The Templar remains one of the most reliable and versatile classes in The Elder Scrolls Online. Whether channeling the power of the sun to incinerate enemies, standing as an immovable wall for a group, or providing the game’s most potent burst heals, the Templar excels through its straightforward yet highly impactful skill kit. A "good" Templar build is defined by its ability to balance resource sustain with high output, leveraging the class’s unique "Execute" abilities and innate defensive passives.

Defining the Templar Identity in Current Meta

Building a Templar requires choosing between two primary resource paths: Magicka (Magplar) or Stamina (Stamplar). While modern ESO updates have introduced "hybridization"—allowing skills to scale with your highest offensive stats—your choice of primary resource still dictates your gear weight, your sustain tools, and your optimal engagement range.

Magicka Templars are the archetypal "Holy Warriors," usually fighting at melee or mid-range. They rely on the iconic Puncturing Sweep for simultaneous damage and healing. Stamina Templars, conversely, offer some of the highest burst potential in the game, utilizing Biting Jabs and weapon-based skills to shred through resistances.

Core Skills Every Good Templar Build Needs

Regardless of the specific role, certain abilities form the backbone of the Templar’s power. Understanding these is the first step toward a high-performance build.

The Aedric Spear Line

This tree is the source of the Templar’s offensive pressure.

  • Puncturing Sweeps / Biting Jabs: This is your "spammable." It hits multiple times and provides a critical damage buff (Major Savagery/Prophecy). The Magicka morph heals you based on damage dealt, which is the single reason why Templars are so difficult to kill in solo content.
  • Radiant Oppression (The Jesus Beam): Widely considered the best execute in the game. It deals up to 480% more damage to targets under 50% health. In high-end trials, the moment a boss hits the 25% health mark, a Templar’s damage output spikes exponentially.
  • Luminous Shards: A crucial synergy for group play. It deals AOE damage but, more importantly, allows allies to restore their lowest resource pool.

The Dawn’s Wrath Line

This tree focuses on debuffs and sustained damage.

  • Purifying Light / Power of the Light: You apply this to a target; it copies the damage dealt for 6 seconds and then explodes. It also applies Minor Breach, reducing the enemy's armor. In our testing, keeping a 100% uptime on this skill is the difference between a mediocre and an elite DPS parse.
  • Solar Barrage: This provides a pulsing AOE around you and grants "Empower," boosting the damage of your Heavy Attacks by 70%.

The Restoring Light Line

The defensive and utility powerhouse.

  • Channeled Focus / Restoration Focus: This creates a rune on the ground. Standing in it gives you massive physical and spell resistance (Major Resolve) and significant resource recovery. Even if you step out, the buff lingers for 8 seconds.
  • Ritual of Retribution: A massive AOE that heals allies and damages enemies. It also allows allies to cleanse themselves of harmful effects.

The High-Performance Magicka Templar DPS Build

The Magplar is currently a top-tier choice for group PvE content like Veteran Dungeons and Trials. Its ability to deal high AOE damage while maintaining a simple rotation makes it highly effective in chaotic fights.

Attributes and Race

  • Attributes: 64 points into Magicka.
  • Race: High Elf (for raw damage and sustain) or Dark Elf (for maximum flexibility between Stamina and Magicka).

Optimal Gear Setup (Endgame)

To maximize DPS, we look for sets that provide Critical Chance and Slayer bonuses.

  1. Front Bar: Perfected Whorl of Depths (from Dreadsail Reef). This provides Minor Slayer and a frost-based AOE proc that scales with weapon/spell damage.
  2. Back Bar: Pillar of Nirn (from Falkreath Hold). This set is a staple for a reason; its bleed proc is incredibly reliable and deals massive single-target damage.
  3. Monster Set: Zaan or Maw of the Infernal. Zaan is superior for single-target "sticky" damage, while Maw provides more distraction and AOE potential.
  4. Mythic: Harpooner’s Wading Kilt. This requires the Blackwood DLC and adds a massive amount of Critical Chance and Critical Damage as long as you don't take direct damage.

Skill Bar Configuration

  • Bar 1 (Main): Puncturing Sweeps, Radiant Oppression, Purifying Light, Inner Light (for the passive Magicka boost), Barbed Trap (Fighters Guild). Ultimate: Shooting Star or Flawless Dawnbreaker.
  • Bar 2 (Buff/DOT): Blazing Spear, Unstable Wall of Elements, Solar Barrage, Channeled Focus, Ritual of Retribution. Ultimate: Crescent Sweep or Solar Disturbance.

