Why are dest. and Heal Staffs part of most builds?

[Naughty Mouse]

Seems to me that most builds are using Dest. and Heal Staffs, making other weapons pretty much mute. Is this different at higher levels or am I am looking forward to a world where all players poke at each other with wooden staffs.

[Psyringe]

Since almost all magicka-based skills get better the bigger your magicka pool is, and almost all stamina-based skills get better the bigger your stamina pool is, builds generally focus exclusively on either magicka or stamina (unless they are for tanks who really need both resources). Every attribute point that you don't spend on your main attribute, makes skills based on that attribute weaker.

Staves do magicka damage and their heavy attacks restore magicka, whereas physical weapons deal physical damage and their heavy attacks restore stamina. Hence, all magicka-based builds use staves, while all stamina-based builds use physical weapons (there are some exceptions, but they are mostly curiosities).

If you think that "most builds" use staves, then you must have looked mostly at magicka builds.

[Ghetto Gecko]

Every damage dealer with magicka as mainressource got a destrostaff, because it's dealing the highest damage. Lightning-and froststaffs are used by healers and tanks, since they have supportabilities. Healstaff are of course used by healers or in PvP by magplayers to have the best healing outcome. Every other weapons are used by stamina players.

[Halcyform]

Destruction (or other weapon) and a Healing staff are common at lower levels. Lower levels is mostly about enjoying the game as well as getting to level 50+.

An easy way to do that is to mix in a healing staff with whatever other weapon you have. That healing staff is mostly there for regen. At lower levels, regeneration is pretty powerful for grinding stuff until you get a bit better at your class, better equipped and unlock more of your abilities.

[sergykid]

because they bring the most utility so heals and tanks use staves. Also magicka is more popular in pve due to being ranged and having an absorb shield, and magicka users use staves for light attacks and resource restore

[Deepblue]

Only stamina builds are the ones who don't use staves.
magicka dds and healer use staves because they need magicka.
and tanks use staves to help them get magicka back (plus the elemental blockade with an ice staff helps a lot and lets magicka dds and healer use shock and fire staves instead)

[Naughty Mouse]

So what I gathered from the answers is.
All Casters use the staffs for Magicka.
Most DPS use it for Magicka.
Tanks use it to help them with Magicka return.
Brings back my original point, seems that almost every build uses the staffs because Magicka is vital for DPS and Healing.

[Psyringe]

Originally posted by Naughty Mouse:

So what I gathered from the answers is.
All Casters use the staffs for Magicka.
Most DPS use it for Magicka.
Tanks use it to help them with Magicka return.
Brings back my original point, seems that almost every build uses the staffs because Magicka is vital for DPS and Healing.

You have not understood what people tried to tell you.

Stamina builds usually do not use magicka for DPS, nor for healing. If you re-read the posts in this thread, you'll understand why.

On a side note, here's a list of builds from the most popular site on the net for that purpose. You'll see magicka and stamina builds. Check how many of the stamina builds use staves.
https://alcasthq.com/category/pve-group-builds/

[Heimdall313]

MagDPS builds only have one weapon choice: Destruction Staff + class abilities. Not odd to see a MagSorc with two Destro staffs for example.

StamDPS builds aren't going to use staves at all. Medium Armor, Low Magicka = Magicka abilities are terrible. I use 2H + Bow on Stamplar for example, but Dual Wield + Bow is entirely good and I've even seen some 2H + Dual Wield weirdos, I think there's a Bow/Bow Warden build still floating around. You won't see StamDPS running Magicka except in really odd circumstances (like a Stamplar running Extended Ritual for the status removal if healer isn't running it) and even in those, won't be using staff. StamDPS uses Vigor skill to self-heal via Stamina, one of very few ways to heal without Magicka or potion.

Tanks will often have One Hand and Shield + Lightning/Frost Staff, OHS for obvious tank use doing exactly what you think it does, while the Staff is to restore Magicka on power attacks and provide some utility, like AoE with Elemental Blockade to proc Off Balance (Lightning, increase DPS of groupmates) or Damage Shields via Frost staff (as well as blocking buff). If you see a mix of Shield and Staff its a tank, as they're by far most common and viable role to use both Stamina and Magicka utility abilities and need to restore both resources.

