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Magicka Nightblades - Low end of the PvE DPS ranking

Mordenkainen
Mordenkainen
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I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.
  • Xvorg
    Xvorg
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    I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

    So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

    I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.

    I quited after last patch... now enjoining the landscape at Vvanderfell... and that's from a PvPer

    Magcka NB in PvE might look bad, but in PvP looks awful, especially if you consider that everyone knows how to counter cloak
    Sarcasm is something too serious to be taken lightly

    I was born with the wrong sign
    In the wrong house
    With the wrong ascendancy
    I took the wrong road
    That led to the wrong tendencies
    I was in the wrong place at the wrong time
    For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme
    On the wrong day of the wrong week
    Used the wrong method with the wrong technique
  • binho
    binho
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    I've been farming the spealweave set trying to convince myself that with all that extra spell power my poor magicka nightblade is going to be good again...
    ... somehow I think I'm going to be disappointed :/
  • PS4_ZeColmeia
    PS4_ZeColmeia
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    Stygian brothers, it's the magblade catnip
    PSN: ***___Chan (3 _s)
    Hybrid, All-Role NB
  • ArgoCye
    ArgoCye
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    Why, oh why does that Stygian Set boost weapon damage? Such a waste. @ZoS, can we get this fixed - spell crit, magicka, magicka regen, health ... anything but weapon damage.
  • ArgoCye
    ArgoCye
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    Urghh - and also make it light armor.
  • Chelo
    Chelo
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    Xvorg wrote: »
    I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

    So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

    I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.

    I quited after last patch... now enjoining the landscape at Vvanderfell... and that's from a PvPer

    Magcka NB in PvE might look bad, but in PvP looks awful, especially if you consider that everyone knows how to counter cloak

    You must be really bad at dueling XD
  • Silver_Strider
    Silver_Strider
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    Just stop building for DPS and build yourself as healers instead ;)

    Funnel already does comparable damage to Force Pulse and Sap is great AoE damage regardless, only change really is Twisting Path into Refreshing path.

    Rather be a strong healer than a weak DPS
    Argonian forever
  • Mush55
    Mush55
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    Love my nb but think we could do with a little buff, nothing to drastic but since this patch I have felt a little under powered....
  • Oreyn_Bearclaw
    Oreyn_Bearclaw
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    They are in last place for competitive DPS. Their one saving grace is that they are super easy to play in 4-man stuff when learning.

    The problem can be traced to Merciless resolve. It is a horribly clunky skill to use and gives a redundant buff with combat prayer. In other words, a good raid will already be giving you the buff. What you are left with is a reasonably powerful proc, but the problem is the effective damage is only half of what it hits for because it needs to be cast twice.

    Fix merciless and you might make NBs viable again as competitive PVE DPS.
  • Mush55
    Mush55
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    Fix merciless and you might make NBs viable again as competitive PVE DPS.

    Ye be nice if it refreshed when you hit the button to fire the bow or even auto fired so you just had to refresh it....

  • Foxic
    Foxic
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    They are in last place for competitive DPS. Their one saving grace is that they are super easy to play in 4-man stuff when learning.

    The problem can be traced to Merciless resolve. It is a horribly clunky skill to use and gives a redundant buff with combat prayer. In other words, a good raid will already be giving you the buff. What you are left with is a reasonably powerful proc, but the problem is the effective damage is only half of what it hits for because it needs to be cast twice.

    Fix merciless and you might make NBs viable again as competitive PVE DPS.

    Not to mention funnel is currently broken so they can't even give much support right now
    Mechanically Challenged, PCNA competitive raid guild

    Head of The Council of Raiders

    First NA vAS Hardmode(#2 world)

    World First Immortal Redeemer & Saintly Savior

    All #1 Trial scores Clockwork City patch

  • Stoopid_Nwah
    Stoopid_Nwah
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    Mush55 wrote: »

    Fix merciless and you might make NBs viable again as competitive PVE DPS.