Combat Strategy

The goal is to maintain your "Damage over Time" (DOT) effects on Bar 2, swap to Bar 1 to apply Purifying Light every 6 seconds, and use Puncturing Sweeps as your filler. Once the boss hits 35% health, stop using Sweeps and start channeling Radiant Oppression. During this execute phase, you must ensure your Magicka sustain is high, as the "Beam" is expensive.

The Stamina Templar (Stamplar) Brawler

Stamplars are often played in medium armor, focusing on mobility and raw physical pressure. They are exceptionally strong in "trash pack" encounters where their Biting Jabs can hit multiple targets simultaneously.

Attributes and Gear

  • Attributes: 64 points into Stamina.
  • Race: Orc (for the health and weapon damage) or Wood Elf (for the stamina recovery and movement speed).
  • Primary Sets: Perfected Arms of Relequen (Cloudrest) paired with Deadly Strike. Deadly Strike is a unique set that increases the damage of your channeled abilities (like Jabs and the Beam) by 15%. For a Templar, this is the most efficient set in the game.

Skill Selection

Stamplars rely more heavily on weapon lines like Dual Wield or Two-Handed.

  • Key Skill: Deadly Cloak (Dual Wield). This provides an AOE damage reduction (Major Evasion) and deals constant physical damage to enemies around you.
  • Execute: Even as a Stamina build, you will often use Radiant Oppression. Thanks to hybridization, it will scale off your high Weapon Damage, though you must be careful with your smaller Magicka pool.

The "Unkillable" Solo Templar Build

For players who prefer tackling World Bosses, Solo Arenas (like Maelstrom or Vateshran), or soloing Group Dungeons, the Templar is arguably the best class in the game.

Survival Mechanics

The secret to the Solo Templar is the synergy between Puncturing Sweeps and Living Dark.

  1. Passive Healing: Puncturing Sweeps heals you for 33% of the damage dealt. If you are hitting three enemies for 10k damage each, you are receiving a constant stream of 10k healing every second.
  2. The Shield: Blazing Shield (Aedric Spear). This shield’s strength is based on your Max Health. When it expires or is broken, it deals 50% of the absorbed damage back to nearby enemies.

Solo Gear (The "Lazy" but Strong Setup)

For solo play, you want sets that provide both damage and sustain without needing group buffs.

  • Set 1: Order’s Wrath (Crafted). This is easy to get and provides excellent crit stats.
  • Set 2: Pale Order Ring (Mythic). This ring heals you for 20% of all damage you deal. When combined with the healing from Sweeps, you become nearly immortal as long as you keep attacking.
  • Set 3: False God’s Devotion (Sunspire). This reduces the cost of Magicka abilities and restores Magicka every time an enemy dies, which is essential for soloing large groups of mobs.

The Templar Healer: The Gold Standard

In ESO, the Templar is widely regarded as the "purest" healer. While Wardens and Arcanists offer great utility, the Templar provides the most reliable "Oh Crap!" burst healing.

Critical Healing Skills

  • Breath of Life: This is the most famous heal in the game. It is a smart-heal that automatically targets the lowest-health ally in your vicinity. It can bring a player from 1% to 100% health in a single cast.
  • Combat Prayer: (Restoration Staff skill). While not a class skill, Templars use this to provide Major Resolve and Minor Berserk to the group.
  • Extended Ritual: This is your primary cleanse. It removes up to 5 negative effects from you and provides a synergy for allies to cleanse themselves.

Healer Gear

  • Spell Power Cure (SPC): Found in White-Gold Tower. This set grants a massive Weapon and Spell Damage buff to anyone you overheal. Since Templars heal so much, this buff will have nearly 100% uptime.
  • Powerful Assault: Usually worn on the jewelry and back-bar weapon. It buffs the group when you use an Assault skill (like Echoing Vigor).

Champion Points (CP) Distribution

Once you reach Level 50 and start earning Champion Points, your build’s power will grow significantly. For a "good" Templar build, focus on these nodes:

The Warfare Tree (Blue)

  • Deadly Aim: Increases damage with single-target attacks (essential for the Beam).
  • Master-at-Arms: Increases damage with direct damage attacks (essential for Jabs/Sweeps).
  • Fighting Finesse: Increases Critical Damage and Healing.
  • Wrathful Strikes: Provides a flat increase to Weapon and Spell Damage.

