Tired of Nightblade

Lanatireb17_ESO

I am playing a NB, now level 42. And im sick and tired of it.
I skilled Dual wield and syphoning. Now...i wouldnt call myself a bad player, but there is definitely something wrong when you die several times at EVERY major quest.
When i fight packs of three without my ultimate up, there is always a chance of at least 50 % i simply die.
Bossmonster are alltogether impossible. Mannimarco at level 40 (mind you, im 42) killed me 47 times without me even getting him to 50% health. Yes, i do block, i do dodge.
I even reset my attributes from Stamina to Magic (for nearly 5k gold btw), and it doesnt help.
I dont even know which armor to wear. Light armor for the Syphoning? Medium Armor for the dual wield?
This class makes no sense.

Navhkrin

Other classes have same mechanic , you will need to use the stat you most need.
Also do not dodge , instead spring to get out of AoE , dodge eats very big stamina.
If you want to spam siphoning abilities go for magicka + light armor
If your main source of damage is dual wield then follow this build
2stam - 2 magicka - 1 health and medium armor.
Also you will need armor perks , they play big role

Lanatireb17_ESO

i have medium armor maxed out with every perk. i still die all the time. this class is useless.

Galeon

Mannimarco is not about blocking or dodging, but about interrupting his siphon as soon as possible and quickly finishing of the adds.

That said, I have a VR2 dual wield / bow Nightblade and I know your pain of having trouble against large packs (3+ enemies). It gets even worse in VR content when it comes to our survival when white hits of mobs are removing up to 20% of my health in a single hit (complete up to level medium armor).

I was only able to get through a lot of the content thanks to other people who took me along (I had to defend 2 archers at one point against 2 groups of 2 enemies and then one group of 4 enemies it was just impossible, no matter what I tried, till someone else came along and was at the same quest step as me). The phasing in the game also does not make it easy to ask for help as you need to have other people at the same quest steps so they can even help you.

Also the damage seems most of the time fine, when it comes to single target (maybe a tiny bit faster then other classes) it drops extremely down when it comes to multiple enemies.

merfpmerfinton

The class makes perfect sense, you're just going about it wrong.

Siphoning doesn't have the burst of assassination, but with the right build you can pretty much outlast anything.

Armor really doesn't / shouldn't play a part in weapon choice. If you're heavy siphoning try heavy armor since it gives hp regen and a bonus to healing received. Also, since heavy armor naturally provides better mitigation, you should see some returns on your leeching effects.

zamiel

I have a destro staff NB. It was painful in the beginning, now at 35 it's getting awesome. Unstoppable+refreshing path+fire blocade+drain strength spam and everything dies easily. Probably NB deals the best AoE of all classes and are great for higher levels. 3 mobs or 8? Doesn't matter as long as you can control incoming damage.

Chelo

You just dont know how to build your NB... I dont recommend classic builds for this game. If all you do is melee dmg and you are playing syphoning, try to use heavy armor instead of medium armor. If you want more aoe, use 2h instead of dual weild, plus the hp regen of syphoning, try to play more like a ''DeathKnight'' style and less like a ''classic Rogue'' (if you are running with syphoning skill tree).

You better know how to build better for different purpose (pvp, pve, groups, soloing, etc)...

Hadlis

zamiel wrote: »

I have a destro staff NB. It was painful in the beginning, now at 35 it's getting awesome. Unstoppable+refreshing path+fire blocade+drain strength spam and everything dies easily. Probably NB deals the best AoE of all classes and are great for higher levels. 3 mobs or 8? Doesn't matter as long as you can control incoming damage.

I have a level 41 NB and play DW/Bow most of the time. There are times when I have problems with 3-4 mobs at a time as well. Not often though...mostly when I I'm not waiting for my magika to get full again and run out. Teleport-stealth-VS-Full charge hit will kill most trash mobs so thats one down right away and now it's just 2 on one. The 4th ability in the DW tree is awesome so make sure you use it. I also open with my bow using the aoe that I modded to have a fire effect...then just Teleport strike into the middle.

I'm going to start to level up Destro staff today after patch. I keep hearing good things about it.

Kyubi_3002b16_ESO

funny I killed manimarco at minimal level by spamming funnel health and devouring swarm without even bothering to interrupt him the poor sod cried

PS: I fought him with a restoration staff (laugh)

drakuel1ub17_ESO

I agree you need to build properly for this class.. But I also believe a lot of our skills are not even working properly right now.. This is a huge factor and has killed me a lot of times..

