How's my Magicka Nightblade Vampire?

SpeedyFeline

Hi. I've been curious on how my build holds up in VL. I mostly PVE, but I occassionally PVP (though I'm just trying to enjoy it rather than being the best around). I never did this before, but I thought getting others' opinions may help me improve.

Build Style: Leeching DPS?
Race: Khajit Vampire.
Armor: Medium
Level: VL16
Stat focus: Magicka primary, 20 less in health, 0 in stamina. Since I'm magicka focused, most of my abilities are morphed based on magic.

Bar 1: Dual Wield Daggers. My primary bar for PVE, especially when swarmed.
Surprise Attack: I use this as a primary attack skill. It syncs with the shadow passive that temporary increases my armor. (I know heavy armor makes it longer, but my medium armor works better with me)
Lotus Fan: I use this to close the distance between me and an enemy.
Invigorating Drain: A primary ability to continually heal up my damage. It also has the nice ability to fuel up my ultimate.
Refreshing Path: Works to damage my enemy and heal me and others.
Reaping Mark: Weakens the enemy and boosts and heals me when they die.
Devouring Swarm: My ultimate. Can't count the times it saved me from the edge. Does a ton of damage with my magicka and heals me like crazy.

Bar 2: Destruction Staff. Lightning. Used in dungeons/groups and when I need the distance. Often switched out too when I need the skills here. Also good for escaping.
Destructive Clench. My primary staff attack ability. Extra effect>range for me.
Shadow Image: I use this to add extra damage to my enemy. The stronger shade>>>two weaker shades. Plus I can switch places with my shade when I'm swarmed.
Elusive Mist: For escaping when I'm in trouble.
Crippling Grasp: This is more of a distance builder than anything. It immobilizes the enemy, but rarely kills them. (Hence why I choose this morph)
Sap Essence: Used more when I'm in groups. Allows me to hurt multiple enemies from a distance and can heal allies.
Veil of Blades: Very destructive with my build. Supports allies and does a huge amount of dmg to enemies. Was my bar 1 ultimate until I got Devouring Swarm.

Passive Bonuses: Too many to count. But I have taken all of the passive bonuses for my three class skills, vampire, and my two weapons. I also took the passive bonuses in Fighter's Guild that increase damage against the undead and daedra as well as the speech skill (and I took the one from the Mage's Guild). I also have taken what passive bonuses I can get in both PVP skill lines and the Undaunted.

Crafting: Since I don't take more skills than I can carry on my bars, I have had a lot to use in crafting. I maxed out blacksmithing for my dual wield weapons, woodworking for my staves, and clothing for my medium armor. I also use provisioning to boost my stats, and I have been working to use alchemy (for better potions) and enchanting (to maximize my equipment). I plan to use maxed out enchanting to include defenses against fire (as I'm a vampire).

Champion: I have some distrubution, but most focus is on the Steed (to maximize my armor and defense against magic), the Lovers (to boost my recovery), and Atronach (to strengthen my bladed weapons and staves).

Sets: I use a mix of five items and three-four more to give me two set bonuses. (One dagger/staff for one, and four other pieces for the first. And then the rest into another set). Currently my character is wearing the Julanios set for the first and Hurding for the second. Will probably upgrade or replace the second once I have more rubedo leather.

Observations: I do a lot of damage, but I find myself having to be careful when swarmed, especially by strong enemies in places like dungeons and the arena. I'm a glass cannon, but I often offset that by continually sucking up enemy health to stay alive with my draining abilities.

Questions: I still have a lot of unused skill points. Any good skills from Assault/Support skill line I should take for PVP? (And if so, which ones should I swap out when in Cyrodil?) What about Undaunted for dungeons? (Again which should I swap out when I go into dungeons and such?)

SpeedyFeline

If anyone has any suggestions on changes and such, I'm open to it. I was running a balanced NB dw/bow until I decided to go vampire and focus on magicka since the vampire abilities are all magic-based. I just need to be sure of anything first, since respecing is costly.

Angus

You've got the right ideas for the most part, here's the importantchanges I'd suggest:

1) Switch surprise attack for the other morph, concealed blade. Surprise attack scales off stamina and weapon damage, so it's fairly useless to you. Concealed weapon scales off magicka, plus makes you sneak fast.

2) Julianos is decent, but drop the Hundings Rage set - that's for stamina-based setups. Look for something else with max magicka, spell power, or magicka regeneration.

3) Switch out one of your skills for Dark Cloak (or Shadowy Disguise). You don't have to, but it's one of the best skills in the game. You'll find it helps a LOT with survivability.

SpeedyFeline

Thanks. I did a lot of research into builds before I decided on this one. But yeah, your advice seems right.

1: Wait, maybe I did pick the other ability. I remember choosing it based on magicka. I'll have to check again.

2: Yeah, I was thinking of changing it anyway. Maybe the Trials set or some other magicka based set.

3: Maybe Elusive Mist then? I can simply just take it since I have a ton of skill points anyway, and I think I was using it before I got vampire at some point. So its morphable already, if not maxed out.

Angus

SpeedyFeline wrote: »

3: Maybe Elusive Mist then? I can simply just take it since I have a ton of skill points anyway, and I think I was using it before I got vampire at some point. So its morphable already, if not maxed out.

That's probably what I'd switch out too, though as always in this game, it's situational

SpeedyFeline

That's probably why I should keep it in case I need it. I'm not really short on skill points atm, and I was only planning to use them for crafting and the passives in War skills and Undaunted when I leveled them up more. I was also thinking of taking a skill from said skill lines to swap out for PVP and group. I just don't know which would be good for my build.

leepalmer95

Use 5 juliannos and 3 or 4 magnus.

Magnus = Max magicka, recovery and spell dmg and it's only a 4 trait set.

