PLEASE HELP MAGBLADE!

Datthaw

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

fred4

Datthaw wrote: »

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

Yep. I pretty much agree. That's why I'm building for pure damage. Actually, not quite. The one thing melee magblade has going for it is speed. Piling Skooma Smuggler on top of Swift jewelry made quite a difference to both offense and defense for me. Remember the Summerset Swift meta? That's basically what I'm playing. I'm squishy af, but I can outrun most stamsorcs in cloak. The shade even feels somewhat redundant. The poor stamblades who try to dodge roll or LoS after my gank often get spammed to death with Concealed or they eventually get Zaan-ed while I have an Immovability and Detection pot up, plus the speed from Skooma Smuggler.

brandonv516

Datthaw wrote: »

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

Completely agree. Especially in no-CP, Magblade should be played all or nothing with enough sustain that the person is comfortable with.

fred4

kaithuzar wrote: »

@fred4
I’m trying to take different stance on similar playstyle & see how I do; I’ll post back after a few days.

I’ve race changed to Breton & am not vamp.

Trying to use the following:
Head: troll king light nirn
Shoulder: troll king light nirn
Chest: impreg heavy reinforced
Legs: impreg heavy reinforced
Gloves: willows path light nirn
Sash: willows path light nirn
Shoes: willows path light nirn

Neck: impreg infused recovery
Ring1: impreg infused sp dmg
Ring2: impreg infused sp dmg

Weapon1: 2h sword willows path sharp - increase weapon & spell dmg enchant

Weapon2: resto staff willows path defending - shock enchant

Using lover mundus so my spell pen hits 15k (including the 5k from cp for 78 points)

My damage may be a little low but I was trying not to die so quickly to bleed builds, thus the troll king & lingering health pots & willows path also gives 15% health recovery.
If damage is too low, I’ll swap troll king for molag kena.

Using refreshing path, blessing of restoration, & forward momentum for the hots.

Well, let us know how you get on. I have tried most of those things. I think your damage will be too low and you'll find Willow's Path underwhelming, unless the math has changed this patch. If you are very adept with Merciless Resolve, you might make that work. I am not. The big advantage of Caluurion is that it's up-front damage, like a stamblade, and you're in and out before Assassin's Will would ever proc. Let me try a prediction of what you'll find:

(1) Willow's Path is a crap set. The sole reason for it's existence is the synergy with Troll King, which makes it mathematically viable, but basically there are better sets, such as Amber Plasm or even Orgnum's Scales.

(2) The recovery enchant is not a good choice, unless the math has changed this patch. Let me qualify: For my playstyle. I like to run around cloaked. I like sitting on resources with hostile NPCs with complete invisibility, run around close to enemy zergs, and so on. I do this while permanently cloaking and availing of my Concealed speed buff. What's that got to do with the enchant? Your out of combat regen does not take that enchant into account (again: unless they changed it this patch). To optimise your cloak sustain you're better off with cost reduction. The only mitigating factor is that Breton has more of that this patch, so Bretons need to pay less attention to this in their builds now. See here, though:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/5813161#Comment_5813161

(3) Are you going to use shields? Then Infused jewelry is a mistake. Go with Arcane (or Swift or Protective). More magicka, bigger shields. AFAIK Infused needs to be golded out to really pay off.

(4) I like Impreg very much, except for the fact that I use all damage (and speed) sets on magblade. I guess you've done the math on the Nirn trait? That always seemed a useless trait to me, but I could be wrong. I'd stack more Impen or even go some Well-Fitted. Some Infused also seems more logical to me to get bigger shields and more damage.