    Ye be nice if it refreshed when you hit the button to fire the bow or even auto fired so you just had to refresh it....
    I would love if it auto-refreshed after firing, but auto-firing is a no-go for pvp land as the bow needs to be timed to get the kill and not be blocked, dodged, or reflected back. I'd also be irritated with that in maelstrom because I would want to choose where and when it goes off. The same goes for the minor berserk buff, as not all situations are set up with healers that know how to buff the group. So I'd guess for most casual groups running dungeons, getting rid of that buff means nbs just get their damage cut even more.

    As for the op, I love my magblade the most, but I know I could get higher numbers with anything else. And to be fair, I spend my time probably 70% pvp, 20% farming mats and questing, then 10% vma, trials, pledges. So I don't suffer as much from lower dps numbers as someone trying to get into an end-game raid.

    It wouldn't hurt if they fixed funnel weaving though, I mean it's only been months of people asking about this.
  • Apherius
    Apherius
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    I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

    So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

    I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.

    they have infinite magicka , this enough .
  • Foxic
    Foxic
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    Apherius wrote: »
    I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

    So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

    I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.

    they have infinite magicka , this enough .

    All classes have infinite magicka if your healer is doing their job
    Mechanically Challenged, PCNA competitive raid guild

    Head of The Council of Raiders

    First NA vAS Hardmode(#2 world)

    World First Immortal Redeemer & Saintly Savior

    All #1 Trial scores Clockwork City patch

  • ducket1
    ducket1
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    I still love my MagNB, ok maybe not as high dps as others but MagNB can still do all content easily enough.

    Its not like the class is completely broken and unable to do anything e.g. trials and Vmsa. Just not at the top of the pile that's all.
    High Elf Dragonknight (Magicka) Stormproof
    High Elf Templar (Magicka) Stormproof
    Khajiit Nightblade (Stamina)
    Breton Sorcerer Lvl (Magicka) Stormproof
    Breton Nightblade (Magicka) Stormproof
    RedGaurd DragonKnight (Stamina) Stormproof
  • Autolycus
    Autolycus
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    Many have and will continue to disagree with me on this, but magblade rotations are quite complex. There's an easy way to perform a magblade rotation, and then there is the legitimate rotation, which is dynamic and apt to change during the course of every full rotation, primarily because of the way Assassin's Will procs. It varies from setup to setup (especially if using 2 destro staves instead of 1 destro / 2 swords), but technically every full rotation is different from the last if we cater to flawless attack-weaving and procs. Magblades are not compensated for this increased complexity. The margin of error for magblades is equally, if not moreso, narrow and punishing than that of other magicka dps.

    There are definitely admirable qualities of magblades. They offer strong utility, are very self-sufficient, have strong healing potential (both self- and group-healing), and incredibly strong sustain potential. They are a respectable class/role in all of these regards. However, the primary measure for competitive group content is dps, and magblades currently struggle to keep pace with other classes in a dps-oriented setting (like vMoL or leaderboard attempts). The strongest magicka dps builds right now are heavily focused around simple rotations (like placing dots and doing heavy attacks or channeled abilities). Magblades must rely almost entirely on proc sets to attempt to keep pace. Not all magblade builds rely on proc sets, of course, but those that rely on other sets don't produce any better dps values.

    These other classes have very simple rotations comparatively, the complexity of the rotation, and how it relates to pure dps potential, is quite unbalanced. Magblades have the weakest class DoTs, both single-target and AoE. Merciless Resolve, which is supposed to be our source of burst damage, requires us to double-cast (once to fire Assassin's Will, and once again to reapply the buff), which is inherently counter-productive, and ever has a shorter duration than other class buffs. I know magblades that have switched to magplar, magicka Sorc, and magDK and reached higher damage thresholds within their first run or two of the same content, in comparable gear.

    I don't think magblades need a buff in any other regard than pure damage potential. Any adjustments to damage potential should account for the optimal group setting in the most competitive content, not for dungeons, pvp, or solo content, where magblades already excel. There are a couple of options right now for magblades that allow them to take advantage of a solid group makeup, such as those that maintain high up-time on raid buffs. But even in those setups, which can allow for a respectable dps parse, are still several thousand dps behind their magicka peers.

