Stamina Nightblades....yeah beating the dead horse

vpy · June 2017

My experience in playing Stamina/Magicka NB

Facing 3 mobs :

Stamina NB : Gonna die now...deep breath...Okay let me see whether I have soul summons or soul gem available when I rez
Magicka NB : Hmm..only 3 mobs....damn wish I could have aggroed a couple more while I spam Siphon/Wall/Pulsar/Refreshing Path

Survivability

Stamina NB : Dear God..let the boss not do a wrecking blow...plzz....Block/Roll/Dodge/Interrupt....
Magicka NB : When the boss does a wrecking blow...yawn....i dont care..cos I got double shield with annulment/ward and BOP/Rapid Regen can bring my HP back 1-3 secs...lol

Questing

Stamina NB : Cant avoid trash mobs cos my stealth sucks and have got to do that "poor-mans-stealth" aka crouch
Magicka NB : Just go directly to the quest mob/objective/boss...who has da time to fight trash...we are godmode

..heck yeah

Playstyle
Stamina NB : Need to have a hightuned muscle memory/hand-eye coordination stuff to kill a mob and survive
Magicka NB : Play with one hand and another hand for eating popcorn...just smash my one hand with whatever I have of this "Siphon/Unstable Wall/Refreshing Path/Pulsar" and let my resto staff take care of my HP...Very relaxing and no stress playstyle

Finally in the words of Eilina of Daggerfall Mages Guild

Elites like us (mag NB) dont deem ourselves in fighting a foe up close...:)

Having said all that I DID love Stamina NBs earlier but then I found out that Stam (especially NB) are the bottom of the bunch whose only useful thing in the game is looking fierce (da loser kitty does look fierce amirite?) for that screenshot or for annoying folks in PVP....sadly they got nothing good beyond that..

So in the words of Sun Tzu "if you cant beat them join them"...I converted my useless Stam NB into my fave Mag NB

UPDATE

Upon seeing the responses I respecced (mind you this is the first respec from level 15 ) to full Stam NB and I am extremely pleased by the performance/sustain/survivability/damage.

Should have just stuck with Stam instead of ditching it at 15 and complaining about it at CP 40 without actually playing at it the current level.
Or
Did they get a buff or something in the last 3 months...I honestly dunno..but I am lovin it

As of now the Stam NB playstyle is damn fluid and amazing...feel like "Ninja Gaiden"

Special thanks to @GreenhaloX @Furinol @Stannum @Koensol @TheShadowScout for patiently explaining and clearing my misconceptions.

/peace out

Strider_Roshin · June 2017

But stamblades are OP because they can hit you with class specific abilities such as Viper's Sting, Selene, and Red Mountain.

Smmokkee · June 2017

I love my stamblade

br0steen · June 2017

You pc players crack me up lol

leepalmer95 · June 2017

Maybe your not playing it right?

3 mobs? You can kill one before the fight even begins
Not enough magicka for cloak? Build yourself to have enough magicka, i can cloak around 5-6 times before running out and then i usually pop a tri pot.
Boss using wrecking blow? You can dodge roll for days... or just block it like a your mean't to. Mag nb's can't block forever.

Its all about choice.

KingYogi415 · June 2017

Stam NB's are not for new players.

And they can hit 46k single target self buffed.

Not weak by any means.

Morgul667 · June 2017

Im leveling one and find it kind of funny so far (by leveling I mean getting all missing skill points to be OP and have all skills / passive, already reached cp level and find it fun so far :-)

phaneub17_ESO · June 2017

People keep saying Two-Handed sucks, but when you have like 5+ mobs on you, Brawler works pretty damn well with that bonus shield it provides. Reaper's Mark the lowest health mob, kill it, and get more than half your health back with a damage boost.

vpy · June 2017

leepalmer95 wrote: »

Maybe your not playing it right?

3 mobs? You can kill one before the fight even begins
Not enough magicka for cloak? Build yourself to have enough magicka, i can cloak around 5-6 times before running out and then i usually pop a tri pot.
Boss using wrecking blow? You can dodge roll for days... or just block it like a your mean't to. Mag nb's can't block forever.

Its all about choice.

"Not enough magicka for cloak? Build yourself to have enough magicka,"

You screw your DPS/role by investing in anything apart Stam..We Mags dont do that...64/0 for me

" i can cloak around 5-6 times before running out"

I have ran from FirstHold to Vulkhel Guard without running out..top that

zyk · June 2017

Which content are you talking about? If any three non-boss mobs are causing you issues, the problem is not the class or resource archetype.