(5) I tried Blessing of Restoration. Just so weak. Healing Ward is nerfed to bits, but I still find it better than that.

fred4

LordTareq wrote: »

The changes to Altmer actually prompted me to invest time and energy in trying to make the magblade work. The idea was basically to create some sort of battlemage using mainly a big sword and lots of magic to support this. I've tried sword & shield + resto staff, two-handed sword & resto staff, two-handed sword and flame staff. And various skill setups. Most worked fairly well. Biggest weakness being resource recovery, and a lack of escape tools when you get caught with snares. Another thing I found annoying, is that the flame staff is so effective at doing ranged damage, that it becomes the primary weapon, while the greatsword becomes more of a backup. Which is not how I want to play my magblade. Downside of using a resto staff is that the enemy team makes you a primary target, and my deaths while using a resto staff were actually much higher than any other staff despite the heals.

Today I tried a charged frost staff with front enchant for the first time. My god, what an eye-opener. The frost staff is simply made for magblades. Excellent in duels, helps with escape, (my first battleground in a long time with 0 deaths), and the utility for the team is just amazing (slowing/rooting the entire enemy team to let the relic carrier score is lovely).

Using Blockade liberally for obvious reasons, the ability to cloak to a good position and then drop blockade in the middle of a group is not to be underestimated. For long range standoffs its obviously not as effective as a flame/lightning staff.
Crippling grasp functions similar to Clench but is better (more overall damage, less cost, less obvious projectile, snare major expedition and extra magicka), Swallow Soul is the main ranged nuke, cloak is an auto-include of course, and I'm using the soul assault ultimate to have a ranged option to finish people off (other ultimate to consider would be meteor, but most people know well how to deal with it these days and I feel soul assault is usually more effective). Though 90% of the time I actually use the main bar's ultimate which is obviously Incapacitating Strike. I'm also using Meditate for resource recovery on the frost staff bar for resource management and to recover health.
Main bar is two-handed sword (dual wield would be an excellent alternative, but I prefer the looks of the greatsword) with the standard skill setup (impale, conceiled strike, cloak, lotus fan and harness magicka (though I think damped magic would actually be the better morph))

So far I really love it, as the combination of ice staff / melee magblade compensates for one of the biggest weaknesses of the spec, no snare immunity. By having the best snare in the game, this evens the playing field or even tops it to the magblade's advantage. And even though I really hate to be on the receiving end of snares, I must say it has been absolutely a joy to play so far. Note that my experiences are only relevant to no-CP battlegrounds.

For the sets I'm still using Fortified Brass and War Maiden. Fortified Brass is still an experiment on my part. it basically boosts my resistances in purple gear to just over 18k physical/20k spell. With the shadow passive 23k/25k. I feel these kinds of resistances are simply needed to survive as melee, but I have also noticed that if I pick the right targets killing them fast enough means I don't really take much damage. So I'm still in two minds whether another light set would be better for the playstyle. On the other hand, my current sets do seem to work just fine, so why fix what isn't broken.

I was just talking to a nightblade who used Frost Blockade and also came across a templar using it very effectively in CP IC. With Healing Ward being so nerfed, I am questioning whether to hang on to the resto staff myself.

Not sure what you mean by having no snare immunity when you are running 2H. That's what Forward Momentum is for and one of the major reasons for going with the melee / 2H playstyle. You could go so far as saying: It's what makes Cloak work.

LordTareq

fred4 wrote: »

Not sure what you mean by having no snare immunity when you are running 2H. That's what Forward Momentum is for and one of the major reasons for going with the melee / 2H playstyle. You could go so far as saying: It's what makes Cloak work.

Yes, of course. I've been experimenting with so many weapon layouts that I actually forgot about it when typing, even though it was one of the core abilities on my stamblade. On the magblade I'm not a huge fan of it, as it eats a sizeable chunk of valuable stamina that I want for breaking CC/dodge rolling, the heal is absolutely pathetic, and the weapon damage boosts only light/heavy attacks and not by much. Atm I'm not running FM due to blockade out-snaring most snare-users, if that makes sense.

raistin87

Original build (not mine) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L4dzRy_468

For No CP

My modification

5/1/1
Lover mundus

Torugs 5x impen tristat
Lich 3x swift/tristat mag regen/spell dmg
Master fire destro infused
Lich resto infused
Skoria impen tristat

Fire/Lightning enchant front bar
Oblivion enchant back bar

altmer/redguard

raistin87

Also, dont build for getting hit. Cloak is the best damage avoidance mechanic in the game, use it instead.