    All that being said, I still love my magblade. I'll continue to play him, just as most of us will. Eventually the balance will shift again, as it always does in MMOs, and I think at some point magblades will be on-par again with other magicka dps, at least in the context for competitive endgame group content. But right now... well, right now they just aren't the cream of the crop.
    Edited by Autolycus on November 2, 2016 8:53PM
  • Xvorg
    Xvorg
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    Chelo wrote: »
    Xvorg wrote: »
    I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

    So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

    I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.

    I quited after last patch... now enjoining the landscape at Vvanderfell... and that's from a PvPer

    Magcka NB in PvE might look bad, but in PvP looks awful, especially if you consider that everyone knows how to counter cloak

    You must be really bad at dueling XD

    Of course... in light armor and with no shields everyone is bad
    Sarcasm is something too serious to be taken lightly

    I was born with the wrong sign
    In the wrong house
    With the wrong ascendancy
    I took the wrong road
    That led to the wrong tendencies
    I was in the wrong place at the wrong time
    For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme
    On the wrong day of the wrong week
    Used the wrong method with the wrong technique
  • Chelo
    Chelo
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    Xvorg wrote: »
    Chelo wrote: »
    Xvorg wrote: »
    I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

    So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

    I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.

    I quited after last patch... now enjoining the landscape at Vvanderfell... and that's from a PvPer

    Magcka NB in PvE might look bad, but in PvP looks awful, especially if you consider that everyone knows how to counter cloak

    You must be really bad at dueling XD

    Of course... in light armor and with no shields everyone is bad

    LOL what? XD
  • code65536
    code65536
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    Not to mention funnel is currently broken so they can't even give much support right now

    Broken? In what way?
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  • icontrive
    icontrive
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    Pvp is a joke being a magblade. I have 52k mag with 10k shields and it's still not enough for all the damage these proc builds are putting out. If you enjoy hiding and watching the enemy then magblade is the build for you.
  • Knootewoot
    Knootewoot
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    I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

    So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

    I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.

    I am magicka blade but PvE wise I have no problems. I run many pledges lately and have hardly had any issues. Yes dps wise I wish it was a bit higher. But I (we) even finished with a beginnergroup one of the Hist dungeons many people skipped when it was a plegde as in "to hard".

    Yes, it was hard. And out DPS was low. But as magblade my survivability and sustain is pretty high.

    But mostly single target DPS I have issues but when it's a horde of enemies it gets pretty high thanks to the AOE's I dish out.

    And I only run with guild groups which help. They don't whine about DPS since it is not always a DPS contest. Yes, some whine when wiped. And they leave the group and then we finish it anyway.

    Only dungeon I never made was Elden Hollow. Being a vampire and the last boss don't go to well together.

    But overall, I have no issues in PvE content.
    ٩(͡๏̯͡๏)۶
    "I am a nightblade. Blending the disciplines of the stealthy agent and subtle wizard, I move unseen and undetected, foil locks and traps, and teleport to safety when threatened, or strike like a viper from ambush. The College of Illusion hides me and fuddles or pacifies my opponents. The College of Mysticism detects my object, reflects and dispels enemy spells, and makes good my escape. The key to a nightblade's success is avoidance, by spell or by stealth; with these skills, all things are possible."
  • Knootewoot
    Knootewoot
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    icontrive wrote: »
    Pvp is a joke being a magblade. I have 52k mag with 10k shields and it's still not enough for all the damage these proc builds are putting out. If you enjoy hiding and watching the enemy then magblade is the build for you.