There are many posts about this problem with NB's. We have a lot of skills flat out not working or popping properly, and even more where what is described in % bonus is not happening.. This is huge factors when in combat because you base your strategy on these things functioning as they are supposed to and when they don't or do not respond then you are scrambling or slamming your keys cursing trying to save a disaster situation all due to our CLASS SKILLS OUR BROKEN!!!!

Lanatireb17_ESO

Kyubi_3002b16_ESO wrote: »

funny I killed manimarco at minimal level by spamming funnel health and devouring swarm without even bothering to interrupt him the poor sod cried

PS: I fought him with a restoration staff (laugh)

which version of him?

MysticAura

I'd just be happy if when I double tap to dodge, it wasn't so hit or miss. Seems to only activate half the time, even if I test while not in combat..when it works I do a ton better.

I do agree that many skills do need to be looked over and adjusted, but proper build and gear makes a ton of difference.

djosh79cub18_ESO

I've been playing a healing NB with Destro staff backup for soloing(what people are calling a Warlock or blood mage type build).....I have no problem at all with doing quests on level and even AoE killing packs of 3-4. Funnel health+sap essence+blockade+pulsar = dead mobs all over the place and me at 80-90% health. Throw in Impale for single target mobs as my last skill for my destro staff bar.

I didn't even bother interrupting Mannimarco or paying any attention to his mechanics either. Just went man mode on him and smoked that ass. Haven't made Veteran content yet, but at 43 it's been pretty smooth sailing. Full light armor also.

I have a friend that's a DW NB with Destro as back up and he is doing quests 3-4 levels higher than he is right now. He switched from Bow to destro staff around level 30 and said that it worked much better for him.

Kyubi_3002b16_ESO

funny I run bloodmage as resto staff

Well it was the one in the crypt for the amulet of kings just before he get grabbed and pulled to coldharbor. Ive not seen him since so no idea if ill fight him again.

moowi

I beat Manni with Funnel Health. At one point, my husband asked me how I was regenerating so much magicka, so I stopped fighting, pulled up my abilities menu, hovered over the Siphoning Attacks tooltip, read it out loud for 5 or 10 seconds, and then closed the menu. I was at 70% health.

FWIW, I also beat him pre-nerf (Manni - not my husband) and he's just super easy with any version of Strife.

Ravinsild

I dunno, I've used the same skill bar since like level 20. I used the Assassin's Blade that heals you, the vampire drain skill (sometimes seems to not work right, it's odd), blood craze (Dual Wield first skill morphed), Surprise Attack (The armor reducing one) and the invisibility that makes your next strike crit with the Vampire Ult that makes you invisible.

Packs vary from super easy by tab targeting and healing with my vampire drain to super difficult if they have tons of CC...the problem my skill bar has is: Choosing either a) getting HP back or b) Blocking...since you can't drain and block at the same time.

Overall I love my night blade. He's great So glad I made him

Hexcaliber

I feel the same way about nighblade right now, it is a mess, many of the class skills use magic, while the bulk of passives and medium armour grant stamina regen. Wearing cloth armour to "FIX" bad design is a cop out, the class skills are predominately melee, players should not have to sacrifice their defence because the devs right hand has no clue what their left is doing.

Sure, if the player wants to use weapons not typically associated with a stealth char like staffs, there should be a compromise, But there should be no compromise when a player wants to stay within the class skills.

Nightblades skills should all have revolved around stamina use, all of them; passive and active, requiring the player to build around managing that resource. If I want to use a staff to heal or cast fireballs, well frankly I would have picked another class, but inspite of that, I should expect magicka to be the resources I would need for those respective skill lines.

There are reasons why most Nightblades in PVP are now switching to bow, and forgetting their melee skills entirely.

I am also willing to bet the majority happy with nighblade PVE have not tried running a great deal of stuff solo.

Frankly I believe, their decision of having class skills all use magicka is going to come back and bite them in the ass

Kyubi_3002b16_ESO

Um scuse me, but I think siphons and shadows should still be based of magicka. all those ability are technicaly spells to begin with. Only assassination should be based on stamina as its the spec that deals directly with the physical assault.

The thing is skills in class tree should divide amonst magical and physical type rather then just (all is magic!)

djosh79cub18_ESO

All class skills in all classes use magicka. Even the Dragonknight "tanky" tree. I'm sure it would have been a nightmare to even attempt to balance a system like this one if some class skills use stamina while others use magicka.

