90% damage reduction NB, how is it possible?

Merlight

Not trying to hurt anyone, it's a genuine question. I don't play a Nightblade, and I know very little about their skills. Is there something allowing them to reduce incoming damage that much?

I had an encounter with enemy NB, his health showed he was almost dead, but I just couldn't get him down. I looked into combat log afterwards and saw Light Attacks for 11 dmg, Endless Fury Explosions for 37 dmg, Crystal Fragments for 46 dmg, Disintegrate for 135 dmg. That's rougly around 10% of usual values.

Thejollygreenone

Merlight wrote: »

Not trying to hurt anyone, it's a genuine question. I don't play a Nightblade, and I know very little about their skills. Is there something allowing them to reduce incoming damage that much?

I had an encounter with enemy NB, his health showed he was almost dead, but I just couldn't get him down. I looked into combat log afterwards and saw Light Attacks for 11 dmg, Endless Fury Explosions for 37 dmg, Crystal Fragments for 46 dmg, Disintegrate for 135 dmg. That's rougly around 10% of usual values.

Probably veil of blades was the main culprit, which give's 60% flat damage mitigation to the NB while they stand in the circle it created. Add that 60% to the mitigation one receives from having a decent armor/spell resist rating, AND if he's blocking?

Yeah this makes sense, unfortunately. The 60% lasts 17 seconds, so when you see the red circle on the ground that the NB wont move from, might want to hunker down and go turtle-defense mode for another 15 seconds till it's over and you can properly damage the dude again.

(I'm a NB who uses this ability, and that's my basic strategy for others using the ability, that is if I can't get them to move out of the circle)

xaraan

Also, if it was a vampire, they also get a big damage mitigation bonus when they are at low health. (Plus, if blocking and with footman's gear, that's another bonus)

Merlight

Thejollygreenone wrote: »

Probably veil of blades was the main culprit, which give's 60% flat damage mitigation to the NB while they stand in the circle it created. Add that 60% to the mitigation one receives from having a decent armor/spell resist rating, AND if he's blocking?

Thanks, that was definitely it. I think I got used to the common squishy NB too much

Thejollygreenone

Merlight wrote: »

Thejollygreenone wrote: »

Probably veil of blades was the main culprit, which give's 60% flat damage mitigation to the NB while they stand in the circle it created. Add that 60% to the mitigation one receives from having a decent armor/spell resist rating, AND if he's blocking?

Thanks, that was definitely it. I think I got used to the common squishy NB too much

Now that he brings it up, I think @xaraan might be right as well. Could be a combination of both, we all know how many vampires are runnin around in cyrodiil, and NB is a particular favorite choice of the bloodsuckers.

xaraan

I can't take credit for the thought lol. One of the guys in my guild (a top pvp player that I'm friends with, actually might be like #2 right now in thorn) has a NB vampire sap veil build that is pretty effective and it takes a long time to kill him. I run a sap/veil build on my guy in cyro as well, but I'm no vamp. He has even talked about leveling a nord character just for the additional damage mitigation bonus they get. His entire build is built around mitigation - he doesn't do a ton of damage unless you stand in his veil or he swaps to bats, but he's hard to kill without piling on (negate is always useful though).

phreatophile

Add blur, ember explosion, and spectre's eye (before they messed it up worse in this patch) to Vampire and veil and you can be really really hard to damage.