Stamina vs. Magicka Nightblade - Need Advice

ThePonzzz · March 2016

With the Thieves' Guild update, I feel my stamina build has been crippled. I had posted about 2 weeks ago, but I'm only getting more frustrated with my build. I ended up taking a break for 10 days and just started playing again yesterday. That said, I need some help if I want to continue playing in PvP and group content. To make it easier, just PvP advice would be helpful, I can adjust for group dungeon content.

I have played a stamina nightblade for a little over a year now. A few months ago, @Xantaria helped me with some gear to boost my DPS a bunch, and I was pulling about 16k DPS with 102.5% crit in PvE content. I wasn't a tank, but I relied heavily on siphoning attacks proc'ing on caltrops. I also did a lot of sprinting it seems. Prior to the update, I was getting my stamina to regen while I sprinted, and with caltrops, I could easily get my stamina pools up when I was tapped. It came at the cost of never being able to stealth, so to me, there WAS a trade off.

But here we are, and now I can't sustain battles for long. I'm typically tapped on stamina quickly, leaving myself as a sitting duck. I feel like if I used stamina for running and sneaking only (with maybe some other abilities), I'd be much better off. But I haven't been a magicka build since launch, and even then, I was hardly efficient.

What sort of rotation and gear would I need to be able to pull over 16k DPS as a magicka user. I'd also need to change my champion points around, because I have nearly everything in mooncalf, warlord, precise strikes, and mighty. Or would I be better off staying stamina, but changing my rotation? I can post my gear, stats, etc if it helps, but I guess I'm more or less looking for some advice on the direction to go. Gear can get expensive, though the Thieves' Guild has killed the market for materials at least (which is a good thing as a buyer).

I like to play solo or small groups. I'm not much of an AoE spammer. Right now I mostly ambush/surprise attack because those are my big damage dealers. I use hidden blades for ranged because I need rally on my second bar. I'm not decent with animation cancelling, I only really weave light attacks/heavy attacks. I can't get the bash/roll in very well. My first bar is DW with ambush, surprise attack, hidden blades, killer blade, evil hunter, and flawless dawnbreaker. Second bar is TH with dark cloak (or mass hysteria), retreating maneuvers, resolving vigor, rally, relentless focus, and shooting star.

Xvorg · March 2016

as a magicka blade you can:

1- Use strife a lot. It is not a nuke but it can be efficietly waved with light attracks
2- Grim focius and assasin will hurt A LOT, but you need to be good at aiming enemies that roll dodge a lot
3- Since magicka damage now is paired in the elemental expert star (cps), meteor kicks like a mule, so consider slotting it. It is paired with strife while weaving attacks, you can fill your ulti bar quite fast.
4- In dungeons, impale is precious, especially when you need to finish the boss. 4 or 5 impales do as much dmg as 4 or 5 ass will and can be weaved too.
5- Combo cloak + conceled weapon hurts a lot. And if you have death stroke slotted as utii, it hurts even more.
6- Soul tether in dungeons is another greaat skill and in PvP is key if you want to take resources on your onw
7- Sap essence is great for tanking not only in PvE, but in PvP too. The combo cloak, proxy deto and sap essence can easily wipe out an entire zerg ball.
8- Magicka nightblade not only have nearly infinite cloak, but nearly infinite Mass hysteria. You can play the role of enemy disruptor.
9- Refreshing path is great for tanking and can be combined with elemental wall for a heavy dmg combo at low cost. Now add to the combo sap essence and VoB.
10 You can heal a lot as a magicka NB with the correct build. I've never tried but some of the best HoT healers are NBs. Saddly, Funnel health got nerfed last patch but it still helps a lot. I imagine that healing springs + refreshing path is a nice pair (especially if the ally is running away from an enemy group)

As you can see, you can play whatever role you want as a magicka NB, being quite efficient in all, of them.

ThePonzzz · March 2016

Great post, @Xvorg. What sort of gear do you recommend?

Xvorg · March 2016

All light armor unless you have the undaunted mettle passive, 5 light 1 medium 1 heavy. If you feel squishy with all light, then 5 light and 2 heavy (cuirass and greaves).

If you want to tank a lot, then you should go for s/b. Maybe Pariah Set (2 rings, 1 pendant and 2 armor pieces). Then complement it with Julianos or Kagre and a monster set.

Nevertheless, I suggest you going for strong dps from afar. 5 julianos, kena, willpower jewelry and a maelstrom staff. With entropy, strife (funnel health, swallow soul) merc resolve, impale and cloak you should pretty much do a high burst dmg whie having some sustain.

Also you can try a magicka based stamblade mechanics with lotus fan, CW, cloack and proxy deto. Maybe swallow soul for a health regain (and some extra magicka). But consider that you will not do as much dmg as a stamblade until proxy deto makes its trick.

