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Dungeon advice

BobBlast
BobBlast
Soul Shriven
I have yet to even run a single dungeon mainly because I am scared I suck at DPS. I am a 260CP NB and have a fear of build shaming. I am a well seasoned veteran of MMOs but I am new to ESO. In many other MMOs its easy to feel your way through but ESO is different for some reason and its kind of hard to figure out the best skill for the situation (I hope I am explaining that right).
Plus I have built and rebuilt my NB twice now but feel no real difference in the builds. Anyway I am a lowly scrub and would love to get into dungeons but where would I start? I have researched Deltia's Gaming for NB builds and many other builds on YT. They all confuse me because they are from different eras in ESO or some have a different take on it than another... so many avenues. Anyway sorry for the ramblings. Any and all help would be appreciated as I would love to start running dungeons soon.
Thanks.
  • Jaeysa
    Jaeysa
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    Heya! For build advice, you might pop over to the next forum, Combat & Character mechanics. I've had pretty good luck there, and your post has a lower chance of being lossed in the millions of posts.

    Otherwise, I'd suggest joining a good guild - there are several that advertise on zone chat for exactly that sort of thing - doing content without shaming someone for being 'subpar'. Another thing to suggestion would be to try the normal dungeons(non-DLC ones) which are often incredibly easy as DPS.
    PC/NA: Primarily Daggerfall Covenant.

    GL of Hearthlight - a NA/PC Housing guild. PM for details/invite!

    Lennie: Breton Sorceror. 9-trait crafter on everything, purveyor of useless frippery.
  • CasNation
    CasNation
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    Check out the arcane academy website (also deltia, but also partnered with one of the best raiders in the game). Has current information, is written down, and goes into a great deal of detail about rotations and skill selection that is easy to understand. It is focused on getting you ready for endgame content, so it shold be focused on the stuff you want while also being approachable.
    PC NA AD
    Gamma Fyr: Dunmer Sorcerer Stamina DPS (the Missing Sister...props to those who get the reference)
    Samekh Fyr: Dunmer Nightblade Magicka DPS
    Claire Le'Rouge: Breton Templar Heal/Tank (the Resplendent Bastion)
    Augustus Constantine: Imperial Nightblade PvP (Blackwater Bandit)
    Shadow-of-Sundered-Star: Altmer Dragonknight Lowbie
  • Deadfinger6
    Deadfinger6
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    Just start,. Try Normal dungeons to see the layout and some bosses. Then see which role you fit into. They'll always be people criticising but don't take it too personally. For a Vet dungeon try and be in a group of at least one 600 vet and 2 x 250+ players. Do the Undaunted daily dungeons, you get a lot of players heading to the same dungeon. Also i found taking two sets of armour into a dungeon good for prolonged dungeons.
  • BobBlast
    BobBlast
    Soul Shriven
    Thanks guys. I am in a good guild but sadly I think I play in off hours from them. Or at least it seems that way from where I am.
  • davey1107
    davey1107
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    Not sure if you're a stamblade or magblade. My tips are for stamblades, although most apply to either:

    1. NBs haven't changed that much since IC last year, so most builds have stayed fresh. AlcastHQ.com is one of the best players in the game and his build guides are informative and easy for beginners to adopt. He also always includes a CP 300 tree for players not at max CP, and usually an alternative gear guide for those who haven't obtained BIS.

    2. At your CP level, assuming they're invested wisely, you should be good to go on normal level 4 person dungeons. If you're concerned about getting in a group and dying, then pop into one alone and test yourself against some of the initial mobs. Chances are you'll survive them and see they're not that bad. In fact, I'm guessing you could take half the normal level dungeons with only one other person. At cp 600, my stamblade runs most alone if I want to. The only time this is challenging is if a mechanic creates an impossible snare with a boss.

    3. For gear, even Alcast's "beginner" stamblade setup might be a little out of your reach...he still has maelstrom weapons. I would recommend more a 5/5/2 setup. Hundings is a great base set. Secondary can be most any stam set w jewelry. I like Briarheart (spendy) because it really helps me sustain, vipers sting (kinda spendy), archers mind (cheap and it's actually not a bow set), or spriggans (looooong grind for jewelry). Then round it out w a monster helm...probably buy a stam helm from the weekend golden vendor then grind for the shoulder. Engine Guardian for resources, kragh for dps, chudan if you want to tank up a bit or velidreth for dps ka-pow. If you don't want to go w a monster set, two pieces of Agility jewelry will suffice.

    4. You're at a level where gear improvement becomes vital. You should pick your c160 sets, get them and start playing in at least purple gear. Gold is a big investment. But it really adds up. Make sure your sets work for you, then start upgrading a piece every once in a while. Start w weapons, it's a big dps boost to go gold.

    5. Alcast and others often use dw/bow. This works great, but can be a little advanced. Feel free to start w dw/2h. Rally is a great skill to sustain and up your dps. Players who use bow are getting buffs from constant potion popping...which can be annoying and expensive. Note that Alcast uses two bow abilities on his stamblade bow bar. When I play 2h, I change these out for rally and executioner.

