Class Masteries — Every Passive in Update 50

The Short Version

Class Mastery is a passive skill line introduced in Update 50 that rewards pure-class characters with 5 class-specific passives. You pick 2 of the 5, and they cost no skill points. If you are subclassing, you cannot use Class Mastery at all.

How the System Works

The Class Mastery skill line appears below your third class skill line in the Skills menu — but only once the unlock conditions are met:

• Reach level 50 in all three of your native class skill lines (e.g. all three Dragonknight lines for a DK).
• No skill lines from another class equipped. If you have any subclass skill line slotted, Class Mastery is locked out entirely.
• Once unlocked, you choose 2 passives from a pool of 5. The other 3 are inactive until you respec.
• No skill points are spent. Respec works the same way as for normal abilities.

Not to be confused with Scribing. Scribing has its own thing called “Class Mastery” — those are the Scribing Signature Scripts, a completely separate system. This page covers the Update 50 passive skill line only.

Reading the Page

Each entry shows the mastery’s name, a short role tag, and the mechanical effect as it appears in-game. Role tags are interpretive — they describe how the passive tends to be used, not an in-game category:

• Offense — increases your damage output
• Defense — reduces damage taken or adds mitigation
• Sustain — recovery, resource return, or healing
• Group — buffs or supports nearby allies
• Utility — situational mechanics, generation, or build-enabling tools

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Dragonknight

Lead From the Front

Group · Offense

Activating rank 2 of The Storm Voice grants you and group members within 28 meters Major Berserk and Major Protection (+10% damage done, −10% damage taken) for 1 second per 15 Ultimate spent.

Resolute Defense

Defense · Sustain

Each second you remain Bracing, increase the damage you block by 6%, up to 5 times (30% total). Blocking damage has a 20% chance to restore 500 Stamina — once every block cost.

Wildfire Embers

Offense

When your Dragonknight damage over time effects end, apply Wildfire Embers to the target, dealing 2499 Flame Damage over 12 seconds. Stacks up to 12 times and gains +25% damage per stack.

Booming Voice

Sustain · Group

Activating rank 2 of The Storm Voice also grants 5 Health, Magicka and Stamina Recovery for every Ultimate spent for 10 seconds.

Inexorable Descent

Offense · Utility

Improves your Landslide passive to increase the potency of your damage done, healing done, and damage shield strength by 1% per stack.

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Sorcerer

Conservation of Energy

Sustain

Upgrades rank 2 of Blood Magic to trigger with any ability that has a cost, restoring 400 Magicka and 389 Stamina when it activates. Scales off your Max Magicka and Stamina. Cost-per-tick abilities are excluded.

Font of Power

Offense

Upgrades rank 2 of Exploitation to work with any Sorcerer ability and increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by 11% for 10 seconds. Increases by 1% for every 1750 Max Magicka or Stamina you have, whichever is higher.

Static Reverberation

Offense · Utility

When you deal damage, you have a 1% chance per 1% missing Health the target has to deal 747 Shock Damage, up to once every 0.2 seconds. The chance is divided by 1 + every permanent pet you have active — heavy pet builds lose most of the value.

Calculated Defense

Defense · Group

When beginning a Sorcerer ability or cast-time ability, gain a 0.5s shield absorbing 7127 damage (scales off Max Health). If it holds, you and nearby group members gain 3% Weapon and Spell Damage for 20 seconds.

Sphere of Influence

Defense · Sustain

Casting a damage shield on yourself or an ally grants 150 Health, Magicka and Stamina Recovery and an additional shield absorbing up to 3239 damage for 4 seconds. Scales off the higher of your Max Health or Max Magicka, capped at 25% of the target’s Max Health.

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Nightblade

Nocturnal Inspiration

Utility · Sustain

Upgrades rank 2 of Hemorrhage: each hit can generate 2 Ultimate (up to once every 0.3s), with a chance equal to your Weapon Critical chance.

An Eye for Exploitation

Offense · Defense

Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by up to 1250 based on your target’s missing Health. Reduces your damage taken by up to 12% based on your attacker’s missing Health.

Above and Beyond

Offense

Increases your Critical Damage and Healing by 15% (halved against players). Raises your Critical Damage and Healing cap by 25% — from 125% to 150% (the only class that can break the cap).

Cutthroat’s Focus

Defense · Offense

Activating a Nightblade ability while Bracing causes you to dodge attacks for 0.3 seconds. Each dodge increases your attacker’s damage taken by 5% for 5 seconds.

Share the Spoils

Group · Sustain

Upgrades rank 2 of Transfer: grants the closest 4 group members 250 Magicka and Stamina and 1 Ultimate, and doubles the Ultimate you gain (4 instead of 2).

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Templar

Bastion of Light

Sustain · Utility

Sacred Ground now applies while in your own Nova and Spear Shards, and while Radial Sweep or Solar Barrage is active. While Sacred Ground is active, heal 1498 Health per second; gain 2 Ultimate if at full Health after the heal (in combat).

