Stuggling with Nightblade Build - please help!

MaxBat · May 2014

Really, I need some useful suggestions here. I'm trying to build a DPS DW Nightblade. I was doing okay until I got to level 9. Still okay, but I'm not getting the DPS I think I should. In fact, I'm wishing I'd gone with a bow as a weapon of choice, but it's a bit too late for that kind of second guessing.

Then I learned last night that Lotus Fan seems to have been gimped while I was gone for a couple of weeks?? Reading this forum, I've learned that some people think it either sucks now or has limited usage.

Here's where I'm at now: Level 8 Nightblade Dual-Wielding with (currently) 2 skill points to spend. I've evenly invested in Magika and Stamina, with only 1 level to Health.

Skills:
Soul Trap (I trade it in when I need it to keep my weapons charged)
Strife
Agony
Flurry (I skipped over Twin Slashes)
Assassins Blade
Teleport Strike -> Lotus Fan

I'm really regretting even investing 1 point in LF right now. Even worse, I've missed the chance to get Ambush. I'm looking for suggestions on preferred lethal (high DPS) Nightblade builds. Something that's really worked for you after the skill adjustments?

Thanks.

plaxy186 · May 2014

pick up the shadow line and grab Vielded strike and either of its morphs its one of your hieghest damage for lowest cost and provides a nice 4 second stun/disoriant out of stealth/invis,

drop teleport strike for it right now and switch out Soul trap for Camoflauge and shadow Desguise of the shadow tree. agony you can drop too not alot of use out side of Dungeons and even then only if your team works with you well similer to sap for rogues on wow.

you should also pick up an ultimate for Dps Builds Soul leach (aoe) and assasinate one (single target) the shadow line one is better for tanking though one of its morphs can be used effectively for aoe DPS. Mostly though would still maximize your magica then health filling Stanima last, Mediium armor will help you though trigger crits with your assassins blade and Vieled strike,when not stealthed. You'll auto Crit massively from Vieled strike from stealth and auto crit any attack while Camoflauged/shadow Disguised.

Later if you plan on staying DW you'll pick up your AOE stuff Whirling Blade and Morphs and Bottom of Siphon line Drain Power which will make Whirling blade tons more powerful.

Practice using crouch and sneaking up on the backs of enemies to quickly slay one veiled strike usually knocks 60-80% of equeal level life off and stuns him. shouldn't need Camoflauge for this. with medium armor granting better stealth its gets easier.

Jeremy_gelber_ESO · May 2014

" I was doing okay until I got to level 9. " "In fact, I'm wishing I'd gone with a bow as a weapon of choice, but it's a bit too late for that kind of second guessing."

at lvl 9 swapping to another weapon should be trivial. if your really worried about the skill points go run to the city in the next zone and respec for next to nothing.

MaxBat · May 2014

Thanks to both of you for the comments. I took Jeremy's advice and did a respec - and he was right, it cost next to nothing at Level 9 (about 1000) - which gave me a chance to implement some of plaxy186's ideas. I thought I'd take a minute and give some feedback with the idea that it may help someone else.

As a nightblade, you have three class skill lines: Assassination, Shadow, and Siphoning. I'd never used the Shadow line before. After my respec, I had 0 skill in Shadow and so I spent an hour just raising that skill line a bit. The Shadow Cloak skill, the first you get, was took some getting used to, but it definitely added to my damage power to attack from sneak mode. Even before getting Veiled Strike, I was noticing an improvement in the game.

And then I got Veiled Strike.

I'm not going to say it's overpowered (not when I see DKs and Sorcs one-hitting enemies all around me), but it's a real killer. Used with Flurry and from sneak mode (or while in Shadow Cloak), it's a two-hitter for almost every enemy I face. (At level 10 now.)

Based on plaxy186's suggestions, I've been using this pattern: As soon as I see an enemy, I go into crouch. I advance to the target until VS lights up. Stay in sneak or quickly drop into SC, then it's a one-two punch of VS + Flurry and - at the most - I might need to just tap the left mouse key a time or two.

In fact, I kept DW as a primary weapon skill, but also took up the bow to start leveling it up a bit. DW is at level 11, Bow is at 6 now, but really, there's a world of difference. DW is now deadly effective; the bow requires several hits, even from sneak mode or SC, to kill an enemy. Of course, it is at a lower level and I'm only using poison arrow. I'm still working on leveling it up a bit.

But for now I'm just going through the game now with just three skills in my skill bar: VS + Flurry + SC. That's it. I'm dropping enemies without a second thought.

Which begs the question: how useful are the other two skill lines from NB class? The Siphoning power I thought would be useful for restoring health, but so far I don't even need health buffs. And the assassination skills, which I was using to supplement my DW skills as skill strokes, have nothing on VS. So should I even put any more points in these skills?