    6. On my stamblade I pull a TON of damage in undaunted dungeons w shrouded daggers in DW. It fits my playstyle a lot better than whirling blades....and it provides major brutality if you're not using rally.

    7. Because NBs can cloak to (mostly) control battles, if you get comfortable going alone against some trash mobs you might experiment w bosses. The three in the starter zones are good testing grounds. If you learn to take bosses on yourself, you'll get way better. Just remember that going it alone becomes about resource management. Slot siphoning attacks for a stamblade...harness magicka for a magblade...use heavies for either stam or mag to keep your resources high enough. And you'll need heals...vigor is helpful for a stamblade. Harness magicka can help magblades get along w/o a burst.

    8. Once normal dungeons seem manageable and you're comfortable with them, you're probably about at a level where you can move to the easier 4 person vet dungeons. There's a steep step up in difficulty, but 300 CPs is about where most experts recommend tackling them. Start with the easier ones...Elden Hollow is pretty easy on vet, City of Ash is a ***. Start small, lol.

  • Magdalina
    Magdalina
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    *summons a random @Autolycus as the seasoned NB expert* :p

    Unfortunately I don't play NBs so not much I can say myself. Except that if you're not sure where you stand, an easy way to see that would be a target dummy. If you don't have one/can't afford it, perhaps one of your friends has one you could use, or guilds often have them. See what your single target dps is and go from there, at least you'll have a starting point. 20k is considered decent, 15K is okay, 10K will get you through most vet dungeons but it will be quite a slog. You can definitely do 20k+ using just crafted/bought gear.

    For when you do go in dungeons, you may want to refrain from dlc ones, at least for the timebeing, as they're considerably harder and not everyone has the patience to take inexperienced people through them. I'd suggest joining another guild maybe or trying to find some friends for first dungeon runs, but if you do end up pugging it, just let people know it's your first dungeon and ask for some tips and hopefully it'll all be fine :)
    I can run with you if you're PC NA.
  • malicia
    malicia
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    Another Stamblade guide to look at is this one. What's nice is that it gives gear suggestions that are really easy to obtain - its beginner part is built around Hundings and NMG.

    I'm not as experienced or skilled as most of the others here (only CP300), but I'll gladly tank/DD a dungeon with you. I'm on PC, EU.
    Edited by malicia on March 30, 2017 10:11AM
    PC, EU
    Not elite, not the best. Just enjoying ESO.
    Not the worst either. "Casual" != "totally ignorant"
    @taciti
  • Rev Rielle
    Rev Rielle
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    There have been a variety of posts of late showing just how little difference gear makes the vast majority of the time. So I would not worry too much at all in that regard. If you are unsure, I'd really just suggest the definition of simplicity, comfort and function; 3 pieces of Agility Set Jewelry, 5 pieces of Hundings Rage or Twice-born Star (Ideally boots, leggings, belt, gloves & chest) And 3 pieces (if you use a two-hander/bow) and/or 4 pieces (if you dual wield) of something like Leki's Blade. Or even another crafting set, that has stamina, weapon damage, weapon critical in the early piece set bonuses (there are lots to choose from).

    That's cheap and simple, and will get you through all the game's content.

    But the equipment is the easy part, what makes the difference is what skills you use and when. But that only really comes with reading (the skills and what they do) and practice. The general theory for damage-dealing is: Buff yourself, then placing multiple damage over time effects on the enemy, whilst they're ticking away any time you have you can use some direct damage skills, and renew your buffs etc etc, then replace those damage-over time effects as they expire and so on... with practice you'll find yourself getting into a bit of a routine in terms of what skills you apply and when, and after more time it becomes almost second nature to you: Your rotation. The most important thing is getting a rotation that works for you.

    If you want to see how much damage you're dealing, I'm sure if you ask nicely you could smash, pierce and smash someone's training dummy in their home as much as you'd like. Don't freak out if you're not dealing 'amazing' damage, it's all about learning, and practice, and enjoying yourself. Anywhere around 20k dps on a dummy and you'll be fine. There are also some great, addons available if you want to learn about what you're doing in combat, etc etc."CombatMetrics" personally I've found exceptionally useful.

    Regarding Dungeons: As the others have said, start with normal dungeons. Once you are comfortable with those I'd suggest moving on to the Dungeon I veteran varieties (They're often easier than the Dungeon II varieties). That's the general rule but there are always some exceptions of course.

    Finally, if you don't know the in-combat enemy-broadcasts for block, interrupting, dodging and the like, I'd highly recommend you learn them! The HELP window (F1) in game has a nice overview these days of almost all things combat related. Just remember; lying on the ground knocked out you're doing no dps at all.

    Goodluck!

    If you can be anything, be kind.
  • Autolycus
    Autolycus
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    It looks like there are already a bunch of good suggestions for where to start. There are certainly many better stamblades than me, and I'd look into what's being posted here to get a good starting place for a dungeon setup.

