Sorcerer
Masters of sustain, sorcerers make popular DDs and hence aren’t typically required as healers as any role can provide its group-wide buff Minor Prophecy. That said, thanks to recent updates Sorcerer healers can now offer various buffs and debuffs, such as Minor Endurance, Minor Intellect, Minor Vitality and additional Major Maim on enemies while also providing a unique shield skill. An extremely hard-hitting class spammable and class execute give them nice ST damage for parse-healers. A class focus on sustain, mobility and crowd-control make them a staple in PvP as well.
A few general notes:
▫️ Stats & Sustain: Sorcs have several passives and skills which maximize their efficiency and make resource management a breeze - 9 of their 12 class passives are resource stat modifiers! To keep things short, they’re not all listed here, but be aware that resource maximization is a lot easier on sorcs. Don’t be surprised when you have an easier time getting bigger stat and recovery numbers than on many other classes!
▫️ PvP: Many Sorc skills have a specific focus on PvP and crowd-control or mobility. These can always be useful but since they’re not specifically healer-related they’re not included here. I’d recommend doing some research on PvP MagSorcs for a good overview of those.
🟪 Daedric Summoning 🟪
Summon Charged Atronach [Ultimate]: Summons a temporary Storm Atronach which provides allies with the Charged Lightning synergy, giving all allies Major Berserk for 10 seconds (this buff gets increased if the synergy-user wears Jorvuld’s Guidance) and additionally applying Concussion on enemies which can be turned into Off-Balance when they stand in a Lightning Blockade.
▫️ Summon Twilight Matriarch: Summons the Matriarch pet, AKA ‘Flappy Bird’. When up, reactivate this skill for one of the strongest auto-targeted two person burst heals. Like other pet-skills, this skill also requires double-barring so the pet doesn’t despawn on barswap. In most cases you will be fine leaving it off your bars but can provide useful to outheal mechanics like vSS/vSE Tombs or to annoy your enemies in PvP.
▫️ Regenerative Ward: A shield skill for only yourself that also gives allies within 20 meters Minor Intellect and Minor Endurance for 10 seconds. Since this isn’t tied down to an area, this can be an easy way of keeping up group sustain buffs in mobile fights.
▫️ Bound Aegis: Grants 8% more maximum Magicka and Minor Protection when slotted on either bar which stacks with Inner Light and other modifiers. Usually used for the passive from slotting but the additional block mitigation from activating can come handy in PvP situations. Definitely not a priority, but a convenient flex skill.
Power Stone [Passive]: Reduces Ult cost by 15% (!!!).
Note for PC-players: Hodor Reflexes will not account for these percentage changes, since it uses a static value for Warhorn cost. Be aware that sorc supports will have their horn ready before 100% (exact value can vary if they’re a vamp too).
Expert Summoner [Passive]: With this passive you get 10% more Health while having a pet active (pets from sets also work!) or 10% more Stamina and Magicka while not having a pet active. As healers don’t really need any of the class pets this is a welcomed boost to resources.
🟪 Dark Magic 🟪
Absorption Field [Ultimate]: Create a bubble at the target location, suppressing all enemy AoE effects (often doesn’t work on PvE mobs/bosses), preventing enemies from casting and acting as a powerful AoE HoT to allies. The prohibitive cost and rather average healing for an Ultimate ability make this an unideal choice for a pure healing ult, and its use is limited or non-existent in PvE. But in localized PvP encounters this Ultimate can change the tide of the battle! This or the damage morph offer a powerful counterplay tool to large groups and zergs - a properly timed bubble can pin down an entire ballgroup and open them up to being decimated while still silenced.
▫️ Crystal Fragments: A hard-hitting proc-based spammable. The base scaling is already powerful, but the proc effect makes it even stronger. Frags are perfect for experienced off-healers to use from time to time to output some more damage and keep up the Exploitation passive (see below).
