Roast (or rate) my DK tank build

Jim_Pipp · October 2017

The do-it-all-day Argonian DK tank build for dungeons and... trials(?)

The tanking master Woeler (genuine respect and not sarcastic) has updated his Shredder tank and it has the easiest gear requirements ever! https://woeler.eu/shredder/ using torugs pact and Akavari dragonguard. It looks so accessible that I am having second thoughts about a build I've been theory-crafting since I heard about Asylum weapons, so I want to post my idea and ask for any and all feedback. My build is untested and actually I want to be convinced to follow Woeler.

The concept is to have good magic regen on one bar, good stamina regen on the back bar, and by swapping between them be able to sustain indefinitely even without group support when face tanking a boss. Good sustain from gear is complimented by argonian potion passive and DK ultimate passive.

Weapon Swap, (all weapons infused, using crusher and weakening enchants)
1) Asylum sword and board on the front bar - this makes defensive posture a good source of magicka sustain, and these weapons do not need to be double barred (many thanks to @paulsimonps who tested this and shared the results here - https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/4502583/#Comment_4502583)

2) Seducers set sword and board on the back bar, so on the back bar the 5 piece bonus is actively reducing all magicka abilities by 8%.

Armor
1) 3 Jewellery and 2 body pieces of plague doctor - the best health stat buff armour, and as this build will spam igneous shield to regen stamina this will make those shields better. It also allows better use of the mages guild balance skill, giving another source of magicka sustain and replacing spiked armor as the source of major resolve and ward. Alternatively Akavari Dragonguard could be used.

2) 3 body pieces of the Seducer set. It's not got the best stats for tanking but with the sword and shield on the back bar I hope the 8% magicka cost reduction will allow igneous shield to be cast much more alongside heavy attacking instead of perma-blocking.

3) Monster sets - Woeler suggests 2 x 1 piece monster pieces for extra sustain, I think this build gets it's sustain differently, but it lacks the cheap ultimates, so I am thinking of running 2 pieces of bloodspawn to make up some of the missing ultimates.

Skills, bar 1 Asylum
Pierce Armor (taunt and debuff)
Heroic slash (ulti-gen and single target source of minor maim)
Choking talons (AoE minor maim and crowd control)
Unrelenting grip (single target crowd control and a free spammable if you have nothing else to do)
Absorb Magicka (the morph of defensive posture that is needed to proc the Asylum weapons)
ULTIMATE - Barrier, (just for passive magicka regen, an alternative could be the 1h+s ultimate which is cheap enough to be an emergency source of resources, and will make the three 1h+s abilities free to use)

Skills, Bar 2 Seducer
Igneous Shields (putting shields on the group and restoring stamina - the ability to cast this more often is the reason I prefer magicka cost reduction over ultimate cost reduction)
Inner rage (Magicka ranged taunt)
Green dragon blood (heal and to proc the Draconic power passives)
Balance (restore magicka at the cost of health, also the source of major resolve/ward)
Efficient purge
ULTIMATE - Aggressive Warhorn (what a shocker)

(Nb I would love to use spiked boneshield as well, but I don't know what skill I would replace. I also feel like another self-heal would be good.)

Skills (outdated tooltips?) - http://eso-skills.com/skill?z=FSzvNMn@DA0mSCO%DRf0Utw@4aaLSTm&c=Jim-Pipp&b=Do-it-all-day

Generic - 35k health with more stamina than magicka, 5-1-1 armor, tri-stat food, tri-pots, infused with tri-stat glyphs on big armor pieces and sturdy with health glyphs on the rest, block cost reduction on jewellery. Similar CP allocation to Woeler, except more into hardy and elemental defender at the expense of block cost reduction.

Wow, sorry for the long write up. I'm away for 24 hours, so I won't be able to respond today, but many thanks to anyone who takes the time to help me choose my new tank build.

xRIVALENx · October 2017

If you are going the route of absorbing projectiles with the Asylum set you may want to consider running Beckoning Steel, Plague Doctor and Swarm Mother (Less use of chains, more magicka for shields). My only concern would be that your bar is missing Igneous Weapons which would be of benefit to your group members, not necessary but I'm sure they would appreciate the buff. Just a suggestion of course, your build will manage fine in all dungeons regardless, as for trials some things may need to be changed up.

Sixty5 · October 2017

Stopped reading after the sets.

Both are selfish. And don't really help with group utility.

At the very least you could run Torugs Pact over seducers to give your group that juicy infused crusher enchant.

paulsimonps · October 2017

Question! What are you wanting to achieve with this build? You are an Argonian DK. Great sustain and tanky as hell with lots of potential. But why run even more sustain sets when you got such good sustain to begin with? Asylum 1H&S is very situational. Swap it out when you don't need it, be sure to either do it fast or have an addon that can do it. But here is the thing, you are putting way to much into sustain. Seducer, Asylum 1H&S and Balance? Too much. You bring no group buff sets or sets that debuff enemies, and in Dungeons, with an Argonian DK you really don't need Plague Doctor, I mean I only put that on in a few fights and those are hard hitting fights, Trial fights, not dungeon.

As well if you really want to build ultimate, go with the monster sets that was recommended. I've run with it almost since they came out, only really now that more build creators use them that people realize how good that combo is, Shadowrend 1p+ Chokethorn 1p. Cause what you want to do is take of the almost useless efficient purge and put on Invigorating Drain, aka get a vamp bite too obviously. That will give A LOT of ultimate really fast. There is almost never anything to purge in Dungeons and if there is the healer should take care of it. In some Trials you will have to slot it though but in those same trials you will just swap out Unrelenting Grip and or Choking Talons.

Also last thing, how does putting more points into Hardy and Elemental Defender make it so you have to sacrifice Block Cost Reduction? They are not in the same Type.

Ghettokid · October 2017

Not Orc.
Boom.

Jim_Pipp · November 2017

I just wanted to thank you all for giving me some really thoughtful feedback. In light of your comments I can see that (as I often do in my own builds) I am pushing one concept or attribute too far. This build was designed to work with an un-coordinated group where you can't use voice chat to ask for shards, orbs or synergies, and basically to be able to sustain itself.

In bad pug groups this build may still excel, but on balance I don't think I will pursue this selfish self-sustain build idea. I am really grateful for the thoughtful (and fun) responses.

Hecker777 · November 2017

This is actually an interesting setup for a beginner tank. You would sustain and survive very well. The issue, as stated above is that it is a very self-sustaining build. Harder endgame content will ask that you contribute to group damage through use of Alkosh and Torugs. And every group needs at least one tank in Ebon.

idk · November 2017

I agree with the selfish nature of the build that others have pointed out.

As for uses when folks are not available, I can only see that being 4 man dungeons and for the most part one shouldn't need much suport. As for trials, vet trials, everyone should be on coms. I cannot think of. Valid justification to not be.