NyassaV

kaithuzar wrote: »

Try reading one of the magblade form threads for ideas of builds. I know I’ve posted what I’m using.

Magbalde is poop right now. Sure you can give the poop armor and knives but it's still poop. Some issues can't be built around and that is what mnb suffers a lot of right now.

Iskiab

LordTareq wrote: »

Today I tried a charged frost staff with front enchant for the first time. My god, what an eye-opener. The frost staff is simply made for magblades. Excellent in duels, helps with escape, (my first battleground in a long time with 0 deaths), and the utility for the team is just amazing

Yea, I’ve been a big fan of them for a while. I use ice blockade all the time as a healer. Another thing that’s fun, use ice blockade and the ice destro ultimate stacked on top of each other. It’s like permafrost on crack.

I’m not sure if I would use Ice as a magblade though. Off balance got a hefty buff this patch with the way damage calculations are made. Lightning blockade when I tried it sucked because there’s no snare, might be a little better now.

About resto heals - they basicly all suck. Probably made that was so people couldn’t back bar a resto staff and be unkillable, but for pure healing the only decent one is healing springs. Vigor is literally double the hps of anything resto has to offer besides springs. There’s a reason healers all use the class healing abilities and resto solely for combat prayer and springs.

Mutagen can be good as a dps too I guess, it’ll only take a minute for it to heal someone’s health pool. People have that much time in pvp right?

kaithuzar

I really like the idea of frost staff, I just don’t like the idea of running 2h sword w/no/crap heals. Also not fond of running resto staff & becoming vamp for access to mist form for snare immunity as the last thing I need is more damage coming from dawnbreaker.

Does anyone know how vigor scales? I’ve thought of trying a hybrid build before being a magic class but using vigor to heal.
Is it weapon dmg, stam resource, stam recovery, highest resource, all of the above, or some combination?

@fred4
I heard/possibly read somewhere the math for willows path did change however it’s not much of a boost. It now gives slightly less recovery than amberplasm (roughly 500 less was what I tested, however it’s % based so as your recovery goes up it should scale).
I did try using amberplasm but I was just dying too fast to bleed builds so I attempted to combat that where possible.

The reason for recovery enchant was because I’ve always heard reduced cost doesn’t scale as well & so I normally only run 1 method of obtaining it which is now my Breton racial passive.

I do not run any shields, well the psijic skill line gives me a free one by blocking but my bar setup is:

Front: 2h sword
Sap, assassin’s will, forward momentum, concealed strike, mage light, soul harvest

Back bar: resto
Cloak, refreshing path, fear, blessing of resto, siphoning attacks(mag morph), psijic ult that gives 8% dmg reduction

Refreshing, forward momentum, & blessing of resto are all to try & synergize with troll king but if you wanted more damage it’s possible to swap refreshing with the psijic skill that gives move speed & inc crit dmg.
It’s probably more worth if I swapped troll king for malubeth.

My current build is keeping 15k spell penetration which for me, I look at as the minimum & normally run 16k with spinners however chose to forego the extra 1k pen in an attempt to not only have “general tankiness w/sustain”, but to also include some basic bleed counters alongside.

Does anyone know which tree scales better for self healing the red cp one or the blue one? My heals could still use a boost & im not sure if one cp tree is better than the other for self heals.

As for my damage, I’ve always felt that every time I test dmg vs penetration, that penetration seems to win. IF I can get my heals on point I “might”, consider going back to vampire for the extra recovery & replacing the recovery enchant with an extra infused spell damage; assuming I decide not to swap the healing monster setup for kena.

If people don’t like impreg they can do a similar build by using julianos & amberplasm, just make sure to have head/legs+chest in heavy. It’s more damage less tanky version & I’ve had moderate success with it, unless fighting bleed builds.

fred4

raistin87 wrote: »

Also, dont build for getting hit. Cloak is the best damage avoidance mechanic in the game, use it instead.