The Fitness Tree (Red)

  • Boundless Vitality: Flat Max Health.
  • Rejuvenation: Health, Magicka, and Stamina recovery.
  • Siphoning Spells: Restores Magicka when you kill an enemy (crucial for solo play).
  • Fortified: Increases Physical and Spell resistance.

Racial Choices and Mundus Stones

Best Races for Templar

  1. Dark Elf (Dunmer): The optimal choice. It provides 1910 Max Magicka and Stamina, plus 258 Weapon and Spell Damage. This allows you to switch between Magplar and Stamplar without changing your race.
  2. High Elf (Altmer): The best for pure Magicka DPS. It provides superior sustain when using abilities.
  3. Khajiit: Best for "Crit-stacking" builds. If you want the highest possible parse on a target dummy, the Khajiit’s extra Critical Damage is unbeatable.

Mundus Stones

  • The Thief: Increases Critical Strike chance. This is the standard for almost all PvE DPS builds.
  • The Shadow: Increases Critical Damage. Use this only if your Critical Chance is already above 50% and you haven't hit the 125% Crit Damage cap.
  • The Atronach: Increases Magicka Recovery. Essential for healers or solo players struggling with sustain.

Practical Combat Tips and Experience-Based Insights

Having played the Templar through numerous patches, I have found that "playing well" is more about rhythm than just gear.

  1. The "Jabs" Rhythm: Puncturing Sweeps has a specific channel time (1 second). You cannot "bar-swap cancel" it as easily as other skills. You must wait for the final hit to land before swapping bars, or you will lose a significant portion of your damage.
  2. Execute Timing: Many beginners start using the "Jesus Beam" too early. In our testing, using Radiant Oppression at 40% health is actually a DPS loss compared to continuing your normal rotation. Wait until 25% or 30% for the most efficient transition.
  3. Resource Management: Templars can be "thirsty." If you find yourself running out of Magicka, ensure you are standing in your Channeled Focus. The recovery tick is massive. Also, remember that your Potions are not just for emergencies—they should be used on cooldown to maintain the "Major Intellect" buff for 45% increased recovery.
  4. Positioning: Because Sweeps/Jabs is a cone-shaped AOE in front of you, positioning is key. You want to "stack" enemies. Pulling them into a tight group allows your primary attack to hit everyone, maximizing the healing you receive.

Summary of the Best Templar Configurations

Build Type Primary Resource Key Gear Set Primary Spammable Role
Magplar DPS Magicka Deadly Strike / Whorl of Depths Puncturing Sweeps Group PvE
Stamplar DPS Stamina Deadly Strike / Relequen Biting Jabs Group PvE
Solo Survivor Magicka Order's Wrath / False God Puncturing Sweeps Solo Arenas
Holy Healer Magicka Spell Power Cure / Pillager Breath of Life Group Support
Support Tank Health/Mag Crimson Oath / Saxhleel Puncturing Strikes Group Tanking

Conclusion

A good Templar build in ESO is one that leans into the class's natural strengths: channeled damage, high-pressure executes, and unmatched self-healing. For beginners, starting with a Magicka-based build focused on Puncturing Sweeps is the fastest way to feel powerful. As you progress into the endgame, incorporating sets like Deadly Strike and mastering the timing of the Radiant Oppression execute will allow you to compete with the highest-performing players in Tamriel. The Templar doesn't require the complex "piano-playing" rotations of a Nightblade or an Arcanist, but it rewards precision and situational awareness with incredible reliability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: Magplar or Stamplar?

Currently, Magplar is slightly better for solo play due to the heal on Puncturing Sweeps. Stamplar often pulls slightly higher numbers on single-target boss fights in groups but requires more careful management of survival tools.

Do I need to use a Staff?

For a Magicka build, a Fire Staff on the front bar is traditional, but many "Hybrid" builds now use Dual Wield Daggers on the front bar for the extra Critical Chance passives, while keeping a Maelstrom Fire or Greatsword on the back bar.

How do I fix my Magicka sustain issues?

Ensure you are using the Ghastly Eye Bowl food (Max Magicka and Magicka Recovery). Use Channeled Focus at all times, and make sure you have the Medicinal Use passive from the Alchemy skill line to keep your potion buffs active longer.

Is the Templar good for PvP?

Yes. Templars are famous for their "House" builds (standing inside multiple overlapping AOE heals/runes). They excel at burst damage using Toppling Charge into Purifying Light and Jesus Beam to finish off players.