    Indeed, and I was reminded of this yesterday. Although I hardly do melee now, I cast swallow soul and light attack destro staff from a distance and run away when they come near. Made a few kills though. Even got a hate whisper because I killed one with the destro ulti eye of the storm.
    ٩(͡๏̯͡๏)۶
    "I am a nightblade. Blending the disciplines of the stealthy agent and subtle wizard, I move unseen and undetected, foil locks and traps, and teleport to safety when threatened, or strike like a viper from ambush. The College of Illusion hides me and fuddles or pacifies my opponents. The College of Mysticism detects my object, reflects and dispels enemy spells, and makes good my escape. The key to a nightblade's success is avoidance, by spell or by stealth; with these skills, all things are possible."
  • Autolycus
    Autolycus
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    icontrive wrote: »
    Pvp is a joke being a magblade. I have 52k mag with 10k shields and it's still not enough for all the damage these proc builds are putting out. If you enjoy hiding and watching the enemy then magblade is the build for you.

    I think you should take a different approach. I face-off against people in proc builds all the time, and the best way to defeat them is by knowing their build. I'm not saying it's simple or easy, but if you want to avoid a proc build, you need to avoid a proc. In order to do that, you need to know what the procs results from, and stifle it. This means being able to dodge roll and hard CC your opponent, being able to lock them down at range, being able to see through stealth, and knowing exactly when to follow-up a hard CC with high burst damage. I think the key lies in being able to focus entirely on your opponent and countering instinctively, whereas other classes and builds have a larger margin for error. And above all else, timing is the most critical component, which is not something foreign to other builds, and here again I point to the margin for error.

    Proc builds are ridiculous, but they are not unbeatable. My pvp spec affords me precisely zero crit resistance and features 5 pieces of light armor. I rely entirely on my mechanical awareness, anticipation, and quick fingers to beat proc builds. I can't recall just how many times I've dodged Selene's and Veli at this point, in combination with Viper. Learn to dodge and block more, and how to time it appropriately. A 10k shield and some crit resistance does basically nothing. And your skill as a player isn't going to win you every fight or save you from every proc, but I think you'll do a lot better if you rely on your knowledge and experience of the class, and adjust your skills and stats according to what you need to win, not what you need to survive. Survive by anticipating and countering the offensive.

    I might also add that a magblade that does nothing but hide is someone I consider to be unfamiliar or inexperienced. In my own experience, which is one that certainly still does and always will have room for improvement, the best way to kill another player as a magblade is to bait and counter. Cloak is and has been broken and/or ineffective for the majority of this game's lifespan to-date. Anyone with any semblance of experience will counter cloak in a heartbeat. Magblades can be very effective at turning defense into offense, and can even do so at extremely low health thresholds. There have been a great many times that I've killed someone with a proc build because they thought I would simply die to a proc, just to see me dodge, block, ward, heal, hard CC, etc. and immediately counter with high burst that tears them apart.
    Edited by Autolycus on November 3, 2016 3:39PM
  • Flameheart
    Flameheart
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    For PvE dps I don't think that magicka NBs are that far behind other magicka class dps builds. While I think that magicka templars have the strongest single target dps at moment (which relies to a major amount on their superior execute skill), imho the perceived dps differencies in compare to other classes like a sorc and especially the DK relies on the fact that many boss fights in Trials and vMoL include adds and there a Sorc and a DK just shines. Both have a strong ground dps skill (Liquid Lighting, Eruption) and while the Sorc has curse and additional AoE splash damage (Force Pulse), the DK has Engulfing Flames and to a lesser degree Flames of Oblivion (and is able to pack even more AoE dps with Burning Talons and Draw Essence if he wants). Therefore newer builds advice to use Force Pulse as a NB too, if you want to squeeze the very last part of dps out of your toon.

    Add to that, that imho the rota of a NB is not that fluently and simple to play as of other classes, because of Assassins Will and rebuffing and that ESO somehow "forgot" to add a new "meta" monster set for NBs which can rival Grothdarr or Ilambris, you may have lost some ground in compare to other classes, but nothing at a serious degree.

    I play all 4 clases as magicka builds in vet trials and I can achieve around the same dps as long it's pure single target with Sorc, NB and DK, maybe just the templar shines a bit more. Add 2 adds to that and I succeed with my Sorc and DK. Add 3 + adds and my DK skyrockets and outperforms all others.