Strider_Roshin · March 2016

Yeah I'd only recommend stamina if you enjoy the play style more. Otherwise magicka outperforms it in every way.

ShadowNekrosys · March 2016

Hi guys, I'v been playing as a bosmer stamblade for almost a year and after confronting (pve mostly) with magika nightblades I feel my character is waaaay less adaptable and in general weaker.

I usually depend on my templar for healing, which is ok I guess, but my dps output doesn't seem to justify my lack in self healing. Why shouldn't I switch to a magika NB build? What does a stamblade have that a magika one doesn't?

I think bow and range capabilities should be what distinguish them, but staffs seem to be as good as bows in range dps.

Sunburnt_Penguin · March 2016

@ShadowNekrosys

Hmm.. On my StamNB I use Vigor and Rally for healing then keep Immovable up if circumstances dictate. This is working well for me but as my MagNB is only L49 I haven't anything to compare it to.

Lord-Otto · March 2016

You're not gimped, stamina builds have just been brought on par with magicka ones. Stamina has been ridiculously overpowered since 1.6, what you're now feeling is how magicka users have felt for a year.
Now, that that's out of the way...

Rally+Vigor is how stamina builds typically survive. Along with well-timed blocks and rolls. It's an extremely strong heal, but it takes a tiny bit to kick in, so you wanna take distance or dodge enemies when wounded.
Steel Tornado and Wrecking Blow completely overshadow Impulse and Force Pulse in terms of raw damage. I have seen ridiculous gameclips from people just bunny hopping around Maelstrom bosses, WB'ing the ship out of them.
Medium armor is better than light, both offensively and defensively. If my shields go down in that arena, I'm toast. So if you keep an eye on your HP bar and remember to heal now and then, you should be able to survive.

It might be a bit harder on stamina builds these days, but it is definitely doable without signing a contract with a Daedra prince. Just keep trying!

ShadowNekrosys · March 2016

Well I'll keep trying with my stamblade since I like that style of play but still think that Rally+Vigor is garbage compared to abilities that heal while doing damage like sap or strife. Also why I have to use 2H to gain a bit of survivability? Thats unfortunate.

Strider_Roshin · March 2016

They're not balanced, not even remotely. Don't worry though, Wrobel himself admitted that magicka is too powerful and he plans on balancing them in the future as well as buffing stamina. I just hope he doesn't make stamina OP next DLC. My suggestion, play around with both play styles and see which one suits you best.

ThePonzzz · March 2016

Well, good news is, my stamina build isn't as ruined as I thought. After messing around a little bit today, I noticed my weapon damage and crit chance was lower than normal. After some head scratching, I saw the cause. The reset the mundus effects likely when the thieves guild went live. I didn't see it listed anywhere in the patch notes. Because LUIE is out of date, I also didn't see it via my addons.

Putting the thief and shadow back on (I use Twice-Born Star), my power was restored, which was one of the reasons I was tapped on stamina so quickly. I still feel like I'm wasting too much stamina sprinting, but I'll see if I can adjust for taking the dive to magicka.

Ender1310 · April 2016

It's clear that magicka builds out perform stam builds. Have since day one of ESO. Once you earn proxy set just go magika and wreck faces in maelstrom.

Rylana · April 2016

Once you get past crutching on cloak for every little situation.... stamblade becomes more powerful than you could possibly imagine

I am serious, too. Melee stamblade still drops almost anyone in 1-2 seconds when played correctly. No gimmick build required.

Septimus_Magna · April 2016

@ThePonzzz Mundus stones were reset in the most recent small patch.

Ch4rLy · April 2016

what is the best race for pvp stamina nightblade please?

GreenSoup2HoT · April 2016

I just wanted to mention ive been killing it with Bombard in pvp on my stam nb.

Since everyone is magicka they cannot take these 3 second immoblizes.

The lock down is real.

coolermh · April 2016

Stamina can always run 5 marksman...5 hundings/alchemist 1 kena 1 bloodspawn.

Regen and cost reductions for days.

Lethal arrow from stealth using magelight to proc might of the guild would probably nearly 1 shot some people.

I switched to magika though

5 vicous
5 alchemist
2 torugs

is just to much fun

Ch4rLy · April 2016

?

Xvorg · April 2016

Ch4rLy wrote: »

what is the best race for pvp stamina nightblade please?

Depends on what you want to do.

Ch4rLy · April 2016

Xvorg wrote: »

Ch4rLy wrote: »

what is the best race for pvp stamina nightblade please?

Depends on what you want to do.

i would like play Double weapon/ Bow or a nightblade tank but i can't decide for the race... if somebody can help me . i'm a noob on this game

Strider_Roshin · April 2016

Ch4rLy wrote: »

what is the best race for pvp stamina nightblade please?

I like the Nord. They're naturally tanky. Damage is pretty easy to build up, and Siphoning Attacks help a ton when it comes to resource management. Most don't agree with me on the forums though. In game however is a different story.