‘Stormshield’ ESO Sorcerer Tank Build

Welcome to The Tank Club’s Ultimate Sorcerer Tank Build and Guide!

In this comprehensive guide for the ESO Sorcerer Tank, we cover everything you need to know to master this class. We provide detailed information on the best skills to use, a thorough overview of all Sorcerer skills and passives, and the buffs they offer. Additionally, we explore the benefits of playing an Sorcerer Tank, the best race choices, scribing skill options and multiple fantastic builds tailored for various content and situations. Whether you’re tackling dungeons or trials, this guide has you covered.

ESO Sorcerer Tank Introduction

Sorcerer Tanks have always been strong and easy to play, but they weren’t a popular choice until recently. With fewer players choosing Sorcerer for damage dealing and the improvements to the benefits a Sorcerer can provide, Sorcerer Tanks have become much more popular, especially for Trial content.

Sorcerer Tanks excel at handling big-hitting bosses and mechanics with their ability to effortlessly reach the 90% block mitigation cap and the 33.1k resistance cap. Combined with their strong survival skills, they have one of the best health-scaling tank heals in the game and super high max health due to their pet. This makes them incredibly tanky. Their self-shield also improves group sustain, adding to their resilience.

Sorcerers provide a strong group damage buff with the Atronach ultimate that grants Major Berserk. They can easily apply Concussion and Off Balance to enemies, helping the group, and offer the unique group buff of Minor Prophecy. Additionally, they can provide a unique 1000 enemy penetration debuff which increases group DPS, although maintaining this while tanking can be challenging and is often unnecessary if the group is already at the penetration cap.

Sorcerer Tanks have access to strong sustain tools, but Dark Deal, in particular, requires careful timing since it drops block while casting. The presence of an additional Sorcerer in a group can diminish the usefulness of a Sorc Tank, as a group usually needs only one Sorcerer when optimizing. While the Sorc pet provides a strong heal, it does take up two bar slots, which limits space.

Thanks to recent changes, the Sorcerer Tank can now be used without the need for a pet if needed, as they have more healing options with the heal from their shield and their Dark Magic passives.

If you are looking for an easy-to-play tank, the Sorcerer is definitely one to consider. They make great tanks that are good at surviving and sustaining. If you are a player who intends on doing Trial content, it is worth having a Sorc Tank available as they are becoming more and more popular.

ESO Sorcerer Tank Strengths, Weaknesses & Groups Benefits

Strengths

  • Great Self-Healing: Strong abilities to recover health quickly.
  • High Damage Mitigation: Panic button ability for significant damage reduction.
  • Multiple Group Buffs and Synergies: Enhances overall team performance.
  • Good Self-Sustain: Excellent resource management for prolonged encounters.
  • Easy to Play: Accessible for both new and experienced players.
  • Fast Maneuverability: High mobility for quick and efficient movement during battles.

Weaknesses

  • Easily Replaceable: Can be substituted by a Sorcerer DPS, which are quite popular.
  • Risky Sustain Skill: Dark Deal drops block when casting, making it risky during boss fights.
  • Limited Bar Space: The strongest heal, Clannfear, takes up two bar slots, reducing available skill options compared to other classes.

Group Benefits

ESO Sorcerer Tank Core Essentials

Race

Attributes

64 Health

  • Race: Nord is generally the best choice for a tank due to increased resistances. However, you can choose another race if you prefer.
  • Mundus: The Atronach is essential for this build, as it provides Magicka Recovery needed to maintain the skills and buffs.
  • Stats: Allocate your attributes based on your needs. Splitting points between Stamina and Magicka is viable since Sorcerers have high health when using pets.
  • Food: Red Frothgar is excellent for boosting Magicka Recovery. Alternatively, use Bewitched Sugar Skulls to maximize your Harmony Jewelry and mitigate resource loss.
  • Potions: Tri-Stat potions offer the most value, providing recoveries and resource gains for Health, Magicka, and Stamina.
  • Magicka Recovery: Aim for over 2500 Magicka Recovery to sustain this build effectively.
  • Resistances: Sorcerer Tanks naturally have high resistances and damage mitigation. You should easily achieve over 30k resistances with this build without much effort.

