SWTOR 7.7 Sorcerer Best Solo Builds

This guide explains the best builds for Sorcerer DPS disciplines that are optimized to perform extremely well in solo content.

These builds enable you to have a far more enjoyable experience fighting trash mobs than you would with a sustained DPS build since you’ll be utilizing effects designed specifically for use against trash mobs!

Why solo builds are worth using in SWTOR

For almost the entirety of SWTOR’s history, fighting trash wasn’t fun because the combat system didn’t support it. Trash mob encounters rarely last more than a few seconds while boss fights and PvP typically last at least a few minutes, requiring you to make use of far more abilities.

In solo content, you’re mostly fighting trash mobs that have so little health that the majority of enemies won’t be able to survive for more than 2-3 abilities and you often can’t even get through a whole rotation before that combat encounter is over.

Stronger single enemies like elites (golds) where you would be able to stretch your rotational legs are rare enough that you can trivialize them with proper use of offensive cooldowns (OCDs) so even they don’t always survive a full rotation cycle.

I believe this disconnect was responsible for making skipping trash via stealth and cheese such a popular approach to playing PvE in SWTOR. BioWare clearly understood this and (mostly) solved it by introducing extremely powerful new ability tree buffs and legendary implants that synergize with existing tactical items.

These ridiculously potent effects form the basis of the solo builds and are able to exist without causing (too many) balance issues in group content because they are short-lived and only reliably trigger off of combat events that are fairly unique to and common when fighting trash mobs.

Madness Sorcerer Solo Build

In this section, I’ll be covering the ability tree build and solo ability priority for Madness Sorcerer. Please refer to the 7.0 Madness Sorcerer PvE Guide if you want more detailed information, especially on topics pertaining to gearing, abilities, and ability tree choices.

Madness Solo Content Ability Tree Build

The Build Essentials are what I consider to be the core components that make the build viable. Without them, the build no longer accomplishes its primary function.

The ability tree buffs, implants, and tacticals that aren’t listed as Build Essentials can be changed as needed without compromising the integrity of the build, though I have included a full set of default choices that will be most consistently helpful in accomplishing what the build sets out to do.

Both of the builds I recommended for Madness Sorcerer in the past still work well in solo content, but I have opted to combine them into a single new build. Instead of each having a separate focus that suggests the best option for a given goal, each Build Essential is now the ability tree buff in that tier that provides the greatest overall impact against the types of enemies you’ll be fighting in solo content, whether it be offensive or defensive.

The two most debatable options are Eternal Torment, instead of Downfall, at level 39, and Critical Movement, instead of Plague Master, at level 27.

Eternal Torment offers higher damage output when there are a lot of targets, namely in Heroics, but Downfall provides a more consistent AoE increase and actually helps in single-target situations.

Plague Master is probably the most impactful addition because it allows you to finish off Strong (silver) enemies with Shock as soon as you apply all 3 DoTs, but being able to use Force Speed between every trash pull with Critical Movement is super nice as well.

How to use this build

Your main objective is to spread your DoTs and then use Force Storm if things are still healthy or finish singular enemies off with Force Leech, Force Lightning, and Shock, if applicable.

1. Creeping Terror (first DoT)
2. Affliction (second DoT)
3. Force Speed (for implants)
4. Death Field (DoT spread and AoE damage)
5. Force Lightning (to generate 4 stacks of Wrath)
6. Demolish (with 4 stacks of Wrath)

You’ll be spreading Creeping Terror and Affliction with Death Field, so make sure they’re on something close to the center of the group and that you’re confident will survive the process or the DoTs won’t spread.

Force Lightning is used next to gain 4 stacks of Wrath so you can make Demolish instant and boost its damage. If BioWare ever does the right thing and makes Force Storm interchangeable with Force Lightning, you’d use Force Storm there instead.