    Edited by Flameheart on November 3, 2016 3:40PM
    Sometimes the prey turns and nips us... it's a small thing.

    So let the snow flakes and unicorns dance alone until they melt or vanish from existence, we will finish up with those smart enough to stay in the glowing circle of love.

    Selissi - CP 1k+ Redguard Stamina Nightblade (Ebonheart Pact)
    Silmerel - CP 1k+ Breton Magicka Templar (Ebonheart Pact)
    Sunja - CP 1k+ Dunmer Magicka Nightblade (Ebonheart Pact)
    Suldreni - CP 1k+ Dunmer Magicka Dragonknight (Ebonheart Pact)
    Sulhelka - CP 1k+ Altmer Magicka Sorcerer (Ebonheart Pact)
    Sylundine - CP 1k+ Breton Magicka Warden (Ebonheart Pact)







  • Stoopid_Nwah
    Stoopid_Nwah
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    Autolycus wrote: »
    icontrive wrote: »
    Pvp is a joke being a magblade. I have 52k mag with 10k shields and it's still not enough for all the damage these proc builds are putting out. If you enjoy hiding and watching the enemy then magblade is the build for you.

    I think you should take a different approach. I face-off against people in proc builds all the time, and the best way to defeat them is by knowing their build. I'm not saying it's simple or easy, but if you want to avoid a proc build, you need to avoid a proc. In order to do that, you need to know what the procs results from, and stifle it. This means being able to dodge roll and hard CC your opponent, being able to lock them down at range, being able to see through stealth, and knowing exactly when to follow-up a hard CC with high burst damage. I think the key lies in being able to focus entirely on your opponent and countering instinctively, whereas other classes and builds have a larger margin for error. And above all else, timing is the most critical component, which is not something foreign to other builds, and here again I point to the margin for error.

    Proc builds are ridiculous, but they are not unbeatable. My pvp spec affords me precisely zero crit resistance and features 5 pieces of light armor. I rely entirely on my mechanical awareness, anticipation, and quick fingers to beat proc builds. I can't recall just how many times I've dodged Selene's and Veli at this point, in combination with Viper. Learn to dodge and block more, and how to time it appropriately. A 10k shield and some crit resistance does basically nothing. And your skill as a player isn't going to win you every fight or save you from every proc, but I think you'll do a lot better if you rely on your knowledge and experience of the class, and adjust your skills and stats according to what you need to win, not what you need to survive. Survive by anticipating and countering the offensive.

    I might also add that a magblade that does nothing but hide is someone I consider to be unfamiliar or inexperienced. In my own experience, which is one that certainly still does and always will have room for improvement, the best way to kill another player as a magblade is to bait and counter. Cloak is and has been broken and/or ineffective for the majority of this game's lifespan to-date. Anyone with any semblance of experience will counter cloak in a heartbeat. Magblades can be very effective at turning defense into offense, and can even do so at extremely low health thresholds. There have been a great many times that I've killed someone with a proc build because they thought I would simply die to a proc, just to see me dodge, block, ward, heal, hard CC, etc. and immediately counter with high burst that tears them apart.
    And you can always just use a lightning staff lol. Seriously it's insane how quickly the dodge roll proc monkeys melt with just throwing in lightning attacks when they're rolling.

    As for hiding, in general cloak is broken, but I do quite well for myself in terms of the disappear/reappear act. But I use Rapids+concealed+shadow image also, not just cloak.
  • icontrive
    icontrive
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    Autolycus wrote: »
    icontrive wrote: »
    Pvp is a joke being a magblade. I have 52k mag with 10k shields and it's still not enough for all the damage these proc builds are putting out. If you enjoy hiding and watching the enemy then magblade is the build for you.

    I think you should take a different approach. I face-off against people in proc builds all the time, and the best way to defeat them is by knowing their build. I'm not saying it's simple or easy, but if you want to avoid a proc build, you need to avoid a proc. In order to do that, you need to know what the procs results from, and stifle it. This means being able to dodge roll and hard CC your opponent, being able to lock them down at range, being able to see through stealth, and knowing exactly when to follow-up a hard CC with high burst damage. I think the key lies in being able to focus entirely on your opponent and countering instinctively, whereas other classes and builds have a larger margin for error. And above all else, timing is the most critical component, which is not something foreign to other builds, and here again I point to the margin for error.