I don't play Trial content because it is presently uninteresting to me, but I know from experience a Stam NB can melt vet dungeon trash solo with a combination of abilities including Steel Tornado or ezmode it at a slower pace with only Brawler and fully charged heavy attacks for resource management.

leepalmer95 · June 2017

vpy wrote: »

leepalmer95 wrote: »

Maybe your not playing it right?

3 mobs? You can kill one before the fight even begins
Not enough magicka for cloak? Build yourself to have enough magicka, i can cloak around 5-6 times before running out and then i usually pop a tri pot.
Boss using wrecking blow? You can dodge roll for days... or just block it like a your mean't to. Mag nb's can't block forever.

Its all about choice.

"Not enough magicka for cloak? Build yourself to have enough magicka,"

You screw your DPS/role by investing in anything apart Stam..We Mags dont do that...64/0 for me

" i can cloak around 5-6 times before running out"

I have ran from FirstHold to Vulkhel Guard without running out..top that

Oh your talking about a proper dps end game build?

Not sure why you need to cloak at all, bother with 3 mobs, somehow die vsing 3 mobs or care about survivability at all then.

Try taking this into pvp.

Mag nbs in pvp are useless apart from bomb blades.

Stam nb is simply just better.

vyndral13preub18_ESO · June 2017

While I don't totally agree with you on stamblade. I wonder why you singled out mageblade. What you wrote for them is pretty much true of any magika class.

Stam dot dot dodge to stay alive. Mag dot dot shield to stay alive. As far as I can tell Almost all the classes play the same as far open world content goes. Which seems to be the largest part of your gripe. The exception might be if you are actively trying to heal or tank.

But yeah it is always hard for me switching back to stam after playing magika for awhile. Those shields. So so nice.

vpy · June 2017

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

I wonder why you singled out mageblade. What you wrote for them is pretty much true of any magika class. .

Can any mag class apart from NB do a perma stealth ?

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

But yeah it is always hard for me switching back to stam after playing magika for awhile. Those shields. So so nice.

I know right

old_mufasa · June 2017

I'm sorry OP if your having that much of a hard time as a Stamblade.. then you need to reroll to a different class.. because they are not near that hard to play nor do they do that bad in multi target fights.. and just like all melee you need to be aware of the boss's animations and that is a learn to play issue....

zyk · June 2017

vpy wrote: »

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

I wonder why you singled out mageblade. What you wrote for them is pretty much true of any magika class. .

Can any mag class apart from NB do a perma stealth ?

Yes. Any character can crouch stealthed indefinitely. But I know you mean cloak.

It seems you are new to ESO. I think that a lot of your opinions are premature. Cloak is presently not very useful in PVE combat. it's only really good for avoiding combat. Using it in combat will result in longer, more challenging fights for both Stamina and Magicka builds.

Outside of vet Trial content, ESO PVE is actually very easy for any class/resource archetype. An experienced player who understands the basics should not ever struggle.

You should better learn the game before being so outspoken about balance issues. While there is a pretty clear consensus that Stam builds may need help for endgame Trial PVE, there's not really an issue outside of that.

You should look into some self-healing abilities like DW Blood Craze and Blood Thirst. They can provide all the healing required in non-trial content. The DW ult also provides nice healing when soloing dungeon content. 2H abilities like Brawler and Rally are also very useful for solo Stamina PVE builds. Mark target can be a reliable PVE heal as can the 1HS ability Absorb Magic. Leeching strikes, in combination with some of the above should provide all of the healing you need.

If you feel comfortable enough to spend a few hours in Cyrodiil, you can unlock Vigor which is an excellent AE heal over time.

Power extraction may not be the best AE, but it's inexpensive and can be used in conjunction with Steel Tornado -- using the latter to execute.

Yes, shields are quite strong. But also consider that sneak, block, roll dodge, bash and sprint are all based on Stamina -- which exception of ice staff blocking. Roll dodge and block are extremely strong defensive functions that favor Stamina builds.

You may also consider heavy armor builds.

GeorgeBlack · June 2017

Medium armor skill evasion and it's morphs should be a stamNB exclusive skill. 5k stamina cost in order for magNB to think twice. 15s duration.

Also cloak and Ambush should be a stamNB exclusive skill.

These changes would make stamNB a true Roque and magNB a true spectre. Balance.