Once you have 4 stacks of Wrath, you’ll use Demolish, which will apply to all nearby targets affected by your Deathmark (which was applied by Death Field). It’s best to pick a target close to the center of the pack so it hits as many as possible. Usually, that can be whatever you spread from, but sometimes it dies before that happens.

If you missed hitting something with Death Field, it can be good to apply Demolish from that target because it will still spread to anything that has Deathmark even though the initial target isn’t affected by it.

After you’ve spread your DoTs, which ability you use really depends on how much HP the group has left. If something has significantly higher HP, use Force Leech against that and then spam Force Storm (if you can hit at least 3 targets) or Force Lightning if not.

With Plague Master, DoT Spread followed by Force Leech followed by Shock will usually be enough to take out a Strong (silver enemy) and take out a massive chunk of HP against an Elite (gold). If the target is still alive and has a substantial amount of HP, reapply your DoTs to that target.

Use Polarity Shift and/or Recklessness against groups or single enemies that are harder to defeat than most.

Lightning Sorcerer Solo Build

In this section, I’ll be covering the ability tree build and solo ability priority for Lightning Sorcerer. Please refer to the 7.0 Lightning Sorcerer PvE Guide if you want more detailed information, especially on topics pertaining to gearing, abilities, and ability tree choices.

Note: Lightning Sorcerer gets 5% Alacrity from a proc, so you don’t need as much Alacrity Rating to reach the 7.5% stat threshold.

Lightning Solo Content Ability Tree Build

The Build Essentials are what I consider to be the core components that make the build viable. Without them, the build no longer accomplishes its primary function.

The ability tree buffs, implants, and tacticals that aren’t listed as Build Essentials can be changed as needed without compromising the integrity of the build, though I have included a full set of default choices that will be most consistently helpful in accomplishing what the build sets out to do.

The solo Lightning build revolves around using Chain Lightning to deal damage directly and apply Suppressive Current, which will make affected targets take additional damage from your next Force Storm. Then you have Affliction, Thundering Blast, Lightning Flash, Crushing Darkness, and Shock to finish off stronger enemies.

It doesn’t really matter which tactical item you use; they all offer a distinct advantage. Stormwatch will result in the highest sustained DPS and is best in longer fights. Eyrin’s Haste can often allow you to defeat enemies outright with Thundering Blast, so you don’t have to spend an extra GCD to do Lightning Flash. Elemental Convection gives you a bunch of AoE, but you get enough from your ability tree buffs that it’s excessive outside of heroics.

Make sure to take Volt Rush if you’re using Elemental Convection, but again, I really don’t think it’s all that useful for normal missions. Furthermore, Madness is significantly better suited to heroics since Lightning doesn’t deal as much AoE damage, has less survivability, and the overall rotation feels more clunky with Volt Rush incorporated.

I highly recommend using Lightning for regular missions and Madness for heroics and FPs.

How to use this build

There are 2 mini-rotations for Lightning in solo content depending on whether you want to deal a lot of single-target or AoE damage. With both rotations, make sure to reapply Static Barrier as soon as the Deionized debuff wears off.

AoE Damage

This rotation will be enough to take out groups of trash comprised exclusively of standard and weak enemies.

1. Chain Lightning (optional pre-cast)
2. Recklessness (if applicable)
3. Force Storm (will make Chain Lightning instant)
4. Force Speed (if applicable)
5. Chain Lightning (instant)
6. Force Storm

The idea is that Chain Lightning applies Suppressive Current, which makes your next Force Storm deal more damage. That next Force Storm will also make Chain Lightning instant, allowing you to do the same thing again.

If you’re taking Elemental Convection (and Volt Rush), you can follow that up with Volt Rush ► Chain Lightning ► Force Storm and repeat the cycle indefinitely. Make sure you use Force Speed right before activating Chain Lightning when it’s available to boost its damage.

Single-Target Damage

The AoE Damage rotation deals enough damage to bring everything low enough that these abilities will be enough to take out any of the stronger enemies that are left standing.

