Looking for advise on NB - Bow/Syphon build

freddy_hgnrb18_ESO

Hi guys

I have been playing since beta, and pre release and have 1 character - Bosmer Nightblade.

Due to playing the character in a semi fixed focus (Bow - as all my ES Characters have been) I appear to now be crippling myself somewhat in VR Content (Currently Eastmarch) As I can never seem to do enough damage fast enough or handle groups of 3 enemies (especially if one of them is a healer)

I am VR4 and have combination of Red Mountain, and a crafted set (cant remember off the top of my head by 3 pieces gives me increased healing when healed - which I was presuming worked with the heal back from Syphoning Strikes) and a Bow (with +30 Fire damage (and a base line of 110)

I have full Medium armour - with all applicable passives for crit and stealth bonuses
I full skills in Bow / Syphon / Fighters Guild / Vampire and my action bar looks a little like this:

Leeching Health active
Funnel Health / Invigorating Drain / Venom Arrow / Magnum Shot
:Ult - Devouring Swarm

Alternatively - when fighting Daedra/Undead
Funnel Health / Invigorating Drain / Silver Shards / Scorched Earth
:Ult - Flawless Dawnbreaker

Additionally I switch the Invigorating Drain for Consuming Trap (as another dot and to healback, get soulgem filled) periodically

I am not wanting to have to use a staff and light armour to get through content when in my mind those items don't suit what is essentially a Stealth Ranger class - all content should be able to be progressed through by your class / spec (with challenge admittedly)

But I want to know if my above build can be improved upon without compromising the ethos of the role i am playing in this Role Playing game.

Thanks for any advise.

ConciseRex

I am not totally clued up on vamp abilities but I imagine Drain is melee range and that is something you should avoid in my opinion when using the bow. I would swap for Cripple morphed for Immobilize (Singe target + High DoT) or Arrow Spray morphed for immobilize (Multi-enemy). If healers are an issue just make sure and hit them with Venom Arrow when you see them try heal for an interrupt. What I like to do is hit an enemy with sneak attack instantly followed by Venom Arrow spam until death then straight away use Prolonged Suffering on another for 12s stun, then alternate Magnum Shot/Cripple on 3rd guy then return the the stunned one.

Elderfunk

I am a VR3 NB who uses DW on his first bar and a bow on his second bar. I usually switch to my bow for boss encounters or in other situations when DW is tough or inconvenient. But for normal encounters with two or more opponents I mostly use DW.

For single encounters, including bosses, the bow is awesome. The only bow skill I use is magnum shot. In combination with crippling grasp it is enough to keep the enemy at a distance and cause decent damage. Add swallow soul for some extra damage and heal, as well as mark target, since you will usually not be hit. There are several options for the fifth slot, like silver shards for undead, venom arrow, invigorating drain (in case the enemy should manage to get close afterall), impale, vulcanic rune, or simply leave a skill on the bar which you want to train. As an ulti the soul magic ulti (morphed for more dmg) is the way to go. There is no boss I have not been able to solo with this build.

However, like you I have run into serious problem when faced with several opponents, even trash mobs. Against two mobs, I am usually able to magnum shot/crippling grasp them in turns and kill them before they reach me. Against three guys however, it is a lot harder. A volley of sneak attack, crippling grasp, swallow soul, and soul ulti can take out those pesky heroes. But by the time he dies, the other two mobs will have reached you and take revenge. Since DW is my primary build anyway, I have not dug into the nuances of fighting groups of 3+. Yet judging by my experience, it is not an easy task to accomplish. Vulcanic rune seems mandatory, but you'll need a lot of mana to spam the grasps, swallows and vulc runes you need to keep you alive.

As nice as the bow is for bosses, it lacks both burst and AOE. And to have at least one of these is rather crucial for dealing with mob groups. As a woodelf it perfectly fits your roleplaying style to use dual daggers as alternate weapons, so that would be my suggestion.