Some questions about NBs

Edremis · November 2016

Hello, I'm fairly new here and I would like to know a few things about nightblades before I start maining one.

1- I have an argonian nightblade and I read it's a really good combination for tanks and healers but it's a good combination to play as a stam/mag dps? I'm talking about pvp here. I don't care about minmaxing everything but I don't want to play as a really subpar combination.

2- Is a magblade or a healer nb viable for pvp? I really like playing as a dark mage or a bloodmage but I read nb (healers) are very reliant on heal over time effects (which I like) but it's something that doesn't help a lot in pvp, does it? And about magblade, I really don't have any idea how to play properly without ending like a "wannabe sorc". Are there any recent guide about magblades for pvp?

3- About stamblades, I don't like playing a stamina based character that uses almost exclusively weapon skills. Which good options a nightblade has to play with many class skills being stamina based?

4- If you have to bring a nb to pvp, which roles you would assign to him in combat?

5- Which build would you recommend to level a nb easily?

Thank you in advance!

davey1107 · November 2016

1. For me personally, I'd rather play a character I like than worry about the exact best racial passives. Technically, altmer and Breton passive are superior for a magblade, but you can round these discrepancies out via the cp system and still play great as an Argonian.

2. I always refer people to syphers builds as a starting point. Magblades should NOT play like wannabe sorcs. Sorcs want to be magblades. They sneak, hit hard, and mrder, lol. In all seriousness, magblades are very different from sorcs. With a magblade you stealth into a situation then deal a lot of very high damage very quick. Magblades in pvp who know what they're doing are deadly.

3. My main is a stamblade. Generally, no more than two weapon skills are on his bar at any time. For example, a standard attach bar for me is surprise attack, ambush, killer blade, piercing mark and flying blade. That's four assassin skills and one weapon.

4. Nbs in pvp are all about dps. They too squishy to tank and they don't make good healers.

5. Again, I like syphers builds for both stam and magic. But when I level, I don't stuck to a specific build. I mix in lots of skills to level up their entire line.

Bazeric · November 2016

If you want to be a healer in PVP as a magblade, I say go for it. I've never truely spec'd for healing, but whenever I grouped up, the nature of some of NB skills allowed me to pump out as much healing as damage. With some creativity, I think a NB healer can have a place in a group. A lot will depend on the kind of group you are in. You might have to put in a lot of effort if you are the lone healer of a group, but if you want it I'm sure you can figure out a way to make it work. If you are a second healer then I think the NB style of healing attributes the group greatly. Overall you won't be the top dog of the PVP healing department, but that shouldn't stop you from figuring out the secrets to a successful PVP NB healer.

I doubt there is a PVP specific NB healer build because:
1) People generally pick nightblade a to kill stuff
2) People aren't creative enough to bother figuring out their own non-Templar healing builds.

Here's some thoughts I have about being a unique NB healer. (But this is based off my experience and knowledge of the "flow" of PVP especially groups, so mileage may vary)

The obvious things you will add as a NB healer are skills that heal and do damage, such as refreshing path, sap essence, and funnel health. These allow to keep your group topped off while allowing you to add to the groups damage (if they don't need the full in heal spam.) Soul tether as one of your ults can be useful if your group is smart/willing to synergize and as an instant CC if another group has pushed into yours. It could buy you a sec. Fear CC can also have a similar effect of disrupting momentum. Veil ult can also be helpful, but the fluidity of battle in PVP usually means that your group will likely move out of the veil before it can really be helpful (worth noting though). Using mirage can make you more difficult to target and give you extra resistances. Obviously the utility is greater if you aren't the sole healer in a group as you naturally keep people top off by using your regular Nb skills.

TL;DR it's not impossible, just will take a little creativity and determination.

P.S. It's late for me and I'm on mobile so I think this post might be a little discombobulated.

Edremis · November 2016

Thank you both for the answer! Just one more question.

Are there any magblade build that is almost purely ranged? Or if I want to stay ranged I should be stamina (bow)?

Bazeric · November 2016

Magblades are often ranged in PVP. The destro staff can weave well with swallow soul and crippling grasp, and then combo a destro heavy with merciless resolve(assassins will) and you have a huge burst. You can throw in a meteor with the combo too, if you are struggling against a tankier enemy. However, fighting against a shuffle user will usually be frustrating considering they are likely going to dodge any burst combo you try on them and there are many shufflers right now. It is likely you will die often until you get familiar with the play style.

Bow is a good ranged option for NB too. Cloak means that you can be very sneaky and selective with your targets. Snipe, while very annoying when used against you, is powerful against the unaware victim. However, bowblades really shine when you are a bosmer or khajiit.

There are plenty of play style options for a NB. Some aren't quiet top tier and require a lot of personal skill, but you feel more rewarding knowing that. Sorry I don't know of any specific build videos or sites since I prefer to find my own build, but I have played this game a long time and have a good idea of my ability.

The best advise is to try things out and see what sticks.