    Proc builds are ridiculous, but they are not unbeatable. My pvp spec affords me precisely zero crit resistance and features 5 pieces of light armor. I rely entirely on my mechanical awareness, anticipation, and quick fingers to beat proc builds. I can't recall just how many times I've dodged Selene's and Veli at this point, in combination with Viper. Learn to dodge and block more, and how to time it appropriately. A 10k shield and some crit resistance does basically nothing. And your skill as a player isn't going to win you every fight or save you from every proc, but I think you'll do a lot better if you rely on your knowledge and experience of the class, and adjust your skills and stats according to what you need to win, not what you need to survive. Survive by anticipating and countering the offensive.

    I might also add that a magblade that does nothing but hide is someone I consider to be unfamiliar or inexperienced. In my own experience, which is one that certainly still does and always will have room for improvement, the best way to kill another player as a magblade is to bait and counter. Cloak is and has been broken and/or ineffective for the majority of this game's lifespan to-date. Anyone with any semblance of experience will counter cloak in a heartbeat. Magblades can be very effective at turning defense into offense, and can even do so at extremely low health thresholds. There have been a great many times that I've killed someone with a proc build because they thought I would simply die to a proc, just to see me dodge, block, ward, heal, hard CC, etc. and immediately counter with high burst that tears them apart.

    What platform do you play on? I'm on Xbox na. It would be cool to run around cyrodill with you if you happen to be on that.
    Edited by icontrive on November 3, 2016 5:27PM
  • Autolycus
    Autolycus
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    Autolycus wrote: »
    icontrive wrote: »
    Pvp is a joke being a magblade. I have 52k mag with 10k shields and it's still not enough for all the damage these proc builds are putting out. If you enjoy hiding and watching the enemy then magblade is the build for you.

    I think you should take a different approach. I face-off against people in proc builds all the time, and the best way to defeat them is by knowing their build. I'm not saying it's simple or easy, but if you want to avoid a proc build, you need to avoid a proc. In order to do that, you need to know what the procs results from, and stifle it. This means being able to dodge roll and hard CC your opponent, being able to lock them down at range, being able to see through stealth, and knowing exactly when to follow-up a hard CC with high burst damage. I think the key lies in being able to focus entirely on your opponent and countering instinctively, whereas other classes and builds have a larger margin for error. And above all else, timing is the most critical component, which is not something foreign to other builds, and here again I point to the margin for error.

    Proc builds are ridiculous, but they are not unbeatable. My pvp spec affords me precisely zero crit resistance and features 5 pieces of light armor. I rely entirely on my mechanical awareness, anticipation, and quick fingers to beat proc builds. I can't recall just how many times I've dodged Selene's and Veli at this point, in combination with Viper. Learn to dodge and block more, and how to time it appropriately. A 10k shield and some crit resistance does basically nothing. And your skill as a player isn't going to win you every fight or save you from every proc, but I think you'll do a lot better if you rely on your knowledge and experience of the class, and adjust your skills and stats according to what you need to win, not what you need to survive. Survive by anticipating and countering the offensive.

    I might also add that a magblade that does nothing but hide is someone I consider to be unfamiliar or inexperienced. In my own experience, which is one that certainly still does and always will have room for improvement, the best way to kill another player as a magblade is to bait and counter. Cloak is and has been broken and/or ineffective for the majority of this game's lifespan to-date. Anyone with any semblance of experience will counter cloak in a heartbeat. Magblades can be very effective at turning defense into offense, and can even do so at extremely low health thresholds. There have been a great many times that I've killed someone with a proc build because they thought I would simply die to a proc, just to see me dodge, block, ward, heal, hard CC, etc. and immediately counter with high burst that tears them apart.
    And you can always just use a lightning staff lol. Seriously it's insane how quickly the dodge roll proc monkeys melt with just throwing in lightning attacks when they're rolling.