I agree, though the problem is, it leads to these cat and mouse games, in IC, where whichever NB gets the jump on the other one has a practically guaranteed kill. I don't find that satisfying. I wouldn't mind being able to put up a fight that lasts longer than 2 seconds, but I guess I'm trying to do the same to others. The point of being that squishy is to have the kill speed in 1vX or AvA situations, but 1v1 against another NB running a similar spec it's actually kind of boring.

I used to be able to shield Soul Assault and just brush it off, unless from a certain Imperial Physique pet sorc. Not anymore it seems. If I'm surprised in cloak, I'm almost dead by the time I bar swap (as I probably just spent a GCD on cloak) and the shield is too small to recover from execute range. Another time I made the mistake of trying to cloak Soul Assault, but it was all over in 2 seconds anyway. The margin for error is just that small.

In my case, the solution might simply be more health, but I don't know. Magblade feels very compromised in the healing / defense department, since Murkmire. I guess that's what balance is, the price for having cloak.

HowlKimchi

fred4 wrote: »

Magblade feels very compromised in the healing / defense department, since Murkmire. I guess that's what balance is, the price for having cloak.

Meanwhile Stam NBs...

fred4

HaruKamui wrote: »

fred4 wrote: »

Magblade feels very compromised in the healing / defense department, since Murkmire. I guess that's what balance is, the price for having cloak.

Meanwhile Stam NBs...

...cast Vigor and dodge roll.
...cast Rally and dodge roll.
...block.

What do you want me to say? That initial heal missing from Healing Ward has really screwed magblade, and shields were never the solution for 1vXing, unless maybe you're a magsorc. I know dodge rolls have also been nerfed, but they still scale better than shields ever did. Not saying stamblade is easy, not at all, but the combination of dodge rolls, cloak and shade is extremely powerful when played right. I've seen an expert do it, but would concede there is possibly more of a learning curve. If I could sacrifice my shield for a magicka-based dodge roll skill, I would do it. Soul Assault is a bad example, but other than that...

I understand your sentiment, I do. I'm just not sure anymore that stamblades don't, in fact, have better defenses now. Probably they're just too different to settle this without getting into a huge argument. My impression is that more experienced players than me tend to give stamina the edge, in PvP, and that is partially because of dodge roll sustain.

HowlKimchi

fred4 wrote: »

HaruKamui wrote: »

fred4 wrote: »

Magblade feels very compromised in the healing / defense department, since Murkmire. I guess that's what balance is, the price for having cloak.

Meanwhile Stam NBs...

...cast Vigor and dodge roll.
...cast Rally and dodge roll.
...block.

What do you want me to say? That initial heal missing from Healing Ward has really screwed magblade, and shields were never the solution for 1vXing, unless maybe you're a magsorc. I know dodge rolls have also been nerfed, but they still scale better than shields ever did. Not saying stamblade is easy, not at all, but the combination of dodge rolls, cloak and shade is extremely powerful when played right. I've seen an expert do it, but would concede there is possibly more of a learning curve. If I could sacrifice my shield for a magicka-based dodge roll skill, I would do it. Soul Assault is a bad example, but other than that...

I understand your sentiment, I do. I'm just not sure anymore that stamblades don't, in fact, have better defenses now. Probably they're just too different to settle this without getting into a huge argument. My impression is that more experienced players than me tend to give stamina the edge, in PvP, and that is partially because of dodge roll sustain.

Sorry i think you misunderstood, and that's a mistake on my part. My smart-ass comment was too vague. I actually agree with you that magblade defense need help. I was trying to say that it's ironic that stam nbs dont have to pay a price for having cloak.

fred4

HaruKamui wrote: »

fred4 wrote: »

HaruKamui wrote: »

fred4 wrote: »

Magblade feels very compromised in the healing / defense department, since Murkmire. I guess that's what balance is, the price for having cloak.

Meanwhile Stam NBs...

...cast Vigor and dodge roll.
...cast Rally and dodge roll.
...block.

