Argonian healtank. Is it viable?

Beruge · February 2016

So has anyone tried to make an argonian dk healtank? And is it a viable playstyle for endgame?

The idea is basically to use 7 heavy armor, stack cp into healing cast and healing recieved.

But is it a total waste of time to do so? Would it be able to beat the hardest of challenges?

Would be good to know so i dont start lvling 1 up and it would be a major failure.

lolo_01b16_ESO · February 2016

Hm, depends a bit on what you consider endgame. For trials it's not possible for you as tank to outheal the damage your dds take.
For vet dungeons it depends a bit on your group and the dungeon you're doing. If you group with dds who can watch for themselves (preferbly magicka nbs or templars) it shouldn't be a problem to do a dungeon without a dedicated healer. But otherwise it will be very hard, close to impossible.

Autolycus · February 2016

Yuppers, this is viable. There is a lot of wiggle room with this build, as DKs have many class skills that boost survivability and provide a lot of utility. Argonians have good racial passives for tanking, and in the TG update that will be more true (when they add Max Health).

My Argonian DK is purely spec'd as a healer, and I have successfully heal/tanked all vet dungeons with him, except for vIP and vWGT (which I have complete confidence in his ability to do, simply haven't gotten around to it yet). Most of the time taunting is only necessary for certain mobs, so you can preserve your magicka for healing and utility (like chains). DKs are very effective healers since Igneous Shield grants Major Mending, increasing healing effectiveness by 30% (which drops to 25% in TG, but DKs also get more healing out of two skills which currently do not provide much benefit).

One recommendation I would make for a dedicated heal/tank build is to do some hybrid of light armor and heavy armor. There isn't a need for you to run a full heavy set, so get some magicka benefits for using light armor, and maybe take advantage of your Undaunted passives. You can always make something like Armor Master and shield stack with Annulment and Igneous Shield, and by using Annulment with Armor Master you'll will greatly boost your resistances without the use of heavy armor.

Hope this helps. I don't want to leave more of a wall of text than I already have.

Edit: I don't think heal/tank roles in general (regardless of class) are typically the best option for trials. In certain unique scenarios, hybrid builds can and will make it work in trials, but generally speaking, you're just looking at something that is viable for 4man and open-world content. I would use the heal/tank build for everything except trials, and then give dedicated healing a try for that. DK healing is really fun (and also challenging to learn).

PCheuk38b14_ESO · February 2016

Autolycus wrote: »

Yuppers, this is viable. There is a lot of wiggle room with this build, as DKs have many class skills that boost survivability and provide a lot of utility. Argonians have good racial passives for tanking, and in the TG update that will be more true (when they add Max Health).

My Argonian DK is purely spec'd as a healer, and I have successfully heal/tanked all vet dungeons with him, except for vIP and vWGT (which I have complete confidence in his ability to do, simply haven't gotten around to it yet). Most of the time taunting is only necessary for certain mobs, so you can preserve your magicka for healing and utility (like chains). DKs are very effective healers since Igneous Shield grants Major Mending, increasing healing effectiveness by 30% (which drops to 25% in TG, but DKs also get more healing out of two skills which currently do not provide much benefit).

One recommendation I would make for a dedicated heal/tank build is to do some hybrid of light armor and heavy armor. There isn't a need for you to run a full heavy set, so get some magicka benefits for using light armor, and maybe take advantage of your Undaunted passives. You can always make something like Armor Master and shield stack with Annulment and Igneous Shield, and by using Annulment with Armor Master you'll will greatly boost your resistances without the use of heavy armor.

Hope this helps. I don't want to leave more of a wall of text than I already have.

Wall of texts are fine when they are informative

Beruge · February 2016

It was very informative. Alltough i was thinking 5 pieces hist bark, 3 endurance, 3 agility, and 2 engine guardian

Making it mostly a stamina tank wich uses the buffs for healing restoring, thats why i was thining 7 pieces of heavy. But you think it would be more viable with going magick instead? Since i dont plan it as a group healer more of a self sustain.

