When it comes to PvP combat in The Elder Scrolls Online, choosing the right gear can make all the difference. Your back bar setup, which often focuses on utility, survivability, or burst potential, plays a crucial role in your overall effectiveness on the battlefield. In this guide, KlausMan66 shares his top five favorite back bar sets for PvP. These sets are not only powerful but also versatile, catering to different playstyles and situations.
5. Armor Master
Armor Master is a craftable set that is both fun and powerful. It used to be a popular choice for the back bar, providing 1,206 max health and 1,487 armor for the three-piece bonus, with the same armor bonus for the fourth piece. The fifth piece increases your max health by 5% while you have an Armor ability slotted during combat, which is great for players using skills like Polar Wind from the Warden skill line.
However, to activate the set's benefits, you must use an Armor skill from the Armor skill line, such as a shield from light armor, an armor buff from heavy armor, or Shuffle from medium armor. After using an armor skill, you gain a significant boost of 5,940 physical and spell resistance for 10 seconds, which can greatly enhance your tankiness when combined with major and minor resolve.
That said, it does have its downsides. You need to run five pieces of the armor set to activate its benefits, which limits versatility. Additionally, the need for a specific skill on your bar can be restrictive.
4. Mara's Balm
Mara's Balm has seen several nerfs over the years, but was once incredibly powerful, making players nearly unkillable. The two-piece bonus provides 1,487 armor, the three-piece gives 424 crit resistance, and the four-piece offers 4% healing taken.
The fifth piece restores health when a negative effect is removed from you, allowing for significant healing in combat, especially when you have multiple negative effects. This set is particularly effective in fights where you're outnumbered, providing excellent tankiness and free cleansing effects. Pairing it with the Cleansing Revival Champion Point can make it even harder for damage-over-time (DoT) builds to pressure you.
However, it's only at number four because its effectiveness is mainly against DoT builds, and the current meta isn't heavily focused on them. Plus, its nerfs have diminished its overall strength compared to its heyday.
3. Clever Alchemist
You can buy Clever Alchemist with ESO coins from Guild Traders or craft it yourself. So, it is very easy to obtain. It's particularly useful in ball-group settings, especially for turn-and-burn builds. While the potential of Clever Alchemist is impressive, many players don't utilize it effectively enough for it to rank higher on this list.
The second and third pieces each provide 1206 max health, while the fourth piece grants 129 weapon and spell damage. The fifth piece is where the magic happens: drinking a potion during combat boosts your weapon and spell damage by 675 for 20 seconds.
This set excels for kiting builds. With a cooldown of about 25 seconds without this boost, you'll want to focus on quick movements and building your ultimate to burst down one to five opponents unexpectedly.
While Clever Alchemist is a powerful set, it's not particularly friendly for new players, which is why it ranks at number three. However, many veteran players have found great success with it, especially in the past.
2. Wretched Vitality
Wretched Vitality is known for its versatility and ease of proccing. This set addresses a common issue many newer players face in PvP: sustainability. The second piece provides 129 magicka recovery, the third gives 129 stamina recovery, and the fourth offers 129 weapon and spell damage.
While in combat, the fifth piece grants 260 mag and stamina recovery for 15 seconds when applying a major buff or debuff, and another 130 for a minor buff or debuff. This set is easy to activate with many skills. For example, using Race Against Time or Hurricane grants both a major and a minor buff, activating both aspects of this set right away. This means your sustain becomes effortless, allowing you to maintain your resources without relying on sustain food. Instead, you can opt for tri-stat food, which boosts your overall max stats—especially beneficial in the current hybrid patch.
1. Rallying Cry
Rallying Cry offers 657 crit chance and 1,096 magicka. The fifth piece provides a unique buff: critically healing yourself or an ally grants you and nearby group members 1,650 crit resistance and 300 weapon and spell damage for 20 seconds.
While it's not ideal for large groups, it excels in small-scale situations, making it perfect for solo play or teams of up to four. The crit chance enhances survivability, while the additional weapon and spell damage boosts healing and damage output, making it a top choice for your back bar.
Conclusion
Choosing the right back bar set in PvP can elevate your performance and help you adapt to different combat situations. Whether you prioritize tankiness with Armor Master, sustainability with Wretched Vitality, or burst damage with Clever Alchemist, there's a set on this list that will suit your playstyle. For those facing DoT-heavy builds, Mara's Balm offers excellent niche utility, while Rallying Cry stands out as the ultimate choice for balanced offense and defense in small-scale battles.
Experiment with these sets to find the one that best complements your build and strategy. With the right gear on your back bar, you'll be well-equipped to dominate the battlefield in The Elder Scrolls Online.
If you like this video, please subscribe to KlausMan66's channel and share this video with other players.
