Powerful Sorcerer Tank Build for ESO – Elder Scrolls Online

Table of Contents

• Trials & Dungeons Setup
  • Gear
  • Skills
  • Champion Points
  • Important Info (Food, Mundus, Race, Potions, Passives, Attributes)
• Resource Management
• Outfit Style Showcase
• Update Log

Welcome to the Sorcerer Tank Build PvE “Capacitor” for ESO (Elder Scrolls Online). Make sure to bookmark the link as I will keep updating the build for each new Update of ESO. The Sorcerer Tank Build Capacitor is optimized for Dungeons & Trials. Keep in mind there is a huge variety of different tank builds out there that synergize well depending on your group setup.

Other Tank Guides:

• Beginner’s Tanking Guide
• Advanced Tanking Guide
• Endgame Tank Sets

The Sorcerer Tank Build Capacitor has great self sustain and healing capabilities. With Balance we have endless Magicka sustain and Dark Deal 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 Summon Unstable Clannfear that heals us for 35% of our maximum Health, which is around 15k Health non-crit. And the heal from the Clannfear can actually critical hit too, increasing the heal further. Bound Aegis allows us to increase block mitigation by an insane amount for a short time. You can read more in the skills section of the build.

• Dungeon Build
• Tank/Support Build
• Heavy Armor
• Great Sustain
• Easy survivability
• Good Shielding
• Insane Healing
• Insane Resource Management
• Concuss enemies for 5% more dmg

Trials & Dungeon Setup Sorcerer Tank Build

In this section, we are going to take a look at the ESO Sorcerer Tank Build setup.

5x Turning Tide, 5x Powerful Assault, 2x Nazaray, 2x Puncturing Remedy with Bewitched Sugar Skills on a Nord.

• Unbuffed: Out of combat, buff-food active.
• Buffed: In combat, Raid Target Dummy buffs, Tri-Stat Potions, Powerful Assault and Puncture Remedy set, Pet, Balance active.

Gear Sorcerer Tank Build

Gear Setup

Gear Combo: Combining the sets Turning Tide and Nazaray creates a powerful combo. You can apply Major Vulnerability with Turning Tide and then activate an ultimate to proc Nazaray to get a very extended duration on the Major Vulnerability debuff. Basically increasing the damage output for the whole group for a long duration. If you have 500 ultimate points saved up you get an additional 25 seconds of Major Vulnerability, increasing the total time to 35 seconds!

Backbar Weapon: We use a Frost staff as a base back bar weapon, because of the Ancient Knowledge passive. However, you can also use a Lightning Staff or another sword and board if you wish to do so.

Puncturing Remedy: If you don’t have access to the Puncturing Remedy set you can simply use Powerful Assault on the frontbar too.

Powerful Assault: We only back bar this set because we use the Echoing Vigor skill on the back bar to apply the buff to yourself and allies.

Beginner Gear Setup

This beginner setup is here for people that do not have access to the other setup now. You can ask a friend to craft Fortified Brass and Torug’s Pact for you. You could also use Plague Doctor instead of Torug’s Pact as it is very cheap and available in the Guild Stores.

Where can I get the gear?

Turning Tide: Shipwright’s Regret dungeon
Powerful Assault: Imperial City Vault, Guildstores
Puncturing Remedy: nDragonstar Arena
Perfected Puncturing Remedy: vDragonstar Arena
Nazaray: vShipwright’s Regret dungeon, Undaunted Enclave rewards.
Fortified Brass: Craftable
Torug’s Pact: Craftable
Night’s Silence: Craftable
Plague Doctor: Deshaan, Guildstore

Skills Sorcerer Tank Build

Make sure to adjust your skills to your needs, this setup is not maced into stone, make sure to adjust skills depending on the situation of a fight.

• Silver Leash can be used if you need something to pull monsters to you.

