Magicka Dragonknight DPS Build
Magicka Dragonknight DPS builds are surprisingly effective at dealing some of the highest damage over time around. While often using complex rotations, Magicka Dragonknight DPS builds perform insanely well in sustained fights through damage over time and the burning status effect, and can even help the rest of the group deal much higher damage with Engulfing Flames.
Gear Sets
Draugrkin's Grip: This is an unconventional set that deals incredible damage on high DoT builds, which Magicka Dragonknights typically are. You can get this set from Unhallowed Grave.
Perfected Arms of Relequen: A top tier set from Cloudrest, Relequen deals incredible damage over the duration of a fight. If you can't do trials yet, then go with Aegis Caller from Unhallowed Grave.
Zaan's: This performs particularly well on a Magicka Dragonknight, increasing your damage output and burning status effects massively. As a Magicka Dragonknight, we have to fight in melee range anyway, so keeping Zaan's up shouldn't be a problem. You can get this from Scalecaller Peak.
Maelstrom Staff: The perfected version is preferred, and will boost your damage output dramatically against anything within your Unstable Wall of Elements. You can get this from Maelstrom Arena, but the normal version will work if needed.
Skills
Molten Whip: Molten Whip is your main spammable, allowing you to deal incredible damage with every hit that is increased massively for each Ardent Flame ability you use before it. If you aren't reapplying DoTs, you're using this.
Burning Embers: A nifty skill with multiple uses. It always applies burning, heals you for each bit of damage that it deals, and provides a very nice damage over time source.
Flames of Oblivion: Flames of Oblivion is an excellent skill that will passively deal damage every 5 seconds, while also granting Major Prophecy to both bars. If it isn't too confusing for you, try to reactivate this very quickly AFTER it drops off - don't activate it too early or you miss out on the final hit.
Engulfing Flames: You must try to keep this up on your enemy at all times, as it increases the damage of almost all of your skills by a lot.
Barbed Trap: This is your source of Minor Force, which increases your damage output by a lot. It also deals a respectable amount of damage and activated Fighter's Guild passives to boost weapon damage.
Dawnbreaker of Smiting: We don't use this ultimate. It is only here to activate Fighter's Guild passives to give you some extra weapon damage while slotted.
Unstable Wall of Elements: With the Maelstrom Staff, this deals incredibly high damage and will end up being one of the highest sources of damage you have.
Mystic Orb: A nice extra damage over time effect in a moving area that also increases your recoveries while it is active, which is important for this build.
Eruption: Eruption is a great skill that allows you to spread the hefty cost of its effect over its duration instead of spending such a huge amount up-front. That makes its very high damage output more manageable.
Scalding Rune: Scalding Rune serves as a nice damage over time ability along with up-front burst damage, and is fire-based, meaning more burning.
Degeneration: Your main source of Major Sorcery along with a decent damage over time effect as well. This way, you don't have to run spell power potions.
Standard of Might: This is one of the best offensive ultimates in the game, dealing incredible damage over its duration, increasing your damage done by a massive 15% while active, and even providing a synergy for your allies to deal more damage.
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.
Deadly Aim: An important buff to single target damage that is essential to any build that gets hefty use out of a single-target spammable. It also boosts the power of single-target damage over time effects, stacking with Thaumaturge in that case.
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
Magicka Dragonknights specialise in incredibly potent damage over time against a single target. While Magicka Dragonknight DPS builds almost always run a dynamic approach to their rotation, your general goal is to keep up your damage over time effects and to use Molten Whip as much as possible - that is your greatest source of damage.
If you have generated stacks towards the buffed Molten Fury proc, then be sure to use it before the stacks run out.