Also (and this may be an obvious question), what's be benefit when a skill like Shadow Cloak levels? I've always assumed damage skills get an increase as they level, but what about non-damage skills?

Thanks again for the help.

Sorpaijen_ESO · May 2014

I use Concealed Blade from stealth and it -almost- kills even level foes; one light swing usually knocks them over (and they're stunned 4 seconds so plenty of time). Against casters, it WILL insta-kill many, which is nice (esp for healers).

I use the Cloak both to give myself a breather and also to set up another Concealed Blade stun (not as much damage as from crouch-stealth, true).

I use the Twin Slashes morph Blood Craze for a little (VERY little) healing. Of course this was before I found out a bug was making DoTs on ~foes~ break MY invis cloak. 8)

I ~have~ Agony but almost never use it; I suppose if there were three foes I might use it on one to start the fight, then take out the other two.

Assassins Blade is great if the foe is nearly dead but ~until~ then I find little use for it, and frankly if the foe's close enough to death for Assassins Blade to finish him off, just about any other attack would do it, it seems.

I recently picked up Flurry/Rapid Strikes and have been dabbling with it. Not normally fond of channeled attacks, but I can stop it with a block easily enough if I need to. Looks weird with axes but whatchagonnado?

I also am liking Siphoning Strikes --- often I would find myself with plenty of health but no magicka OR stamina to power anything. With Siphoning Strikes my damage may be reduced a little but I have much better magicka/stamina use which FEELS more fun.

As for it being 'too late" .... it's never too late!

If you don't want to just jump into using another weapon, you could just buy the first or second ability in that weapon's line and then RIGHT before handing in a quest, swap that weapon in and put that weapon's skill in your bar and THEN talk to the quest-giver so that your exp will go toward THAT weapon.

Me, I still love Dual Wield. I have a bow secondary in case I want to stay out of melee range, but I've not really done much with my bow skills.

MaxBat · May 2014

@ Sorpaijen_ESO: Great summary and suggestions. For now, I think I'll limit my skill points to the shadow line.

Elderfunk · May 2014

An even better opener than a sneaked veil strike is ambush (morphed from teleport strike - lotus fang, the other morph, does indeed suck). The important thing is that you use ambush while sneaked and while in the side or rear of your target. It's usually an instant kill, and you can proceed to toss out some veiled strikes on the other mobs as a followup.
The main difference between the ambush opener and the sneaked veiled strike opener is that the former is a lot more reliable and always doable. Sneaking can be messed up by opponents suddenly turning or being positioned in a way that they are unapproachable without using shadow cloak, which costs lots of mana, not to mention the skill slot. Ambush also does more damage and is also great as a gap closer to catch those pesky mages and archers. Besides, it's more fun to use.

MaxBat · May 2014

Interesting. I've had the experience of "being caught" sneaking and having to jump into VS which, as you say, drains your magicka significantly.

Good thing is already have the levels in TS.

vicNBitis · May 2014

I think Flurry** is still a net DPS loss compared to spamming light attacks. Especially so if you ever have to interrupt it for a block or dodge. The hits get progressively harder so the earlier you stop the channeling the worse it is. If you're killing things with Veiled and Flurry you should be able to do the same with Veiled, a light attack or three, and Assassin's Blade.

**I continued to use it despite the DPS loss. Something satisfying about the sounds it makes I think.

ShedsHisTail · May 2014

vicNBitis wrote: »

I think Flurry** is still a net DPS loss compared to spamming light attacks. Especially so if you ever have to interrupt it for a block or dodge. The hits get progressively harder so the earlier you stop the channeling the worse it is. If you're killing things with Veiled and Flurry you should be able to do the same with Veiled, a light attack or three, and Assassin's Blade.

**I continued to use it despite the DPS loss. Something satisfying about the sounds it makes I think.

Yeah, I'm fairly unimpressed with Flurry. I still have it on my action bar for some reason though. Mainly just for bursting down low health single targets when I'm low on mana.

Jeremy_gelber_ESO · May 2014

on bow usage. until you get snipe ( and sometimes even with snipe slotted) you want to use a heavy bow attack from stealth rather than poison arrow/ . the heavy attack will hit harder and you can instantly follow it with a poison arrow.
snipe from stealth will generally 1 shot or dang near 1shot a clothy mob. and then you can finish that mob or move on to the next one as required

when you get to 15 and can swap weapons. it makes it alot easier. often i'll open with a heavy bow attack from stealth. followed up by a poison injection. and then swap to the melee weapon. teleport to the next target veiled strike and start swinging away. this gets you 2 dead or mostly dead mobs and you just have to mop up anything that is left.

as always target the clothy people 1st.