What do you want me to say? That initial heal missing from Healing Ward has really screwed magblade, and shields were never the solution for 1vXing, unless maybe you're a magsorc. I know dodge rolls have also been nerfed, but they still scale better than shields ever did. Not saying stamblade is easy, not at all, but the combination of dodge rolls, cloak and shade is extremely powerful when played right. I've seen an expert do it, but would concede there is possibly more of a learning curve. If I could sacrifice my shield for a magicka-based dodge roll skill, I would do it. Soul Assault is a bad example, but other than that...

I understand your sentiment, I do. I'm just not sure anymore that stamblades don't, in fact, have better defenses now. Probably they're just too different to settle this without getting into a huge argument. My impression is that more experienced players than me tend to give stamina the edge, in PvP, and that is partially because of dodge roll sustain.

Sorry i think you misunderstood, and that's a mistake on my part. My smart-ass comment was too vague. I actually agree with you that magblade defense need help. I was trying to say that it's ironic that stam nbs dont have to pay a price for having cloak.

Hahahaha . OK, np.

LordTareq

Does anyone have experience with the iceheart monster set on melee magblade? Seems on paper quite nice to help with survivability? Since trollking/earthgore won’t work without actual heals, lord warden seems a bit undewhelming, and the other defensive monster set only has like a 6% proc chance.

HowlKimchi

LordTareq wrote: »

Does anyone have experience with the iceheart monster set on melee magblade? Seems on paper quite nice to help with survivability? Since trollking/earthgore won’t work without actual heals, lord warden seems a bit undewhelming, and the other defensive monster set only has like a 6% proc chance.

the shield is small and isn't there when you need it. engine guardian is a much better defensive set.

macsmooth

LordTareq wrote: »

Does anyone have experience with the iceheart monster set on melee magblade? Seems on paper quite nice to help with survivability? Since trollking/earthgore won’t work without actual heals, lord warden seems a bit undewhelming, and the other defensive monster set only has like a 6% proc chance.

It works quite well on a melee magblade just build into crit and you will have the shield and minor maim from the frost damage going off on cool down all the time plus it’s one of the few aoes you have going for you and with about 40k+ mag pool you get around 10k shield Pve side, some heavy hitters will kill your shield but you can sub in harness or damp shield from light armour to double your shield size when facing the big hitters

Iskiab

LordTareq wrote: »

Does anyone have experience with the iceheart monster set on melee magblade? Seems on paper quite nice to help with survivability? Since trollking/earthgore won’t work without actual heals, lord warden seems a bit undewhelming, and the other defensive monster set only has like a 6% proc chance.

Works very well if you use crushing shock. It’s a large damage shield, and crushing shock technically hits 3x so it has 3x the chance to proc. That plus using cloak is an auto crit.

If you’re melee it’ll get eaten by aoes pretty quickly, but I like it as ranged.

kaithuzar

Iceheart -
Good success in pvE
But unable to make it work in pvp
Someone doesn’t have to be a heavy hitter to have their dots eat it quickly.

fred4

LordTareq wrote: »

Does anyone have experience with the iceheart monster set on melee magblade?

No way I would wear that on melee magblade. An AOE that lasts for 6 seconds, gone off at the wrong time, would mess with your ability to cloak away. In particular, it would set off NPCs in IC that you're trying to cloak past.

Seems on paper quite nice to help with survivability?

Haven't tried it in a long time. It seemed "meh" when I did.

Since trollking/earthgore won’t work without actual heals

Which you have. You're a melee magblade, you run Forward Momentum. Brilliant synergy witth Troll King. I don't see Earthgore being good for a highly mobile, cloaking build.

lord warden seems a bit undewhelming

Agreed. A tanking set. Stationary. No go.

and the other defensive monster set only has like a 6% proc chance.

Malubeth? You can't beat Troll King. Troll King reliably kicks in when you need it, not at some random time when you don't. You need to be tanky and have other heals when using Malubeth, IMO. In other words, use it as a vampire magplar for whom Troll King does not work.

