ESO Arcanist Class Guide - Master The Power Of Apocrypha (2024)

Welcome to the ESO Arcanist Class Guide. Today we are going to take a closer look at everything we know about the new Arcanist class for The Elder Scrolls Online game. The Arcanist Class will be playable on the 5th of June 2023. During the Necrom Chapter reveal event we already got a first look at the Arcanist Class that we reported on. We added all the skill info from the Arcanist Skill Reveal article here too.

New Arcanist Class Builds will be available when the Necrom Chapter launches.

• Magicka Arcanist Build DPS
• Stamina Arcanist Build DPS
• One Bar Arcanist Build DPS
• Healer Arcanist Build
• Tank Arcanist Build

The youtube video showcases and explains all the Arcanist skills that will be available in the Necrom Chapter in ESO.

The Arcanist unleashes the Power of Apocrypha

The Arcanist Class in ESO (Elder Scrolls Online) is the seventh playable class. The new class brings new powerful abilities and never seen before mechanics that draw power directly from Hermaeus Mora’s realm of Oblivion.

The Arcanist is a mystical new class that can harness powerful runes, tomes of ancient knowledge and the energy of Apocrypha itself. With all this power the Arcanist class can unleash destructive, defense or restorative magic. Setting itself up for the seventh class in The Elder Scrolls Online.

CRUX – New exclusive Arcanist Class Combat Mechanic

ESO introduces the “Crux” mechanic which is exclusive to the Arcanist Class. When you use certain Arcanist abilities you generate Crux. Crux can be saved up in combat and you can spend Crux when activating specific abilities. You can save up to a maximum of three Crux.

When you activate an ability that is impacted by Crux it will become more powerful and more effective. Therefore it is important to really think your rotation through, to maximize the impact of Crux on the Arcanist abilities in The Elder Scrolls Online.

In the image below you can see the Crux mechanic. The two green triangles indicate that the character has two Crux active. When he activates the next ability that can harness the power of the Crux mechanic they will disappear.

Arcanist Class Specific Skill-Lines – Herald of the Tome, Apocryphal Soldier, Curative Runeforms

ESO’s Arcanist Class has access to three unique class-specific skill-lines. The Herald of the Tome, Apocryphal Soldier and Curative Runeforms. Each of the skill-lines focuses on a different aspect of the game. Namely offense, defense and support.

Arcanist Class skill-lines:

• The Herald of the Tome (Offense)
• Apocryphal Soldier (Defense)
• Curative Runeforms (Support/Healing)

Herald of the Tome

The Herald of the Tome skill-line for the Arcanist class is focused on an offensive playstyle. The Herald of the Tome skills will mostly be focused on damage-dealing skills. With it, you manipulate arcane energies to bombard your foes with blasts, beams and more!

The Runeblades skill lets you throw runes of magic at the enemy and generating Crux at the same time. Abyssal Impact lets you summon tentacles from the abyss to infuse your arm with unstable magic and transform it into a weapon.

Arcanist Herald of Tome Skills List:

