Templar Damage Dealer
Spears and sunlight. A strong execute, group Weapon and Spell Damage from Bright Harbinger, and Purify for anyone who needs a cleanse.
Update 52 (PTS) version
This page is the Update 52 version of this damage dealer build. Update 52 is on the PTS until January 19, 2027, so numbers can still move. Skill and set tooltips still show the live Update 51 text; hover one that changes to see what's new. For what works in game today, switch to Update 51 in the version picker (top right, or in the menu on phones). The full list is in the Update 52 patch notes.
Overview
Skinnycheeks' Magicka Templar uses all three class lines. 
Puncturing Sweep is the spammable and heals you for a quarter of its damage, 
Blazing Spear and 
Ritual of Retribution cover the ground, and 
Radiant Oppression is the execute: it hits up to 500% harder below 40% Health.
Bright Harbinger makes every Dawn's Wrath cast give the group Weapon and Spell Damage, with double for you, so the Templar damage dealer brings real group value. 
Judgment's Brand makes your Templar skills hit harder each time Burning Light triggers. 
Solar Barrage adds 5% damage to every class skill.
Skinnycheeks rates it A. It's comfortable to play, heals itself well, and Ritual of Retribution gives the group a Purify synergy.
Strengths
- Group Weapon and Spell Damage from Bright Harbinger.
- Self-healing from Puncturing Sweep, and a Purify cleanse for the group.
- A very strong execute in Radiant Oppression.
Weaknesses
- Aetheric Lancer's area has to be picked up, which is hard on some fights.
- Less damage on trash than the area builds.
- Update 52 changes several of its skills.
Buffs and debuffs you bring on bosses
You get
Your group gets
Class Mastery
Pure-class characters with all three class lines at rank 50 can slot two Class Mastery passives (added in Update 50).
Your Dawn's Wrath casts give the group Weapon and Spell Damage, double for you. You cast four of them.
When Burning Light triggers, your Templar skills deal extra damage for a few seconds.
What changes in Update 52
Update 52 is on the PTS (patch 12.2.0, from 26 October 2026) and goes live on 19 January 2027. This version follows the first PTS week, so numbers can still move. Skill and set tooltips on this page still show the live Update 51 text.
Class. 
Balanced Warrior is fixed and gives 75 Weapon and Spell Damage for each Templar skill slotted: seven here. Solar Barrage becomes a toggle that drains Magicka every 3 seconds, and 
Vampire's Bane lasts 45 seconds (60 against monsters), so you recast it less.
Traits. Nirnhoned weapons rise to 20% more weapon damage (from 15%) and Precise to 7.4% Critical Chance (from 7.2%), while Charged drops to 225% (from 235%). Nirnhoned main hands get a little stronger against Charged ones; the gear table stays as written until PTS numbers settle.
DPS Simulation
The Boss setup played by the DPS Simulator on the 21 million Health Trial dummy, with its group buffs and debuffs, Light Attack weaving and a full Ultimate bar to start. It's #9 of 16 for single target on the tier list, #9 overall.
- Simulated DPS
- 140,834
- Fight
- 149.1 s
- Front bar
- 8,053 damage · 59% crit · 125% crit damage
Where the damage comes from
- Radiant Oppression16.0%
- Puncturing Sweep12.0%
Stampede7.7%
Power of the Light7.7%- Blazing Spear7.1%
Carve6.9%- •Burning Light5.7%
- Ritual of Retribution4.9%
- …Everything else32.2%
Damage type
- Flame9.3%
- Magic53.1%
- Poison4.2%
- Physical21.5%
- Bleed12.0%
68.8% direct, 31.2% over time.
Group buffs it leans on most
Major Vulnerability−12.3k
Major Slayer−9.2k
Major Courage−8.6k
Roar of Alkosh−8.0k
Major Breach−7.9k
Minor Brutality−7.1k
DPS lost if the group didn't bring it.
A simulation, not a parse: it uses UESP tooltip numbers, plays a clean rotation and assumes you sustain it. Light Attack, status effect and pet damage are estimates. Open this run in the DPS Simulator to change gear, buffs or the rotation and see the full breakdown.
Skill Setups
Every damage dealer build has a Boss setup for single targets and a Trash setup that swaps a slot or two for packs. The gear stays the same for both.
Single target: every slot either hits the boss harder or buffs you. Keep your damage over time effects and buffs up, then spam your spammable in between.
