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The Definitive Guide to Templar Armor in Elder Scrolls Online

The best armor for Templars in Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) depends entirely on your role: Magicka DPS/Healer, Stamina DPS, or Tank. For Magicka Templars, the ideal setup is typically 5 pieces of Light Armor, complemented by 1-2 pieces of Medium or Heavy Armor for added survivability. Stamina Templars thrive in 5 pieces of Medium Armor, with similar flexibility for supplementing with other armor types. Templar Tanks, unsurprisingly, should prioritize 5 pieces of Heavy Armor for maximum damage mitigation. The specific sets within these categories, however, require a deeper dive based on desired playstyle and content. Let’s explore this in detail.

Understanding Templar Armor Choices

Templars in ESO are incredibly versatile, capable of excelling in all three primary roles. As such, there isn’t a single “best” armor setup that fits every Templar. You must consider your intended role and playstyle before committing to a particular armor weight and set combination.

Light Armor: The Magicka Templar’s Embrace

For Magicka DPS and Healing Templars, Light Armor is generally the go-to choice. The passives within the Light Armor skill line offer significant benefits:

Magicka Recovery: Light Armor boosts your Magicka regeneration, allowing you to sustain your abilities more effectively.
Cost Reduction: Reduces the Magicka cost of your spells, meaning you can cast more spells before running out of resources.
Spell Critical: Increases your Spell Critical chance, leading to more powerful critical hits.
Penetration: Grants Spell Penetration, bypassing enemy resistances and increasing your damage output.

Key Light Armor Sets:

Julianos: A crafted set providing a massive boost to Spell Damage. Ideal for beginners and those looking for a reliable damage boost.
Necropotence: Increases Max Magicka, improving your overall damage and healing output. Especially good for builds that utilize summons.
Mother’s Sorrow: Provides a significant increase to Spell Critical, making your attacks hit harder more often.
Medusa: Adds a constant source of Minor Force, increasing critical damage.
The Worm’s Raiment (Healer): Reduces the Magicka cost of abilities for your entire group. A powerful support set for group content.
Hollowfang Thirst (Healer): Restores Magicka and Stamina to you and your allies when you apply a status effect.

Medium Armor: Stamina Templar’s Agile Assault

Stamina DPS Templars primarily rely on Medium Armor, which provides benefits tailored to physical damage dealers:

Stamina Recovery: Increases your Stamina regeneration, allowing for sustained use of weapon skills.
Weapon Damage: Significantly boosts your Weapon Damage, directly increasing the power of your attacks.
Critical Damage: Enhances the damage dealt by your critical hits.
Stealth Detection: Reduces the range at which enemies can detect you while sneaking (useful for some solo builds).

Key Medium Armor Sets:

Hunding’s Rage: A crafted set that provides a solid boost to Weapon Damage and Weapon Critical. Excellent for beginners.
Briarheart: When you deal critical damage you get Weapon Damage and healing, making this a good solo option.
Tzogvin’s Warband: Gives Minor Force and Major Attack Speed, making this an overall damage booster.
Deadly Strike: A monster set that boosts the damage of single-target damage over time abilities like “Poison Injection.”
Automaton: Increases the damage of your melee abilities, so this is a must-have for melee Stamina Templars.

Heavy Armor: The Templar Tank’s Unyielding Fortress

Templar Tanks are designed to absorb damage and protect their allies. Heavy Armor provides the necessary resilience for this role:

Armor: Significantly increases your physical and spell resistance, reducing incoming damage.
Health Recovery: Boosts your Health regeneration, allowing you to recover from damage more quickly.
Stamina Cost Reduction: Reduces the Stamina cost of blocking, dodging, and other defensive maneuvers.
Healing Received: Increases the amount of healing you receive from all sources.

Key Heavy Armor Sets:

Ebon Armory: Increases the max health of party members near you.
Akaviri Dragonguard: Reduces the cooldown of your Ultimate abilities, so you can use them more often.
Plague Doctor: Increases your max health, making you even harder to kill.
Tormentor: A set that provides incredible buffs when using a gap closer ability, a must have for aggressive tanks that want to group enemies together.
Turning Tide: It is a great option in PVP due to the offensive buffs after blocking an attack.

Mix-and-Match Strategies

While the “5-piece” rule is a good starting point, many advanced players utilize a mix-and-match approach to optimize their builds. For example, a Magicka Templar might wear 5 pieces of Light Armor, 1 piece of Medium Armor for additional Weapon Damage, and 1 piece of Heavy Armor for extra Health.

