The Silencer [Stamina Nightblade Guide][Dark Brotherhood]
LiquidSchwartz
✭✭✭✭✭
Introduction:
To begin, I'd like to say that I've been playing a stamina nightblade in PvP since the launch on PC, and transferred to console when it was released. I'm currently at 682 champion points, and have achieved the rank of August Palatine. I may not be the best Stamblade in the world, but I have a very good understanding of the class and way to play. The build I currently use is 2h and bow. My intention with this guide is to give an in-depth view of how to play and build a stamina Nightblade, and hopefully, aide in the improvement of your skills with one.
Table of Contents:
I. Races
II. Champion Points
III.Gear + Consumables
IV. Combat + Skills
V. Situational
I. Races
The first race I would pick for a nightblade in PvP is an Imperial. The reason I would pick this is because you gain 10% maximum stamina (more than any other race), 12% maximum health (very good for survivability), and restore health on melee attacks. While the last one may not seem that appealing, it can be very helpful to make you last a couple more seconds in a fight. The second race I would recommend would be a Wood Elf. There are a number of reasons why I think this is an amazing race option. The first would be the size. Wood elves are the smallest race in the game and when applied with shuffle, they can be very hard to aim at and hit if not locked onto. This helps while facing the vast majority of scrubs and wrecking blow/dizzying swing spammers. Finally, they recieve disease and poison resistance! This is very helpful for fighting other stam players right now. Second, the passives are built for a nightblade. You get 10% damage in stealth, 3% max stamina, 3m reduced detection, and a whopping 21% stamina recovery. Alongside the cheap costs of many nightblade abilities and a few champion points into warlord, you can spam abilities without having to worry about your resource in a 1v1 fairly easily. Third would be Khajiits. The nimble feline race has a decreased stealth radius and damage done while in stealth, 20% health recovery, 10% stamina recovery, and a 8% critical strike chance increase. While these passives might seem better, the crit is slightly less appealing because of impen. If you plan on doing PvE, Khajiit is the best choice for a nightblade, but since this is a PvP guide, it has earned the bronze medal.
II. Champion Points
This set up is for 501 cp, and if you don't have that just scale it down to where you're at.
Steed:
-15
-27
Lady:
-60 Hardy
-48 Elemental Defender
-17 Tick Skinned
Atronach:
-15 Shattering Blows (optional)
Ritual:
-84 Mighty
-34 Piercing
-34 Precise Strikes (these can be 68 and none in piercing because it increases your chance of crit heals or placed in blessed)
Tower:
-15 Magician
-15 Warlord
Lover:
-75 Mooncalf
Shadow:
-39 tumbling
-13 Befoul
That is my set up for Champion points feel free to adjust to your playstyle.
III. Gear + Consumables
-Gear
The most basic setup is 5 Hunding's Rage/3 Night Mother's Gaze. This is perfectly fine. Easy to craft, and takes no time to get.
If you have monster pieces, you can use 5 Hunding's and 2 pieces of Blood Spawn(regen+resistance) or Molag Kena(high dmg). Or, you can use 1 piece of Blood Spawn and one piece of Molag Kena (regen+dmg). Other monster pieces that work are Engine Guardian (+great regen -bashable/easily detected), Spawn of Mephala, and Malubeth if you really have trouble staying alive (can crit heal you up to 40k). You can also use one monster piece of your choice and a PvP set like Leki for the 2pc damage.
You can run the undaunted passives with 1 heavy one light and 5 medium for the best possible stats and damage, but 7 medium or 2 heavy and 5 medium works fine.
For weapons, I recommend sharpened maul and bow, but you can use nirnhoned greatsword or sharpened. I think the penetration actually does more dps than nirn so mauls are the best.
Other gear options include TBS, Shield Breaker, Morag Tong, Morkuldin, and Marksman.
-Consumables
For food, there are a couple options. You can use max tristat, the wrothgar max health and regen, and magicka and stam regen drink. While bistat would give you good numbers and nice damage output, the lack of magicka is brutal. Cloak is too important to be out of magicka. My favorite choice is the wrothgar food, but tristat works very well also.
Potions can be a multitude of things. You must keep many on you at all times, and each has their purpose. Basic stam potions you pick up are going to be what you use the most. In general combat, you can pop these when you get low. If you're struggling, Tripots(columbine, bugloss, mountain flower) are the best (but expensive). Another potion that is ridiculously fun are essences of speed (dragonthorn, blessed thistle, wormwood). They can get out out of a sticky situation without wasting stamina sprinting or dodge rolling. Potions of weapon crit and brutality are also fine (DT, BT, NR), and they are great for making your burst have a higher chance of instant killing. Along with those you should keep a healthy stock of regular health potions to use for building ultimate and magicka potions for when you're sneaking for longer than you are able to without more magicka.
