Tanks - best build for solo runs? (I has no friends T_T)

DJMusician1 · April 2017

I played ESO in it's earlier stages and really got very bored easily, put it away and came back to it a couple months ago. I'm new to MMO's and such so their game mechanics are new to me, therefore my character building isn't the best it could be... And also, my friends list and such you would find in MMO's... Is... how to say... zero? -_-

So what are some good tank builds for doing solo play?

WalksonGraves · April 2017

respec dps.

sluske · April 2017

DJMusician1 wrote: »

I played ESO in it's earlier stages and really got very bored easily, put it away and came back to it a couple months ago. I'm new to MMO's and such so their game mechanics are new to me, therefore my character building isn't the best it could be... And also, my friends list and such you would find in MMO's... Is... how to say... zero? -_-

So what are some good tank builds for doing solo play?

What content are you going for? If you are going casually just questing and a random dungeon once in a while I'd suggest go full stamina nord DK with dual wield front bar and one hand/shield on back bar. All heavy armour.

It kinda gimps damage for soloplay, but at least you can feel tanky.

TheStealthDude · April 2017

Magblade Sap Tank. But the current state of the patch notes will make it almost impossible to sustain in a solo situation when that goes live. I am holding out hope that they will fix Siphoning Attacks from what they did, but there's a good chance that may not happen.

Tasear · April 2017

Sorrecer rule at solo play and there's fun options for tanking.

http://tamrielfoundry.com/topic/the-lightning-ward-endgame-magicka-sorcerer-tank-pve/

raj72616a · April 2017

if you tank, friends come to you.
queueing as tank almost always give me a group within 10 seconds.

s7732425ub17_ESO · April 2017

If you want a character that can do ALL content solo, you want a Mag NB or a Mag Sorc.

MartinDeShade · April 2017

For the next patch I think MagDK, will probably rule solo. Heavy Attack Lightning with free Force Whips when mobs go off balance. You get damage and healing for free. May need Coag Blood or a Shield on standby, but you will be able to sustain fairly easily.

Brrrofski · April 2017

For now, the build in my signature.

But it'll only be that good for a month. Will have it to change it a lot next patch. But so will most tanks I guess.

Wir2ality · April 2017

i m a noob myself seems like they ganna nerf tanks july i think so prob u should go stam dps . but not too much or it will be reduction lol right??

Biro123 · April 2017

I used to solo a fair few dungeons on a tanky stamsorc..

Heavy armour (thunderbug iirc.. The aoe lightning proc set), bow back bar, sword n shield main bar. I may have used viper too, but there are plenty of other options.
Aoe from hurricane and the bow aoe dot and thunderbug. Single target was rearming trap n ransack, heals from crit surge n vigour. Execute from implosion when combined with the 2 dots always ticking. Sustain/burst heals from dark deal.

fred4 · April 2017

If you play strictly solo, you can't do all content of the game. Some of it is designed for groups. Some of the group content can only be completed by groups, while some can also be soloed.

A tanking build means you will do very little damage, but you are able to survive. There is very little content, that you can solo, where you need to be an outright tank. You could do it as a tank, but you'd be bored out of your mind, because fights take so long and your health never dips. In general, if you play solo, you should make a DPS (damage) build, with a little tankiness and healing thrown into the mix.

Depending on what you want to do, your build requirements will differ a lot. Questing / overland content is designed for beginners. It is so easy you don't need to worry much about your build. Basically you can run an all out DPS build and you'll be fine for most, if not all of it.

The optional overland world bosses vary in difficulty. Some of them you can be all out DPS. Most can be done with a balanced solo build, that's mostly DPS. Only a few require a true tank.

Non-DLC normal dungeons are dead easy, except game mechanics will prevent you from soloing some of them. I'd spec for DPS in those. In veteran mode, many continue to be easily soloable, once you have 600 CP, except for the final boss fight. If you know what you're doing, you don't need to be a tank, except there is a tendency for the final fight to be so difficult or tedious, you can't or you won't want to do it solo.

DLC dungeons tend to be too difficult to fully solo, even on normal mode, or there will be mechanics that prevent you from progressing solo.

Normal Maelstrom Arena is very, very easy, once you have learned the mechanics. Veteran Maelstrom Arena is very, very hard. The difference is stark. The general consensus is that tanks aren't well suited and you're best off with a DPS build. You'll require a build with reasonably high health (19K), good sustain, and high DPS. Tanks don't work in vMA, because it's based around killing waves of enemies quickly, otherwise you'll be overwhelmed, even as a tank.

Craglorn group dungeons, such as Skyreach Catacombs, most of the stuff in there only requires a DPS. A bit like Maelstrom, you're just as well, or better, off killing things quickly than being a tank. At least once you have full CP.

Dragonstar Arena and trials are for groups only.

PvP builds differ from PvE builds, although broadly speaking they tend to be solo builds with lots of self-sufficiency, so there is an overlap with solo play in general.

fred4 · April 2017

It's hard to recommend a build without knowing where you're at. What class, race and level are your character(s)? How many CP do you have? If you are stamina-based, have you done enough PvP to get Vigor? Do you have any monster helm sets? Which ones?

If you have less than 160 CP, you won't want to settle on your gear yet. There'd be no point farming a set or paying lots of gold for one.

I have played two characters in depth, a stamina DK and magicka Nightblade. My builds are a little off the beaten path. For the stam DK, I prefer dual-wield on the main bar:

Bloodthirst
Resolving Vigor
Igneous Shield (PvE) or Fossilize (PvP)
Steel Tornado (PvE) or Deadly Cloak (PvP)
Flames of Oblivion
Dawnbreaker of Smiting

Back bar could be bow or 2H:

Stampede or Poison Injection
Rally (or Forward Momentum for PvP) or Arrow Barrage
Shuffle
Hardened Ward
Dragonfire Scales
Corrosive Armor

I use drinks with this build and recommend at least 900 mag regen for Dragonfire Scales. A lot of people skip that skill these days, but it's fun and sometimes very useful.

For the magblade, main bar is Inferno staff for PvP, Lightning staff for PvE:

Swallow Soul
Inner Light or Refreshing Path
Flame Reach (PvP) or Elemental Blockade (PvE)
Impale (PvP) or Sap Essence (PvE)
Dampen Magic
Soul Assault (PvP) or destro ult (PvE)

Resto staff on back bar:

Concealed Weapon (only for the stealth speed buff)
Siphoning Attacks
Piercing Mark (PvP) or Impale (PvE)
Healing Ward
Shadowy Disguise
Reviving Barrier (PvP) or Bolstering Darkness (PvE)

These builds arose from PvP, modified for occasional solo PvE. My NB retains Cloak and Concealed Weapon in solo PvE. It's nice for getting around and skipping any nuisance mobs you don't want to fight. These are balanced DPS builds, which is what I use for soloing. I have outright tanking setups for occasional use, but they aren't up to date. A good thing to have, I'm just not the best person to advise on those.

fred4 · May 2017

I should mention that for both builds I optionally use Troll King as an additional source of healing. Some content, but only some, demands tanking. Ultimately damage reduction trumps healing, but you can go far with healing alone. For example, my DK has been called tanky in duels, when really she had a lot of healing.

If I don't feel the need for extra healing, I have used Valkyn Skoria on the DK. Velidreth and Selene would also be good. For the magblade Grothdarr is hard to beat in PvE.