ESO Sorcerer Tank Gear

The Monster Set used on this build is Archdruid Devyric for the huge enemy debuff of Major Vulnerability. It allows you to stack up a number of buffs and debuffs to create a huge burst damage window for your group.

Next set is Drake’s Rush and this is mostly only useful for Dungeon and Arena content but it will provide you and your group with Major Heroism for big Ultimate gains, if everyone uses their Ults on cooldown it’s basically a 6% DPS increase for the group. It also means you can use your Ultimate sooner to boost group DPS with your stacking buffs that are on offer thanks to the next set.

Saxhleel Champion is a good set to use with a Sorcerer Tank as you give your group Major Force but when you combine it with the Storm Atronach Ultimate you also provide a group synergy for Major Berserk. This means you can give a lot of group burst damage, and since you gain your Ultimate back faster with Drakes Rush it means you can keep supplying the Force and Berserk around every 30 seconds.

Void Bash is essential for add pulls to chain everything in with a single button press. For bosses it’s less useful so you can switch it out for Master Weapons or something else such as a Mythic item.

ESO Sorcerer Tank Scribed Skills

The Sorcerer class script introduces a new option that allows your pet to heal a nearby ally, but the heal is not significant enough to make it worth using consistently.

Sorcerer Tanks using the Clannfear pet often struggle with limited bar space. The scribing system can help alleviate this issue by combining utility skills, buffs, and debuffs, providing more flexibility with skill slots.

Wield Soul can be transformed into a Magicka-costing chain ability, eliminating the need for Silver Leash for fast chaining. This skill allows a Sorcerer to gain 1000 Magicka and Stamina, effectively regaining Stamina while blocking, offering a safer alternative to Dark Deal for Stamina sustain. Additionally, a major buff or debuff can be added to enhance its effectiveness.

Soul Burst fills the gap in crowd control. While Sorcerers have an immobilize skill, it is less effective than a 360-degree option, as the built-in class skill only affects enemies directly in front of you. This is crucial when pulling or chaining enemies, as they can then be immobilized or snared. Other options can also be beneficial depending on the specific needs of your build.

Sorcerer Class Script

Signature Script: Class Mastery
Enchant your closest pet for 5 seconds to heal a nearby ally for 475 Health each time it deals damage, up to once a second. If you do not have a pet, you deal 1122 Shock Damage to enemies within 8 meters of your first target.

Focus Script: Pull
Deals ? Magic Damage to an enemy, pulls them to you, and taunts them for 15 seconds if they are not already taunted.

Signature Script: Druid’s Resurgence
Restores 1000 Magicka and 1000 Stamina.

Affix Script: Vitality
Grants Major Vitality for 10 seconds, increasing healing received and damage shield strength by 12%.

Focus Script: Immobilize
Immobilizes enemies for 3 seconds.

Signature Script: Gladiator’s Tenacity
Reduces damage taken by 8% for 8 seconds.

Affix Script: Minor Breach
Afflicts Minor Breach for 22 seconds, reducing Physical and Spell Resistance by 2974.

ESO Sorcerer Tank Other Skills & Passives

Dark Magic

Negate Magic
(Unnecessary)
A decent Ultimate until you obtain Warhorn. It can stop enemies from using AoE abilities and cleanse ground AoEs, but it offers no passive benefits. One morph adds a heal and stun, but it is generally unnecessary compared to Warhorn. Negate Magic is less effective in harder content like trials, as it doesn’t work on many enemies and AoEs.

Crystal Weapon → Morph of Crystal Shard
(Situational)
Crystal Weapon can be vital for groups under the 18200 penetration cap. Activating this ability followed by a Light or Heavy Attack reduces the enemy’s Armor by 1000. It can be used by a Sorc Off Tank, but it’s difficult to maintain due to its frequent reactivation, stamina cost, and the need to drop block to attack. Many groups don’t need this if they have an Alkosh user or Tanks using Crimson Oath’s Rive or Tremorscale.

Shattering Spines → Morph of Encase
(Optional)
This skill immobilizes enemies in front of you, making it particularly useful for 4-man dungeons, arenas, and some trial situations. It also applies Major Maim to enemies, reducing their damage output. While less effective than the immobilization options available from the scribing system, it serves as a suitable alternative until those are accessible.