Poisons can be used to increase stamina costs and damage health (flesh flies, stink horn, emetic russula). I find this most effective because you have CC as a nightblade and it makes them unable to break free as easily while this is active.
IV. Combat + Skills
The skills you want on your front bar are surprise attack (resistance buff for you and debuff for enemy), executioner (more dmg and regen with kills), Rally (burst heals, nice HoT, brutality buff), ambush (empower+gap closer), and finally mass hysteria (hard CC fear). On your back bar you want vigor (heal), shadowy disguise (always crit and stealth), poison injection (ranged execute strong DoT), Relentless focus/piercing mark/shadow image, Shuffle (dodge chance, removes snares). For ultimates, the best option for single target is Incap Strikes. It stuns, debuffs healing, does massive damage, and has a fun animation. The secondary ultimate can be a couple things. Flawless dawnbreaker is a good choice. It increases your weapon damage on your bar which makes your injection hit harder and it cannot be dodged or blocked. Pure damage. Another option is shooting star.
-Vampire and WW are optional to your preferences.
For fighting, you want to utilize your class and try to initiate combat not be the one whose getting initiated onto. Use crouch and stealth to maximize damage. Open your attacks with a heavy/light attack followed directly by a poison injection. Immediately after, switch to your 2h bar to deal an extra 1-3k damage from the 2h passive which is recognized from the time an arrow takes to travel and registers as a 2h attack instead. Ambush onto your enemy and surprise attack, execute. In you're within melee distance, open with a heavy attack, surprise attack, and execute. If you're animation cancelling, they shouldn't have time to respond if you have the jump on them. If you're jumped by someone, always try and turn the fight around by stealthing and applying immense pressure with your high damage and burst. If you're overwhelmed, pop mass hysteria for a bit of relief. Fleeing is always a viable option to regain your composure and become the initiator. If you have shooting star, you can open up with that ability with a potion right after, and by the time you abush onto them, your incap should be up to execute them.
V. Situational
-While fighting templars, try to dodge roll through them and stealth to avoid being pulled out from sweeps. Stealthing also cancels out radiants. If you can't stealth it try to bash them to interrupt it and get a chance to return the execute.
-While fighting other nightblades, try your best to mark them, if you can't try to fear before they can get far in stealth. Dodge rolling when the animation begins for death stroke and it's morphs can save your life and cut a large chunk of burst out of a combo against you.
-Against sorcerers, try to stealth their frags to make them miss and apply pressure to them. Time your fear with their shields running out (10 seconds) to give yourself an opening to melt them.
-Avoid using poison injection with a DK reflect up. Try not to get up in their face for too long or you risk being taloned infinitely. Against a stam DK, holding block while casting can save you from a knock back from DS or a hard hitting WB.
Thank you for taking the time to read my guide, and I hope it helps. Please give me some feedback and feel free to ask any questions.
Edited by LiquidSchwartz on June 25, 2016 8:16PM To begin, I'd like to say that I've been playing a stamina nightblade in PvP since the launch on PC, and transferred to console when it was released. I'm currently at 682 champion points, and have achieved the rank of August Palatine. I may not be the best Stamblade in the world, but I have a very good understanding of the class and way to play. The build I currently use is 2h and bow. My intention with this guide is to give an in-depth view of how to play and build a stamina Nightblade, and hopefully, aide in the improvement of your skills with one.
Table of Contents:
I. Races
II. Champion Points
III.Gear + Consumables
IV. Combat + Skills
V. Situational
I. Races
The first race I would pick for a nightblade in PvP is an Imperial. The reason I would pick this is because you gain 10% maximum stamina (more than any other race), 12% maximum health (very good for survivability), and restore health on melee attacks. While the last one may not seem that appealing, it can be very helpful to make you last a couple more seconds in a fight. The second race I would recommend would be a Wood Elf. There are a number of reasons why I think this is an amazing race option. The first would be the size. Wood elves are the smallest race in the game and when applied with shuffle, they can be very hard to aim at and hit if not locked onto. This helps while facing the vast majority of scrubs and wrecking blow/dizzying swing spammers. Finally, they recieve disease and poison resistance! This is very helpful for fighting other stam players right now. Second, the passives are built for a nightblade. You get 10% damage in stealth, 3% max stamina, 3m reduced detection, and a whopping 21% stamina recovery. Alongside the cheap costs of many nightblade abilities and a few champion points into warlord, you can spam abilities without having to worry about your resource in a 1v1 fairly easily. Third would be Khajiits. The nimble feline race has a decreased stealth radius and damage done while in stealth, 20% health recovery, 10% stamina recovery, and a 8% critical strike chance increase. While these passives might seem better, the crit is slightly less appealing because of impen. If you plan on doing PvE, Khajiit is the best choice for a nightblade, but since this is a PvP guide, it has earned the bronze medal.
