How Buffs & Debuffs Actually Work in ESO (Major, Minor, Stacking)

Major and Minor: the naming rule that changes everything

Almost every important buff comes in two grades: Major and Minor (e.g., Major Courage and Minor Courage). The rule: same name doesn't stack, but Major and Minor of the same buff DO stack with each other. So 'Major Courage' from two different sources is wasted overlap — you only get it once — but Major Courage plus Minor Courage both apply. This single rule is the most common buff mistake in the game.

The buffs that actually matter

You don't need to memorize all of them. The high-impact damage ones are Major Courage, Major Slayer, and Major Berserk; the key enemy debuffs are Major Breach (cuts their resistance) and Major Vulnerability (they take more damage). Survivability leans on Major Resolve. Cover those and you've got most of the gain.

• Damage: Major Courage, Major Slayer, Major Berserk.
• Debuffs: Major Breach, Major Vulnerability.
• Defense: Major Resolve, Minor Protection.

Uptime is the whole game

A buff that's only up half the fight is worth half as much. The reason endgame players obsess over rotation isn't fun — it's keeping these effects live as close to 100% of the time as possible. This is also why buff-tracking addons exist (Srendarr has millions of installs): the base game won't show you when a buff lapses.

Where each buff comes from

Buffs come from skills, sets, mundus stones, and potions — and there are usually several sources for each, which lets you slot the one that fits your build. We datamined every source of every Major and Minor buff and debuff so you can see, at a glance, exactly how to get the one you're missing.