• Unblinking Eye (Ultimate) – Tear open the fabric of the Aurbis to summon a scion of Hermaeus Mora. This being casts forth a beam that rends asunder reality for 6 seconds and deals1115 Magic Damageto enemies within 3 meters every 0.5 seconds. The scion’s beam can be repositioned by recasting The Unblinking Eye.
  • Morphs – The Tide King’s Gaze and The Languid Eye
• Runeblades – Craft a series of Apocryphal runes before launching them at a foe, dealing695 Magic Damagethree times and generating Crux. This ability deals 3% increased damage for each active Crux when cast.
  • Morphs – Writhing Runeblades, Escalating Runeblades
• Fatecarver – Harness pure knowledge into a beam of energy that scars the world in front of you. Channel the beam for up to 4 seconds, dealing879 Magic Damageevery 0.3 seconds. Casting Fatecarver consumes all Crux and increases damage done by 33% per Crux spent.
  • Morphs – Exhausting Fatecarver, Pragmatic Fatecarver.
• Abyssal Impact – Infuse your arm with abyssal magic to form tentacles that lash out at your foes, dealing1939 Physical Damage. Enemies are immobilized for 3 seconds and marked with Abyssal Ink for 20 seconds. You deal 5% increased damage to enemies drenched in Abyssal Ink.
  • Morphs – Cephaliarch’s Flail, Tentacular Dread
• Tome-Bearer’s Inspiration – Etch a series of runes onto your weapon that pulse with power once every 5 seconds. Each pulse enhances your class abilities, and striking an enemy with one deals an additional1161 Magic Damageand generates Crux if you have none. While slotted on either ability bar, gainMajor BrutalityandMajor Sorcery, increasing your Weapon andSpell Damage by 20%.
  • Morphs – Inspired Scholarship, Recuperative Treatise
• The Imperfect Ring – Summon a flawed rune under an enemy that etches foes nearby with scrawled glyphs, dealing4631 Magic Damageover 20 seconds. An ally near the initial target can activate the Runebreak synergy, dealing2698 Frost Damageto enemies within 7 meters.
  • Morphs – Rune of Displacement, Fulminating Rune.
• Fated Fortune (Passive) – Warp fate when you gain or spend Crux, increasing your Critical Damage and Critical Healing by 12% for 7 seconds.
• Harnessed Quintessence (Passive) – You master the warp and weft of your very soul. When you are restored Magicka or Stamina, increase your Weapon andSpell Damage by 5%for 10 seconds.
• Psychic Lesion (Passive) – Your attacks wound the mind with heretical knowledge, increasing damage dealt by Status Effects by 15%.
• Splintered Secrets (Passive) – What they don’t know can kill them. Increase your Physical and Spell Penetration by 991 per Herald of the Tome ability slotted.

Apocryphal Soldier

The Apocryphal Soldier skill-line for the Arcanist class is focused on a defensive playstyle. The Apocryphal Soldier skills are focused to protect the player and their allies with runes of magic. With skills like the Runespite Ward you can buff yourself and your party’s defensive capabilities and even conjure an explosive damage shield, which can be further boosted by Crux.

Arcanist Soldier of Apocrypha Skills List:

• Gibbering Shield (Ultimate) – Gather the true strength of Apocrypha around you, forming protective tentacles and a damage shield that absorbs 60% of all damage for 10 seconds, up to a max of 31732 damage, scaling off your Max Health. When the shield collapses you lash out, dealing all of the damage absorbed as Magic Damage to enemies within 5 meters over 10 seconds.
  • Morphs – Sanctum of the Abyssal Sea, Gibbering Shelter.
• Runic Jolt – Craft a defensive Apocryphal rune that deals1161 Magic Damageand appliesMinor Maimfor 15 seconds, reducing their damage done by 5%. The rune also taunts for 15 seconds if it would not cause taunt immunity, and generates Crux. While slotted, damage taken is reduced by 2% per active Crux.
  • Morphs – Runic Sunder, Runic Embrace
• Runespite Ward – Like the rune knights of old, summon a shield that absorbs 4800 damage for 6 seconds, scaling off your Max Health. The first time you take direct damage, the shield retaliates and deals0 Magic Damageto the attacker, scaling off your Armor. Consume Crux to heal yourself for 1600 Health, scaling off your Max Health, per Crux spent.
  • Morphs – Spiteward of the Lucid Mind, Impervious Runeward
• Fatewoven Armor – Forge defiant runic armor around you, grantingMajor Resolvefor 20 seconds, increasing your Armor by 5948. While the armor persists, taking damage appliesMinor Breach, reducing the Armor of your attacker by 2974 for 6 seconds.
  • Morphs – Cruxweaver Armour, Unbreakable Fate
• Runic Defense – Cast forth a complex rune granting you and your group membersMinor Resolvefor 20 seconds, increasing your Armor by 2974. You gainMinor Protectionfor 20 seconds, reducing your damage taken by 5%. The first time you are damaged while below 50% Health, theMinor Protectionis consumed to heal you for 4800 Health, scaling off your Max Health.
  • Morphs – Runeguard of Still Waters, Runeguard of Freedom
• Rune of Eldritch Horror – Etch an incomprehensible rune on your enemy’s mind, paralyzing them in fear after a 1 second delay, stunning them for 4 seconds. This terror appliesMinor Vulnerabilityfor 10 seconds, increasing their damage taken by 5%. If used against a monster, the paralyze lasts for 8 seconds. This ability cannot be dodged.
  • Morphs – Rune of Uncanny Adoration, Rune of the Colorless Pool
• Aegis of the Unseen (Passive) – Form a secret soldier within your mind, a defense against arcane forces without. While a Soldier of Apocrypha ability is active on you, increase your Armor by 1980.
• Wellspring of the Abyss (Passive) – Apocryphal knowledge bubbles up from the depths of your psyche, increasing your Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 129 for each Soldier of Apocrypha ability slotted.
• Circumvented Fate (Passive) – Casting an Arcanist ability warps the weave of fate around you, granting you and your group membersMinor Evasionfor 20 seconds and reducing damage from area attacks by 10%. This effect can occur once every 5 seconds.
• Implacable Outcome (Passive) – The will of an Arcanist is absolute. When you consume Crux, gain 4 Ultimate. This effect can occur once every 8 seconds.