II. Champion Points
This set up is for 501 cp, and if you don't have that just scale it down to where you're at.
Steed:
-15
-27
Lady:
-60 Hardy
-48 Elemental Defender
-17 Tick Skinned
Atronach:
-15 Shattering Blows (optional)
Ritual:
-84 Mighty
-34 Piercing
-34 Precise Strikes (these can be 68 and none in piercing because it increases your chance of crit heals or placed in blessed)
Tower:
-15 Magician
-15 Warlord
Lover:
-75 Mooncalf
Shadow:
-39 tumbling
-13 Befoul
That is my set up for Champion points feel free to adjust to your playstyle.
III. Gear + Consumables
-Gear
The most basic setup is 5 Hunding's Rage/3 Night Mother's Gaze. This is perfectly fine. Easy to craft, and takes no time to get.
If you have monster pieces, you can use 5 Hunding's and 2 pieces of Blood Spawn(regen+resistance) or Molag Kena(high dmg). Or, you can use 1 piece of Blood Spawn and one piece of Molag Kena (regen+dmg). Other monster pieces that work are Engine Guardian (+great regen -bashable/easily detected), Spawn of Mephala, and Malubeth if you really have trouble staying alive (can crit heal you up to 40k). You can also use one monster piece of your choice and a PvP set like Leki for the 2pc damage.
You can run the undaunted passives with 1 heavy one light and 5 medium for the best possible stats and damage, but 7 medium or 2 heavy and 5 medium works fine.
For weapons, I recommend sharpened maul and bow, but you can use nirnhoned greatsword or sharpened. I think the penetration actually does more dps than nirn so mauls are the best.
Other gear options include TBS, Shield Breaker, Morag Tong, Morkuldin, and Marksman.
-Consumables
For food, there are a couple options. You can use max tristat, the wrothgar max health and regen, and magicka and stam regen drink. While bistat would give you good numbers and nice damage output, the lack of magicka is brutal. Cloak is too important to be out of magicka. My favorite choice is the wrothgar food, but tristat works very well also.
Potions can be a multitude of things. You must keep many on you at all times, and each has their purpose. Basic stam potions you pick up are going to be what you use the most. In general combat, you can pop these when you get low. If you're struggling, Tripots(columbine, bugloss, mountain flower) are the best (but expensive). Another potion that is ridiculously fun are essences of speed (dragonthorn, blessed thistle, wormwood). They can get out out of a sticky situation without wasting stamina sprinting or dodge rolling. Potions of weapon crit and brutality are also fine (DT, BT, NR), and they are great for making your burst have a higher chance of instant killing. Along with those you should keep a healthy stock of regular health potions to use for building ultimate and magicka potions for when you're sneaking for longer than you are able to without more magicka.
Poisons can be used to increase stamina costs and damage health (flesh flies, stink horn, emetic russula). I find this most effective because you have CC as a nightblade and it makes them unable to break free as easily while this is active.
IV. Combat + Skills
The skills you want on your front bar are surprise attack (resistance buff for you and debuff for enemy), executioner (more dmg and regen with kills), Rally (burst heals, nice HoT, brutality buff), ambush (empower+gap closer), and finally mass hysteria (hard CC fear). On your back bar you want vigor (heal), shadowy disguise (always crit and stealth), poison injection (ranged execute strong DoT), Relentless focus/piercing mark/shadow image, Shuffle (dodge chance, removes snares). For ultimates, the best option for single target is Incap Strikes. It stuns, debuffs healing, does massive damage, and has a fun animation. The secondary ultimate can be a couple things. Flawless dawnbreaker is a good choice. It increases your weapon damage on your bar which makes your injection hit harder and it cannot be dodged or blocked. Pure damage. Another option is shooting star.
-Vampire and WW are optional to your preferences.
