Magicka Templar PvP Build
Magicka Templar PvP builds occupy a relatively strange niche of dealing very high sustained damge in melee range - a playstyle which is usually reserved for higher burst damage. However, the sheer survivability of the Magicka Templar, and the buffs and debuffs they can weave into combat, make them uniquely qualified to pull this off, and they are great at keeping up high pressure in melee range while tanking damage.
Gear Sets
Zoal the Ever-Wakeful: This is an unconventional set that I still argue is one of the best PvP sets in the game. Whenever you break free from getting stunned, you let out a shockwave that stuns all enemies in the area, which absolutely shuts down the vast majority of player combos. This is one of the best survivability sets in PvP. You can get this from the Watcher in the Imperial City.
Order's Wrath: An excellent source of damage that will boost your offensive and healing capabilities by increasing critical chance, critical damage and critical healing. You can craft this set.
Buffer of the Swift: One of the best defensive PvP sets in the game, this grants some nice bonuses on top of a flat 10% damage mitigation, which is immune to enemy penetration.
Markyn Ring of Majesty: A nice, balanced boost to both damage output and resistances, this mythic ring can be created from leads in the Deadlands update.
Armor of the Trainee: This is a great extra bonus to your health with the remaining slot that we have available. It is easy to obtain in starting area overland locations, but it's easier just to buy it on guild traders - it's quite cheap.
Skills
Puncturing Sweep: This is your primary spammable, which deals incredible damage in close quarters, applying a lot of pressure.
Radiant Oppression: Deals an unbelievable amount of damage to enemies below 40% health. Be sure to spam this on any target that is at that point to put them down.
Inner Light: We slot this for passive access to Major Prophecy alongside a nice boost to your max Magicka stats.
Power of the Light: Use this to open combat. It will deal a lot of damage at the end of its duration based on how much damage you dealt while it was active.
Toppling Charge: Your gap closer and primary CC tool. You can use Javelin if you prefer. Using this will send you to the target's location and stun them when you get there.
Crescent Sweep: Deals a very high amount of damage to enemies in front of you, and fires fast so that they have no time to react.
Repentance: If there are corpses nearby, you can use this to restore both health and stamina. You also get additional recoveries on both bars for having this slotted.
Honor the Dead: One of the strongest burst heals in the game. This will refund a lot of the cost back to you if you are below 75% health.
Resolving Vigor: Use this for a great heal over a short duration alongside access to Minor Resolve, which will give you a nice boost to your resistances.
Extended Ritual: A great heal in a wide area that also purges you of negative effects when you cast it, which is a huge advantage in PvP.
Channeled Focus: Use this as your source of Major Resolve alongside a constant return of Magicka and healing.
Solar Prison: This is a flex slot ultimate since you will mostly be using Crescent Sweep. However, when fighting in group v group setups, this can be invaluable for bursting enemy teams.
Champion Points
Master at Arms: Direct damage is one of the most common types in PvP, and is often where the ability to burst down your opponents lies, making this a valuable buff.
Biting Aura: This class in particular really benefits from a buff to area damage, making this a smart choice for increasing your burst damage potential, so make sure you always have it slotted.
Ironclad: Since direct damage is so common, it is important to also defend against it. That is where Ironclad comes in, boosting your mitigation against this damage type.
Resilience: No matter what the meta is running, critical damage will always be a big part of what many players build around in PvP. It is important to defend against that, and Resilience will help you there in combination with Impenetrable armour pieces.
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.
Slippery: In PvP, pinning your opponent down with CC before you burst them down is important. This will prevent that from happening to you so easily, making it an important addition.
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 best Mundus Stone to use on this build is the Lover for significantly better Penetration. The Lover gives the best overall boost to damage output on average against players, especially since players in PvP tend to run a lot of resistance. However, if you need more recovery, consider the Atronach instead.
Food Buff
The Clockwork Citrus Filet offers an incredibly useful spread of Max Health, Max Magicka, Health Recovery and Magicka Recovery, making it perfect for Magicka-focused PvP builds. If you can't afford its hefty cost, go with the Witchmother's Potent Brew instead, offering similar stats but no Health Recovery.
Race
My preferred race to run for this build is a Breton for their superior sustain. However, if you feel that you are managing your resources well enough, then you can switch to a High Elf (Altmer) for more overall damage, or Dark Elf (Dunmer) for almost the same damage as the High Elf with a little extra stamina for survivability as well.
Potion
PvP builds generally work best when running Immovability potions, which grants a lengthy immunity to snares, immobilizations and stuns. It's good to carry some potions to reveal invisibility as well to counter Nightblades.
Mortality
As a front-line combatant with high self healing, Magicka Templar PvP characters benefit from Vampirism. Having access to the Undeath passive along with Mist Form for mobility allows Templars to be more dynamic in melee-range combat, and having access to a variety of recovery tools helps with this.
Notes
Magicka Templars are tanky, powerful melee-range fighters that deal very high sustained damage. Your approach to combat should be to open with Power of the Light, close the gap with Toppling Charge and then hit Puncturing Sweep a few times to stack up damage against your opponent. Time Crescent Sweep to hit right when Power of the Light finishes, and you will deal a devastating boom of damage that will almost certainly leave your opponent open to being finished off with Radiant Oppression.