Autolycus · February 2016

Beruge wrote: »

It was very informative. Alltough i was thinking 5 pieces hist bark, 3 endurance, 3 agility, and 2 engine guardian

Making it mostly a stamina tank wich uses the buffs for healing restoring, thats why i was thining 7 pieces of heavy. But you think it would be more viable with going magick instead? Since i dont plan it as a group healer more of a self sustain.

If that's what you intend, then you're really just making a normal DK tank. As it stands, stacking healing received (and in some cases, healing done) is a viable strategy for any tank, it just conveniently stacks with Argonian passives. With the changes to Stonefist and Sea of Flames, it would be counter-productive to roll with stamina as your primary resource, unless your focus is to be a true tank. Magicka DKs have (generally) much higher self-healing capabilities, whereas stam DKs tend to have higher damage potential.

I also took your OP to imply that you wanted to function as a healer as well, not a self-reliant tank. I see each role as mutually exclusive; that is, I would build each one differently. Both are fun and viable, simply different builds.

Xvorg · February 2016

Beruge wrote: »

So has anyone tried to make an argonian dk healtank? And is it a viable playstyle for endgame?

The idea is basically to use 7 heavy armor, stack cp into healing cast and healing recieved.

But is it a total waste of time to do so? Would it be able to beat the hardest of challenges?

Would be good to know so i dont start lvling 1 up and it would be a major failure.

I think it is more viable with a templar, spamming puncturing strikes and having a good "oh ***" button like BoL or repenteance (this has a increase res. regeneration)

The problem is the magica return. On the other hand, you don't have to use a resto staff if you don't want (although cycle of life is one of the most useful passives), you can go DW.

In the case of a DK, you need a resto staff, a good burst healing and a skill that heals on dmg. I think that with the changes, burning embers fills that gap. Pay attention to stamina too for blocking.

Beruge · February 2016

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

It was very informative. Alltough i was thinking 5 pieces hist bark, 3 endurance, 3 agility, and 2 engine guardian

Making it mostly a stamina tank wich uses the buffs for healing restoring, thats why i was thining 7 pieces of heavy. But you think it would be more viable with going magick instead? Since i dont plan it as a group healer more of a self sustain.

If that's what you intend, then you're really just making a normal DK tank. As it stands, stacking healing received (and in some cases, healing done) is a viable strategy for any tank, it just conveniently stacks with Argonian passives. With the changes to Stonefist and Sea of Flames, it would be counter-productive to roll with stamina as your primary resource, unless your focus is to be a true tank. Magicka DKs have (generally) much higher self-healing capabilities, whereas stam DKs tend to have higher damage potential.

I also took your OP to imply that you wanted to function as a healer as well, not a self-reliant tank. I see each role as mutually exclusive; that is, I would build each one differently. Both are fun and viable, simply different builds.

just stating what i was thinking about, i find what you said very interessting tough, and i am considering going on it like that.

Autolycus · February 2016

Beruge wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

It was very informative. Alltough i was thinking 5 pieces hist bark, 3 endurance, 3 agility, and 2 engine guardian

Making it mostly a stamina tank wich uses the buffs for healing restoring, thats why i was thining 7 pieces of heavy. But you think it would be more viable with going magick instead? Since i dont plan it as a group healer more of a self sustain.

If that's what you intend, then you're really just making a normal DK tank. As it stands, stacking healing received (and in some cases, healing done) is a viable strategy for any tank, it just conveniently stacks with Argonian passives. With the changes to Stonefist and Sea of Flames, it would be counter-productive to roll with stamina as your primary resource, unless your focus is to be a true tank. Magicka DKs have (generally) much higher self-healing capabilities, whereas stam DKs tend to have higher damage potential.

I also took your OP to imply that you wanted to function as a healer as well, not a self-reliant tank. I see each role as mutually exclusive; that is, I would build each one differently. Both are fun and viable, simply different builds.

just stating what i was thinking about, i find what you said very interessting tough, and i am considering going on it like that.