Also if your a magicka the daggers are useless as they only give weapon crit and all your skills use spell crit.

Change to 2x swords for more dmg, the only morph you'll need in the dual wield skill tree in the last 1 because it'll give you 5% more flat out dmg because 2x swords.

Also for AoE you'll want sap essense it's the best aoe for a nb, it heals you as well as does decent dmg and gives you the 20% spell dmg buff. Swap for reapers mark and put reapers mark on your lightning staff because it's a ranged skill it makes sense to go on your ranged bar.

Angus

SpeedyFeline wrote: »

That's probably why I should keep it in case I need it. I'm not really short on skill points atm, and I was only planning to use them for crafting and the passives in War skills and Undaunted when I leveled them up more. I was also thinking of taking a skill from said skill lines to swap out for PVP and group. I just don't know which would be good for my build.

I'm no expert, but...

From undaunted skills, there's probably no must-haves. The passive that increases stat % if you have a piece of heavy and a piece of medium with your five light can be nice.

From the alliance war skills, you'll be interested in:

Rapid Manouvers - it's good. It costs stamina, but my magicka nightblade doesn't use stamina for much else. The long speed boost is preferable to the Blur morph Double Take, IMHO (I hate constantly pressing cloak then double take then cloak...) If you don't care about mobility for your build, skip this one.

Proximity Detonation - loved by many for the burst, but there's a nerf incoming.

crashen17b14_ESO

The medium armor seems kind of a weird choice for a magicka night blade, since more magicka = more spell damage. This is basically what my blood mage build uses, the first bar is my all-purpose pve damage bar, secondary one is for support healing/survival/aoe spam.

It's hard to overstate the value I have found in hitting every enemy in a group with quick siphon, one with reaper's mark, and them going to town with sap essence. Every hit heals me twice (once from sap essence, once from quick siphon) against each enemy. So the more enemies I hit, the more I heal myself. With five piece julianos and two piece twilight embrace, and something like 65 champion points, I have 60% crit chance generally. More if I swap out mirage for magelight. The great thing about assassination skills is that the more you have on your bar, the more crit chance you have.

Invigorating Drain + Soul Harvest ensures that I can use my ultimate every fight, usually once per enemy if they live long enough for me to get a couple ticks of drain and a medium attack in.

Funnel Health is my go to spam attack, woven with light/medium resto attacks, while I keep crippling grasp and reaper's mark up on a target, giving me a constant stream of self-healing, while stealing their speed. I would swap funnel health out for impale in dungeons where the execute damage ramps up substantially. Thus the tertiary bar I included as an example of what I use in a group.

http://eso-skills.com/skill/?z=LDPxLqX1@34bzd+9%DPs5hBv@DTaW87b:D7FcmbH@DTc79cP&c=Crashen&b=Blood_Mage&j=t&w=44&m=2

Oh also, with cost reduction enchants and light armor passives, my funnel health costs about 600 magicka, in my 21k magicka pool.

Tryxus

If I may make some suggestions

Armor: Go Light Armor, not Medium. As a Magicka Build, you kinda need the Magicka bonuses it gives and the 5 pc passive. Try 5 Light, 1 Heavy (Chest) and 1 Medium (I prefer Shoulders)

Stats: Looks okay

Weapons: I'd go for Dual Wield Swords instead of Daggers for the extra Spell Damage they give with the last passive from DW. Another option (for PvE) would be Destro + Resto Staves. For PvP: Resto + DW Swords

Bar 1:
- Use the other morph Concealed Weapon as a Magicka build, it's way better. You can also use Funnel Health instead for PvE
- Invigorating Drain isn't needed. I'd go with either Dark Cloak if you picked Concealed Weapon, or Sap Essence if you're running Funnel Health. Thay way you can either stealth attack with the first setup, or heal up with the second (and both work great with Clouding/Devouring Swarm)
- A little suggestion: you could also find a spot for your execute Impale, to quickly finish off bosses or players. Really powerful on DW bar

Bar 2:
- If you decide to run Sap Essence on the first bar, there's no need for it here. You could also replace the skill you swapped with Impale here then
- I think Soul Tether is a better Ultimate than VoB. Stun + Leeching

Sets:
The best sets to run on a MagBlade are Julianos, Magnus, Seducer and Kagrenac's hope. You could mix and match them and see what you like most. For monster sets: Nerien'eth and Molag Kena are very nice

Champion:
I'd suggest to put 30 point in Apprentice (I put 15 in Spell Erosion and 15 in Elfborn) for the 12% Spell Crit passive. The other blue points should go to Thaumaturge in the Ritual to maximize your Magic Damage

SpeedyFeline

So from what I'm getting from you guys, I should change to Light armor, dual swords, and move some stuff on my bar.

So here's the hypothetical changes:

Medium->Light.

Dual Daggers->Dual Swords

Swap the places of Mark and Sap Essence. Replace elusive mist with Dark Cloak.

Tryxus

SpeedyFeline wrote: »

So from what I'm getting from you guys, I should change to Light armor, dual swords, and move some stuff on my bar.

So here's the hypothetical changes:

Medium->Light.

Dual Daggers->Dual Swords

Swap the places of Mark and Sap Essence. Replace elusive mist with Dark Cloak.

I think that'll do nicely for PvE yeah

mr_wazzabi

Funnel health should be your main ranged attack. It's also your strongest heal as a nb.

As what others have said, go light armour, not medium. Medium armour only improves stamina builds.

Ignore weapon damage and find as many things as you can to improve spell damage. Julianos and kragenac's hope are the best spell damage sets in the game. You can also make your dual swords torug's pact, as having 2 pieces gives you more spell damage.

Daggers are useless for magicka builds. They only increase crit on stamina based attacks. Go swords.