Other classes should not use evasion and it's morphs. They are not roques. Balance.

Juhasow · June 2017

br0steen wrote: »

You pc players crack me up lol

Ok we get it You play console. Move on to the point ?...

Juhasow · June 2017

GeorgeBlack wrote: »

Medium armor skill evasion and it's morphs should be a stamNB exclusive skill. 5k stamina cost in order for magNB to think twice. 15s duration.

Also cloak and Ambush should be a stamNB exclusive skill.

These changes would make stamNB a true Roque and magNB a true spectre. Balance.

Other classes should not use evasion and it's morphs. They are not roques. Balance.

I would recommend You to check what nightblade in elder scrolls lore means.

quadraxis666 · June 2017

I keep seeing stuff about Stam NB's being bad now. What the hell are you people doing?
Here's what you're not doing - you're not building or playing Stam NB's properly.
L2P gets thrown around a lot in these forums, but this is a legitimate L2P issue.

Bonzodog01 · June 2017

Once you have Dual Wield levelled, there is a not much advertised skill called "Shrouded Daggers". On a decent build, it will crit for 19K from crouched/hidden, and will hit upto 3 mobs at a time.

I am back on my stamblade right now, and the only thing she suffers with is Dolmen Bosses. Even then, I can go over to my bow, use poison injection, acid spray/bombard, and focused aim to really start burning the boss down at kiting range.

It takes a LOT more skill than most magicka classes to learn, but if you sneak upto any random mob in hidden, then use surprise attack, I just got mine to crit for 41K.

Delves are SO much fun now, using hidden a lot, and attacking everything from stealth on my khajiit. She is also one hell of a thief - you can get legerdemain levelled very easily using the ships in Daggerfall Town then fencing everything in the refuge, whose entrance is also in the docks right near the ships.

You need to learn stuff such as weapon swapping mid fight, and using 90% of your skills on both bars in any given boss fight.

There is a lot more skill in playing Stam blade than most other classes I have played - easiest for me was magicka templar, they are almost impossible to kill in overland PvE, and they can get through 90% of the content with one skill.

Code2501 · June 2017

Stamblade have better survivability than they use to. I played it in the old VR ranks before they added all the weapon hots. But its still a matter of saving a weak target to get the on-kill procs to fire and its a pain in long solo fights. Compared to magicka where you can build for attrition with powerful siphon attacks.

Pele · June 2017

KingYogi415 wrote: »

Stam NB's are not for new players.

And they can hit 46k single target self buffed.

Not weak by any means.

Yep. The OP makes a valid point though - magicka is easy mode.

Code2501 · June 2017

Pele wrote: »

KingYogi415 wrote: »

Stam NB's are not for new players.

And they can hit 46k single target self buffed.

Not weak by any means.

Yep. The OP makes a valid point though - magicka is easy mode.

Easy mode with equally measured (aka lower) dps. The real question is the mix of glass you have to deal with for your cannon which for pure dps builds should only be +/- 10%.

PlagueSD · June 2017

vpy wrote: »

My experience in playing Stamina/Magicka NB

Facing 3 mobs :

Stamina NB : Steath, prep with relentless focus. Cast Endless Hail, ambush, Spin to win.
Magicka NB : Hmm..only 3 mobs....damn wish I could have aggroed a couple more while I spam Siphon/Wall/Pulsar/Refreshing Path

Survivability

Stamina NB : Boss about to cast wrecking blow, Use bolstering darkness and laugh. Hit blood craze and spam bloodthirst to heal back up.
Magicka NB : When the boss does a wrecking blow...yawn....i dont care..cos I got double shield with annulment/ward and BOP/Rapid Regen can bring my HP back 1-3 secs...lol

Questing

Stamina NB : 5pc Night's Silence set + med armor improve stealth to reduce cost of stealth by 49%, detection area by 35% and move at full speed while stealthed. But really, why would you skip trash? See fighting 3 mobs above...
Magicka NB : Just go directly to the quest mob/objective/boss...who has da time to fight trash...we are godmode ..heck yeah

Playstyle
Stamina NB : Sneaky mode stealth assasin.
Magicka NB : Easy mode for noobs

Fixed that for you...

LukosCreyden · June 2017

Personally, my main issue with stam nb is the fact that it can be hard to stay alive in solo aoe fights. I love the stam nb playstyle, but I don't use a 2H on it and I find that vigor's heal is too slow and expensive to be effective in fights where everything is targeting you.