1. Affliction (DoT for Thundering Blast autocrit)
2. Lightning Flash (big hit, reduces cast time of Crushing Darkness)
3. Crushing Darkness (big DoT)
4. Recklessness (if applicable)
5. Force Speed (if applicable)
6. Thundering Blast (massive hit)
7. Chain Lightning (instant)
8. Shock (big hit, boosted by Crushing Darkness and slows)

You really only need to include Crushing Darkness against Elites (golds), Affliction ► Thundering Blast ► Lightning Flash will be enough for most Strongs (silvers).

Thundering Blast does deal more damage than Lightning Flash or Crushing Darkness, but Crushing Darkness needs time to tick, makes the target take a bit more damage from Force attacks, and the rate limit on the Lightning Storm proc that makes Chain Lightning instant won’t always be up if you use Thundering Blast that early. You’re not gonna need to use more than one Thundering Blast anyway so delaying is irrelevant.

Major Cooldown Abilities for Sorcerers

These abilities offer some sort of temporary boost to your offense, defense, and/or mobility. They are referred to as cooldowns (CDs) because they usually only last a short time while having a long cooldown. I’ll only be covering the ones that you’ll reasonably have access to all the time.

You may want to group each category together on your bar so you can recognize them more easily, though keep them separate from the attacks I listed above.

Offensive Cooldowns

Offensive cooldowns (OCDs) increase your damage dealt temporarily. Sometimes they’re more generic boosts to everything, other times they only apply to specific abilities. It’s important to make sure you’re being thoughtful about which abilities you use and try to use them as fast as possible while the boost is active to maximize their effectiveness. Use them against stronger enemies to defeat them faster.

Polarity Shift

Polarity Shift increases your Alacrity, which increases the rate at which you can perform attacks and thanks to the Gathering Storm implant, directly increases the damage you deal by 20%. You’ll also be immune to interrupts and castbar pushback while Polarity Shift is active.

Recklessness

Recklessness increases the critical chance of your next two non-DoT hits by 60%. For Thundering Blast (assuming Affliction is on the target), it will cause a supercrit, meaning the additional critical chance will be added to the multiplier since it’s already an autocrit.

In solo content, the stacks are best spent on Force Storm, Chain Lightning, Death Field, Force Leech, and Thundering Blast. With Force Storm, each channel will only consume 1 stack, but Chain Lightning and Death Field can consume both stacks if you hit a second enemy with it and have 2 stacks, so Chain Lightning and Death Field should always be the second abilities you use.

Defensive Cooldowns

Defensive cooldowns (DCDs) increase your survivability temporarily, making it less likely that you’ll be defeated. Use them whenever you’re taking more damage than you can handle.

Unnatural Preservation

Unnatural Preservation heals you for a moderate amount. Use it whenever you drop below 90% to sustain yourself. Think of it as a defensive cooldown and not as one of your off-heals because it’s not on the GCD, so you don’t have to use it instead of an attack.

Force Barrier

Force Barrier makes you immune to all damage and control for as long as you channel it, up to 8s. As you channel, you’ll build stacks of Enduring Bastion with each stack offering as much damage absorption as a Static Barrier, though the absorption only lasts a short time. The ability has a super long cooldown but can sometimes get you out of a bind.

Enemies will switch to attacking something else though while you’re channeling it, so your companion will be in grave danger as everything begins focusing them. It’s useful to buy you time while your companion heals you up, but be careful not to channel it too long that your companion gets defeated.

Static Barrier

I want to be crystal clear up front that I am reluctant to refer to this as a defensive cooldown at all because it does cost a GCD (that could be spent on another attack) and requires several ability tree buffs to make it worth using in combat that you can’t always afford to take in other types of content.

Thanks to Lightning Barrier, Backlash, and the base capabilities of Static Barrier, it is worth spending the GCD to use as often as possible in solo content. However, it is ideal to use it outside of combat as you are walking in between groups of trash so that you aren’t wasting time activating it in actual combat since its effects can last long and are dependent on you taking damage.