One caveat I forgot to mention: I assume you want to use Cloak. For me Cloak, Concealed (for the speed) and Forward Momentum are the package that defines what melee magblade is. Of course, if you have different build ideas, for example you want to run Ice Blockade and maybe not cloak much, then you can ignore this post.

ecru

brandonv516 wrote: »

Datthaw wrote: »

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

Completely agree. Especially in no-CP, Magblade should be played all or nothing with enough sustain that the person is comfortable with.

uh yeah this. 5 digit bow procs and impales are easy if you just build for damage in nocp instead of trying to be a tank and win a 1vX. you won't.

Datthaw

ecru wrote: »

brandonv516 wrote: »

Datthaw wrote: »

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

Completely agree. Especially in no-CP, Magblade should be played all or nothing with enough sustain that the person is comfortable with.

uh yeah this. 5 digit bow procs and impales are easy if you just build for damage in nocp instead of trying to be a tank and win a 1vX. you won't.

This is what took me so long this patch. I used to be able to build for the tanky 1vx. I played a heavy armor no cloak lizard wizard for ever. That play style was finally nerfed into nonexistence. Took me a while to accept that and build around cloak and pure damage.

thankyourat

ecru wrote: »

brandonv516 wrote: »

Datthaw wrote: »

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

Completely agree. Especially in no-CP, Magblade should be played all or nothing with enough sustain that the person is comfortable with.

uh yeah this. 5 digit bow procs and impales are easy if you just build for damage in nocp instead of trying to be a tank and win a 1vX. you won't.

But why build for all damage when you can hit 5 digit bows and also be tanky. Unless you are going to be a ganker or bomber building for all damage isn't going to be viable 1vX. magblade burst damage is going to be high regardless. There is no real reason to go all in on damage. Regardless of the class the most successful approach to building in ESO is a good balanced build with damage and defense. 1vX is still possible on magblade I don't see a reason to give it up and go the ganker route unless you are just looking for a different playstyle.

kaithuzar

thankyourat wrote: »

ecru wrote: »

brandonv516 wrote: »

Datthaw wrote: »

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

Completely agree. Especially in no-CP, Magblade should be played all or nothing with enough sustain that the person is comfortable with.

uh yeah this. 5 digit bow procs and impales are easy if you just build for damage in nocp instead of trying to be a tank and win a 1vX. you won't.

But why build for all damage when you can hit 5 digit bows and also be tanky. Unless you are going to be a ganker or bomber building for all damage isn't going to be viable 1vX. magblade burst damage is going to be high regardless. There is no real reason to go all in on damage. Regardless of the class the most successful approach to building in ESO is a good balanced build with damage and defense. 1vX is still possible on magblade I don't see a reason to give it up and go the ganker route unless you are just looking for a different playstyle.

I think the playstyle, at least as I build it, I still believe to be relevant; but maybe that’s just bias or an inability I have to accept reality. However, I do believe our “investment” in order to make this remotely functional is higher than other playstyles or other classes.

Not only do we have to gold out everything, gear, weapons, jewelry, but we also have to ensure each piece is traited correctly & cp is optimized (if in cp campaign), & still have to be highly proficient at the playstyle just be “decent”!

Choosing a different playstyle or class is generally easier & a more efficient use of time. But if you’re stubborn like me, anything’s possible.

There are a number of underlying issues but we also received some buffs. Whether it be by racial passives or the increase damage on swords. The thing to remember is that other classes also received some buffs too, so balancing out & finding what works may still be ongoing considering the latest update, I don’t think, is barely a month old.

Datthaw

thankyourat wrote: »

ecru wrote: »

brandonv516 wrote: »

Datthaw wrote: »

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

Completely agree. Especially in no-CP, Magblade should be played all or nothing with enough sustain that the person is comfortable with.

uh yeah this. 5 digit bow procs and impales are easy if you just build for damage in nocp instead of trying to be a tank and win a 1vX. you won't.