    As for hiding, in general cloak is broken, but I do quite well for myself in terms of the disappear/reappear act. But I use Rapids+concealed+shadow image also, not just cloak.

    Yeah, using a lightning staff definitely has its advantages. I find lightning staves to be more effective on a mag Sorc, where building a house and stacking wards allows the breathing room for heavy attack + burst. I've seen some pretty neat tricks accomplished in this way with a mag Sorc, but of course there are ways to take advantage of lightning staff outside of sorcs too. This is simply my opinion, and I'm sure it's being used effectively by magblades too.

    Personally, I prefer to use a frost staff. Simply connecting with a light attack applies the chilled status, which applies a nasty snare. I use this snare in combination with cripple and hard CCs to keep people at a distance. It forces melee (especially proc builds, pointing at Veli and Selene's for this one) to use gap closers in order to do any reasonable damage. As soon as they use the gap closer, I dodge-roll through them (so as to be behind them), hit them with a hard CC, and burst them down. If we weave our light attacks properly, it's quite feasible to have an Assassin's Will proc ready to be loosed immediately after a hard CC (like agony or fear). Most proc builds are extremely squishy, so this bait-and-switch tactic typically (but not always) results in a quick finish.

    @icontrive I would be happy to pvp with you, but unfortunately I am on PC NA :(

    Edit: I think I might be helping to derail the thread here, and I don't want to do that. This should be about pve dps as a magblade, not pvp. Going forward I probably won't comment regarding pvp; apologies to the OP.
    Edited by Autolycus on November 3, 2016 7:40PM
  • Foxic
    Foxic
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    code65536 wrote: »
    Not to mention funnel is currently broken so they can't even give much support right now

    Broken? In what way?

    The light attack weave timing is completely off from what its supposed to be
    Mechanically Challenged, PCNA competitive raid guild

    Head of The Council of Raiders

    First NA vAS Hardmode(#2 world)

    World First Immortal Redeemer & Saintly Savior

    All #1 Trial scores Clockwork City patch

  • Takes-No-Prisoner
    Takes-No-Prisoner
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    Autolycus wrote: »
    I think you should take a different approach. I face-off against people in proc builds all the time, and the best way to defeat them is by knowing their build.

    Just knowing their build-- this concept alone doesn't just apply to MagBlade, comrade. It's ANYONE not running proc builds. I've had my fair share of engaging them, some times it's 1vX. And yeah, learning to play around how the proc works, is basically the best way of shutting down the potato farmers.
    Edited by Takes-No-Prisoner on November 3, 2016 9:50PM
  • Xvorg
    Xvorg
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    ✭✭
    Chelo wrote: »
    Xvorg wrote: »
    Chelo wrote: »
    Xvorg wrote: »
    I think it's hard to disagree that magicka nightblades are currently at the rear end of anything PvE DPS related. Note: I am speaking of PvE and PvE only here, so whatever PvP might look like, I stopped setting foot into cyrodiil a long time ago, I have no idea about that.

    So here's hoping for a reply from ZOS if there are any ideas flying around of improving upon that or not. No demands, no whining, nothing attached.

    I also would like to ask the Magicka NBs in the community how they are faring. I myself get almost close to 30k dps, but even then - I really have to almost break my fingers on my keyboard to get there.

    I quited after last patch... now enjoining the landscape at Vvanderfell... and that's from a PvPer

    Magcka NB in PvE might look bad, but in PvP looks awful, especially if you consider that everyone knows how to counter cloak

    You must be really bad at dueling XD

    Of course... in light armor and with no shields everyone is bad

    LOL what? XD

    And obviously no proc set
    Sarcasm is something too serious to be taken lightly

    I was born with the wrong sign
    In the wrong house
    With the wrong ascendancy
    I took the wrong road
    That led to the wrong tendencies
    I was in the wrong place at the wrong time
    For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme
    On the wrong day of the wrong week
    Used the wrong method with the wrong technique
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