For fighting, you want to utilize your class and try to initiate combat not be the one whose getting initiated onto. Use crouch and stealth to maximize damage. Open your attacks with a heavy/light attack followed directly by a poison injection. Immediately after, switch to your 2h bar to deal an extra 1-3k damage from the 2h passive which is recognized from the time an arrow takes to travel and registers as a 2h attack instead. Ambush onto your enemy and surprise attack, execute. In you're within melee distance, open with a heavy attack, surprise attack, and execute. If you're animation cancelling, they shouldn't have time to respond if you have the jump on them. If you're jumped by someone, always try and turn the fight around by stealthing and applying immense pressure with your high damage and burst. If you're overwhelmed, pop mass hysteria for a bit of relief. Fleeing is always a viable option to regain your composure and become the initiator. If you have shooting star, you can open up with that ability with a potion right after, and by the time you abush onto them, your incap should be up to execute them.
V. Situational
-While fighting templars, try to dodge roll through them and stealth to avoid being pulled out from sweeps. Stealthing also cancels out radiants. If you can't stealth it try to bash them to interrupt it and get a chance to return the execute.
-While fighting other nightblades, try your best to mark them, if you can't try to fear before they can get far in stealth. Dodge rolling when the animation begins for death stroke and it's morphs can save your life and cut a large chunk of burst out of a combo against you.
-Against sorcerers, try to stealth their frags to make them miss and apply pressure to them. Time your fear with their shields running out (10 seconds) to give yourself an opening to melt them.
-Avoid using poison injection with a DK reflect up. Try not to get up in their face for too long or you risk being taloned infinitely. Against a stam DK, holding block while casting can save you from a knock back from DS or a hard hitting WB.
Thank you for taking the time to read my guide, and I hope it helps. Please give me some feedback and feel free to ask any questions.
May the Schwartz be with you.
EP/XB1/NA
4
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SneaK✭✭✭✭✭Nice guide.
I have to say it though... This build is ran by every cookie cutter stamblade out there. You give a much better description and in depth look at it than most of these posts so I applaud you for that, but man people really need to start doing their own thing."IMO"Aldmeri DominionBosmer Nightblade AR 32 - Altmer Templar AR 26 - Dunmer Dragonknight AR 18 - Altmer Sorcerer AR 20 - Khajiit Dragonknight AR 18(+3 not worth mentioning, yet)0 -
Sandman929✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Very detailed description, but I think I ran into 20-30 of these last night.0 -
Moglijuana✭✭✭✭✭Sandman929 wrote: »Very detailed description, but I think I ran into 20-30 of these last night.
Double that for me lol. But 90% of them melt shortly after they realize they can't burst a Mag DK in heavy armor with crit resist cap XD.1 -
LiquidSchwartz✭✭✭✭✭Nice guide.
I have to say it though... This build is ran by every cookie cutter stamblade out there. You give a much better description and in depth look at it than most of these posts so I applaud you for that, but man people really need to start doing their own thing.
I was going to add a dual wield section and a dual weild bow build but it was so long and this one is the most effective.. I have a pve maelstrom/trial build as well that id like to put outMay the Schwartz be with you.EP/XB1/NA0 -
LiquidSchwartz✭✭✭✭✭
I figured this was common knowledge sorryHow about armors ?
All medium ? And Traits, impe ?
Thank for this guide!
You can run 7med
5med 2heavy second best option
6med 1heavy
5med 1light 1heavy best option
All impen or divines on big impen on smallEdited by LiquidSchwartz on June 25, 2016 5:42PMMay the Schwartz be with you.EP/XB1/NA0 -
Seratopia✭✭✭✭Want to say on behalf of my boyfriend - Thank you. His NB is a lot better while following your recommendations of cp distribution.0 -
SneaK✭✭✭✭✭LiquidSchwartz wrote: »Nice guide.
I have to say it though... This build is ran by every cookie cutter stamblade out there. You give a much better description and in depth look at it than most of these posts so I applaud you for that, but man people really need to start doing their own thing.
I was going to add a dual wield section and a dual weild bow build but it was so long and this one is the most effective.. I have a pve maelstrom/trial build as well that id like to put out
I'd like to see that. Looking around at StamNB Maelstrom builds and most of them lack a lot of information."IMO"Aldmeri DominionBosmer Nightblade AR 32 - Altmer Templar AR 26 - Dunmer Dragonknight AR 18 - Altmer Sorcerer AR 20 - Khajiit Dragonknight AR 18(+3 not worth mentioning, yet)0 -
LiquidSchwartz✭✭✭✭✭LiquidSchwartz wrote: »Nice guide.
I have to say it though... This build is ran by every cookie cutter stamblade out there. You give a much better description and in depth look at it than most of these posts so I applaud you for that, but man people really need to start doing their own thing.
