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 atWild Impulse Destruction Staff, an ability alteringWeapon Set.
An Introdution To Wild Impulse Set
This Set was added to the game withUpdate 20 Murkmire, which launched in October/November of 2018. Wild Impulse Staff is random drop from last boss inBlackrose Prison. Normal Wild Impulse is obtained on Normal Difficulty, and Perfected Wild Impulse is obtained on Veteran Difficulty. The difference between the two is that Normal Version is missing the first bonus, which is addedSpell Penetration.The style of this weapon isHonor Guard, and though Honor Guard Style is not available yet, it is likely to come in a future update.
Ability altering Weapon drops from Blackrose Prison last boss are random, meaning you can get any weapon.Traitsare random whileEnchantmentsdepend on the weapon type. Destruction Staff comes with theAbsorb Magicka Enchantment, which deals Magic Damage and restores Magicka. Ability altering Weapons modify specific abilities, and the Wild Impulse Staff modifies theImpulseability fromDestruction Staff Skill Line.
The Impulse deals instant Magic Damage around caster in its un-morphed form. Morphing Impulse changes how ability behaves. It has 2 morphed versions:
Wild Impulse modifies it so that the cost is reduced by 10%, and it also places Damage-over-Time effect that lasts for 8 seconds, regardless of which morph is chosen. You can push the tooltip damage of this Set to5066with maximumElemental Expert,Master-at-ArmsandElemental TalentHigh Elf passive.
Secondary Status Effects
Secondary Status Effects are debuffs that can occur on the enemies (or players) you are attacking as a result of the damage type you are using. Each Secondary Status Effect corresponds directly to a specific damage type and they are as follows (note that Physical Damage and Magic Damage cannot trigger Secondary Status Effects):
Every Skill, Set, Weapon Enchantment (and Light or Heavy Attack if using a Destro Staff) can trigger these Secondary Status Effects. However, the likelihood that they will trigger depends on several factors. Below are the base percentages that each Secondary Status Effect can proc when using one of the following:
You can see that Weapon Enchantments have the best chance of triggering a Secondary Status Effect, followed by single-target direct damaging Skills, while AoEs and DoTs have a much lower chance. However you can boost these numbers in 3 ways:
So how do you then calculate the proc chance of something like using an AoE with a Destruction Staff with a Charged Trait? It’s really pretty simple if you follow this formula:
(5% * Elemental Force bonus) + (5% * Charged Trait bonus) + (5% * Glacial Presence bonus) = total percentage to proc on an AoE per target
To do this you multiply5%(the percentage for Area of Effect Abilities) by100%because of the Destruction Staff passive, and this gives you5%. Then you multiply5%by220%because of the Charged Trait and you get11%. Now you add the base value:5%+ the addition5%from Destro Staff, with the additional11%from Charged to get a grand total of21%chance when using an AoE.
What You Need to Know About Wild Impulse Set
Wild Impulse modifies the Impulse ability from Destruction Staff Skill Line so that it does Damage over Time on top of the initial damage, at 10% reduced Magicka cost to boot. The DoT effect ticks 3 times in 8 seconds with each tick dealing a different type of elemental damage. The first tick doesShock, the secondFlame, and the thirdFrostdamage. This means you have a chance to set 3 different Secondary Status Effects on the enemies hit.
The DoT effect is overridden every time you cast Impulse with this Set, so there is no point in using Impulse again before the DoT runs out because the first tick doesn’t happen for a couple of seconds. To maximize effectiveness it is best to do your rotation after using Impulse and then reapplying it when DoT runs out. This way you don’t waste seconds where it was just about to apply before refreshing.
As of theImperial City Updatein July of 2015, the proc chance from an Area of Effect DoT is1%to apply the above mentioned elemental Status Effects. This gets an additional 100% when using a Destruction Staff, which Wild Impulse is, and that number adds up to2%. If you use the Charged Trait this will become a4.2%chance per tick on each target, which is still extremely low, but it does give you the best chance of triggering as many Secondary Status Effects as possible.
These elemental ticks not only proc Secondary Status Effects, but they can also proc set bonuses that have a requirement to damage an enemy though either direct damage or via DoTs. For example, if you are wearing theIlambrisMonster Setthere is 10% chance on each Fire and Shock tick tick to set off this set’s bonus which would create further AoE damage in the target area.
Notes for PvE Players
Impulse is a Magicka ability and therefore it is best used for Magicka-based builds, and when used in builds centered around AoE damage it can be extremely powerful. The problem is that you lose out on single-target damage, which is best against bosses. To maximize effectivenes inTrials/DungeonsI would suggest sticking to single-target damage builds, and using Impulse to increase your overall DPS.
Considering there are 3 types of elemental damage it is important to choose the right Destruction Staff. Lightning Staves are widely considered to be the best in general due to its Heavy Attack. It does AoE splash damage and it has a chance of putting the Concussed Status Effect on enemies, applying Minor Vulnerability that increases damage taken by 8%. Note for that splash to occur you need to haveTri Focuspassive from Destro Staff Skill Line.
When using this Set it’s a great idea to have this Staff on your back bar so that you can cast it and then swap to your main damaging bar and have another completed Set. This would allow you to use a Monster Helm Set and 2 5 Piece Sets on your front bar, where you will be doing the bulk of your rotation. When playing with this setup, be sure to place other Skills on your back bar that will be less effected by the lack of a missing Set bonus. These might include Skills likeAnnulmentorChanneled Focus.
Two Monster Helm Sets that work amazing for any Magicka DPS, and with Wild Impulse, areIlambrisandGrothdarr. They are both proc sets with high elemental damage, and every tick has a chance of setting the bonus off. They are also both relatively easy to get, and there are always people farming for them, so it’s not hard to get a group.
Notes for PvP Players
Wild Impulse isn’t really designed for PvP, where burst damage is king and you aren’t always hitting large groups of enemies with AoEs. Nonetheless, you can still use it effectively in large battles where there are lots of enemies. If you are using it in PvP then you will most certainly want to use the Elemental Ring morph, so that you can cast it from far away. Not only is this good for guarding entrances, where opponents must bottle up, but it can also be used to attack Keeps where there are usually a lot of NPCs.
Just like with PvE, you will most likely want this Set on your back bar, so that you can still wear two other 5 piece Sets and a Monster Helm Set when using your front bar. Which you wish to use is up to you, but Ilambris is still an excellent Monster Helm Set here, because of the chance to trigger both Meteor Showers (Shock and Fire).
Final Thoughts
Wild Impulse is great addition as as secondary weapon for any Magicka DPS builds. The AoE DoT damage that it does is quite high and it can proc Secondary Status Effects, as well as Set bonuses. It is great in both solo and group play, and should be on everyone’s radar who needs a good back bar Staff.
Wild Impulse’s DoT can be increased withThaumaturge,Elemental ExpertandMaster-at-Arms. As strange as it may seem, Master-At-Arms does in fact increase the tick damage of the Set. DoTs can no longer Critically Strike in Elder Scrolls Online (as of the Homestead Update), meaning Wild Impulse’s DoT cannot crit. However, it still puts out substantial damage for what it does.
I mentioned it briefly above, but I will mention it again here, High Elf is the best Race for this Set because it increases the damage of every tick Wild Impulse does. Dark Elf can increase the Fire Damage, but no other Race will increase the damage of this Set. Play as a High Elf to maximize it’s effectiveness!
Stay tuned as I’ll be covering the rest of theMurkmire Sets, and be sure to check out our otherESO Guides!
