How to Keep oneself alive as a DK?

Kronuxx

How do you guys do it? I'm a stamina DK and I've been messing around on PTS to try different builds, and I can't for the life of me stay alive. I've done several duels, and I just die too quickly. When I know that the fight is getting tough, I'll switch to sword + board with my skill bar as follows: shield assault, pierce armor, absorb magic, GDB and igneous shield. I have magma armor as my ultimate. But when I face a NB, I'll burn through every damn thing, and I'll hardly dent his damn life. Maybe take it down a third. Any suggestions? In a group, I'm ok, but solo...forget about it, I'm swimming with the fishes.

I should also add, that IF I'm lucky (note key word: If), I'll survive through 3-4 different time points of the NB vanishing, maybe hopefully giving me enough time to recuperate, only to dread his ass coming back at me from the shadows...but, typically I'm dead.

Tankqull

rally+vigor

Francescolg

Have a look on this thread (you do not need to be on PTS):
http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/208761/buffing-dragon-bloods-healing-percentage-to-over-95-the-math-is-all-wrong-renamed/p1

Great class guides are found on tamrielfoundry.com. Read less this forum or twitter, as they are not "tied up". And finding relevant information on twitter can take ages of time..! Even in this forum...

It is not your fault but it is the game developer, who-by heavily buffing burst builds and by removing soft caps-has created an unbalanced game, which they can not fix. Attacks from stealth are overpowered, as well as different mechanics which raise percentages. Even some weapon attacks will hit you for 10k+. The PTS forum is full of proof, that the "too high burst" has not been successfully solved for the PvP of this game!

Imo, the 50% damage reduction will only favor the same guys, who are running max-burst damage builds now. Nothing will change, except that people in less well gear, will do less damage. While the insta-gib'ers will adapt within weeks and you will continue to see A LOT of 10k+ crits.
(I personally think "they" are kidding us. First they CUT the health points by 30%, than they cut the damage by 15% and then 35% again)..

Thecapeo

Even coagulating blood doesn't come close to giving you 95% life back. The build linked above is a novelty build that requires a huge amount of CPs, very specific gear and is a magicka build. You're not replicating that as a stam DK without giving up a lot. Not to mention if you don't have the IS buff up at the moment good luck trying to hit it then your heal while an NB is spamming your face off. Rally plus vigor is much easier to pull off plus it leaves your magicka pool available for a fossilze which can quickly turn the fight around in my experience anyway.

Francescolg

Thecapeo wrote: »

Even coagulating blood doesn't come close to giving you 95% life back. The build linked above is a novelty build that requires a huge amount of CPs, very specific gear and is a magicka build. You're not replicating that as a stam DK without giving up a lot. Not to mention if you don't have the IS buff up at the moment good luck trying to hit it then your heal while an NB is spamming your face off. Rally plus vigor is much easier to pull off plus it leaves your magicka pool available for a fossilze which can quickly turn the fight around in my experience anyway.

You have not read it and you just focus on the MAX selfheal% number.

Read all four pages: http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/208761/buffing-dragon-bloods-healing-percentage-to-over-95-the-math-is-all-wrong-renamed/p1

More cunning players will read between the lines and find some very useful information for their DK spec in 2.1.

puffy99

Magma Armor should help and then also having inner light up so you reduce damage from the stealth hit.
Those two plus another shield buff will help, and should allow you to go on the offense. But if they nail you from stealth first it is going to be tough..I am a Magika DK though..

I try to pop both (one of the shields and M armor) and then go to town with talons, pulsar/whip and try and fry them quick.
A lot of it is who hits first it seems.

leepalmer95

puffy99 wrote: »

Magma Armor should help and then also having inner light up so you reduce damage from the stealth hit.
Those two plus another shield buff will help, and should allow you to go on the offense. But if they nail you from stealth first it is going to be tough..I am a Magika DK though..

I try to pop both (one of the shields and M armor) and then go to town with talons, pulsar/whip and try and fry them quick.
A lot of it is who hits first it seems.

You mean radiant magelight, inner light gives you magicka. Though he's a stamina build so it's useless for him.

Also he's a stamina build so radiant magelight is useless for him.

Use a detect pot for nb's, i know vsing a magicka nb is the most annoying thing in this game and it's going to get even more annoying next patch.