Skills explanation:

• Inner Rage: This is your ranged taunt, in case you can not get to a mob fast enough.
• Heroic Slash: Debuffs the enemy with a 5% damage reduction debuff and also gives you Minor Heroism, increasing your Ultimate generation.
• Pierce Armor: Your main taunt, also debuffs the enemy with Major Breach, reducing Spell and Physical Resistance by 5948.
• Bound Aegis: While slotted grants 5% max magicka and Minor Resolve, increasing your resistances. When you activate it you gain 40% block mitigation for a short time, reducing incoming damage by a lot.
• Unstable Clannfear: This pet is insane, the heal when you activate your pet scales of your maximum Health. We have around 47k-50k health and the pet heals for 35% of that and it actually can crit. On top of that, even if you use Balance you can still heal yourself for a good amount. While we have a pet active, we also gain 8% more overall Health due to the Expert Summoner passive.
• Shield Discipline: Only use this Ultimate when you have no resources available, otherwise I always recommend using the Horn. You could also slot Temporal Guard here to gain free 5% damage mitigation.
• Balance: Trades health for magicka. Also applies Major Resolve, increasing your resistances by a lot for a long duration.
  • IMPORTANT: Be aware that when you use the skill, that all incoming shields and healing will be cut in half for the next 4 seconds.
• Dark Deal: Restores a lot of Stamina for the cost of Magicka. Be careful though, you will drop block for half a second. This in combination with Spell Symmetry allows you to have endless sustain.
• Elemental Blockade: If you are using a frost staff, this can proc Minor Brittle and Minor Maim on the enemy, which increases enemy critical damage taken and reduces enemy damage. Also provides a small shield to allies.
• Echoing Vigor: Applies an AoE heal and also activates the set Powerful Assault.
• Aggressive Warhorn: Your main Ultimate, to buff the group with 10% more max resources and crit damage boost.

Other good skills:

• Regenerative Ward: The main point of this skill is so your group members receive Minor Intellect, increasing their Magicka Recovery. It is also a well sized shield that you can use to shield hard hitting abilities.
• Energy orb: This skill helps to support your other group members with better sustain when they activate the Synergy, usually Healers already run those.
• Temporal Guard: This is the new Psijic Order Ultimate. You could slot this on the front bar to gain 5% free damage mitigation.
• Flex Spot: If you want more Shock abilities that concuss enemies to gain 5% damage for your group members, you could swap out the Clannfear to open up two spots, one for Liquid Lightning and the other one with something else.

Champion Points for the ESO Sorcerer Tank Build

Below you can find the Champion Points setup for this build. Work your way from top to bottom in your allocation. For more information on Champion Points, please visit the Champion Points Overview Page on ESO-Hub.com.

Important:

• Warfare Tree: This tree gives you a mix between damage, healing and damage mitigation.
• Fitness Tree: This tree gives you extra health, sustain and defensive buffs.
• Craft Tree: This tree is mostly optional, nothing really “impacts” combat, therefore you can pick whatever you prefer, or use the preset below.
• Perks: Hovering over each perk will give you insights on what it does. Presets are also provided for each of the allocations below.

Click the tab below to open the allocation.

Important Info for Sorcerer Tank Build PvE

Buff-food

In general, most Tanks like to go with max resource buff foods such as the Bewitched Sugar Skulls or the cheaper version Longfin pasty with Melon Sauce. However, you could also use Jewels of Misrule which provides Health and a lot of Magicka and Stamina recovery.

Longfin pasty with Melon Sauce (Max Health+Max Stamina+Max Magicka)

Bewitched Sugar Skulls

The Bewitched Sugar Skulls is a slightly more advanced version that has a bit higher stats and also includes health recovery. Though it also costs more.

You can also visit the Buff Food and Drinks Overview Page for more information on all food and drinks.

Mundus Stone

The Lord is a good Mundus Stone to increase maximum Health. However, you can also use other available Mundus Stones if you don’t need the extra Health. For an overview of all the Mundus Stones in ESO you can check out the Mundus Stone Overview Page.

The Lord Mundus Stone (Max Health)

Race

You can find more about racial passives in the ESO Race Overview page.

Nord
Argonian
Imperial
Orc
Redguard
Dark Elf

Potions

For hard content I recommend using crafted or crown store Tri-Stat potions.