I haven't tested it personally on the PTS, but from what I understand, the healing potential of Burning Embers is now very substantial (which is a magicka-based DK ability). The healing component from Stonefist is going to scale from magicka and deal magic damage in the next update too, and Sea of Flames is geared towards a caster (increased spell crit).

Stamina is viable too, though for self-healing potential you'd have to look more outside your class, relying more on things like vigor and scaling its usefulness by having high max stamina. You'd be able to limit your magicka consumption to just buffs, like Igneous Shield and Razor Armor. I think you'll find a stamina orientation to be a little less flexible, so for the sake of versatility (and for maximizing your healing potential) I would still recommend magicka.

The good news is that you can always switch between stam and magicka, so I say go for it, and see what you enjoy the most!

Beruge · February 2016

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

It was very informative. Alltough i was thinking 5 pieces hist bark, 3 endurance, 3 agility, and 2 engine guardian

Making it mostly a stamina tank wich uses the buffs for healing restoring, thats why i was thining 7 pieces of heavy. But you think it would be more viable with going magick instead? Since i dont plan it as a group healer more of a self sustain.

If that's what you intend, then you're really just making a normal DK tank. As it stands, stacking healing received (and in some cases, healing done) is a viable strategy for any tank, it just conveniently stacks with Argonian passives. With the changes to Stonefist and Sea of Flames, it would be counter-productive to roll with stamina as your primary resource, unless your focus is to be a true tank. Magicka DKs have (generally) much higher self-healing capabilities, whereas stam DKs tend to have higher damage potential.

I also took your OP to imply that you wanted to function as a healer as well, not a self-reliant tank. I see each role as mutually exclusive; that is, I would build each one differently. Both are fun and viable, simply different builds.

just stating what i was thinking about, i find what you said very interessting tough, and i am considering going on it like that.

I haven't tested it personally on the PTS, but from what I understand, the healing potential of Burning Embers is now very substantial (which is a magicka-based DK ability). The healing component from Stonefist is going to scale from magicka and deal magic damage in the next update too, and Sea of Flames is geared towards a caster (increased spell crit).

Stamina is viable too, though for self-healing potential you'd have to look more outside your class, relying more on things like vigor and scaling its usefulness by having high max stamina. You'd be able to limit your magicka consumption to just buffs, like Igneous Shield and Razor Armor. I think you'll find a stamina orientation to be a little less flexible, so for the sake of versatility (and for maximizing your healing potential) I would still recommend magicka.

The good news is that you can always switch between stam and magicka, so I say go for it, and see what you enjoy the most!

For magicka what would you suggest the attributes to be like?

Autolycus · February 2016

Beruge wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

It was very informative. Alltough i was thinking 5 pieces hist bark, 3 endurance, 3 agility, and 2 engine guardian

Making it mostly a stamina tank wich uses the buffs for healing restoring, thats why i was thining 7 pieces of heavy. But you think it would be more viable with going magick instead? Since i dont plan it as a group healer more of a self sustain.

If that's what you intend, then you're really just making a normal DK tank. As it stands, stacking healing received (and in some cases, healing done) is a viable strategy for any tank, it just conveniently stacks with Argonian passives. With the changes to Stonefist and Sea of Flames, it would be counter-productive to roll with stamina as your primary resource, unless your focus is to be a true tank. Magicka DKs have (generally) much higher self-healing capabilities, whereas stam DKs tend to have higher damage potential.

I also took your OP to imply that you wanted to function as a healer as well, not a self-reliant tank. I see each role as mutually exclusive; that is, I would build each one differently. Both are fun and viable, simply different builds.

just stating what i was thinking about, i find what you said very interessting tough, and i am considering going on it like that.

I haven't tested it personally on the PTS, but from what I understand, the healing potential of Burning Embers is now very substantial (which is a magicka-based DK ability). The healing component from Stonefist is going to scale from magicka and deal magic damage in the next update too, and Sea of Flames is geared towards a caster (increased spell crit).