▫️ Crystal Weapon: A Stamina based semi-spammable. Useful for the extra 1000 Penetration it provides but as it’s only ST Penetration (and most groups being on Pen-Cap in other means) this is rarely used.
▫️ Vibrant Shroud: An AoE burst heal that also provides your allies with Minor Vitality and enemies with Major Maim. While both (de)buffs can be easily gained from other sources, it’s still a good a filler-spammable and to keep up the Exploitation passive.
▫️ Dark Conversion: Restores 4500 Magicka for the cost of Stamina instantly and 3000 more over 20 seconds. Together those 7500 Magicka equate to +750 mag recovery! This is an insane sustain skill and the cooldown also aligns well with the Exploitation passive (see below).
▫️ Daedric Refuge: One of the few shield-skills in the game with a fancy twist - instead of just providing a shield to allies instantly on cast, you place runes on the ground which group mates have to walk through to gain the shield (or you just cast it on top of them so they don’t have a choice). Due to this delayed mechanic you cant spam this skill as it would replace the old runes. This ability also proves as a good way to keep up the Exploitation passive.
Exploitation [Passive]: Provides Minor Prophecy to group members for 20 seconds whenever you cast a Dark Magic ability. Many skills can be used well for this job, so take the one that suits you and your group most.
🟪 Storm Calling 🟪
▫️ Boundless Storm: Gives yourself Major Expedition and Major Resolve if you need some additional movement speed. Can be useful in trash or dungeons to keep up with your DDs during PvE encounters. In PvP this skill will allow you to better kite opponents, keep up with your team mates and gives you some much needed Armor.
▫️ Liquid Lightning: Provides a ranged placeable damage synergy to your group. Additionally it can be used to proc sets like Vestment of Olorime at a targeted location.
▫️ Power Surge: Grants yourself **Major Sorcery **and **Major Brutality **with an additional healing proc every 3 seconds when you critically heal yourself or an ally. While this skill requires a critical heal it is not advised to build into crit healing. Keeping up your other HoT’s will be reliable enough to get one crit every 3 seconds even without boosting crit chance in any way.
▫️ Ball of Lightning: The PvE morph of Bolt Escape which transforms you into a ball of lightning and propels you forward. As a gap closer in nature this skill is useful when you have to quickly cover distance, for example when kiting the charges of Oaxiltso in Rockgrove. Additionally, this morph absorbs 1 projectile each second for 3 seconds. While this is not the most useful on a healer it removes the stun from the base skill. Sudden stuns on small mobs generally hinders stacking and therefore isn’t wanted during PvE encounters.
▫️ *Streak: * The PvP morph of Bold Escape which stuns everyone between your original position and final location. This morph can be very useful to quickly disengage from fights and also hindering your opponent from chasing you.
Capacitor [Passive]: Increases your Magicka Recovery by 10% without any additional condition. Free recovery is always great on healers, so definitely make sure you got this one unlocked!
Expert Mage [Passive]: Grant you 2% more Weapon and Spell Damage for each Sorcerer ability slotted, basically increasing your healing done. While this means that you want as many Sorcerer abilities on your frontbar you still want to backbar any long duration skills like Power Surge to have space for skills that you will cast more often, like Radiating Regeneration for example.
TLDR:
- Healing Springs vs Illustrious Healing: With recent testing we learned that Healing Springs does not smart target on each single tick, but Illustrious Healing does. With this knowledge Illustrious Healing should always be the preferred morph. Read through <#1248427339008839784> for more information.
- If your partner has group buffs overlapping with you, talk it out to split the work, for example:
- Overflowing Altar only needs to be cast from one support. Either coordinate who casts it or keep it on your bars just in case.
- Minor Intellect/Endurance list of convenience: Arcanist > Templar > Nightblade > Sorc > Warden
Changelog:
- Echoing Vigor added to staple skills.
- Added Vibrant Shroud and Daedric Refuge as options for Minor Prophecy.
- Changed Illustrious Healing to preferred morph.
