Squishy NB

TamrielSaviour215

I created a Stam Khajiit NB to become a thief/DPS dealer. But this thing sucks. I like to do a lot of solo questing (and Thieves Guild missions) but this damn thing just dies so fast. I spoiled myself with my Templar Healer that literally NEVER dies and now cant get anywhere with this build. So far I am on level 31 and all I have is Strife on the Siphoning skill line. Which is absolutely useless because it will not level up for me to morph and it seems to do nothing but take away time that I could be attacking. No joke, little bosses in delves can be a challenge when by myself. I have about 20-22 AP in stam in about 8ish in health. At the moment I have light/med/heavy armor to level the lines. Out of all my builds, this thing is the worst defensively. Help!

PC0523

Vigor will help. I think it only takes about 100k AP now to get it, its in the Assault skill line.

For stam characters, I usually spend a couple days in Cyrodiil once I hit level 10 specifically to get vigor and caltrops.

Curtdogg47

As a Stamina NB early on you are going to be very squishy. Once you get Vigor this helps a lot. I also like Rally from the 2H tree as well. Both Rally and Vigor make for very nice heals. I also like to carry tri stat potions.

It does take time to figure out how to play with a more squishy toon. But once you get the hang of it, you wont die nearly as much.

TamrielSaviour215

Thanks guys. I will try to level the Assault skill line. I havent done much PVP at all so it will be a learning curve for sure. I dont use 2H with this build but I have another build just for that so I will use Rally on his bar. Thanks!

cjhhickman39

One big help is to unlock shadow barrier pasive and use surprise attack this procs your major ward and resolve

Twiztidrose

I may be wrong because I'm not looking at the game right now... but I don't recall seeing the assault skill line. What would I find that under? I'm a StamNB DW/2H (lvl 36 if that matters). I'm pretty sure I've acquired Rally.

<--prays she didn't just make herself look like an idiot cuz I've actually been looking at it the whole time... O.o

Shanjijri

Twiztidrose wrote: »

I may be wrong because I'm not looking at the game right now... but I don't recall seeing the assault skill line. What would I find that under? I'm a StamNB DW/2H (lvl 36 if that matters). I'm pretty sure I've acquired Rally.

Rally is a skill from the Two Hands tree. Assault skill tree is from Alliance War.

russelmmendoza

As a stamina night blade I am offended.

I can clear delves by myself at level 20.

NPC are jokes, WB are the only problem.

Dracindo

I find this a great guide for Nightblades:

Nightblade Guide (partially a troll answer)

TamrielSaviour215

russelmmendoza wrote: »

As a stamina night blade I am offended.

I can clear delves by myself at level 20.

NPC are jokes, WB are the only problem.

Yup. I used a healer for the longest time and spoiled myself. I have been clearing a lot of delves lately, but still very squishy. And I TRULY hope that you are not implying that even though WB are a problem that you can still do well against them. There is no way a level 20 stamblade is taking on a WB without significant help. When you say the 'only problem' I am assuming you mean 'impossible'.

Dracindo...I will have to check that out this evening.

RavenSworn

russelmmendoza wrote: »

As a stamina night blade I am offended.

I can clear delves by myself at level 20.

NPC are jokes, WB are the only problem.

I have to agree with this. And I Levelled my Stam nb main without any PvP which means I did not have vigour. Had no prob whatsoever.

davey1107

I main a stamblade. I always tell people...run a NB first because if you run a magplar you're going to be spoiled by the heals, lol. Some tips:

- feel free to wear 1-2 heavy pieces early on. This will help

- vigor is very, very helpful. It takes about 100k AP. Some AP NB tips:
1. Once per hour in Cyrodiil kill a delve,boss. This grants a 1 hr 20% ap boost, seen on your character sheet.
2. Follow your team to keep recaptures. A keep plus all three resources nets 12,600 ap minimum w the buff. You can have vigor in a single night of busy pvp.
3. Supplement w wall and door repair. Easy 1k after every battle.
4 we're getting a 100% more AP event this month some time (midsummer madness). If you want to speed up the grind, wait.
5. As a stamblade you're going to want caltrops, so keep going to 185k AP for that.

- NBs don't have giant burst heals like your Templar. They get health back as they do damage and make kills, so there's a totally different play strategy involved. Early on, you want to be marking targets then killing them via assassins blade. Both return health. If a boss has underlings, think through when you make the kills. You get a lot of sustain by working the boss, then marking/executing an underling, returning to boss. You also have a lot of health restore abilities in DW. These will really help, especially stabby-stabby (bloodthirst). Blood craze also provides health. When you stack several of these HoTs, a NB has a lot of sustain.

- run a dodge ability. Mirage and shuffle are the two...you'll avoid 10-20% of the incoming damage, which is huge. Mirage also massively boosts your resist.

- kite more. Cloak will pause almost every enemy for 2-4 seconds. Use this to create space between you and enemies. A NB needs at least some range attacks...cloak, distance yourself, grab some range dps while they approach then go back to your dw attacks.

- rally in 2h will really help, but it probably will take a while to unlock it.

- all skills level by having them on the bar when you earn xp. If your siphoning skill isn't leveling, you've got it on a back bar where you're barely ever earning xp. Move it to the front bar temporarily and it'll level quickly. But that's not a skill a stamblade is going to use much when at higher levels...feel free to use it, but the DW heals are way stronger on a stam toon.

- the class skill lines themselves level by how many of their abilities are slotted as you earn Xp. Siphoning is going to be a weak spot for a stamblade. Keep it close to the others by sacrificing your front bar ultimate for that skill...then just proc the ultimate on the back bar. Later, slot siphoning strikes and drain power and takemthe stam build appropriate morphs.

- early on, the bolstering darkness ultimate can save a NBs butt in a boss fight.

- fair warning, One Tamriel's mechanics makes it so that levels 45-49 are the absolute weakest in a toon's life. You will lose power and survivability notably as you work through your 40s. The game is removing handicaps it gave you at lower levels, expecting you to replace them. Work up your skills, spend in all appropriate passives, keep your armor within 3-5 levels of your character level, and power through it. If your NB gets too frustrating in solo content, grab a psijic and run some grinds to get them to vet. It'd be better to take time and learn the mechanics like you're doing, but if the toon is so annoying you're going to drop him it'd be better to push to vet, whereupon you'll be 3x as powerful and can get a better sense of the potential.

jircris11

I had trouble with my stamblade until i got vigor. Vigor mixed with killer blade morph to restore hp and such will easily keep you alive in pve.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO

Just use strife, yes it is magic but at the low level you are, it will still tick for a good 1k at least thanks to the way leveling works I ESO. Or learn how to use cloak right and run when you have to.

Kaymorolis

Here is my advice: get your siphoning line to rank 30 and get Siphoning Strikes. You're going to need this anyway to help with sustain issues, so you might as well get used to using it now.

I was ready to delete my NB just a few days before the PC Morrowind pre-release hit. It took multiple tries for me to down QUEST bosses, even with Health food (which I would highly recommend using), and I don't have Vigor as I always have something else I'd rather be doing than PVP. The new Siphoning Strikes made me love my NB at last.

Pop Siphoning (or it's Stam morph Leeching) Strikes, then weave a light or heavy attack in-between your other stuff and you will almost never die. At least, not on quests, quest bosses, multiple mob groups, etc. Your potion use will go way down.