What this setup brings
You get
Your group gets
Front bar
Dual Wield
12345
RBack bar
Two Handed · Greatsword
12345
R| Slot | Skill |
|---|---|
| Front 1 | Barbed Trap Fighters Guild Cast time: InstantDuration: 20 secondsCost: 3,240 Stamina Bleed trap that gives you Minor Force (10% Critical Damage) while it's out. Recast it as it ends. |
| Front 2 | Blazing Spear Aedric Spear Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 10 secondsCost: 2,970 Magicka Ground damage for 10 seconds, and a Blessed Shards synergy that restores resources for an ally. |
| Front 3 | Power of the Light Dawn's Wrath Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 6 secondsCost: 1,337 Stamina Marks the boss and bursts after 6 seconds for more the more damage you dealt meanwhile. |
| Front 4 | Puncturing Sweep Aedric Spear Channel time: 0.8 secondsCost: 2,295 Magicka Your spammable: three spear strikes on up to six enemies, healing you for 25% of the damage. |
| Front 5 | Radiant Oppression Dawn's Wrath Channel time: 3.8 secondsRange: 28 metresCost: 1,080 Magicka / 1s Execute channel: up to 500% more damage below 40% Health. Swap to Radiant Glory if you need its healing. |
| Front R | Flawless Dawnbreaker Fighters Guild Cast time: 0.4 secondsDuration: 6 secondsCost: 125 Ultimate Slotted for its passive: 300 Weapon and Spell Damage while it's on your bar. Cast it on a pack when it's full. |
| Back 1 | Ritual of Retribution Restoring Light Cast time: InstantDuration: 20 secondsCost: 4,050 Magicka 20 seconds of magic damage that grows every tick, a cleanse for you, and a Purify synergy for the group. |
| Back 2 | Stampede Two Handed Cast time: InstantRange: 22 metresDuration: 15 secondsCost: 4,590 Stamina Gap closer that leaves a burning patch under the boss. It procs your weapon glyph over and over, and with |
| Back 3 | Carve Two Handed Cast time: InstantCost: 3,510 Stamina Area bleed that gets 10 seconds longer each time you refresh it, up to 32 seconds, and a small shield. The first skill to drop for a situational one. |
| Back 4 | Solar Barrage Dawn's Wrath Cast time: 0.8 secondsRange: 28 metresCost: 2,700 Magicka A toggle since Update 52: damage around you every 3 seconds and 5% more damage with every class skill while it's on. |
| Back 5 | Vampire's Bane Dawn's Wrath Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 30 secondsCost: 2,970 Magicka A burn that lasts 60 seconds on a boss since Update 52, and Major Savagery for you. |
| Back R | Onslaught Two Handed Cast time: 0.4 secondsRange: 7 metresCost: 150 Ultimate Cheap Ultimate that ignores the boss's Resistance and gives you 100% Critical Chance for 8 seconds. |
Open the Boss setup in the Build Editor to change skills, gear and stats.
Simulate it on the Trial dummy to see its DPS, where the damage comes from and what each buff is worth.
On trash, 
Proximity Detonation takes Barbed Trap's slot; Velothi already gives you Minor Force. Spam Puncturing Sweep, which hits up to six enemies, and swap Deadly Aim for Biting Aura.
What this setup brings
You get
Your group gets
Front bar
Dual Wield
12345RBack bar
Two Handed · Greatsword
12345R| Slot | Skill |
|---|---|
| Front 1 | Proximity Detonation Assault Cast time: 1 secondRange: 28 metresDuration: 4 secondsCost: 3,510 Magicka Cast it as you run in: it bursts for more the more enemies are near. |
| Front 2 | Blazing Spear Aedric Spear Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 10 secondsCost: 2,970 Magicka Ground damage for 10 seconds, and a Blessed Shards synergy that restores resources for an ally. |
| Front 3 | Power of the Light Dawn's Wrath Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 6 secondsCost: 1,337 Stamina Marks the boss and bursts after 6 seconds for more the more damage you dealt meanwhile. |
| Front 4 | Puncturing Sweep Aedric Spear Channel time: 0.8 secondsCost: 2,295 Magicka Your spammable: three spear strikes on up to six enemies, healing you for 25% of the damage. |
| Front 5 | Radiant Oppression Dawn's Wrath Channel time: 3.8 secondsRange: 28 metresCost: 1,080 Magicka / 1s Execute channel: up to 500% more damage below 40% Health. Swap to Radiant Glory if you need its healing. |
| Front R | Flawless Dawnbreaker Fighters Guild Cast time: 0.4 secondsDuration: 6 secondsCost: 125 Ultimate Slotted for its passive: 300 Weapon and Spell Damage while it's on your bar. Cast it on a pack when it's full. |
| Back 1 | Ritual of Retribution Restoring Light Cast time: InstantDuration: 20 secondsCost: 4,050 Magicka 20 seconds of magic damage that grows every tick, a cleanse for you, and a Purify synergy for the group. |
| Back 2 | Stampede Two Handed Cast time: InstantRange: 22 metresDuration: 15 secondsCost: 4,590 Stamina Gap closer that leaves a burning patch under the boss. It procs your weapon glyph over and over, and with |
| Back 3 | Carve Two Handed Cast time: InstantCost: 3,510 Stamina Area bleed that gets 10 seconds longer each time you refresh it, up to 32 seconds, and a small shield. The first skill to drop for a situational one. |
| Back 4 | Solar Barrage Dawn's Wrath Cast time: 0.8 secondsRange: 28 metresCost: 2,700 Magicka A toggle since Update 52: damage around you every 3 seconds and 5% more damage with every class skill while it's on. |
| Back 5 | Vampire's Bane Dawn's Wrath Cast time: InstantRange: 28 metresDuration: 30 secondsCost: 2,970 Magicka A burn that lasts 60 seconds on a boss since Update 52, and Major Savagery for you. |
| Back R | Onslaught Two Handed Cast time: 0.4 secondsRange: 7 metresCost: 150 Ultimate Cheap Ultimate that ignores the boss's Resistance and gives you 100% Critical Chance for 8 seconds. |
Open the Trash setup in the Build Editor to change skills, gear and stats.