Curative Runeforms

The Curative Runeforms skill-line for the Arcanist class is focused on restorative playstyle. The Curative Runeforms makes use of healing runes to heal yourself or your allies. You can also shield your allies from damage. The Apocryphal Gate ability is part of the Curative Runeforms skill-line and lets you summon gates that allow you to passage between worlds.

Arcanist Curative Runeforms Skills List:

• Vitalising Glyphic (Ultimate) – Summon an Apocryphal glyphic saturated with vitalizing energy, which you and your allies can heal. The glyphic spawns at 30% Health and grows stronger the more you heal it. The antediluvian power within the glyphic pulses every 1 second, granting up to200 WeaponandSpell Damageand healing you and your allies around it for up to 927 Health in proportion to its Health.
  • Morphs – Glyphic of the Tides, Resonating Glyphic
• Runemend – Craft a series of precise Apocryphal runes, then propel them at yourself or an ally in front of you. The runes heal for 1161 Health three times and generate Crux. Each active Crux reduces the cost of this ability by 3%.
  • Morphs – Evolving Runemend, Audacious Runemend.
• Remedy Cascade – Channel the abyssal sea to coalesce a beam of restorative energy. The beam heals you and your allies in its path for 11310 Health over 4.5 seconds. Consume Crux to also restore728 MagickaandStaminaper Crux spent to your allies over 4.5 seconds.
  • Morphs – Cascading Fortune, Curative Surge.
• Chakram Shields – Carve the runes of the Blind Man to call forth spinning mystical discs. Discs surround you or up to 4 allies in front of you, granting a shield that absorbs 3159 damage for 6 seconds. Discs prefer your reticle target, or low-Health targets without shields.
  • Morphs – Chakram of Destiny, Tidal Chakram.
• Arcanist’s Domain – Draw forth your tome and invoke the vigoratum of Hermaeus Mora to conjure a vortex of eldritch power. Standing in this vortex grants you and your alliesMinor Courage,Minor Fortitude,Minor Intellect, andMinor Endurance, increasing your Weapon andSpell Damage by 215 and your Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 15%.
  • Morphs – Zena’s Empowering Disc, Reconstructive Domain
• Apocryphal Gate – Summons a gate at the target location and teleports you to it. You can return to the gate to return to your original location.
  • Morphs – Fleet-Footed Gate, Passage between Worlds
• Healing Tides (Passive) – Your mastery of weaving fate and abyssal water increases your healing done by 3% for each active Crux.
• Hideous Clarity (Passive) – You’ve stared too long into the abyss. When you generate Crux, you restore225 MagickaorStamina, whichever maximum is higher.
• Erudition (Passive) – Knowledge is power. Your excessive scholarship increases your Magicka and Stamina Recovery by 18%.
• Intricate Runeforms (Passive) – Your status as illuminatus reduces the cost and increases the strength of your damage shields by 10%.

Conclusion New Arcanist Class for ESO

Overall, the Arcanist Class for The Elder Scrolls Online looks promising and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. The class will rightfully so fit into the whole system alongside the other six playable ESO classes. The abilities that have been shown during the global reveal all look great, especially the mega beam ability is promising. The aesthetics from the new Arcanist Class in ESO also look good. The green glowy skills fit the theme with Apocrypha.

All builds about the Arcanist Class can be found in the ESO Arcanist Builds section of the website.

You can find everything related the Arcanist in the Arcanist Category.