But why build for all damage when you can hit 5 digit bows and also be tanky. Unless you are going to be a ganker or bomber building for all damage isn't going to be viable 1vX. magblade burst damage is going to be high regardless. There is no real reason to go all in on damage. Regardless of the class the most successful approach to building in ESO is a good balanced build with damage and defense. 1vX is still possible on magblade I don't see a reason to give it up and go the ganker route unless you are just looking for a different playstyle.

thankyourat wrote: »

ecru wrote: »

brandonv516 wrote: »

Datthaw wrote: »

I see alot of people talk about tanky this, sustain that, shield this... everyone seems intent on finding a well balanced build and the sad truth is magnb does not have a balanced setup. Magnb in its current form has to operate with all in builds, be it tanker, bomber, healer, or ganker. Trying to build well rounded and you end up with a mediocre build that gets rolled by meta.

Completely agree. Especially in no-CP, Magblade should be played all or nothing with enough sustain that the person is comfortable with.

uh yeah this. 5 digit bow procs and impales are easy if you just build for damage in nocp instead of trying to be a tank and win a 1vX. you won't.

But why build for all damage when you can hit 5 digit bows and also be tanky. Unless you are going to be a ganker or bomber building for all damage isn't going to be viable 1vX. magblade burst damage is going to be high regardless. There is no real reason to go all in on damage. Regardless of the class the most successful approach to building in ESO is a good balanced build with damage and defense. 1vX is still possible on magblade I don't see a reason to give it up and go the ganker route unless you are just looking for a different playstyle.

Idk man this patch hurt us so much. I'm a firm believer that there is no tanky magnb that deals damage. I have tried so much heavy and light, armor master, mag stack, res stack, etc, etc. All of them take such am investment it kills your damage and sustain.

I'll put it this way, I still see some people still trying to 1vx on magnb and not really cloak, a lot of engine guardian and what not. They last a little while wit fear traps and shade, but, they never kill anyone that matters. They might kill that bow spammer, but they don't kill anyone on a meta heavy build.

HowlKimchi

I'm having success with 2 defensive sets and 1 damage set in 5-1-1 light as a ranged magblade both in BGs and in Cyrodiil. Of course on my set-up, I cant kill *every* toon (namely the wings/crystal shield spamming dks/wardens). But that's okay for me, I just disengage easily with cloak and/or shadow image. I also have access to more than usual dodge rolls because I use trifood and im a dunmer.

I'm hitting 10k spectral bows and can manage 1vXs on semi-decent people. Magblade definitely needs a buff, sure. But it's not all doom and gloom. I really believe that we just need snare removal/immunity built in on our kit and we'll be okay.

fred4

When you say "this patch", you mean Murkmire, right? As a Breton, this patch (Wrathstone) has actually helped a little. Of course I am a cloaking NB, more of a ganker, but I'll try to 1vX or AvA when I can. Perma-cloak sustain has always been important to me. With the cost increase to Swallow Soul and the nerfing of Siphoning Attacks long ago, sustain has actually been tight, even with a setup good enough to perma cloak. I was pretty much married to the Atro mundus, Ghastly Eye Bowl, and 2x cost reduction enchants. The Breton sustain passive now allows me to play around with different mundus stones and drinks. Still squishy af, but having some extra health and health regen, or some extra pen, is better than nothing.

Datthaw

Well this patch hurt my build just a little more with argonians pot nerf. It's not really much but it was like the final kick in the ribs of the heavy argonian build I ran.

But its alot of things that make magnb weak, lack of burst heals, our shield being tied to light armor and nerfed, bow being delayed was a huge punch in the ribs, skill cost increase, removal of damage from path, snares, snares, snares, Wardens and dks pretty much shut our builds down and force melee playstyle which is painful. Concealed spam is just weak. Our only class's pressure skill is also reflectable so even though ancient knowledge got "buffed" if you want to range yoy have yo use force pulse anyway or just don't fight like 1/2 the cyro population. You either have to run alot of hots which really clogs your bar space or abuse cloak which is counted ed by the multitude of mark spamming zerglings....

Idk Ill stop I'm depressing myself