If you can a great way is to use a meteor or something, dawnbreaker also hits through dodge, so if you time it right you'll hit the nb.

Kronuxx

Tankqull wrote: »

rally+vigor

I have rally and vigor on my other skill bar, and still can't heal me quick enough.

PeggymoeXD

Kronuxx wrote: »

Tankqull wrote: »

rally+vigor

I have rally and vigor on my other skill bar, and still can't heal me quick enough.

Yeah I grinded the fudge out of AP to get Vigor (just so it can get nerfed next update), and found that rally mixed with GDB just works better for me. I put shuffle in the place vigor used to be in.

EnOeZ

Currently, if you are a DK you are not favored, you are at "the end of the food chain" as someone else said.
If you are stamina, it is even worse. Solutions given by OP may work for magicka ones though, but will gimp your precious DPS and reduce even more the few number of offensive abilities you may use.

At similar skill level, you are just currently not supposed to win, as ZOS has decided that Stamina DK are PVP target dummies.
If melee and Heavy Armor even, even worse.

I am a PVP DK, Stamina, Full Melee, Heavy Armor. I do not have the mindset to take the easiest route since I feel no reward winning thanks to imbalanced (biaised ?) design.

There are solutions that require you to have more skill than your opponent and play on the fact that the the NB will be overconfident since he knows he has an overwhelming advantage (so does the Magicka Sorc, but that's a different story).

First you need a way to prevent the NB from leaving combat when he wishes.
What works best for me is inferno in my offensive bar which shoot at them even when they are cloaked.

Second, to win the fight, you will need to outmaneuver him and be able to stun him and counter with your best burst.
This I do with with the combination of:

• low slash for slow
• retreating maneuver and forward momentum (2H) for anti slow (I am faster during combat)
• power bash and/or power blow + executioner and/or instant damage ultimate

It's a kind of melee kiting + counter.
It requires good execution capabilities and no lag and that the NB usually stuffed for max damage, is at 2/3 life for you to attempt the killing blow.

At similar skill level however, the NB will just take his time.
If he makes no mistake, is well geared and CPed, well you cannot win by ZOS "Don't care about melee PVP and Stamina DK"(tm) design.

Kronuxx

EnOeZ wrote: »

Currently, if you are a DK you are not favored, you are at "the end of the food chain" as someone else said.
If you are stamina, it is even worse. Solutions given by OP may work for magicka ones though, but will gimp your precious DPS and reduce even more the few number of offensive abilities you may use.

At similar skill level, you are just currently not supposed to win, as ZOS has decided that Stamina DK are PVP target dummies.
If melee and Heavy Armor even, even worse.

I am a PVP DK, Stamina, Full Melee, Heavy Armor. I do not have the mindset to take the easiest route since I feel no reward winning thanks to imbalanced (biaised ?) design.

There are solutions that require you to have more skill than your opponent and play on the fact that the the NB will be overconfident since he knows he has an overwhelming advantage (so does the Magicka Sorc, but that's a different story).

First you need a way to prevent the NB from leaving combat when he wishes.
What works best for me is inferno in my offensive bar which shoot at them even when they are cloaked.

Second, to win the fight, you will need to outmaneuver him and be able to stun him and counter with your best burst.
This I do with with the combination of:

• low slash for slow
• retreating maneuver and forward momentum (2H) for anti slow (I am faster during combat)
• power bash and/or power blow + executioner and/or instant damage ultimate

It's a kind of melee kiting + counter.
It requires good execution capabilities and no lag and that the NB usually stuffed for max damage, is at 2/3 life for you to attempt the killing blow.

At similar skill level however, the NB will just take his time.
If he makes no mistake, is well geared and CPed, well you cannot win by ZOS "Don't care about melee PVP and Stamina DK"(tm) design.

