Class for bow/bow (PvE)

KestrelFive · April 12

Torn between Nightblade and Sorcerer for a PvE bow/bow build. Both have good execute skills, both offer mobility class skills, both offer healing via damage (siphoning, crit surge). The Sorc gets extra points for having ward skills and the crystal frags proc. NB gets spectral bow and stealth. This character would be a Bosmer.

Separate bonus question, for an Arcanist who would have three armory slots for each role (stamDPS, tank, healer) which race woukld you suggest?

Thanks!

CP5 · April 13

I had that very question back at the end of beta before deciding on which class to run on live. A lot has changed since, but both classes offer a lot of tools for bow/bow. I ended up going with sorcerer because of my obsession with clannfear's, but the atronach and negate both make for good ranged ultimates, whereas nightblades would likely use the bow ultimate as a ranged option. Surge is amazing for keeping alive, and between it, a decent crit chance, and draining shot I can survive harder content more than easily enough. I would say Grim Focus is likely better than Bound Armaments, because for bound armaments, I'd rather cast another snipe than cast it, but with subclassing coming around you could easily go sorcerer, and replace one of their trees with the assassination tree and get a majority of what both classes offer for an archer.

As for the second option, race doesn't play the biggest role outside min-maxing at the highest tiers of content, but any race with either well-rounded bonuses, or bonuses that fit your preferred play style would work 'best'. I wouldn't be that concerned making a wrong choice there.

valenwood_vegan · April 13

My very first eso character was a bosmer bow/bow nightblade. Can you tell I came here from Skyrim? It may not be meta, but I still play it to this day, in both pve and pvp, and it's perfectly viable except at the very highest levels of pve scorepushing. In addition to what CP5 mentioned, one other nice thing with NB is that swallow soul adds a nice ranged damage+HoT skill that you can use alongside your bow skills. Of course that won't replace the healing from surge, but it makes up for some of it.

Of course with subclassing coming, you can combine the best of both classes so the choice may not matter that much.

CP5 · April 13

Yah, in short, storm calling + assassination skill lines are the most impactful (in my opinion) so then you'd decide which of the other trees suits you best and go with that class, picking up whichever other skill line you like if/when the time comes.

AcadianPaladin · April 13

I've run bow/bow one bar builds on Warden, Sorc, Templar and Nightblade. For me, Warden works best with Sorc also pretty good. I found Templar and Nightblade much less effective.

I run with a tank companion and my skills for the warden are:

Vigor (Keep this Hot on my companion all the time)
Budding Seeds (Burst heal for companion when/if needed)
Deep Fissure (magicka shalks)
Bombard (AoE with immobilize)
Silver Shards (spammable)
Bear Ult

Sustain is pretty good with one heavy attack every 9 seconds after Deep Fissure. An Oakensoul heavy attack from stealth chased by Silver Shards also makes a very potent opening attack.

Soarora · April 13

As for your race question, I would say dark elf or khajiit but you really can choose any of them. Mine’s an argonian.