Weapon Attacks

Mastering your weapon attacks is fundamental to maximizing your damage output (DPS) and overall effectiveness in The Elder Scrolls Online. Beyond simply equipping a powerful weapon, understanding the nuances of light attacks, heavy attacks, and their integration into your skill rotations is crucial for both PvE and PvP encounters.

Understanding Light and Heavy Attacks

Every weapon in ESO, from a humble Iron Sword to a legendary Maelstrom Bow, has two primary attack types: Light Attacks and Heavy Attacks. These are not just filler; they are integral components of any effective combat strategy.

Light Attacks: These are quick, low-cost attacks that deal immediate damage. They are essential for weaving between your abilities to generate Ultimate, restore resources (especially with certain enchantments or passives), and maintain consistent damage.
Heavy Attacks: These attacks require a charge-up time but deal significantly more damage than light attacks. Fully charged heavy attacks also restore a portion of your primary resource (Stamina for melee/bow, Magicka for staves). This resource restoration makes them invaluable for sustaining long fights, especially when your resource pools are low.

The Art of "Weaving"

Weaving is the practice of seamlessly integrating light attacks between your ability casts. This technique is the cornerstone of high-level DPS in ESO. Here's how to master it:

Initiate with a Light Attack: Always start your rotation with a light attack.
Immediately Cast an Ability: As soon as the light attack animation begins, cast one of your active abilities (e.g., Flurry for Dual Wield, Elemental Weapon for Staves).
Repeat: Continue this pattern – Light Attack, Ability, Light Attack, Ability – for the duration of your rotation.

Why Weave?

Increased Damage: Light attacks contribute a significant portion of your overall damage, especially over extended fights.
Ultimate Generation: Each light attack generates a small amount of Ultimate, allowing you to use powerful Ultimate abilities more frequently.
Enchantment Procs: Light attacks frequently trigger weapon enchantments, adding extra damage or effects like the Flame Enchantment or Poison Enchantment.
Set Bonuses: Many powerful gear sets, such as the Pillar of Nirn or Kinras's Wrath, have bonuses that proc off light or heavy attacks, making weaving even more critical.

Strategic Heavy Attack Usage

While light attack weaving is paramount, knowing when to use heavy attacks can be a game-changer for resource management and burst damage.

Resource Recovery: If your Stamina or Magicka is critically low, a fully charged heavy attack is often more efficient than relying on potions or passive regeneration alone. This is particularly true for Magicka builds using Destruction or Restoration Staves.
Execute Phase: Some builds incorporate heavy attacks into their execute phase rotations, especially if they have passives or sets that amplify heavy attack damage.
Opening Bursts: For certain builds, a fully charged heavy attack can be used as an opener to apply a strong debuff or trigger a powerful set bonus before transitioning into a light attack weave.
Specific Weapon Types:
- Two-Handed Weapons: Heavy attacks with a Greatsword or Battle Axe can be particularly potent, especially with the Follow Up passive from the Two-Handed skill line.
- Destruction Staves: Fully charged heavy attacks with a Flame or Lightning Staff deal significant area-of-effect (AoE) damage and can apply status effects. The Tri Focus passive enhances these.
- Bow: A fully charged heavy attack with a Bow can be a strong single-target burst, especially when paired with the Long Draw passive.

Optimizing Your Weapon Attacks

To truly optimize your weapon attacks, consider the following:

Weapon Traits:
- Infused: Increases the effectiveness of your weapon enchantment by 30%, making light attack weaving even more rewarding.
- Charged: Increases your chance to apply status effects, which can be beneficial for builds relying on specific debuffs.
- Nirnhoned: Significantly increases weapon damage, boosting both light and heavy attack damage.
Enchantments: Always ensure your weapons have up-to-date and appropriate enchantments. Weapon Damage or Flame/Shock/Poison enchantments are common choices for DPS.
Passives: Invest skill points into weapon-specific passives that enhance your light and heavy attacks. For example, the Forceful passive in the Dual Wield line increases your cleave damage from light and heavy attacks.
Practice: The best way to improve your weaving and heavy attack timing is through consistent practice. Head to a combat dummy in a guild hall or your own home (e.g., the Precursor dummy) and track your DPS.

By diligently practicing light attack weaving and strategically employing heavy attacks, you will see a substantial increase in your overall combat effectiveness and contribute significantly more to your group's success in any content ESO throws your way.