Stamina Arcanist DPS Build
Similar to their Magicka counterpart, Stamina Arcanist DPS builds are incredibly powerful in terms of sustained damage over time. However, due to their unique approach to combat, they require careful building to synergise with the right gear sets, and if done properly, can really shine in a DPS role.
Gear Sets
Deadly Strike: The perfect set for Stamina Arcanists, Deadly Strike will boost all of your main damaging skills by a really massive margin, and it's easy to get from Cyrodiil vendors or guild stores.
Aegis Caller: Stamina Arcanists cannot make easy use of Relequen due to the lengthy duration of Pragmatic Fatecarver. However, Aegis Caller offers almost equal DPS and is much easier to obtain from Unhallowed Grave.
Zaan's: Fighting in melee range is necessary to weave melee light attacks, so Zaan's will offer the best boost to your overall damage. You can get this from Scalecaller Peak.
Maelstrom Bow: This weapon offers a really massive boost to the damage of Endless Hail, making it one of the best sources of damage in the game. You can get this item from Maelstrom Arena.
Skills
Exhausting Fatecarver: This is the Arcanist's most powerful skill by a long-shot. Its lengthy cast time rules out access to certain sets such as Arms of Relequen, however there are plenty of options that allow us to use this incredibly powerful move. Use it only when you have 3 Cruxes.
Escalating Runeblades: Deals great damage in its own right, and can be used to generate Crux, further empowering Exhausting Fatecarver.
Cephaliarc's Flail: A powerful execute ability that can be spammed when the target is around 20% health. Used as part of a spam combo to generate Crux, empowering Exhausting Fatecarver.
Camouflaged Hunter: Passively grants Major Savagery, meaning we don't need to get this buff from potions.
Barbed Trap: This is your source of Minor Force and should be kept up at all times. It also provides a respectable amount of damage.
Dawnbreaker of Smiting: You don't need to use this ultimate, it is just slotted to boost your damage through Fighter's Guild passives.
Inspired Scholarship: This gives Major Brutality while slotted, meaning you don't need to use potions for that buff. Keep this active at all times, as it will help to empower Exhausting Fatecarver by generating Crux.
Fulminating Rune: A nice extra damage over time ability that you should try to keep active at all times.
Endless Hail: Be sure not to reapply this too early or you will miss out on some of its powerful escalating damage ticks.
Camouflaged Hunter: We use this on both bars to ensure we always have Major Savagery active.
Poison Injection: An extra damage over time ability that can be spammed in execute range if you are forced to fight the target long-distance.
The Languid Eye: This is an powerful ultimate that you should always cast as soon as it is available. In fights where the target is highly mobile, use Dawnbreaker instead.
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.
Bloody Renewal: A powerful buff that allows you to restore stamina every time you slay an enemy. This shines best in boss fights with adds, or when facing many non-boss enemies.
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 Lava Foot Soup and Saltrice food buff is the absolute best option for stamina DPS across all classes, offering the best spread of Max Stamina and Stamina Recovery. However, if you are in content that needs more Max Health, try the Dubious Camoran Throne or Artaeum Takeaway Broth instead.
Race
The best race to use for this build is a Dark Elf (Dunmer). If you struggle to reach the crit damage cap of 125%, then a Khajiit is your best option instead.
Potion
Having built-in access to Major Brutality and Major Savagery means you don't need to run weapon power potions. Instead, you should run Heroism potions, granting Minor Heroism along with Magicka and Stamina return for a lengthy duration.
Mortality
Most Stamina DPS characters already have to work extra hard on survivability, and being susceptible to fire damage on top of high skill cost will make you a liability. Therefore, Vampirism is not recommended, and a werewolf offers no benefit. Stick to being a Mortal.
Notes
Arcanist DPS builds right now are just nuts, and this one really exaggerates their best qualities. When this build walks into the dungeon, the boss should see your health bar appear, not the other way around.
And with all of that power comes great simplicity. Buff and apply your DoTs as usual, and besides keeping them up, your goal is simple: Use Cephaliarc's Flail, Escalting Runeblades, then Exhausting Fatecarver. Due to Inspired Scholarship, Cephaliarc's Flail and Escalating Runeblades all adding a Crux, you will fire Fatecarver fully buffed, dealing insane damage to any enemy caught in the area.