Stamina is viable too, though for self-healing potential you'd have to look more outside your class, relying more on things like vigor and scaling its usefulness by having high max stamina. You'd be able to limit your magicka consumption to just buffs, like Igneous Shield and Razor Armor. I think you'll find a stamina orientation to be a little less flexible, so for the sake of versatility (and for maximizing your healing potential) I would still recommend magicka.

The good news is that you can always switch between stam and magicka, so I say go for it, and see what you enjoy the most!

For magicka what would you suggest the attributes to be like?

As a dedicated healer I run with only 17k max health, all else goes into magicka (it varies, usually around 36-37k). For a hybrid tank/healer build I'd trade magicka for health, but only as much as you need to complete content. Generally speaking, tanks run with 25k+ health, but in a hybrid build you can sometimes make up for that in other areas. I can't give you an exact number because it depends on how you decide to gear up, what skills you choose, etc. But I would recommend having at least 25-30k magicka and aim for 25k+ health. You'll want to find a good balance between this and your other stats too, don't ignore spell crit and spell damage.

Beruge · February 2016

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

Beruge wrote: »

It was very informative. Alltough i was thinking 5 pieces hist bark, 3 endurance, 3 agility, and 2 engine guardian

Making it mostly a stamina tank wich uses the buffs for healing restoring, thats why i was thining 7 pieces of heavy. But you think it would be more viable with going magick instead? Since i dont plan it as a group healer more of a self sustain.

If that's what you intend, then you're really just making a normal DK tank. As it stands, stacking healing received (and in some cases, healing done) is a viable strategy for any tank, it just conveniently stacks with Argonian passives. With the changes to Stonefist and Sea of Flames, it would be counter-productive to roll with stamina as your primary resource, unless your focus is to be a true tank. Magicka DKs have (generally) much higher self-healing capabilities, whereas stam DKs tend to have higher damage potential.

I also took your OP to imply that you wanted to function as a healer as well, not a self-reliant tank. I see each role as mutually exclusive; that is, I would build each one differently. Both are fun and viable, simply different builds.

just stating what i was thinking about, i find what you said very interessting tough, and i am considering going on it like that.

I haven't tested it personally on the PTS, but from what I understand, the healing potential of Burning Embers is now very substantial (which is a magicka-based DK ability). The healing component from Stonefist is going to scale from magicka and deal magic damage in the next update too, and Sea of Flames is geared towards a caster (increased spell crit).

Stamina is viable too, though for self-healing potential you'd have to look more outside your class, relying more on things like vigor and scaling its usefulness by having high max stamina. You'd be able to limit your magicka consumption to just buffs, like Igneous Shield and Razor Armor. I think you'll find a stamina orientation to be a little less flexible, so for the sake of versatility (and for maximizing your healing potential) I would still recommend magicka.

The good news is that you can always switch between stam and magicka, so I say go for it, and see what you enjoy the most!

For magicka what would you suggest the attributes to be like?

As a dedicated healer I run with only 17k max health, all else goes into magicka (it varies, usually around 36-37k). For a hybrid tank/healer build I'd trade magicka for health, but only as much as you need to complete content. Generally speaking, tanks run with 25k+ health, but in a hybrid build you can sometimes make up for that in other areas. I can't give you an exact number because it depends on how you decide to gear up, what skills you choose, etc. But I would recommend having at least 25-30k magicka and aim for 25k+ health. You'll want to find a good balance between this and your other stats too, don't ignore spell crit and spell damage.

thanks for the info

Millerman34n · February 2016

You would need a specific build for me to Judge don't know what your really getting at?

LizardThixvim · February 2016

Argonian heal tank is very viable as i run it myself with 3 dps around me apart from trials, COA, VWGT, and VICP they too hard to heal tank, if y ou want any help on my build give me a message i will tell you how heal tank as templar (have 4 chars all classes, all argonian)