While there are ways to deal with AoE, ultimately what's needed for world bosses is more self-healing. If you're still leveling to level 50/CP 160, it's still doable but it'll be easier up at max level with good gear. Any training gear crafted to your level will increase your damage and heals.

General tips:

• Always have blue or purple food on that increases your Max Health and main max resource (sounds like Stamina for you, so the level-agnostic options are Dubious Camoran Throne, Spring-Loaded Infusion, or Bewitched Sugar Skulls). It's cheap at guild traders or to craft, but people usually only sell max-level food or works-at-any-level food.
• The best healing is passive healing/heals-over-time. For nightblade, you can use Siphoning Strikes and get used to light attack weaving to stay topped off without spending resources or stopping to heal. If you don't have it unlocked, Swallow Soul has a so-so HoT.
• Vigor (Assault skill line) is a nice HoT
• Damage shields: there's Bone Shield from the Undaunted skill line, or making Wield Soul into a damage shield with Scribing. Then your passive healing and Grim Focus procs (if in melee) will heal you up before the damage shield expires.

Specifically for AoE, you can use Mirage (Shadow skill line) or Blade Cloak (Dual Wield) for Major Evasion, which reduces your AoE damage taken. But you'll still need healing

Also, a little bit of movement speed always helps to step out of AoE. The Steed Mundus stone isn't meta for DPS, but it gives you speed and a bit of health recovery, which works like passive healing.

Maybe you should avoid WBs for now and focus on levelling up, getting better gear and learning how to play Nightblade. It's a very versatile class, so you need to find your way with it. Find out what works for you, since what you were doing until now clearly doesn't.

As for AoEs. AoE Dots are simple to avoid: just run out of the stoopid area.
AoE direct attacks are usually telegraphed and can so either be boocked or roll dodged. Observation and timing are essential player skills, that one needs to develop playing ESO.

I main a MagBlade, but as StamBlade
I'd be using a Dualwield frontbar and Bow backbar, or Bows on both bars. Bows are better than Staffs for Stamina and even with a Bow frontbar you will have good stats and definitely a lot of fun.

There are so many guides out there, that will teach you basics like preparation, positioning, combat rotation and light attack weaving. You should find these and try to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

All crafting skills are super important. You should level them as fast as possible. There are guides for that, too.
Drops and loot on ESO are generally trash, so sell what isn't helping and keep what serves as ingredient to make better stuff yourself.

Edit: typos.
Edit 2: more typos. 🙈

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

But to survive world boss attacks better, it might take wearing gear close to your level and having two complete gear sets (like 5/5 pieces), which most crafters will do for you with mats and tip, or just a few thousand gold.

Any base game craftable sets you'd recommend for max level prior to being able to get into harder content? I can do everything except the jewelry (having a hard time getting that levelled up right now - just not finding stuff to destruct or mats to build.)