    I might not be telling you something you don't already know here, being a seasoned MMO player, but you should always start with normal dungeons, and I would recommend avoiding DLC dungeons until you become more familiar with group content. One thing I always tell people when I'm training them on something new is that it's better to pull lower dps and stay live, than to die a bunch of times because you were distracted with trying to do your best dps. Once you know how the fight goes, you can focus on dps. But if you die, someone else has to stop dpsing to bring you back up, so you lose even more dps in the process.

    This is going to be way over-simplified, but pretty much every build in this game, magicka or stamina, follows the same basic pattern: Apply DoTs, and once all of them are active, use a spammable ability until they need to be applied again. Learn how to animation-cancel your skills, and be sure to weave light attacks in between everything. That really is the gist of pretty much all builds, but getting into the exact skills and the timing of each one can be intimidating. The best way to get better at it, though, is to find stuff to practice on! Training dummies are everywhere now and are a great place to practice, or you can simply figure out which rotation you want to use, and then start using it on every enemy you face until it becomes more second-nature.

    I recommend finding a small social guild to run with. As unfortunate as it is to admit, pug runs aren't the most productive place to learn to play. A lot of the time it seems that people expect everyone to know everything already, and instead of helping, they simply complain and insult. It's not like that when you have guildies to run with, at least not usually (and if it's like that, find a new guild).
  • BobBlast
    BobBlast
    Soul Shriven
    You guys are awesome thanks so much for the help.

    I have already started experimenting with different armors and jewelry. I have been going down the STAMBlade road trying duel daggers and bow on the 2nd bar. I will check out everything that has been mentioned. I am not afraid of respec's or even scrapping everything all together.

    The purple sets I am messing around with currently are Spriggans, Night Mother, Hundings & even Red Mountain for that Flame damage. Plus one other I can't remember... I think the bonus 5th was Crit on Dodge Roll? Unless I am getting confused. (I am at work so I can't check right now)

    Anyway thanks again for all the help.
    Edited by BobBlast on March 30, 2017 7:55PM
  • Upright_man
    Upright_man
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    Basic starting stamblade setup - DW / Bow
    If your hp is lower than 17k you can have one piece of agi jewellery as healthy or your chest/pants with a health enchant to help you. Having suprise attack on the bar helps this if you have the right passives too.

    Thief Mundus
    64 points into stamina
    5 piece Night Mothers Gaze - 2 sharpened daggers and 3 armor pieces (not head or shoulders) all med divines
    1 Night mothers Gaze bow - sharpened
    4 Piece Hunding's Rage - Armor pieces which aren't the NMG pieces. all med divines
    3 Piece Agility jewellery - weapon damage enchants on all 3 pieces and all in robust.

    Gear can be crafted or purchased quite cheaply while you gain confidence.


    Dualwield Mainbar
    Slot 1: Rending Slashes
    Slot 2: Steeltornado
    Slot 3 Surprise Attack
    Slot 4: Killer’s Blade
    Slot 5: Relentless Focus
    Ultimate: Rend/Flawless Dawnbreaker

    Bow-second bar
    Slot 1: Endless Hail
    Slot 2: Rearming Trap
    Slot 3: Poison Injection
    Slot 4: Siphoning Attacks
    Slot 5: Resolving Vigor / Power Extraction
    Ultimate: Incapacitating Strike / Flawless Dawnbreaker

    Having Flawless Dawnbreaker on the bar will increase your weapon damage nicely if you have the Fighters Guild passives which can help bump your numbers up.

    Power extraction giving you access to Major Brutality if you don't want to waste expensive potions on normal dungeons.

    you can also swap out rending slashes for the camo hunter fighters guild ability to access major savagery on dw bar and demolish the trash mobs with a power extraction (major brut) -> rearming trap (minor force) -> Endless Hail -> steel tornado.

    I also played around with swapping relentless focus with rearming trap (mostly seeing what difference the passive from having another fighters guild ability gave me against the extra crit from assasination passive)

    What platform are you on Bob?
    Edited by Upright_man on March 31, 2017 3:53AM
  • ForsakenSin
    ForsakenSin
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    @BobBlast

    hey buddy you will do fine what platform are you ? if you are on xbox NA and need any medium set crafted and swords ect at no charge and upgraded to purple ... just let me know ;)
    "By many i am seen as hero...as a savior of the Tamriel i will not stop until every Daedra every evil there is in Tamriel is vanquish by my hands..
    However i do this for my own purpose to gain trust of mortals to worship me and to eliminate my competition i will not bend my knee to lead your army to serve you Molag Bal , i will simply just take it from you.."--- Forsaken Sin( Magica Sorc)



    Arise From Darkness Forsaken SIn
    "You have been a loyal High Elf Magica Sorc
    Conjure of Darkness, Master of Magic
    Killer of Molag Bal and Savior of Ebonheart Pact
    Until Dark Brotherhood killed you...
    but now..NOW its time to Arise From Darkness once again..."

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