Fish, Rice, Clam Gall, Honey)
In case you still have sustain issues or you don’t have access to False God’s Devotion or you are not a Breton, I recommend using the Witchmother’s Potent Brew Drink (or Clockwork Citrus Filet)
Mundus Stone
You want to make sure to use the Shadow Mundus Stone, this will be nice especially during the execute where you can reach a 100% Spell Critical Chance due to the passive Death Knell.
Shadow Mundus (Increased Critical Damage)
Race
The best race for the Magicka Necromancer Build is the High Elf or Breton race. The High Elf has the highest overall damage and Bretons have the best sustain. However, all magicka based races work. You can find out more about all the racial passives in the Racial Overview page.
Potions
Spell-Power Potions
(Spell-crit, Spell Damage, Magicka)
(Cornflower, Ladys Smock, Water Hyacinth)
Passives
- Grave Lord: Reusable Parts, Death Knell, Dismember, Rapid Rot
- Bone Tyrant: Death Gleaning, Disdain Harm, Last Gasp
- Living Death: Curative Curse, Corpse Consumption, Undead Confederate
- Destruction Staff: Tri Focus, Penetrating Magic, Elemental Force, Ancient Knowledge, Destruction Expert
- Light Armor: Grace, Evocation, Spell Warding, Prodigy, Concentration
- Heavy Armor: Resolve, Constitution, Juggernaut
- Fighters Guild: Banish the Wicked
- Mages Guild: Mage Adept, Everlasting Magic, Magicka Controller, Might of the Guild
- Psijic Order: Clairvoyance, Spell Orb, Concentrated Barrier, Deliberation
- Undaunted: Undaunted Command, Undaunted Mettle
- Racial: All
- Alchemy: Medicinal Use
Attributes
All into Magicka
Resource Management
Undead Confederate gives us 200 extra Magicka Recovery as long as we keep up our Skeletal Arcanist.
Mystic Siphon also returns Magicka as long as it is active.
Energy Orb will always be present in a good group. When you get close to the Orb you can activate its synergy to regain resources.
Potions should always be used on cooldown to gain the maximum benefit from them.
Heavy Attacks help you restore Magicka, if you drop low on resources do a few Heavy Attacks between skills to refill your Magicka.
- Undead Confederate
- Mystic Siphon
- Orb Synergy
- Potions
- Heavy Attack
Rotation
Also please check out the “Weaving Beginner Guide” which explains how to weave light attacks between abilities, aka animation canceling.
Whenever possible, activate things like the Skeletal Mage, Channeled Acceleration and Blastbones before the fight starts, that way you gain some burst advantage.
Unstable Wall of Elements > LA > Unnerving Boneyard > LA > Weapon Swap
LA > Blastbones > LA > Skeletal Mage > LA > Ricochet Skull > LA > Blastbones > LA > Mystic Siphon > LA > Ricochet Skull > LA > Blastbones > LA > Mystic Orb > Weapon Swap
Restart
- Reapply Channeled Acceleration when it runs out.
- Use Ultimate whenever it is ready
- LA = Light Attack
How to Play Beginner Video Guide
This Video is not directly tied to the build, it is here to introduce you to the class and show you a general setup that you can play.
Area of Effect Setup
Here you can find an optimized AoE setup for your build. This will help increase your damage on trash packs during dungeons & trials. You can choose any magicka based Monster Set, I prefer Iceheart because it provides so much damage mitigation.
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Mechanical Acuity | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Mechanical Acuity | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Mechanical Acuity | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Iceheart | Heavy | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Iceheart | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Weapon 1 | Mechanical Acuity | Shock | Nirnhoned | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Perfected Crushing Wall | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Skills
Maelstrom Arena
If you are new to Maelstrom Arena, I highly recommend checking out the full Maelstrom Arena Veteran Guide! Always make sure to start a new wave off with a Heavy Attack to restore a lot of resources!
Gear
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Perfected False God’s Devotion | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Iceheart | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Iceheart | Heavy | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Weapon 1 | Mother’s Sorrow | Fire | Nirnhoned | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Mother’s Sorrow | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Skills
We choose Crushing Shock over the Skull spammable to interrupt ranged enemies while they are casting.
Update Log
11.08 2019 Updated the Magicka Necromancer Build for the SCALEBREAKER DLC, Elsweyr Chapter, Magicka Necromancer PvE Build.
20.10.2019 Updated the Build for the DRAGONHOLD DLC.
20.02.2020 Updated the Build for the HARROWSTORM DLC.
24.05.2020 Updated the Build for the GREYMOOR CHAPTER.
22.08.2020 Updated the Build for the STONETHORN DLC, Greymoor Chapter.
30.10.2020 Updated the Build for the MARKARTH DLC, Greymoor Chapter.
Changes to the previous Version
U28 Markarth DLC: Updated the Character Screenshot.
Champion System
- Reduced the Weapon and Spell Critical Chance granted from Perfect Strike and Spell Precision to 3% each, down from 9%.
Major/Minor System
- Major Savagery and Prophecy: Increased to 12%, up from 10%.
- Minor Berserk: Decreased to 5%, down from 8%.
- Minor Vulnerability: Decreased to 5%, down from 8%.
- Major Vulnerability: Decreased to 10%, down from 25%.
- Minor Magickasteal: Decreased to 168 per hit, down from 300.
Frozen Colossus:
- Removed this Ultimate and the morphs’ Major Vulnerability invulnerability.
- Increased the duration of Major Vulnerability applied from these to 12 seconds per hit, up from 8. This will increase the total duration to 15 seconds per cast.
- Major Vulnerability: Decreased to 10%, down from 25%.
Major Vulnerability can now be kept up a 100% of the time again and doesn’t have a cooldown. But the modifier took a hit from 25% to now being 10% but it will also last longer now.
Tags. Magicka Necromancer Build PvE, Magicka Necro Build, MagCro Build PvE, Curse Build Alcast.