Healer will often run Destro + Resto, Restoration Staff for obvious healing plus Class Abilities (Templar for example) and things like Combat Prayer + Spell Power Cure when group is full health to buff group DPS. The Destro staff is Lightning to proc Off Balance to buff group DPS, or Frost for Shields, much like Tank would use, and is often coordinated with Tank in arranged groups. Healer also very often runs the Elemental Drain for magickasteal and penetration, which requires destro staff. Destro staff also helps you not be complete dead weight on DPS.

tl;dr only Tanks mix Weapon + Staff, everyone else is going to use two staves or two weapons.

[AmaiAmai]

Most players can't handle builds outside of the box, that is why. I completed every solo vet dungeon with a hybrid build using mag and stam skills, and 2H + DW.

I also use the same thing in PvP.

With CP changing in about a day, you may finally see some of these hybrid builds go mainstream. Maybe not if the community has a majority of players who can't make their own builds and use them successfully.

[sergykid]

Originally posted by Di Li:

Most players can't handle builds outside of the box, that is why. I completed every solo vet dungeon with a hybrid build using mag and stam skills, and 2H + DW.

I also use the same thing in PvP.

With CP changing in about a day, you may finally see some of these hybrid builds go mainstream. Maybe not if the community has a majority of players who can't make their own builds and use them successfully.

i suppose you don't talk about DLC dungeons, so did you complete solo Banished Cells 2 with your hybrid build? and what does hybrid mean, what mag spells u used? cuz yes every stam dd uses magicka spells for BUFFS, not to deal damage. That's not a hybrid, also you are using 2x stam weapons.

[AmaiAmai]

Originally posted by sergykid:

Originally posted by Di Li:

Most players can't handle builds outside of the box, that is why. I completed every solo vet dungeon with a hybrid build using mag and stam skills, and 2H + DW.

I also use the same thing in PvP.

With CP changing in about a day, you may finally see some of these hybrid builds go mainstream. Maybe not if the community has a majority of players who can't make their own builds and use them successfully.

i suppose you don't talk about DLC dungeons, so did you complete solo Banished Cells 2 with your hybrid build? and what does hybrid mean, what mag spells u used? cuz yes every stam dd uses magicka spells for BUFFS, not to deal damage. That's not a hybrid, also you are using 2x stam weapons.

I have every skill line leveled except bow (not gonna farm 14 more points for that) and use DW and Resto, Dw destro, SnB, whatever. As for skills I DO use mag and stam damage skills.

Vet DLCs? Eh, overblown.

Went through Vet MGF et. al. no problems.

[sergykid]

Originally posted by Di Li:

Originally posted by sergykid:

i suppose you don't talk about DLC dungeons, so did you complete solo Banished Cells 2 with your hybrid build? and what does hybrid mean, what mag spells u used? cuz yes every stam dd uses magicka spells for BUFFS, not to deal damage. That's not a hybrid, also you are using 2x stam weapons.

I have every skill line leveled except bow (not gonna farm 14 more points for that) and use DW and Resto, Dw destro, SnB, whatever. As for skills I DO use mag and stam damage skills.

Vet DLCs? Eh, overblown.

Went through Vet MGF et. al. no problems.

you didn't answer me

[Mus Canus]

Originally posted by sergykid:

cuz yes every stam dd uses magicka spells for BUFFS, not to deal damage

That's not completely true. Soul Trap, Nb's Shade are both good damage skills using magicka but scaling of the highest resource.

[sergykid]

Originally posted by Mus Canus:

Originally posted by sergykid:

cuz yes every stam dd uses magicka spells for BUFFS, not to deal damage

That's not completely true. Soul Trap, Nb's Shade are both good damage skills using magicka but scaling of the highest resource.

sure but you're not a Hybrid for using those, because you still go all in for stamina. Same for mag chars that use the stam trap to get Minor Force buff, they're not hybrid for using a stam spell when their build is focused on maxing out their main stat

[Mus Canus]

Originally posted by sergykid:

Originally posted by Mus Canus:

That's not completely true. Soul Trap, Nb's Shade are both good damage skills using magicka but scaling of the highest resource.

sure but you're not a Hybrid for using those, because you still go all in for stamina. Same for mag chars that use the stam trap to get Minor Force buff, they're not hybrid for using a stam spell when their build is focused on maxing out their main stat

If hybrid is putting points in both stam and mag then no, there're no good hybrids. But with the upcoming changes in CP, + increasing both base WD and SD, some damage mag spells might be worth using even without the max resource scaling mechanism. To dump magicka into and help sustain. Plus bloodthirsty trait is better and more popular than infused now and it also helps.