Static Barrier is less useful if you’re using a tank or DPS companion because enemies will be more likely to hit your companion than if it was a healer, though it does still offer some benefit.

The ability also has a unique additional effect for each discipline. For Lightning, you get 5% more damage reduction (DR) while you have the Deionized debuff. For Madness, you heal 1% of your max health passively each second that Static Barrier is active.

Crowd Control

These abilities have some sort of controlling effect on your opponent that often provide some sort of defensive benefit to you.

Jolt

This ability can interrupt your target’s cast or channel and locks them out of activating that ability again for a short time. Typically the longer or more threatening-sounding the ability is, the more important it is to interrupt.

Electrocute

Electrocute ability stuns the target for a short time, preventing them from doing anything, allowing you to do anything without having to worry about them retaliating.

Overload

This ability sends out a wave of Force in front of you to knock back nearby enemies. They then become rooted for up to 5s, though if they take non-DoT damage, the effect is broken early. Use Overload if you need to interrupt something and Jolt is unavailable or want a bit of breathing room between you and your enemies.

Mobility

These cooldowns allow you to move much faster than you would normally be able to go.

Force Speed

Force Speed makes you move faster than you would while mounted for a few seconds. The effect is super short, but you have maximum control over where you want to go.

Thanks to the Gathering Storm and Unmatched Haste legendary implants, Force Speed also makes your next non-DoT attack deal 20% more damage and reduces the cooldown on Polarity Shift by 5s. The damage boost is best used with Chain Lightning, Death Field, Thundering Blast, or Force Leech.

Phase Walk

Activating Phase Walk makes you put a mark on the ground where you’re standing. You can press the button again to return to that marked spot if you’re within 60m, even while you’re stunned or channeling another ability. If you’re not within 60m, it will just deactivate the mark and you can replace it.

There are more complicated uses in group content, but for solo content, I find it most useful to just put it down whenever you know you’ll have to come back the way you came, usually if you just need to take a quick detour to walk down a hallway to click something.

Unbreakable Will

This ability breaks you out of any controlling effects. Since it has such a long cooldown, only use it if you are prevented from doing what you want to do. For example, if you’re rooted in place but can still hit your target, there’s no need to break free.

Sorcerer Solo Gearing and Stats

This section will cover the core elements of gearing and stats for Sorcerer. If you want a more detailed explanation, please refer to the main PvE guides for each discipline. Don’t forget to obtain the legendary implants and tactical items I mentioned when referring to individual disciplines!

Stat Priority

As a DPS, you’ll need to care about 3 different stats: Accuracy, Alacrity, and Critical Rating. There are thresholds associated with Accuracy and Alacrity, so you need to prioritize reaching those thresholds to get the full benefit from each stat point.

1. Accuracy to 110.00% – Accuracy reduces the chance for your attacks to miss.
2. Alacrity to ~7.5% – Alacrity holistically increases the speed at which you can execute your rotation. Please note that you’ll need different amounts of Alacrity Rating to reach 7.5% with each of this combat style’s disciplines. Refer to the main PvE guides for each spec for more information.
3. Critical gets the rest – Critical refers to both your chance to critically hit and the damage multiplier for critical hits. Critical Rating affects both.

Find out which mods to purchase from Hyde and Zeek in SWTOR on the Fleet to minimize spending and optimize your build. The dedicated guide contains tips for all roles in both PvE and PvP.

Individual Pieces

• Augments: Blue 296 augments ([Type] Augment 83 + Augmentation Kit Mk-11)
• Crystals: Advanced Eviscerating (+41 Critical)
• Relics: Relic of Focused Retribution and Relic of Devastating Vengeance (highest iRating you have)
• Biochem: Advanced Kyrprax Medpac, Proficient Stim, and Critical Adrenal

I recommend a Relic and Adrenal that boost your critical chance for solo content because, unlike Power, Critical Rating isn’t capped by level sync.