Tri-Stat Potion
(Health, Stamina, Magicka)
(Bugloss, Columbine, Mountain Flower)

Passives

• Dark Magic: Unholy Knowledge, Blood Magic, Persistence, Exploitation
• Daedric Summoning: Rebate, Power Stone, Daedric Protection, Expert Summoner
• Storm Calling: Capacitor
• One Hand and Shield: Fortress, Sword and Board, Deadly Bash, Deflect Bolts, Battlefield Mobility
• Destruction Staff: Penetrating Magic, Elemental Force, Ancient Knowledge, Destruction Expert (Note: Do not activate Tri Focus passive)
• Heavy Armor: Resolve, Constitution, Juggernaut, Revitalize, Rapid Mending
• Medium Armor: If you have spare skillpoints, max out this skill line too.
• Light Armor: If you have spare skillpoints, max out this skill line too.
• Mages Guild: Mage Adept, Everlasting Magic, Magicka Controller
• Undaunted: Undaunted Command, Undaunted Mettle
• Racial: All
• Alchemy: Medicinal Use

Attributes

You have to make sure to have a bit more Stamina than Magicka. Because of the Synergies you pick up give you back whatever stat is higher. You can change this to your liking, if you do not need that much health, get more stamina.

20 Magicka, 20 Health, 24 Stamina

Resource Management for the ESO Sorc Tank Build

Balance returns Magicka and Dark Deal returns Stamina, basically enabling unlimited sustain for us.

Energy Orb is a skill that Healers use to throw into the group. You can use the synergy this skill provides to regain around 4000 resources. Our max Stamina is a bit higher than our Max Magicka, that is because you will get resources depending on your higher max Stamina or Magicka. And because we are a tank, Stamina is definitely more important.

Heavy Attacks restore a big amount of stamina, if you hit an off-balanced enemy it gives twice the amount back. You don’t need to permablock, try to find time to do Heavy Attacks in your rotation.

Potions are also a key to manage your resources well, I recommend using Tri-Stat potions to regain all three resources at the same time. Further below you will learn how to craft the right potions.

• Dark Deal
• Spell Symmetry
• Orbs (Undaunted skill)
• Heavy Attacks
• Potions

Choosing an Argonian as a race for your tank will also increase sustain due to the Resourceful racial passive.

Outfit Style Showcase of the Sorceer Tank Build for ESO

Update Log for the Sorc Tank Build ESO

11.08.2019 Updated the Build for the SCALEBREAKER DLC, Elsweyr Chapter, Sorcerer Tank Build PvE.
20.10.2019 Updated the Build for the DRAGONHOLD DLC, Elsweyr Chapter.
20.02.2020 Updated the Build for the HARROWSTORM DLC, Greymoor Chapter.
08.05.2020 Updated the Build for the GREYMOOR CHAPTER.
20.08.2020 Updated the Build for the STONETHORN DLC, Greymoor Chapter.
29.10.2020 Updated the Build for the MARKARTH DLC, Greymoor Chapter.
03.03.2021 Updated the Build for the FLAMES OF AMBITION DLC, Blackwood Chapter.
26.05.2021 Updated the Build for the BLACKWOOD CHAPTER.
11.08.2021 Updated the Build for the WAKING FLAME DLC, Blackwood Chapter.
01.09.2021 Updated the Champion Points and Buff Food links, WAKING FLAME DLC, Blackwood Chapter.
18.10.2021 Updated the Build for the DEADLANDS DLC, Blackwood Chapter.
03.03.2022 Updated the Build for the ASCENDING TIDE DLC, High Isle Chapter.
12.05.2022 Updated the Build for the HIGH ISLE CHAPTER.
09.08.2022 Updated the Build for the LOST DEPTHS DLC, High Isle Chapter.
24.10.2022 Updated the Build for the FIRESONG DLC, High Isle Chapter.
09.03.2023 Updated the Build for the SCRIBES OF FATE DLC, Necrom Chapter.
30.05.2023 Updated the Build for the ESO NECROM CHAPTER.
25.10.2023 Updated the Build for Necrom Update 40.
08.03.2024 Updated the Build for the Scions of Ithelia DLC Update 41, Gold Road Chapter.

Tags: Sorcerer Health Tank, Sorc Tank Build PvE.

Related Topics

• Necromancer Tank Build for ESO
• Dragonknight Tank Build for ESO
• Nightblade Tank Build for ESO
• Templar Tank Build for ESO
• Warden Tank Build for ESO
• Arcanist Tank Build for ESO