How can i make my nightblade healer viable?

Kafolarbear · July 2014

Well, as the above title says, how can i make my nightblade viable as a healer for veteran dungeons? My specs are as follows: Magica: 20 Health:14 Stamina: 15. He has every skill of the Resto Staff/Siphon skill lines researched, another thing to note is He has 5 light armor, 2 medium, is a werewolf (That means no bloodmage build), and has only one slot available for the staff (The other is bow). My problems are: I keep running out of magica and I can not keep up with the high damage being done at Veteran Dungeons. So how can I make my Nightblade viable as a healer?

Arora · July 2014

go heavy Armour maybe rather then light. and take some of flood magic skills

Falmer · July 2014

Sounds like you might be spreading yourself a little thin. You can play the game anyway you want, but trying to do it ALL on one character isn't likely to work out for you.

Drop the bow, and get good with your resto staff. Heavy attacks with a resto staff restore your mana and with passives end up healing allies nearby you as well.

Casting Strife with the heal others morph. Also Paths of Darkness will deal damage to enemies and heal allies that are on it. Shades will reduce the damage of enemies by 15%, allowing you that much more time for your heal over time stuff to be effective.

NBs can be pretty effective healers if you focus on that. Not so much if you are trying to be healer/DPS(bow)/tank.

Kafolarbear · July 2014

What i want to point out is that I based my build do to DPS with the bow in PVE and PVP and healing for dungeons and such. Could i just switch out my slots depending if i am doing PVE or group content?

Malpherian · July 2014

Kafolarbear wrote: »

Well, as the above title says, how can i make my nightblade viable as a healer for veteran dungeons? My specs are as follows: Magica: 20 Health:14 Stamina: 15. He has every skill of the Resto Staff/Siphon skill lines researched, another thing to note is He has 5 light armor, 2 medium, is a werewolf (That means no bloodmage build), and has only one slot available for the staff (The other is bow). My problems are: I keep running out of magica and I can not keep up with the high damage being done at Veteran Dungeons. So how can I make my Nightblade viable as a healer?

You can't, it's a nightblade, Not a templar.

This is one of the major issues with classes in a TES game. You are locked into a Rogue/locky type character. Period.

You will never heal as effectively or well as a Templar.

Vote for them to remove classes, and in the meantime, reroll a Templar if you want to heal.

Aeratus · July 2014

Malpherian wrote: »

Kafolarbear wrote: »

Well, as the above title says, how can i make my nightblade viable as a healer for veteran dungeons? My specs are as follows: Magica: 20 Health:14 Stamina: 15. He has every skill of the Resto Staff/Siphon skill lines researched, another thing to note is He has 5 light armor, 2 medium, is a werewolf (That means no bloodmage build), and has only one slot available for the staff (The other is bow). My problems are: I keep running out of magica and I can not keep up with the high damage being done at Veteran Dungeons. So how can I make my Nightblade viable as a healer?

You can't, it's a nightblade, Not a templar.

This is one of the major issues with classes in a TES game. You are locked into a Rogue/locky type character. Period.

You will never heal as effectively or well as a Templar.

Vote for them to remove classes, and in the meantime, reroll a Templar if you want to heal.

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

I've healed almost all the vet dungeons as NB healer (and played as dps in others).

NB healers have better sustain heals than templars due to better magicka regeneration. Templars have better burst healing, but burst healing isn't necessary unless your group is really poor.

For NB healer, get as much magicka as you can. This is because siphoning restores 3% of your magicka on every hit, and has a 10% chance of restoring 15% of your magicka. Thus, for every light attack hit, you gain 4.5% of your magicka on average.

For NB, use only light attacks with your resto staff, rather than heavy attacks that other healers use.

If you also use bow as your swap weapon, that even better. Get siphoining attacks (do not get leeching strikes). Swap to your bow and use the arrow spray when there's a large crowd. This will regenerate your magicka becuase it procs the siphoning regeneration.

For healers, the preferred lineup of resto skills is probably mutagen, healing springs, and healing wards.

traigusb14_ESO2 · July 2014

Looks like you need to stack more magicka and regen. Your groups may also need to get their act together more.

The bow suggestion above is a good way for you to get back your magicka.

Been in several vet groups with NB healers and they never really had to spam anything / run out of magic, not sure the fault is all yours.

Seen a lot of vets that so stack their offensive power that they have kinda crappy surviveability (low health for example) so the reason they are losing 80% to 1 hit is because they only have 1400 health so they can superstack magic.

DeLindsay · July 2014

Aeratus wrote: »

You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

I've healed almost all the vet dungeons as NB healer (and played as dps in others).

NB healers have better sustain heals than templars due to better magicka regeneration. Templars have better burst healing, but burst healing isn't necessary unless your group is really poor.