Simulate it on the Trial dummy to see its DPS, where the damage comes from and what each buff is worth.
Flex skills
Swap these in when the fight or your group calls for it.
The other Radiant Oppression morph: a little less damage, but it heals you.
In Stampede's slot with a flame staff on the back bar.
Back-bar Ultimate for trash.
Self-heal for fights with constant damage. Takes Carve's slot.
Passives
The passives that shape this build. They come with the skill lines, so there's nothing to slot.
More Critical Damage, always on.
Armor and Weapon and Spell Damage for each Templar skill slotted.
Every fourth hit adds Magic Damage, and sets off Judgment's Brand and Aetheric Lancer.
Ultimate when you cast Dawn's Wrath skills in combat.
Two daggers on the front bar: Critical Chance from each.
The back-bar greatsword adds Weapon and Spell Damage.
3% more Weapon and Spell Damage with a Fighters Guild skill slotted.
12% more Critical Damage from 6 Medium pieces.
Offensive Penetration from 1 Light piece.
Gear
Skinnycheeks' single-target setup. 
Aetheric Lancer, the Templar class set from the Infinite Archive, creates an area in front of you when Burning Light hits twice; walk into it for the bonus. 
Mora Scribe's Thesis on the belt, rings and daggers adds Critical Chance for each Major buff on you and Critical Damage for each Minor one. 
Slimecraw is a one-piece shoulder for Critical Chance, and the 
Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet mythic adds Penetration, 15% damage against monsters and Minor Force. 
Merciless Charge on the back-bar greatsword turns Stampede into a damage buff.
Buffs and debuffs with this gear
Gold entries come from your gear; the rest come from your skills and passives.
You get
Your group gets
Slots
| Slot | Set | Trait |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Aetheric Lancer Medium | Divines |
| Chest | Aetheric Lancer Medium | Divines |
| Hands | Aetheric Lancer Medium | Divines |
| Legs | Aetheric Lancer Medium | Divines |
| Feet | Aetheric Lancer Medium | Divines |
| Shoulders | Slimecraw Medium (monster) | Divines |
| Waist | Mora Scribe's Thesis Light | Divines |
| Neck | Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet Jewellery (mythic) | Bloodthirsty |
| Ring 1 | Mora Scribe's Thesis Jewellery | Bloodthirsty |
| Ring 2 | Mora Scribe's Thesis Jewellery | Bloodthirsty |
| Front: main hand | Mora Scribe's Thesis Dagger | Charged |
| Front: off hand | Mora Scribe's Thesis Dagger | Charged |
| Back bar | Merciless Charge Greatsword (two-handed) | Infused |
Sturdy and Divines are interchangeable on armour. Tri-Stat glyphs on jewellery are a fine swap if you need more resources.
What the sets do
5 pieces · Infinite Archive (Templar class set)
- (2 items)Adds 129 Weapon Damage and Spell Damage.
- (3 items)Adds 657 Critical Chance.
- (4 items)Adds 129 Weapon Damage and Spell Damage.
- (5 items)Dealing damage with Burning Light twice within 30 seconds creates a 5 meter area 3.5 meters in front of you for 5 seconds. Dealing damage an Aedric Spear skill within the area launches a spear at your target, dealing 1684 Magic damage and applying Sundered and increasing your Weapon Damage and Spell Damage by 300 for 10 seconds. The damage scales off the higher of your Weapon Damage and Spell Damage.
1 piece · Wayrest Sewers I (veteran) + Undaunted chest
Only 1 of 2 pieces, so the top bonus is off.
- (1 item)Adds 657 Critical Chance.
- (2 items)Adds 113 Critical Chance.
- (2 items)Gain Minor Berserk at all times, increasing your damage done by 5%.
5 front / 3 back · Sanity's Edge
Full bonus on the front bar only.
- (2 items)Adds 657 Critical Chance.
- (3 items)Gain Minor Slayer, increasing damage done to monsters by 5%.