Most stamina solo players run with a stam sorc and for good reason, they have everything they need. Passives that increase damage, reduced ult cost, flat damage increase, defense buffs that also deal damage/increase potential damage, EASY ACCESS TO MAJOR BRUTALITY, insane self healing, monster AoE and a chance to insta-kill anything low on health.

Sorcerer (both magicka and stamina) is the perfect dps class, a lot of folk say they need nerfing. I disagree, other classes need buffing to be more in line with the sorcerer. They are a standard that other classes should be able to meet. However, how would one go about tweaking the other classes to be more in line with the sorcerer without making them straight-up reskins?

Kalante · June 2017

It's hilarious how people say stam nb is fine when it needs very specific sets to be useful, which are mostly proc sets. I don't run procs because i shouldn't be relegated or forced in using viper sting in pvp to be competitive. Since this update i have not seen a single good stam nb that does not rely on procs.

Knootewoot · June 2017

Pff even stamblade can avoid all trash mobs in a dungeon. Cloak lasts 3 seconds and with a speedbuff active you can easily pass all those mobs on the way to boss. Just cloak when the mobs start to notice you. You lose agro when you cloak right away. 3 seconds is more then enough to pass a mobgroup. Maybe a breather once or twice in between to regain magicka to get to boss.

It's hard to balance anything in this game. But if stamblade would get better cloak or AOE with healing they would be gods amongst men. Their burst is already to high in PvP. It will only work if they separate skills from PvP and PvE and it should start by removing proc sets in PvP.

Avnr · June 2017

stam nb , stam dk , stam sorc....all super good for pvp

For pve....well.... good try
fpr solo ok , but most pve const is aoe

the only major heal stam classes got is Vigor , AW skill - most pve players(like "king of the lakes") have no idea about this skill

Brrrofski · June 2017

Problem is, you buff them for Pve and PvP becomes a problem, because they're strong in PvP and insanely good in BGs (even without procs).

What Pve are you on about anyway?

PlagueSD · June 2017

Knootewoot wrote: »

Pff even stamblade can avoid all trash mobs in a dungeon. Cloak lasts 3 seconds and with a speedbuff active you can easily pass all those mobs on the way to boss. Just cloak when the mobs start to notice you. You lose agro when you cloak right away. 3 seconds is more then enough to pass a mobgroup. Maybe a breather once or twice in between to regain magicka to get to boss.

It's hard to balance anything in this game. But if stamblade would get better cloak or AOE with healing they would be gods amongst men. Their burst is already to high in PvP. It will only work if they separate skills from PvP and PvE and it should start by removing proc sets in PvP.

I actually don't use proc sets for damage, I use proc sets for survivability when soloing. 5pc Briarthorn and 5pc Bahraha's Curse combined with Bloodthirst and Blood craze make for a very unkillable character.

Koensol · June 2017

I'm getting so tired of this "stam nb's can't solo" bs. Seriously, vigor, rally, brawler, blood craze, bloodthirst, reaper's mark, leeching strikes, shuffle/mirage, draining shot, killer's blade and deadly cloak are skills that are all available to stam nb and will make soloing mobs absolute peanuts. If you are still dying, slot swallow soul (yes even on stamina it's okay) for 10% increased healing received and get some increased healing CP. You can even tag on a vampire's kiss set for 6k healing over 5 sec after killing a mob. You should not need that though.

If you build your stam nb for sustain, you can solo almost all worldbosses in full medium, with exception of the dlc wb's. You can also solo some vet dungeons or at least some of the bosses. Gear:
- 5 Bahraha's curse
- 5 Vampire's kiss
- 2 malubeth

Skill bar 1:
Ult: Soul harvest (with the ult generation from this in AoE situations, you can almost spam soul tether)
- Rally
- Mirage
- Leeching strikes
- Refreshing path
- Brawler

Skill bar 2:
Ult: Soul tether (aka godmode)
- Swallow soul / Deadly cloak (depending on situation)
- Blood craze
- Blood thirst
- Steel tornado
- Killer's blade

It is so damn easy. Skyreach catacombs, you almost don't even have to do anything. Your life will simple rocket up everytime you are hit. You cannot die if you play with his build, except when you get hit flat on your back like a nub by a power attack. You can still do about 15k dps when leveling (if you have a good amount of cp) which is more than fine. Plus it is really fun build to play.

So please guys, stop moaning about stam nb not being able to survive. It is just your lack of creativity that makes you die like a scrub.