Defensive RuneMorph of Rune Prison
(Unnessecary)
You might use this as a precast skill when going into add pulls. It stuns an enemy that hits you, but the stun is delayed. Since stuns don’t work well alongside pulling or chaining enemies, this skill isn’t particularly effective overall.

Dark Deal → Morph of Dark Exchange
(Vital)
This skill trades Magicka for Health and Stamina, providing a steady Stamina recovery over time. It’s a crucial tool for sustaining as a Sorcerer Tank. However, it drops your block, so timing is critical—use it when you’re not dealing with major mechanics or heavy attacks. Additionally, this skill procs the Exploitation passive, granting the group the Minor Prophecy buff.

Dark Conversion → Morph of Dark Exchange
(Optional)
This morph trades Stamina for Health and Magicka, the opposite of Dark Deal. While Dark Deal is generally more useful, there are situations where this morph can be beneficial, such as fights where you’re using a double Staff build or leveraging the Tri-Focus passive. It can serve as a valuable Heal/Magicka sustain option when needed.

Daedric Mines
(Not Needed)
This is an expensive skill used as a delayed immobilization tool or a way to provide a group shield, depending on the morph. While there are better immobilization options in the scribing system and better group shield options, this skill could be useful in arena content where enemies spawn in specific locations and you want to root them in place for some reason. However, it’s generally not needed for most Tanking scenarios.

Unholy Knowledge
(Vital)
This sustain passive helps manage resources more effectively, reducing the cost of abilities, which is crucial for maintaining skills during fights.

Blood Magic
(Vital)
This passive provides an additional heal that activates when you cast any Dark Magic ability with a cost. The heal scales with your max health, making it an excellent source of supplementary healing for a Sorcerer Tank.

Persistence
(Vital)
An excellent Tank passive that reduces the cost of your next ability by 15% after blocking, making it easier to manage resources and cast skills more efficiently.

Exploitation
(Vital)
This is the Sorcerer’s unique group buff that increases group DPS by providing Minor Prophecy. Cast a Dark Magic ability every 20 seconds to maintain this buff, usually done with Dark Deal.

Daedric Summoning

Summon Storm Atronach
(Vital)
When using this skill, you provide a full group synergy of Major Berserk, increasing DPS by 10%. If you are wearing Saxhleel Champion, you can also provide Major Force. With the update in the Necrom chapter, this skill now provides a full group synergy, meaning that if you can cast this Ultimate every 20 seconds on the synergy cooldown, your group could benefit from a 50% uptime. This is usually maintained by a combination of two Sorcerers, or one with really fast Ultigen, which could include the Tank.

Summon Unstable Clannfear → Morph of Summon Unstable Familiar
(Vital)
This is the main Sorcerer Tank heal, and it’s very strong as it scales with Max Health—the more health you have, the bigger the heal. You need to have the pet summoned, and when you activate the pet’s special ability, it will heal you, and this heal can also crit. You need to double bar the skill to keep the pet summoned. Having a pet also gives you access to more passives, including increased Max Health.

Daedric Curse
(Not Needed)

Summon Twilight Matriarch
(Situational)
This skill isn’t necessary for tanking but can be used for group healing support if needed.

Regenerative Ward → Morph of Conjured Ward
(Vital)
Provides Minor Endurance and Minor Intellect, boosting your group’s recovery. The shield scales with Max Health, offering substantial protection and a heal, making it an excellent choice for tanking.

Bound Aegis → Morph of Bound Armor
(Vital)
Slot this for 8% Max Magicka, Minor Protection, and Minor Resolve, available on both bars with it slotted on just one. Use the ability in high damage or emergency situations for an additional 40% Block Mitigation for 5 seconds, which can help reach the block mitigation cap of 90%. This makes Sorcerers extremely tanky in heavy single-target fights. With this skill, you have more flexibility with Champion Points as Bracing Anchor is not needed.

Rebate
(Vital)
This sustain tool gives you resources back when casting Daedric Summoning skills, making them easier to sustain.

Power Stone
(Vital)
Ultimate cost reduction, allowing you to use your Ultimate/Warhorn more frequently and consistently.