Even staves are mostly melee range. Only two of those skills are 28 meters....3 if you morph Touch to be ranged and give up the CC, but the CC is too strong to go with the range on it IMO.

I for one am glad that I'm not pigeon holed into "your class must do this" and "your class can't do that.

And why must the NB be "the rogue" anyway? Can't everyone stealth using sneak? Couldn't a Dragonknight Vamp be a great stealther with their pull and the Vamp invis? 2.5 seconds of invis makes the class a rogue that should stay in melee range? The shadow tree has ranged skills, the assassination tree has ranged skills, and the siphon tree has melee skills(all NB skill lines have both, plus healing in one form or another). Templars have a ranged tree, a healing tree AND a melee tree. Sorcs have a tree where skills decrease magicka, which would be thought of as their main resource, in order to increase armor or summon pets.

I am so glad that the classes are not.....Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Hunter, "insert cookie cutter name here."

Next I think I might roll a heavy armor, S&B, Dark Magic/Summoning Sorc to be a CC tanking machine.

I love the outside-of-the-box thinking. A couple of days ago, I saw an AoE machine, destro staff Dragonkinght that was throwing up shields and grinding down packs of mobs in a public dungeon.

From bow wielding sorcs, to healing nightblades, to sun mage templars.......I am loving the diversity and the fact that I see so many unique builds and ideas running around.

I'm an MMO vet and new to the ES universe. I have never played and ES game before this one. This is a welcome change for me personally. This is the main reason that I will most likely not be playing that other MMO coming out soon. I tried the beta recently and what stood out to me was that it's just more of the same. They are just keeping the same old tired status quo.

ESO has it's problems, sure, but this game has some pretty fresh ideas, and at the same time it is familiar enough to not be too foreign for MMO vets. These guys have worked hard to bring us a game that has different and new ideas from all the other cookie cutters we've seen for the last 10 years. Is that not what most of us have been screaming for? Maybe it just isn't for everyone, which is fine too.

steinernein

Nah, you're just doing it wrong. If you're using dual wield as your primary source of damage then you'll actually have to put points into it and use abilities that work well with dual wielding.

You'll also have to consider survivability, so probably evasion (stacking?).

If you're taking siphoning for damage then you should be going light armor and you should consider a resto staff. Weapon attacks without putting points into stamina is kinda pointless.

Mobius0

It really depends on your build. I feel your pain, actually, because I am specced 100% for PvP, so I'm not built for PvE. I won't even fight 3 mobs without ult.

But using things like the overpowered destro staff aoe, can really make life easier, if you care to train that way.

NB doesn't do so well in pve if you play them like a typical rogue type, as the above poster said.

steinernein

I am pretty sure I could make a 'rogue' like NB and be competitive.

Mobius0

You'll never compare to someone with destro staff...

steinernein

Mobius0 wrote: »

You'll never compare to someone with destro staff...

Pretty sure I can in terms of time-to-kill, but intuitiveness and error-handling, probably not as it will require more finesse and digging around for skills to synergize with.

Yankee

I have soloed my Nightblade to 46 so far. I find it easier than my DK or Templar was to level (took them higher during beta). I have died less on this NB than either of those. Mannimarco even went down first try. You can lock down and kill most stuff before it even hits you.

For questing, 3 packs even 3 levels above are easy. I dual wield, have a bow also but hardly use it. I have only quest gear. The only dual wield skill I use is Blood Craze.

I have a pretty even split between mag/health/stam. I eat magicka food. I have all of the medium armor passives.

The first mob of a 3 pack goes down in a one shot from stealth. Immediately I Shadow cloak, lock down the second mob with veiled strike (concealed weapon) and kill it in a few blows. The third mob usually only gets a couple hits on me. Even when I lose the stealth opener I still usually survive. On long fights I swap back and forth between bow (stam stuff) and my dual wield bar (almost all magicka stuff).

Keep your Siphon and blood craze ticking and you might be suprised how much you are healed.

I took all the medium armor and wood elf stealth skills. If I do not feel like killing I can stealth up and then shadow cloak right through groups without being seen. Even through doorways with mobs guarding it. It is a tricky but exciting way to solo fetch skyshards from public dungeons.

It has very nice single target burst (if specced for it). My morphed veiled strike from stealth hits normal mobs for over 1350.