Monster Sets: These are unique two-piece sets acquired from Veteran dungeons and Undaunted pledges. They often provide powerful bonuses that can significantly enhance your build. Some popular choices for Templars include:

Grothdarr (Magicka DPS): Creates an area-of-effect fire damage around you.
Ilambris (Magicka DPS): Chance to deal fire or shock damage when dealing fire or shock damage.
Bloodspawn (Tank): Generates Ultimate when taking damage, improving resource sustain.
Engine Guardian (Tank): Restores Health, Magicka, or Stamina to you or an ally.

The Importance of Traits and Enchantments

The Traits on your armor play a crucial role in optimizing your build. Some popular choices include:

Divines: Increases the effects of Mundus Stones.
Infused: Increases the effectiveness of armor enchantments.
Sturdy: Reduces the cost of blocking.
Impenetrable: Increases Critical Resistance.
Training: Increases experience gained (leveling).

Enchantments further enhance your armor’s benefits. Common enchantments include:

Max Magicka/Stamina/Health: Increases your primary resource pool.
Magicka/Stamina/Health Recovery: Boosts your resource regeneration.
Physical/Spell Resistance: Reduces incoming physical and magical damage.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best Mundus Stone for a Magicka Templar DPS?

The Apprentice Stone (increases Spell Damage) or the Thief Stone (increases Spell Critical) are both excellent choices, depending on your current stats and build goals. The Mage Stone (Increases Maximum Magicka) is also a good choice for those with poor sustain.

2. What is the best Mundus Stone for a Stamina Templar DPS?

The Lover Stone (Increases Armor Penetration) or Thief Stone are both excellent choices.

3. What is the best Mundus Stone for a Templar Tank?

The Lord Stone (Increases Max Health and Physical Resistance) is generally the best choice for maximizing survivability.

4. What is the ideal armor weight distribution for a hybrid Templar build?

A common hybrid setup is 5 Light Armor, 1 Medium Armor, and 1 Heavy Armor. This provides a balance of Magicka sustain, Weapon Damage, and Health.

5. How important is set bonus synergy for Templar armor?

Extremely important. Choose sets that complement your playstyle and provide bonuses that enhance your strengths. Read set descriptions carefully and test different combinations.

6. Can I use the same armor sets for both PvE and PvP on my Templar?

While some sets are effective in both environments, PvP often requires different gear to counter specific enemy builds and strategies. Consider having separate gear sets for PvE and PvP.

7. What are some good starter armor sets for a new Templar player?

Hunding’s Rage (crafted Medium Armor), Julianos (crafted Light Armor), and Whitestrakes Resolve are all easy to obtain and provide a solid foundation for your build.

8. How do I acquire specific armor sets in ESO?

Armor sets can be obtained through crafting, dungeon drops, trial rewards, zone quests, and purchasing from guild traders.

9. Should I prioritize set bonuses over armor value for my Templar Tank?

Yes, but there is a balance. While set bonuses are important, ensure you still have sufficient armor and resistances to mitigate incoming damage effectively.

10. Are there any unique Templar-specific armor sets in ESO?

No, there are no armor sets that are exclusively designed for Templars. However, many sets synergize particularly well with Templar abilities and playstyles.

11. What role does weapon choice play in determining my Templar’s armor?

Your weapon choice heavily influences your build, particularly for Stamina Templars. Dual Wield typically requires more Stamina sustain, so armor choices should reflect that.

12. How does Champion Point allocation affect my armor choices?

Champion Points can compensate for weaknesses in your armor setup. For example, points in Arcanist can improve Magicka recovery, reducing the need for Magicka Recovery enchantments on your armor.

13. Is it worth investing in gold-quality armor for my Templar?

Yes, gold-quality armor provides the highest possible stats and enchantments, leading to a significant improvement in performance, especially in endgame content.

14. How often should I update my Templar’s armor?

You should aim to upgrade your armor whenever you reach a new level cap (e.g., CP 160). As you progress through the game, you’ll find better gear and sets that significantly improve your build.

15. Can I respec my Templar’s skills and attributes if I change my armor setup?

Yes, you can respec your skills and attributes at any time using gold or a Crown Respec Scroll. This allows you to adapt your build to different armor setups and playstyles.

The best armor for a Templar in ESO is highly dependent on the role you wish to fulfill. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each armor type, and by carefully selecting set bonuses, traits, and enchantments, you can create a powerful and effective build that excels in any content. Remember to experiment and find what works best for your individual playstyle. To improve in online game spaces and the learning potential that they provide, check out Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.

This detailed guide should provide you with a comprehensive understanding of Templar armor in ESO, enabling you to make informed decisions and optimize your character for success.

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