Welcome to another installment of a segment where we dive into oneElder Scrolls Online’smanySets, and explore what sort ofBuildsyou can make. Not only will we show you how to get the most from these Sets, but we’ll explain where to get them, what requirements there are to obtain them (if any), and everything else you could possibly want to know about them. In this article we will take a look at theIcy Conjuror Setwhich does Frost Damage over time upon applying any minor debuff.
Introduction to Icy Conjuror
This set was added with theWrathstone DLCwhich launches in February 2019 on PC and March on consoles. This DLC features new sets and two newDungeonsfor players to take on,FrostvaultandDepths of Malatar. The Icy Conjuror set drops from the Frostvault dungeon. Weapons and Jewelry only drop from the last Boss or Chests. This Light Armor Set comes in theColdsnap Motif Style, which is currently not obtainable, but is expected to be added to the game in June.
Weapon and ArmorTraitsare random, meaning you are likely to have to farm pieces for different Traits. This is a Light Armor Set so enchantments on Armor and Weapon pieces areMax MagickaandAbsorb Magicka. Jewelry comes withArcaneTraits andMagicka RecoveryEnchantments. Keep in mind that you’re able to useTransmutationto change Traits if you wish, however theSummersetexpansion is needed to change Traits on Jewelry, along with 50 Transmute Crystals.
Icy Conjuror adds1096 Magicka,129 Spell Damageand1487 Spell Penetrationwith 4 legendary pieces equipped. The 5 piece bonus summons a wraith that charges into an enemy dealing up to19kdamage over 4 seconds. This effect can occur every 12 seconds.
Proc Sets and How They Work
Proc Sets, or Sets that have “chance to apply some effect” called “Proccing” are becoming more popular in ESO and seemingly added every major Update (Proc is short for: Programmed Random OCcurrence). When the conditions of the Proc Set are met the effect will trigger. However, not all Proc Sets work the same way, and some apply buffs that remain on you whether you continue to wear the Set or not. Learning how to use Proc Sets effectively is extremely important for min/maxing, especially in PvP.
An important thing to note is that Proc Sets can no longer Critically Strike or Critically Heal as ofUpdate 13(Homestead) so as to reduce their effectiveness inCyrodiil. In addition, many Proc Sets have cooldowns to keep them from being abused. When choosing a Proc Set to use, if you’re so inclined, you want to not only look at the effect, but how often you can apply it. Finding Sets with little or no cooldown is ideal, because it allows you to trigger them frequently. Icy Conjuror has a long cooldown, which isn’t ideal.
What You Need To Know About This Set
How this set works is whenever you put any Minor Status Effect on an enemy, an ice wraith will be summoned that does damage over 4 seconds. The cooldown is 12 seconds, so that means there is a downtime of 8 seconds. Tooltip damage can be increased to almost over26kwith 100 points intoThaumaturgeandElemental ExpertChampion Skills, and since this is a Set, it cannot Critically Strike. The Set ticks every second and the Frost Damage DoT can proc other sets such asStormfist.
Minor Status Effects are the only type that can proc this set, and we are talkingMinor Maim,Fracture,Breachetc. It has to say Minor (debuff) in the tooltip of the ability that you want to use. So debuffs such as reduced movement speed fromPuncturing Sweepwill not trigger this set, nor will any kind of Major debuff.
The effect of this set is easy to spot because an Ice Wraith is summoned and it strikes the enemy affected by the minor debuff. It is a single target attack that has no range limitation, andfollows the target wherever it goes, regardless of elevation. If you are fighting multiple enemies at once, only one enemy can be affected. The Ice Wraith travels at a medium pace so it can be Dodged, but it is quite hard to do so if used from short or medium range. It can be purged as well but cannot be reflected.
One ability in particular works well with this set and that isElemental Drainfrom theDestruction Staff Skill Line. Not only does it putMajor Breachwhich reduces the target’s Spell Resistance, it also puts Minor Magickasteal, which restores Magicka every time you damage the target, while also triggering the Ice Wraith. Since only Magicka DPS will use this Set anyway, it makes it a fantastic combination.
If you want to get the most damage out of this set, thenWardenis best class choice because of their passivePiercing Cold. It increases Magic and Frost damage by6% which adds up to30kdamage over 4 seconds, which is quite insane.
Notes for PvE Players
Icy Conjuror is a set for Magicka DPS builds only. It adds Magicka, Spell Damage, Spell Penetration and on top of that adds very high damage over 4 secs, which is what every Mag DPS would want. As mentioned above, using a Warden and/or Elemental Drain is the way to go for maximum impact. Elemental Drain needs to be recast to trigger the Ice Wraith again, however.
There are many sets that you can combine Icy Conjuror with to create effective Builds. Proc sets, Magicka restoration ones or direct damage increase, are all fine options and the final choice is up to you and your playstyle. Here are some you can use for each category:
Magicka Sustain Sets: Here I would pickShroud of the Lich,Vestments of the WarlockorWorm’s Raiment. All help with Magicka management tremendously. These sets should be used if you have trouble with Magicka sustain during your rotation, otherwise proc or direct damage increase sets are the way to go.
The only way to properly know if this set is actually worth using is by testing it on a Mag DPS build. In this case I was using aTemplarwithMother’s Sorrowjewelry and weapons and theSlimecrawMonster Set to reduce RNG a bit. Only the second set was switched and all sets hadDivinesTraits. The goal was to test differences in the same environment to see how good Icy Conjuror was compared to other Mag DPS sets.
These results show that Icy Conjuror is on par with the best. Mad Tinkerer and Siroria are the only ones that outperformed others slightly. Also Mad Tinkerer’s proc goes in straight line and it can miss quite easily, while Icy Conjuror won’t miss in PvE since it follows the target. Overall, a great PvE set with no weaknesses.
Notes for PvP Players
Icy Conjuror has all the tools to be great in PvP. The Ice Wraith damage is devastating even with its damage reduced by half. Even though the Ice Wraith can be Dodged, it is not easy to do so if done from short to medium distance since it travels relatively quickly (from long range it is easy to Dodge). The great thing is that the damage done is only over 4 seconds, which is not a long time, making it very efficient for a DoT effect.
There are devastating combinations with this set for any PvP situation. Since the Frost Damage is quite significant, combining it with something likeZaanorCaluurion Legacywill make sure you will do a lot of damage from your Sets alone.Winterbornis another one that works great in PvP with Icy Conjuror since it has an8% chance of slowing down enemies by60% and deals decent damage as well. It can proc from Frost Damage of Icy Conjuror.
Final Verdict
Icy Conjuror stacks up with the best in the DPS department and has great set bonuses on its own, giving it enough build versatility to be paired with different types of sets without having to stick to one or two to make the build work. It has a high amount of damage, the Ice Wraith follows its target everywhere, and it can proc some other proc sets. The only weaknesses are that the DoT can be Dodged or cleansed by other players. However, it is hard to Dodge at close to medium range, and not everyone can cleanse.
Overall it is agreatset in both PvP and PvE. It has everything a Mag DPS would want and it is more effective in PvP than some other proc sets because it follows the target. Look no further if you are searching for nice DPS set that can stack up with the best of them.
Stay tuned as I’ll be covering moreESO Sets, and be sure to check out ourWrathstone Breakdown article, as well asthe Future of ESO!
