Best Answers

• 

  Albino_Dunmer

  ✭✭✭

  Stamina builds can compete with MagDPS but that will probably be less true after the next patch because of certain nerfs.
  
  Now stamblades require you to be on point at all times for competitive DPS and sustain. I started with one and got familiar with it and then made an alt stamsorc and the level of difficulty between the two is night and day. A stamsorc is much more forgiving to play than a Stamblade. So if you want a Stamblade to be competitive, just know your rotation has to be on point at all times.
  
  Use Siphoning Strikes, Surprise Attack and weave light attacks between every attack to maximize DPS and proc Siphoning Strikes' bonus stamina. Do the same thing with any spammable attack, even Steel Tornado. Failure to do so consistently will result in DPS loss and sustain issues. Keep stam pots handy. Make sure you use grim focus, killers blade, rearming trap, poison injection, Arrow Barrage, have Camo Hunter slotted for major Savagery*, hidden blade for major brutality* (unless you want to compensate with pots). Your DPS will really shine at the 25% health marker when using Killers Blade (don't forget to weave attacks here too lol). I'm only at 280 CP and I crit on most attacks and hit for 30k+ with it at 25% health. Coupled with the right DoTs being active and my DPS when the target is below 25% health is nearly beyond anything any other class can put out afaik. Plus Killers blade takes up very little stamina per use and can be great to pick off trash mobs to proc its heals. Marked target can also be useful on trash mobs to lower the targets resistance and give you major berserk upon killing them which gives a 25% damage bonus.
  
  Keeping these buffs up and your rotation on point isn't easy, but you can do some pretty insane damage. The ultimate issue for me is what line I want to walk between stam recovery and weapon damage.
  
  

  Edited by Albino_Dunmer on January 29, 2017 10:17PM

  #2

  January 2017

  Answer ✓

  5
• 

  davey1107

  ✭✭✭✭✭
  ✭

  No one really suggested a build, lol. Some basic suggestions:
  
  Race: khajit (sneak crit), wood elf (resist crit), red guard (sustain melee), imperial (overpriced power)
  
  Gear set 1: a craft set is good for the flexibility it offers mixing and matching hard to get drop sets. I like Hundings still. Some players say Night Mother outperforms in 4 person or group play, but you need the other players to take full advantage. And TBS seems to be popular still for the raw Mundas power.
  
  Gear set 2: easier options are vipers sting, red mountain or briar hearts. Leviathan for raw crit omg power.
  
  Monster helm: I think kragh has the best one piece buff of any set...wow...so that's a pretty nice dps set. Valkyn is still a powerhouse. And velidreth on my redguard stamblade is ka-pow. In melee those poo balls utterly destroy enemies.
  
  Any combo of those sets can work...really depends on your play style. I think the meta is a little more 5/5/2 right now, but alcast still has builds favoring the 5/4/3 w agility.
  
  Dual attack bar skill candidates and why:
  
  Pretty standard
  Suprise attack: cheap and powerful.
  Killers blade: execute that gets the job done
  Ambush
  Solid options
  Slashes: underrated power
  Steel tornado
  Grim focus: learning curve, but can be powerhouse. Gets better in update 13.
  Shrouded daggers: underrated...can become mob decimation machine and provides maj brutality
  
  Ulti: rend/thrive is soooo useful in hard content
  
  2h bar
  
  Pretty standard:
  Rally: still way important sustain and power buff.
  Execute
  Vigor: gotta have it. Earn it. Use it. Love it.
  Solid options
  Siphoning attacks: I rely on this in long battles
  Grim focus: I like stacking this w siphoning on my back bar for stam regen that keeps up dps.
  Soul trap: just kidding
  Mark target: it's so helpful to master this for sustain and dps help
  
  Ultimate: dealers choice. The 2h isn't bad...because I use thrive so much sometimes I use this as an endless ultimate to execute monsters. Flawless for damage buff works too.
  
  Bow bar
  
  Standard:
  Vigor
  Poison inject
  Solid:
  Endless hail
  Shuffle
  Dark cloak (depending on circumstances)
  Siphoning
  Mark target
  
  Champion points:
  
  KEEP IT SIMPLE. A point in something you use every hit/defense beats a specialized point. Piling them into useful lines beats spreading them all over. A sort of rough guide for 561...but hone as you see a need for:
  
  Blue
  Mighty: 100
  Precise strikes: 60+
  Thaumaturge: remainder
  
  Green
  Moon calf and warlord, maybe minor health or mag recovery if you need it.
  
  Red
  Elemental defender and hardy all the way. Reducing all incoming physical and magic damage is going to help more than anything else in this line.
  
  
  
  
  

  #3

  January 2017

  Answer ✓

  5