- (4 items)Adds 129 Weapon Damage and Spell Damage.
- (5 items)Increase your Critical Chance by 154 for every Major Buff active on you, up to 1536 Critical Chance. Increase your Critical Damage done by 1% for every Minor Buff active on you, up to 12 Critical Damage done. Current Bonus: 0 Critical Chance and 0% Critical Damage.
1 piece · Antiquities: Telvanni Peninsula
- (1 item)Adds 1650 Offensive Penetration.
- (1 item)Increase your damage done to monsters by 15%, gain Minor Force at all times, and reduce your total damage done with Light and Heavy Attacks by 99%.
2 pieces · back bar · Maelstrom Arena (veteran)
- (2 items)Activating Critical Charge stirs up a barbarous lust for battle within you for 18 seconds, increasing your damage done with direct damage attacks by 1%, up to a maximum of 12%. This effect scales off the higher of your Weapon Damage and Spell Damage.
Alternative sets
Body swap for fights where you can't pick up Aetheric Lancer's area.
Cyrodiil body swap: longer damage over time effects.
Swap for Mora Scribe's Thesis while your Magicka stays high.
Another swap for Mora Scribe's Thesis, from Sanity's Edge.
Mythic swap if you hold your Ultimate.
Skinnycheeks' other mythic option.
Champion Points
Slottable stars only. Spend passive points in each tree along the path to these stars.
- Deadly Aim
More damage with single-target attacks. Swap it for Biting Aura on trash.
- Master-at-Arms
More direct damage.
- Wrathful Strikes
Weapon and Spell Damage on every damaging skill.
- Fighting Finesse
Critical Damage until your group's buffs take you to the 125% cap.
- Boundless Vitality
Max Health, so one-shot mechanics don't kill you.
- Fortified
Armor, for the hits you can't block.
- Celerity
10% Movement Speed, which
Banner Bearer's Cavalier's Charge turns into Weapon and Spell Damage. - Rejuvenation
Recovery for all three resources.
- Steed's Blessing
Run between pulls faster.
- Gifted Rider
Faster mount.
Good swaps
More damage with area attacks. Swap it in for Deadly Aim on trash.
More damage over time, for builds whose damage is mostly DoTs.
Weapon and Spell Damage, in place of Fighting Finesse once you sit at the 125% Critical Damage cap.
Critical Damage when you hit from the flank. Strong when the tank turns the boss away.
More damage against Off Balance targets, if your group keeps Off Balance up.
Heals you when you kill an enemy. Good on trash with a fragile build.
Race
Max Magicka, Weapon and Spell Damage, and casting restores your lowest resource.
- also good
Dark ElfMax Magicka and Stamina and Flame damage. Strong on every build.
- 4-player
KhajiitCritical Damage and Healing. Better in dungeons, where you rarely hit the Critical Damage cap.
Mundus
More Critical Chance. Divines on the armour makes it bigger.
- Penetration
The LoverPenetration, if your group doesn't bring Crusher, Alkosh or Tremorscale.
Attributes
Every skill you cast scales from Max Magicka and Weapon and Spell Damage. Food and Boundless Vitality give you enough Health for normal content; move points into Health only if you keep dying to mechanics while you learn a fight.
Food
Max Health and Max Magicka. Enough Health to live, and Magicka for damage.
Potions
Restores Magicka and gives Major Brutality and Major Savagery: Weapon and Spell Damage and Critical Chance. You need it for Major Brutality, unless a Dragonknight in the group runs Igneous Weapons.
- Ultimate
Heroism potionMinor Heroism for more Ultimate. Swap Banner Bearer's affix to Berserk or Courage when you drink these.
Gameplay
- 1Keep these up: Vampire's Bane, Solar Barrage, Ritual of Retribution, Blazing Spear, Barbed Trap, Carve, Stampede, and Power of the Light each time it bursts.
- 2Step into Aetheric Lancer's area whenever it appears.
- 3Fill every other global with Puncturing Sweep, weaving a Light Attack before each skill.
- 4Below 40% Health, use Radiant Oppression instead of Puncturing Sweep.
FAQ
What's the difference between the Boss and Trash setups?
On trash, Proximity Detonation takes Barbed Trap's slot; Velothi already gives you Minor Force. Spam Puncturing Sweep, which hits up to six enemies, and swap Deadly Aim for Biting Aura. Your gear stays the same.
What gear do I need for the Templar damage dealer?
Aetheric Lancer, Slimecraw, Mora Scribe's Thesis, Velothi Ur-Mage's Amulet, Merciless Charge. The Alternative sets list easier sets to start with.
Does the Templar damage dealer help the group?
Yes. With Bright Harbinger, every Dawn's Wrath cast gives the group Weapon and Spell Damage, and Ritual of Retribution gives allies a Purify synergy that cleanses them.