Tips For Stealthy Nightblade Character

CodyFurlong · May 2015

I'm playing a stealth based nightblade khajiit, and wondering if there's any tips on how to play it properly. At the moment, my style has been to sneak up on an enemy, hit them with a heavy attack for the full effect of the sneak attack. Spam my dot abilities on them while they're stunned, then once they start to recover, hit my shadowy disguise to go into stealth again, for another heavy attack. However I've noticed that the damage I do with the second stealth / heavy attack, with the shadowy disguise on, isn't as high as the first initial opener.

zachary4828 · May 2015

You should be able to find some threads on stealth opening bonus that can fill you in a lot better than I can, they often also talk about follow ups. The gist is that the stealth bonus only applies to stealth with the eye icon closed, shadow disguise falls under a different category.

I could go on, but I would probably start giving you bad information, but since nobody had responded yet I thought a little info would be better than none.

AngersRevenge · May 2015

The 2nd damage from stealth isn't as high because the enemy is now aware of you. It's as if your "sneaking eye" stealth indicator is open. He might not see where you are but he knows someone is there and is more on guard.

You also need to be behind or at a back angle to get sneak bonus damage.

milesrodneymcneely2_ESO · May 2015

I have a related concern: I'm running a Magicka-based melee Nightblade. I have no Stamina or weapon damage bonuses whatsoever.

However, my heavy attack from full stealth hits WAY harder than a Concealed Weapon opener in spite of the fact that my spell damage is much higher. Don't get me wrong, it works beautifully. Against a standard mob I can blow them up with a stealthed HA ---> Concealed Weapon ---> Impale.

I'm only VR8, but wondering if this will be the case at VR14. And will this work the same way against enemy players in Cyrodiil?

Thanks in advance!

AngersRevenge · May 2015

Almost all magicka based abilities aren't capable of sneak attacks. I can't remember any magicka abilities that do have sneak attack damage. Don't ask me why ZOS decided to have an ability with bonuses to stealth attacking but doesn't give it sneak attack damage bonus.

ViolenceUndone · May 2015

That's a bug as far as I'm concerned. Concealed Weapon scales off physical crit, as melee magicka skills do, and should also get the melee sneak attack bonus.

starlizard70ub17_ESO · May 2015

Remember to level up your Ledgermain Skill, you can get up to 30% reduced stamina cost for sneaking.

helediron · May 2015

My advise with two VR14 NBs is to hone your stealth skills for the sweet sneak attack ... and then just forget the sneak and kill everything. I mean the sneakiness is more about role playing than fights. NB can kill anything and everything as easily from stealth as from plain sight.

danovic · May 2015

Teleport strike from behind from hidden kills everything but bosses in one hit plus a light attack with a crit build.

Hexyl · May 2015

Wrecking Blow from stealth opener > All.

A backstab with a two handed sword ~~ Yeah yeah

AssaultLemming · June 2015

Hahaha yes I'm seeing 42k stealth wrecking blows against npcs, can't wait to test it out on players!