DK Shielding Build help

Shadrir · November 2018

Hi, I'm making a DK build that focuses on Barrier and Igneous shields for solo, Cyradill, and random public dungeon, pick ups, casual play. NOT for serious endgame runs. I have always played support and my favorite has been a shield based healer. I am trying to create that here. The strategy: Spam Barrier and Igneous shields to prevent damage and run hots and dots to keep up health and kill mobs. Do heavy attacks with staff to keep spamming Igneous shield. For armor, I have Dragon and Champion of the Hist.

Front Bar: Rejuv staff - Igneous Shield, Vigor, Volatile Armor, caltrops, eruption, Barrier - (Main bar)
BAck bar - Bow - Molten armaments, Burning embers, cauterize, endless hail, Fossilize - Take Flight

This is a new work in progress and I am trying to maximize my shields while not sending my magic and stamina lower.

Health - 31k, Mag -17k, Stam - 17k - tri stat foods - Mundus - the warrior

so far I have been impressed. I have been using the 'concept' of barrier, shield spam without the ultimate enhancing armor while I farmed Dragon armor in Eastmarch. Finally got 5 dragon pieces and it did very well solo. Not the terribly slow pace I expected. Then I accidentally started soloing the ice fortress dungeon in Eastmarch thinking it was part of my quest thread and halfway through it I started dying and wondered why this quest dungeon was so hard. Then I checked the hit points on the mobs and some offline hints and saw it was a real dungeon. I got to the pressure plates but had to quit because I needed someone else to stand on the other plate.

The build really took off when I added Champion of the Hist and incorporated the bow with stam skills. Now I'm trying to improve it. Should I add more health to get bigger shields at cost of magika and stam? Should I drop Champion of the Hist and do Imperium for group shield? Should I go back to Shalks instead of Hist and focus on magika?

Any constructive comments would be appreciated.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · November 2018

what is a "Rejuv staff"?

Rungar · November 2018

first thing you want to do is get a set of plague doctor and then a set of green pact. Then you want to level up psijic order and slot one of those skills.

you will have 11k personal igneous, 7k hardened armor and 5k psijic order when blocking.

then put shielding glyphs on infused weapons slot leap and barrier and your good to go shield master.

Shadrir · November 2018

Sorry - Restoration staff (got my gaming staffs crossed) Rungar I like where you are going for the stronger personal shields but I want to be able to shield others also. If I go, plague doctor and green pact, instead of ultimate building armor then I am relying more on Igneous than barrier. Will I have enough magika for that even with spamming heavy attacks? Right now I get a 20k shield from barrier twice a fight (on longer ones) and a measly 2.9k Igneous. If I can sustain igneous, I will readily switch to your suggestion. BTw, I'm assuming this is all stats in health? What do shielding glyphs do? (I'm a lvl 50 newb)

Shadrir

Rungar · November 2018

Shadrir wrote: »

Sorry - Restoration staff (got my gaming staffs crossed) Rungar I like where you are going for the stronger personal shields but I want to be able to shield others also. If I go, plague doctor and green pact, instead of ultimate building armor then I am relying more on Igneous than barrier. Will I have enough magika for that even with spamming heavy attacks? Right now I get a 20k shield from barrier twice a fight (on longer ones) and a measly 2.9k Igneous. If I can sustain igneous, I will readily switch to your suggestion. BTw, I'm assuming this is all stats in health? What do shielding glyphs do? (I'm a lvl 50 newb)

Shadrir

you need about 2k mag regen to sustain igneous which will sustain your stamina as well. I think in the 50kish range the group shield is 8% so it can approach 5k.

Valykc · November 2018

I think if I was trying to make a build like this I would do few things.

1.) Don’t be a DK. I would choose Warden, you get access to a skill that provides the group with major resolve and major ward, which basically is another form of mitigation similar to damage shields. Igneous shields is weak and expensive, not even worth it for this type of build. Also Warden provides great healing possibilities, and sustain.

2.) Go Tank not Healer. Mostly because you don’t wanna gimp your group by relying too much on a damage shield that might drop in a second and have them take massive damage while you have a build inadequate with healing them back to full.

3.) I would use Sword and Shield/ Resto. Massive Damage mitigation from Sword and shield for Tanking. Resto for healing and another damage shield you can apply to allies.

Sets:
5x Brands of Imperium (White-Gold Tower)
5x Lunar Bastion (Maw of Lorkhaj)
1x Blackrose Perfected Resto backbar
2x Bloodspawn/Earthgore (More Ult return for Barrier, or more group healing)

Granted you might get yelled at for running such a build in PvE but you’d still provide a decent amount of damage shields without wasting your resource pools on spamming a skill like igneous. For PvP, dropping Lunar for Dragon would be a decent swap but there might be another group damage shield set that you could use that I’m not thinking of. Also could try slotting the “guard” skill (morph of your choice), it could make the gameplay more fun.

Just my “two cents” though

Shadrir · November 2018

Thanks Valykc. I thought about Brands but not Lunar. I don't see Brands for sale in the guild stores though. I wanted to try Brands out but decided against it when I couldnt find it AND I suck at tanking and melee. However I am already trying out a Warden tank healer similar to what you describe but focusing on the healing ultimate. I also have a stamina healer focusing on the healing ultimate with ultimate regen gear.

So far I have been pleasantly surprised by the DK shield build. In two pvp matches my group has been the winner. First time in forever I have had back to back wins. this is subjective but I tend to draw a lot of attention away from my teamates because it takes so long to kill me. I also think that the mitigation that my shields provide are giving my teamates just enough time to heal themselves or kill our opponents. In pve soloing is a breeze of course. I only have problems with overland bosses because my damage is too low and I'm still working on completing my first solo dungeon on normal.

What are other ways I could enhance the build? I need more damage. My magicka is at 20k now and hp at 45k. I'd like to get that closer to 25 but don't know how. I'm switching to Ebon armory because it will give my team 1k more hitpoints on top of my shields and I will only lose 1k health. My nemesis in the build: stuns, and knockbacks.

Other suggestions?

Rungar · November 2018

infernal guardian monster set (city of ash 1)

Shadrir · December 2018

Just soloed my first overland boss with this build! Woot!! Right now I'm running Green Pact and Plague Dr. I have 46k health and 4300 group shield, 9k self shield. I never went below half health.. Healed myself with burning embers and resto staff heavy attack(though my shield took most damage before I got low) For offense I used eruption, and elemental blockade with embers. Thats about 2600-2700 dmg/sec.

Planning to craft or get crafted Clever Alchemist and add bodyguard and the psijic order healing skill to this build and use as tank support/healer and dmg. Thoughts or suggestion? I may also add boneshield if groups will actually use it.