Thank you for the tips. I'm really not trying to brag, but I'd consider myself a pretty adept stamina DK. I can hold my own, for the most part, but part of the difficulty is that my damage output isn't high enough to take out a NB or sorcerer before my resources run out. Especially because I also use my primary resource pool against an NB who can fear, stun, and root you, all of which require me to use my main primary resource pool to escape. Being a Stamina DK, our recovery isn't the best. Yes we have GDB, but how many times can that be activated (and only 20% stamina regen), especially since it costs magicka, and being a stamina DK, 1) my magicka pool is low to begin with, 2) I typically need other magicka skills in my arsenal to keep me alive such as choking talons (which by the way works great if you can land it on NB or sorcerer) or igneous shield. In addition the earthen heart passives are a joke for stamina recovery (70% of Ultimate cost recovered as Stamina and 5% stamina recovered when using earthen heart ability.) I mean, how many stamina DK's can afford using more than one (maybe two) earthen heart ability in the skills slots to save room for stamina skills (usually Igneous shield). This is compared to a NB who has relentless focus (10% stamin regen), refreshing shadows (30%) and siphoning strikes which restore stamina up to 15% percent I believe. I played all 4 classes, and although I've never really played an NB (or Sorcerer for that matter), I noticed I was able to consistently kill quicker and survive more as both classes (due to the ability to escape) compared to DK in PTS.

EnOeZ

Kronuxx wrote: »

EnOeZ wrote: »

Currently, if you are a DK you are not favored, you are at "the end of the food chain" as someone else said.
If you are stamina, it is even worse. Solutions given by OP may work for magicka ones though, but will gimp your precious DPS and reduce even more the few number of offensive abilities you may use.

At similar skill level, you are just currently not supposed to win, as ZOS has decided that Stamina DK are PVP target dummies.
If melee and Heavy Armor even, even worse.

I am a PVP DK, Stamina, Full Melee, Heavy Armor. I do not have the mindset to take the easiest route since I feel no reward winning thanks to imbalanced (biaised ?) design.

There are solutions that require you to have more skill than your opponent and play on the fact that the the NB will be overconfident since he knows he has an overwhelming advantage (so does the Magicka Sorc, but that's a different story).

First you need a way to prevent the NB from leaving combat when he wishes.
What works best for me is inferno in my offensive bar which shoot at them even when they are cloaked.

Second, to win the fight, you will need to outmaneuver him and be able to stun him and counter with your best burst.
This I do with with the combination of:

• low slash for slow
• retreating maneuver and forward momentum (2H) for anti slow (I am faster during combat)
• power bash and/or power blow + executioner and/or instant damage ultimate

It's a kind of melee kiting + counter.
It requires good execution capabilities and no lag and that the NB usually stuffed for max damage, is at 2/3 life for you to attempt the killing blow.

At similar skill level however, the NB will just take his time.
If he makes no mistake, is well geared and CPed, well you cannot win by ZOS "Don't care about melee PVP and Stamina DK"(tm) design.

Thank you for the tips. I'm really not trying to brag, but I'd consider myself a pretty adept stamina DK. I can hold my own, for the most part, but part of the difficulty is that my damage output isn't high enough to take out a NB or sorcerer before my resources run out. Especially because I also use my primary resource pool against an NB who can fear, stun, and root you, all of which require me to use my main primary resource pool to escape. Being a Stamina DK, our recovery isn't the best. Yes we have GDB, but how many times can that be activated (and only 20% stamina regen), especially since it costs magicka, and being a stamina DK, 1) my magicka pool is low to begin with, 2) I typically need other magicka skills in my arsenal to keep me alive such as choking talons (which by the way works great if you can land it on NB or sorcerer) or igneous shield. In addition the earthen heart passives are a joke for stamina recovery (70% of Ultimate cost recovered as Stamina and 5% stamina recovered when using earthen heart ability.) I mean, how many stamina DK's can afford using more than one (maybe two) earthen heart ability in the skills slots to save room for stamina skills (usually Igneous shield). This is compared to a NB who has relentless focus (10% stamin regen), refreshing shadows (30%) and siphoning strikes which restore stamina up to 15% percent I believe. I played all 4 classes, and although I've never really played an NB (or Sorcerer for that matter), I noticed I was able to consistently kill quicker and survive more as both classes (due to the ability to escape) compared to DK in PTS.

What can I say ?
Of course, I fully agree and I understand perfectly your pain: I have the same...

I feel that purple regen drink+GDB is our least worst solution (better sustain for long fights like sorcerers)
The other one being purple food+Igneous+Rally (better DPS and resilience to burst/ganks like those NBs)

In the first situation, we loose due to not enough dps to burn down the damage shields...
In the second situation, we loose due to not enough sustain...

Condemned to play better and smarter than our opponents.