Devout Guardian

Defense · Sustain

While Sacred Ground is active, gain a damage shield absorbing 3747 damage for 6 seconds (once every 6 seconds) and 300 Health, Magicka and Stamina Recovery while active. If the shield breaks, gain 10 Ultimate.

Bright Harbinger

Offense · Group

Upgrades rank 2 of Illuminate: also grants Bright Harbinger for the duration, giving allies 300 Weapon and Spell Damage (doubled to 600 for you).

Judgment’s Brand

Offense

When rank 2 of Burning Light deals damage, your Templar abilities gain 1250 damage done for 3.1 seconds (halved against players, 625).

Steadfast Candescence

Defense

Sacred Ground activates and refreshes itself while Bracing, increasing the amount of damage you can block by 20% while stationary.

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Warden

Tundra’s Maw

Offense · Utility

Applying Chill to an enemy also applies Major Brittle for 2 seconds, increasing their Critical Damage taken by 20%.

Wild Adaptation

Offense

Gain 333 Weapon and Spell Damage for each status effect on your target, up to 1665 (5 stacks). Can also apply when targeting friendly players.

Glacial Obstinance

Offense · Sustain

Upgrades Bond with Nature to also trigger when casting Winter’s Embrace abilities, granting 15% Weapon and Spell Damage for 10 seconds if you are at full Health after the heal.

Green-Keeper’s Hide

Defense

Reduce your damage taken by 3% for every status effect active on your attacker, up to a maximum of 15% (5 status effects).

Bountiful Harvest

Group · Sustain

Upgrades rank 2 of Nature’s Gift to grant the healed target Major Heroism for 4.5 seconds and restore an additional 250 Magicka and Stamina.

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Necromancer

Cycle Unending

Offense

Upgrades rank 2 of Reusable Parts: grants Cycle Unending for 25 seconds, increasing your damage done by 1% per 1% Health advantage over the target, capping at 25% (12% vs players).

Pound of Flesh

Sustain · Defense

When you take damage, 1% chance (up to once per second) to heal 2745 Health (scales off Max Health) and restore 5% missing Stamina. Chance increases by 1% per missing Health percent.

Veil’s Forfeit

Utility · Group

In combat, directly healing a target below 50% Health lets you use a corpse consuming ability on them for 10 seconds (once per second). Consuming or replacing this effect grants the target 2 Ultimate.

Nothing Wasted

Offense · Defense

Upgrades rank 2 of Corpse Consumption: each use grants a stack of Nothing Wasted for 10 seconds, increasing Max Health and Weapon/Spell Damage by 2% per stack (up to 10). Stacks decay 3 at a time.

Malevolent Promise

Utility · Offense

Upgrades rank 2 of Corpse Consumption: marks the closest non-player enemy with death’s touch for 6 seconds, enabling corpse consuming abilities on them. Consuming or replacing this effect triggers rank 2 of Death Gleaning (once every 2 seconds).

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Arcanist

Abyssal Emergence

Offense · Utility

Activating an Arcanist Ultimate immediately generates maximum Crux (3 stacks) and grants 666 Weapon and Spell Damage for 15 seconds.

Fate Realigned

Offense · Utility

Upgrades rank 2 of Implacable Outcome to generate maximum Crux (3), up to once every 15 seconds. After it triggers, gain 300 Weapon and Spell Damage for 25 seconds.

Unbound Potential

Offense

Upgrades rank 2 of Fated Fortune to also increase your damage done by 30% (halved against players) for the duration.

Erudite’s Rigor

Sustain · Utility

Upgrades Fatewoven Armor: when you take damage, restore 300 Magicka and Stamina (+100 per active Crux) and gain 1 Ultimate. Once every 2 seconds.

Ink-Scribe’s Verve

Utility · Group

While in combat, when you heal or overheal a total of 75,000 Health, you generate a Crux. Triggers as many times per fight as the threshold is met.

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How to Pick Your Two

A few quick heuristics — these are starting points, not rules:

• PvP burst builds lean on flat damage boosts and crit-related masteries (Nightblade Above and Beyond, Arcanist Unbound Potential, Warden Tundra’s Maw).
• PvP brawlers / bruisers want sustain and damage-taken reduction (DK Resolute Defense, Templar Steadfast Candescence, Necromancer Pound of Flesh).
• Group support / healer hybrids benefit from masteries with allied effects (Sorcerer Calculated Defense, Templar Bright Harbinger, Warden Bountiful Harvest).
• Sustain-starved builds look at the recovery-flavored masteries (DK Booming Voice, Sorcerer Conservation of Energy, Necromancer Pound of Flesh).

ZOS adjusts masteries at most major patches — check the patch_verified tag in the in-game UI before committing to a specific choice. This guide reflects Update 50 live values.