Magicka Arcanist DPS Build
Magicka Arcanist DPS builds take a relatively unique approach to the role, dealing very high sustained damage over time, but very little burst damage. Their unique skills and combat style cause many powerful gear sets to be almost unusable on this class, meaning Magicka Arcanist DPS builds like this one will need to be carefully planned to play to their strengths.
Gear Sets
Deadly Strike: This is one of the most powerful sets in the game for some classes, and is mediocre for others. For an Arcanist, it is incredibly powerful, buffing all of their best abilities by a massive margin. You can get this from the Cyrodiil gear merchant.
Perfected Whorl of the Depths: A tried and true light DPS set that deals tremendous damage consistently, with nice uptime. You can get this set from Dreadsail Reef, and if you're not ready for vet, the normal set will do just fine.
Zaan's: This is a great set that deals extremely high damage and has great uptime. This set comes from Scalecaller Peak, and requires you to fight quite close to the target. If that's not reasonable, try Stormfist - it deals great damage and the extra stamina recovery actually helps on this build. You can get that from Tempest Island.
Maelstrom Staff: Another tried and true set item that comes from Maelstrom Arena. The perfected version is ideal, but the normal version will work if you can't do vet yet.
Skills
Exhausting Fatecarver: This is your primary source of DPS. It has a long cast time and slows your movement, but deals incredible damage over its duration and is buffed by Deadly Strike. Cast this when you have 3 Crux.
Escalating Runeblades: Used for generating Crux in combination with Cephaliarc's Flail and Inspired Scholarship.
Cephaliarc's Flail: Used primarily for generating Crux on top of the Abyssal Ink debuff. You can also use this as a spammable thanks to the stamina recovery component of our potion.
Inner Light: We slot this for access to Major Prophecy on top of some extra max Magicka. You don't need to use it for anything.
Scalding Rune: This is a flex slot. If you are struggling to manage your damage over time abilities alongside Exhausting Fatecarver, you can switch this to a utility skill such as Impervious Runeward.
Dawnbreaker of Smiting: You won't be using this, and it is just slotted to passively grant some extra weapon and spell damage through the Slayer passive.
Unstable Wall of Elements: This is a great damage over time skill when combined with the Maelstrom Staff, so keep it up as much as possible.
Fulminating Rune: A nice extra source of damage that can effect multiple enemies at once and has a synergy for allies to activate.
Inspired Scholarship: Inspired Scholarship will increase the overall damage of your class abilities, which are your main source of damage already. It also periodically generates Crux to feed to Exhausting Fatecarver.
Mystic Orb: An extra source of moving damage that also boosts your recoveries while it is active, and has a synergy for your allies to activate.
Channeled Acceleration: We use this instead of Barbed Trap for greater ease. It has a lengthy duration that works better with Exhausting Fatecarver.
The Languid Eye: This is the main ultimate that you will be using, dealing very high damage in a small area at the target's location.
Champion Points
Fighting Finesse: A welcome addition to your critical damage output that will help you get up to the 125% crit damage cap. If you are exceeding this cap in your group, choose a different perk like Wrathful Strikes.
Thaumaturge: Damage in The Elder Scrolls Online is measured in how much damage you do per second over the duration of a fight, and stacking damage over time effects is the way to increase this. Thaumaturge will boost that damage type.
Master at Arms: An essential boost to one of the primary damage types that all DPS use - direct damage. This is important on almost any DPS build in ESO.
Biting Aura: An important addition to this build that will boost the power of your area abilities substantially, which is where this class really shines.
Boundless Vitality: Every bit of health makes a difference, especially in some of the tougher content that The Elder Scrolls Online has to offer. This will help you bump yours up a little more, increasing your survivability.
Siphoning Spells: A potent addition that shines best when facing multiple enemies or boss fights with adds. Each time you kill an enemy, gain Magicka - perfect!
Rejuvenation: Recoveries are important for every role. For healers, it is essential for keeping your group alive, for tanks, it is the source of most of your buffs and debuffs, for DPS, you can't deal damage with no fuel, and in PvP, no resources means death.
Celerity: Extra movement speed is an amazing boost in all content. In PvE, it helps massively with avoiding nasty mechanics, and in PvP, it allows you to run circles around your opponents.
Mundus Stone
The go-to Mundus Stone for any DPS is the Thief. It is very rare that you will reach the optimal critical chance numbers without the Thief unless you are specifically building for it, which isn't ideal. a
Food Buff
The Ghastly Eye Bowls food buff is typically the best option for any PvE Magicka character. It offers the best combination of Max Magicka and Magicka Recovery. If you are in content that requires higher health, you can use the Withmother's Potent Brew or Clockwork Citrus Filet if you prefer.
Race
The best race to use for this build is a High Elf (Altmer). However, Dark Elves (Dunmer) have an almost negligible difference in DPS. If you struggle to reach the crit damage cap of 125%, then a Khajiit is your best option instead.
Potion
This build already has built-in Major Sorcery and Major Prophecy, so you can afford to run Heroism potions, which grant Minor Heroism, Stamina return and Magicka return for a lengthy duration.
Mortality
Running a Vampire in PvE content will make you a liability to your tank and healer, forcing them to work much harder to keep you alive through much of the game's fiery damage in PvE content. A werewolf also offers no benefit. Therefore, it is recommended that you stick with being a Mortal.
Notes
Arcanist DPS builds almost exclusively specialise in area damage over time, allowing them to deliver incredibly high sustained damage over the duration of a fight. They are unmatched in this respect, leaving them uniquely qualified to bring down groups of enemies consistently. You can also work in powerful group buffs and debuffs as needed, and you even have access to very potent survivability tools for some of the tougher content in the game.
In addition to keeping up your damage over time effects, your general approach to combat is to generate Crux using Escalating Runeblades and Cephaliarc's Flail until you have 3, and then use Fatecarver to expend them for very high damage.