I was going to add a dual wield section and a dual weild bow build but it was so long and this one is the most effective.. I have a pve maelstrom/trial build as well that id like to put out
I'd like to see that. Looking around at StamNB Maelstrom builds and most of them lack a lot of information.
I try my best to go as in depth as i can i wrote this at 6am after not sleeping lolMay the Schwartz be with you.EP/XB1/NA0 -
LiquidSchwartz✭✭✭✭✭Want to say on behalf of my boyfriend - Thank you. His NB is a lot better while following your recommendations of cp distribution.
No problem! I spent a bit of time messing around with it to find the best option.
He can throw a few points in thaumaturge as well for poison injection if he wants it turns into a stronger execute if hes struggling with finishing off enemies
May the Schwartz be with you.EP/XB1/NA0 -
Crowzer✭✭✭LiquidSchwartz wrote: »
Could you explain why it's the best option ? Sorry for noobness but I did 15 months hatius and I'm quite lost atm. Also, what kind of 2H are you using witch which trait ?0 -
LiquidSchwartz✭✭✭✭✭LiquidSchwartz wrote: »
Could you explain why it's the best option ? Sorry for noobness but I did 15 months hatius and I'm quite lost atm. Also, what kind of 2H are you using witch which trait ?
The reason thats the best option is because of undaunted passives once you hit undaunted 7 you get max health stam and magicka for each piece of different types
If you dont have it the other two are better thats why i said them first
I use a sharpened maul. If you use a greatsword you can use nirnhoned and you will have high dmg but i believe sharpened is better still and mauls are the best for pvp imoMay the Schwartz be with you.EP/XB1/NA0 -
888and888✭✭✭Thank you for posting this guide, as a new player it contains valuable information to understand the NB.
As somebody said here, it would be better to experiment and try something new but if you are new to the game, like me, you really don't have the resources and probably the time to test new builds
1 -
LiquidSchwartz✭✭✭✭✭
Thank you for the feedback!Thank you for posting this guide, as a new player it contains valuable information to understand the NB.
As somebody said here, it would be better to experiment and try something new but if you are new to the game, like me, you really don't have the resources and probably the time to test new builds
May the Schwartz be with you.EP/XB1/NA0 -
@LiquidSchwartz thanks for the guide!
Can you explain why you go 2h over dw please? i have resent let rerolled and had thought dw was the way to go. What changes/ skills would you use for dw please?0 -
LiquidSchwartz✭✭✭✭✭
The number one reason is reverse slash or executioner is the best execute for stam and its nice to have it on your front barmad1max954 wrote: »@LiquidSchwartz thanks for the guide!
Can you explain why you go 2h over dw please? i have resent let rerolled and had thought dw was the way to go. What changes/ skills would you use for dw please?
The second reason is the recovery frm killing with 2handed [30%]
If i was to use dual wield id use steel tornado instead of executioner on front and everything else basically the same for front or instead of steel tornado, id use killers blade
Backbar is completely buffs or you can also put executioner
I wouldnt do dual and bowEdited by LiquidSchwartz on June 29, 2016 10:16AMMay the Schwartz be with you.EP/XB1/NA0 -
AlphaCrucis✭✭✭What mundas stone?Australian, Aldmeri Dominion
Altmer, Dragonknight (mag), Damage Dealer
Brenton, Templar, Healer
Bosmer, Nightblade (stam), Damage Dealer, PvP
PS4, NA Server
Guild Member Of: Brotherhood of Bogans0 -
LiquidSchwartz✭✭✭✭✭
I run the sepent for recovery or the warrior for more dmgAlphaCrucis wrote: »What mundas stone?
If you are comfortable w low recovery go warrior
If youre a redguard or woodelf you can get away w warrior and have decent recovery
Otherwise id always go with serpentMay the Schwartz be with you.EP/XB1/NA0 -
AlphaCrucis✭✭✭LiquidSchwartz wrote: »
I run the sepent for recovery or the warrior for more dmgAlphaCrucis wrote: »What mundas stone?
If you are comfortable w low recovery go warrior
If youre a redguard or woodelf you can get away w warrior and have decent recovery
Otherwise id always go with serpent
The serpent only work when not in combat right? Is that really useful?
Why do you go with muals for weapon choice?
Thanks for the sharing your build too, i was looking for a guide on how to run a stamblade 2h/bowAustralian, Aldmeri Dominion
Altmer, Dragonknight (mag), Damage Dealer
Brenton, Templar, Healer
Bosmer, Nightblade (stam), Damage Dealer, PvP
PS4, NA Server
Guild Member Of: Brotherhood of Bogans0