For me, for solo questing, the Nightblade is the easiest class of all.

It is odd how the OP's experience is so different from what I have found.

reggielee

roll another toon or respec again (if you can afford it, should be a rolling scale to respec with low cost for 1st time and increasing cost each time after, but thats another conversation eh)

i have in games past beat my head against walls trying to hang onto my main even tho I didnt like the char, felt like i had too much invested in it, but each and every time i finally let it go and started another class (or in this case try speccing out a diff way in your class) and realized .. it wasnt the class but that it didnt suit how I liked to gameplay. this class isnt for you, find one that you like and your game will be enjoyable again.

mblythe21b14_ESO

I have a DW/Bow Nightblade and take on packs just fine.

Try pulling the pack with Path... I use the healing path. Then Drain Power once or twice and then Whirlwind til done. Swallow Soul on your bar helps the healing on the path. Veil of Blades is my Ult if I wanna pull a lot of mobs or wanna kill small packs quicker. 3 mobs die to this and you should not lose much health.

I am in full medium armor for the Whirlwind crits and stam regen. You spam the WW while only casting a couple spells unless you wanna spam Drain Power. Drain Power makes your weapons 33% or higher which works well with WW.

Just some food for thought.

Galeon

Just a quick question mblythe, what level are you?

merfpmerfinton

I think that a lot of the people that are having trouble playing this class traditionally are trying to spam their class abilities and are running out of mana after the 2nd or even the 1st kill. NB class skills aren't meant to be spammed. A combo like ambush>shadowy disguise>surprise attack> killers blade, is going to leave you drained. If you're going the traditional route here are some tips :

Ambush is a gap closer not an opener. If you're feeling lazy you could use it on solo mobs as an opener or even the low hp duos, like scamps since it may one shot them, but really you wanna save it for that archer or caster that pulls back when you engage.

Surprise Attack this is your opener. It will one shot nearly every single type of normal mob when used from stealth. A stealth Surprise Attack will drop elites and solo bosses to around half hp, stun them and allow you to knock them down with a heavy.The damage it does normally is decent and the armor debuff is great for group bosses, but it is a magicka hog and should not be spammed.

Killer's blade is a finisher. It does 300% more dmg to a target low on hp, provides a heal on kill and with the executioner passive will give magicka regen. Using it more than twice on a target is just a waste of magicka because without the modifier it's damage is meh. In fact the only reason you should even use it a 2nd time is if the mob wasn't low enough for the 1st one to finish it off. You should be finishing every single mob with this ability if you can.

Reapers Mark seems to be bugged ATM, but it still provides the heal on kill.
If you use it, keep it on your 2nd bar to free up a slot on your main. You can mark a target then just weapon swap. If a marked target is in a group, save it for mid fight in case you need an emergency heal. If you doing it right, you should be burning down the first one or two mobs while the others are standing there with their thumbs up their butts... Why waste a heal by killing the mark first when you're already at full hp?

Psychic_Kitty

Unfortunately some enemies take a little more finesse then a single Nightblade is capable of giving.

No matter how the players are telling you how to play.....plain and simple most are theory crafting...you can tell because the synergies they say they are using don't work with the staff for example....but unless you have the powers and weapons and are high enough level you don't know that.

For your boss problem a few things you will need....a lot of potions for one...and a few extra items.

I suppose you could use quest related powers to help....sad that the game balance actually would force players to do that.

I feel your pain OP....I too finally ran into a boss I couldn't defeat....5 levels lower then my character and I barely was doing damage.....it was then I realized the level balance was way messed up.

yeah its too bad most bosses don't have to follow the game rules....I tried leading one to some lava....and it didn't effect him...tried leading one onto a trap....and that got ignored that too......yeah this game is getting more and more stupid the longer I play it.

I actually have not been logging in and playing lately....I feel like its more or less a waste of time lately....my character feels like its weak....I have leveled a lot and still feel the same power level....oh wait I am the same power level...forgot I still will be using the same 5 skills...with no change..as the other skills are worthless...or should I say I cant ever use them...as they either have no range...do less damage or take too much energy...or are situational so no point to ever try them...or all of that combined.

Not that I could take them...my 5 skill limit makes it not something I can do.

Lanatireb17_ESO

I now spent 15k gold for a respec of skillpoints and attributes. now. show me some USEFUL builds, people. And please, no THEORETICAL builds. i wanna see builds that are in use, and working.