As a celebrated spellcaster, the Sorcerer is an obvious choice for those who favor powerful area-of-effect attacks and long-range Magicka attacks. Popular Sorcerer builds tend to focus on burst damage—and their mastery of lightning makes them well-suited to DPS roles—but this class also offers some of the game’s best crowd-control abilities.
Of course, Sorcerer skill lines support far more than classic robe-and-staff damage builds. With access to summoned minions, resource conversion, and an on-demand damage shield, an appropriately built Sorcerer can perform any number of roles on the battlefield.
Class Skill Lines
| Skill | Description | Stamina Options |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Magic | With multiple options for crowd control, the Dark Magic skill line accounts for much of the Sorcerer’s utility. Crystal Shard combines direct damage with a Knockdown effect, and the Negate Magic Ultimate is the only ability capable of inflicting the Silenced effect. Encase and Daedric Mines both offer area-of-effect crowd control, and Rune Prison features a lengthy Disorient.This skill line is also an important part of a Sorcerer’s resource management. Dark Exchange, which converts Stamina into Health and Magicka, is a key component of many Sorcerer builds. | The nature of Dark Exchange means that its Magicka morph, Dark Deal, is well-suited to Stamina-based builds. This ability converts Magicka to Health and Stamina, making it a useful tool for resource management and one of the Sorcerer’s most reliable self-heals. |
| Daedric Summoning | The Daedric Summoning skill line largely focuses on minions. Unstable Familiar and Winged Twilight both conjure long-lasting companions that fight by your side, and the Summon Storm Atronach Ultimate Ability conjures a short-lived but very powerful ally. Of course, available morphs can dramatically alter the nature of summoned companions. The Unstable Clannfear morph, for example, features a popular on-demand heal.For those who don’t care for summoned minions, the powers of Oblivion can be put to other uses. Daedric Curse acts as a delayed direct-damage attack; Conjured Ward and Bound Armor both serve to improve a Sorcerer’s survivability. | The Daedric Summoning skill line offers one Stamina morph:Bound Armaments: This Bound Armor morph features the same protective effects offered by the base ability. However, instead of increasing Maximum Magicka, Bound Armaments increases the damage of your light and heavy attacks, as well as Maximum Stamina |
| Storm Calling | Storm Calling is primarily about Shock Damage, making it a priority skill line for most damage-focused Sorcerers. Mage’s Fury is the Sorcerer’s class-specific execute ability, and Overload is an exceptional offensive Ultimate Ability. Lightning Storm and Lightning Splash both combine area-of-effect damage with useful effects.However, not all Storm Calling abilities deal damage. Surge combines the Major Brutality buff with a potential self-heal, and Bolt Escape is one of the Sorcerer’s most popular defensive abilities. Virtually every effective Sorcerer build includes some investment in the Storm Calling skill line. | The Storm Calling skill line offers one Stamina morph:Hurricane: This Lightning Form morph serves as an area-of-effect attack that grows in size and strength over time. It also adds Minor Expedition to the list of buffs granted by the base ability. |