Daedric Protection
(Vital)
Provides a boost to Health Recovery, which is slightly helpful. Stamina recovery is mostly unnoticeable due to low base Stamina Recovery and frequent blocking by Tanks. If you block less often, it can help with stamina sustain.

Expert Summoner
(Vital)
With the Clannfear summoned for healing, you’ll benefit from an 8% increase in Health. This increase boosts your healing from the Clannfear, as it scales with Max Health. The more health you stack, the greater this 8% boost, making it fairly easy for a Sorc Tank to reach upwards of 50k Max Health.

Storm Calling

Mage’s Fury
(Not Needed)

Boundless Storm → Morph of Lightning Form
(Vital)
This skill grants Major Resolve, increasing your resistances. You also get a speed boost with Major Expedition for 4 seconds, enhancing your mobility. The shock damage dealt by this skill has a chance to concuss enemies, inflicting Minor Vulnerability, which increases the damage your Damage Dealers (DDs) can do to those targets.

Liquid Lightning → Morph of Lightning Splash
(Vital)
This skill is useful if you’re not wearing Alkosh but have someone in your group who is. It provides an extra synergy for the Alkosh user, increasing group DPS. The shock damage has a chance to cause Concussion, inflicting Minor Vulnerability on enemies, which helps your group deal more damage.

Surge
(Unnecessary)
This skill can be used in solo situations to provide small heals over time and increase your Spell and Weapon Damage, which in turn boosts your damage and healing. However, it is not used while tanking as there are better skills for sustain and group utility.

Streak → Morph of Bolt Escape
(Optional)
This morph can be used for add pulls and 4-man content. You Streak through the target, stunning them if they are not a Boss or Elite target. The Shock Damage inflicted can help with Concussion/Minor Vulnerability.

Ball of Lightning → Morph of Bolt Escape
(Situational)
This morph is better suited for Boss fights. It grants immunity to snares and immobilizations and creates a Ball of Lightning at the location you move to, absorbing projectiles. Generally, this will absorb most projectiles in Trials and from bosses, but it won’t typically absorb projectile-based heavy attacks.

Capacitor
(Vital)
Magicka recovery is one of the most essential resources for tanking, so the 10% Magicka Recovery boost from this passive is vital.

Energized
(Optional)
This passive increases your physical and shock damage, which isn’t necessary for tanking but can be useful if you play solo content. While it doesn’t increase the chance/effect of concussion, it’s worth taking if you have spare skill points for a bit of extra damage.

Amplitude
(Optional)

This passive increases damage against targets based on their health. It’s not crucial for tanking but can add some extra damage. Get it if you have the skill points to spare.

Expert Mage
(Vital)
Increased weapon and spell damage boosts the healing you do. Although it has a minimal impact, it’s still worth taking for the healing increase.

ESO Sorcerer Tank Champion Points

Warfare

ESO Sorcerer Tank How to Play

The main objective of the Stormshield Sorcerer Tank build is to create a burst damage window for your group to destroy bosses.

  1. Before entering combat, ensure your Clannfear pet is summoned. Pre-buff with Boundless Storm for Shock Damage and Major Resolve, along with Dark Deal for Minor Prophecy and Regenerative Ward for the Damage Shield and increased Recovery. You can also pre-buff with Bound Aegis for Minor Protection if needed.
  2. Enter combat with Elemental Blockade and Frost Clench. If there are any adds, use Power Bash to proc Void Bash, pulling them onto the Blockade. Use Pierce Armor on any Elite/Boss enemies to apply debuffs.
  3. Activate the burst damage window by refreshing Frost Clench, performing a Heavy Attack, and dropping your Storm Atronach. This combination should provide Major and Minor Vulnerability from your monster set and Boundless Storm, Major and Minor Breach from Pierce Armor, Minor Brittle from Frost Clench, and Major Force and Major Berserk from your Ultimate.
  4. Maintain the pressure by bashing to proc Drake’s Rush on cooldown and using light attacks to increase Ultimate gain. During boss fights where Void Bash isn’t needed, slot Heroic Slash and use it on cooldown for additional Ultimate gain. Repeat the burst damage window as soon as your Ultimate is ready.
  5. Archdruid can be used more frequently, every 15 seconds, while maintaining all of your skill cooldowns to optimize group DPS and survivability.