For NB healer, get as much magicka as you can. This is because siphoning restores 3% of your magicka on every hit, and has a 10% chance of restoring 15% of your magicka. Thus, for every light attack hit, you gain 4.5% of your magicka on average.

For NB, use only light attacks with your resto staff, rather than heavy attacks that other healers use.

If you also use bow as your swap weapon, that even better. Get siphoining attacks (do not get leeching strikes). Swap to your bow and use the arrow spray when there's a large crowd. This will regenerate your magicka becuase it procs the siphoning regeneration.

For healers, the preferred lineup of resto skills is probably mutagen, healing springs, and healing wards.

^ This plus I'll point to a few things also. Personally I go 0/49/0 Attributes and 100% Magicka on my gear. Eat Blue Mag/Health food if you are dying often, or Mag/Stam if you aren't for a better Stam dump. You should be around 2K-2300+ Magicka by the time you're VR4 or 5, with food.

PvP, at least a little and set a home campaign. This gives you access to (although not always often) some decent crit and health which comes in handy.

Warlock Jewelry is fine, but if you don't have it purchase Blue Jewelry from the Magus in any Mage's Guild around your level and put Spell Damage (if you're group is good) or Reduced Magicka cost (if you're group is bad, or you're having trouble).

Use Magicka potions, the good ones that are +Magicka/Spell Damage/Crit and use them often, unless thing are going well.

I personally run with Thief Mundus and Divines, 5pc Twilight and 3pc Willows (7-pc Light) for ~17% spell crit and +10% heals on me if things get sticky, but to each their own. Also, Veil of Blades should be your Ultimate, and don't be afraid to use it often, it charges pretty quick. I also use Inner Light for an additional boost to Crit. Having a crit rate at or over 50% makes using Combat Prayer/Healing Springs/Mutagen very nice. The above gearing also makes easy transition to a very high ST build so win/win.

Innocente · July 2014

Well, with a good group, any class speced into Dress 'n Stick can heal ok. But, for problematic situations, full on Templar healer is best.

Kafolarbear · July 2014

Thanks for responses guys! I will defiantly try most if not all of these suggestions.

Kungfu · August 2014

@Kafolarbear‌
100% - GET Healing Ward but use it wisely.

I totally agree with DeLindsay and Aeratus. NB healers are actually a lot stronger than Templars when it comes to sustained fights. I've healed as a Templar and a Nightblade. The Templar can burst heal like crazy - sure - but he cannot TOUCH the magicka regen on my NB. My Templar runs through potions much... much faster.

HERE is the bar I use

The most important piece in the Nightblade's healing IMO is Siphoning Attacks, like the others said. But I disagree in two places:
- "all light attacks". I use heavy attacks all the time... depends on how low your magicka is.
- also I take Bolstering Darkness over Veil of Blades. It does an amazing job of keeping people alive when you stand behind your tank and drop it.

Sometimes I switch out my Healing Springs for Quick Siphon if my group is all spread out or when I get those DPS'ers who insist on NOT stepping into the glowy circle to heal.

Generally speaking, I end up doing a rotation similar to this:
Combat Prayer before / as the tank charges in (or wait till he does and Quick Siphon on his target)
Funnel Health pretty much any mob
If I have Healing Springs, I throw two down on the tank's general area now.
Refresh Combat Prayer to a)increase DPS and b)heal a little

From here on out, it's all priority based:
Someone below 50%? Use Healing Ward and either Combat Prayer or Healing Springs.
Keep Quick Siphon up
Weave resto staff attacks with Funnel Health on any mob available.
Low on magicka? Use two or three full heavy resto attacks with Funnel Health. YOu should be able to get up around 50% magicka.

I am always wearing a 5-piece set of Seducer's and spell cost reduction jewelry. I do run Thief mundus like DeLindsay.

Bear in mind also that most NB class skills use Weapon Crit but the strongest DPS abilities we have benefit from high Magicka & spell damage. So, if you build for healing, try using Cripple & Funnel Health with your bow in PvP still.

Kafolarbear · August 2014

Ok, so what Ive done with my character is for groups I switch out full medium armor and both slots bow, with full light armor and both slots resto staffs. (And yes, werewolves forever) These are my skills:

Bar 1-

-Siphoning attacks
-Funnel Health
-Sap Essence
-Healing Springs
-Mutagen
Ultimate: Bolstering Darkness

Bar 2-

-Siphoning attacks
-Funnel Health
-Healing ward
-Siphon Spirit
-Summon Shade
Ultimate: Bolstering Darkness

For the most part I use Bar 2 in boss fights.

Level: Veteran 4
Traits: Stamina 21 Health 7 Magicka 21

(Can't believe it took me so long to realize I could switch out weapons and armor only realized last month.

)

Edit: I also wonder how well Soul Leech and it's morphs would do?