Magicka Nightblade PvE Build ESO – Architect of Demise

Build Written By: NyassaV– PC NA

Role: Damage Dealer

Patch: Greymoor

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Setup
   1. Gear
   2. Attributes
   3. Skills
   4. Vampire vs. Werewolf vs. Mortal
   5. Champion Points
   6. Other Important Info (Food, Mundus, Race, Potions, Passives)
3. Resource Management & Rotation
4. Contact Info
5. Update Log

Introduction

Welcome to DottzGaming.com’s Magicka Nightblade Build PvE, Architect of Demise, for the Elder Scrolls Online! This build is intended for trials, veteran dungeons and general PvE, sporting a great uptime on Major Slayer and very good AoE and single target damage! Magicka nightblade’s also have great ultimate generation due to Soul Harvest and the Catalyst passive, which allows you to pop off devastating ultimates very frequently and maintain a great uptime on Major Slayer via one of our sets. With the heals coming in from a variety of our skills and access to Harness Magicka, this build also maintains a good level of survivability!

Setup

Gear

Gear Explanation

Master Architect: This set has become a staple among magicka DPS users for dungeons and trials because of the insane buff it offers you and your team, alongside having the benefit of Minor Slayer. Using Mantle or Siroria is also a good option however I feel this build is currently enough of a target dummy hero with Spell Strategist equipped. Using Shooting Star in groups of enemies will also allow is to damn there spam our ultimate providing us with a very high uptime!

Spell Strategist: This set is the paramount of single target DPS set choices, and this is a great secondary set to pair with Master Architect. This set gives an insane amount of spell damage on one target and the master architect will help our cleave and our single target damage. We have this set’s 5 piece front bar since that is where our spammable DPS, execute and Assassin’s Will are. An alternative to this set is Mother’s Sorrow. Mother’s Sorrow is good for basically everything just not as good as SS for single target DPS.

Zaan: Great damage proc that allows us to stay at a slight range. If you feel the need for more range then Valkyn Skoria is also an amazing set which will provide more cleave. I find Zaans pairs very well when you use soul harvest and proc master architect at the same time providing an insane % based damage boost. If I’m at range a lot more I often always use Valkyn, the max health is also nice.

vMA Fire Staff: You need the vMA fire staff for this build if you wish to use Elemental blockade. Without the staff you might as well not use Blockade and should use Soul Trap instead.

Attributes

All points into Magicka.

Skills

Main Bar – Fire Staff: Elemental Weapon, Crippling Grasp, Merciless Resolve, Impale, Inner Light, Soul Harvest

Back Bar – Fire Staff: Siphoning Attacks, Dark Shade, Unstable Wall of Elements, Harness Magicka, Mystic Orb, Elemental Rage

Vampire vs. Werewolf vs. Mortal

You are playing as a mortal for this build. The only time you want to play as a vampire is if you use Blood for Blood as a spammable, which this build doesn’t. So in this case, all vampire would do is hurt our sustain.

Champion Points

CHAMPION POINT 810 SETUP
THE MAGE (BLUE)

• Elfborn – 56
• Elemental Expert – 56
• Spell Erosion – 20
• Staff Expert – 16
• Master-at-Arms – 66
• Thaumaturge – 56

THE THIEF (GREEN)

• Warlord – 66
• Arcanist – 75
• Tenacity – 56
• Tumbling – 44
• Shadow Ward – 29

THE WARRIOR (RED)

• Ironclad – 66
• Hardy – 43
• Elemental Defender – 43
• Thick Skinned – 56
• Spell Shield – 39
• Bastion – 23

CHAMPION POINT 300 SETUP
THE MAGE (BLUE)

• Elfborn – 23
• Elemental Expert – 27
• Spell Erosion – 8
• Thaumaturge – 11
• Master-at-Arms – 31

THE THIEF (GREEN)

• Arcanist – 49
• Tenacity – 49
• Warlord – 2

THE WARRIOR (RED)

• Ironclad – 23
• Hardy – 23
• Elemental Defender -23
• Thick Skinned – 23
• Bastion – 8

Other Important Info

Buff Food

• Mistral Banana-Bunny Hash – Max Health and Max Magicka
• Witchmother’s Potent Brew (If not breton) – Max Health, Magicka and Magicka Recovery

Mundus

• Apprentice – Increased Spell Damage

Race

1. Breton (If you use breton then you can use blue food such as Mistral Banana-Bunny Hash)
2. High Elf (Use Witchmother’s Potent Brew)
3. Dark Elf (Use Witchmother’s Potent Brew)

Potions

Spell Power Potions (Spell Crit, Spell Damage, Magicka Restoration)
Cornflower, Ladys Smock, Water Hyacinth

Passives

Assassination (all), Shadow (all), Siphoning (all), Light Armor (all), Heavy Armor (all except the ones that require you to wear 5 pieces), Medium Armor (all except the ones that require you to wear 5 pieces), Destruction Staff (all), Fighters Guild (Banish the Wicked), Mages Guild (all except persuasive passive), Vampire (all except Blood Ritual and Savage Feeding), Undaunted (all), Racial (all), Alchemy (Medicinal Use), Psijic (Spell Orb, Concentrated Barrier, and Clairvoyance)

Resource Management & Rotation

Apply Merciless Resolve and Siphoning Attacks pre-fight.
Start on your back bar, and use Siphoning Attacks > Elemental Rage > Light Attack > Elemental Blockade > Light Attack > Dark Shade > Light Attack > Mystic Orb > Weapon Swap > Light Attack > Crippling Grasp > Light Attack > Elemental Weapon > (Assassin’s Will when it procs). Keep using Light Attack > Elemental Weapon and Assassin’s Will procs until it’s time to reapply your AoE and DoTs, so swap back to back bar about a second or two before elemental blockade ends and repeat the rotation.

• Reapply the Merciless Resolve after you shoot the the Spectral bow twice.
• Re-apply Siphoning Attacks as soon as the buff runs out – this makes sure you get the burst of magicka – in order to keep yourself sustained.
• When the boss is at less than 25% HP, replace Swallow Soul/Elemental Weapon with Impale in the rotation.

Try and line up Zaans, soul harvest (with the master arch proc attached it will hit very hard)

Contact

If you have any questions about the build, join our discord server and ask @Nyassa about the build!

Update Log

9/1/2017 – Build created.
10/24/2017 – CP updated to reflect CwC changes and account for jump points.
12/7/2017 – Staves swapped and Imaple/Harness swapped
2/12/2018 – CP Updated
3/14/2018 – Trial gear added to gear chart
5/31/2018 – Build overhauled for summerset isles
6/5/2018 – BSW changed to Mother’s Sorrow
8/13/2018 – CP updated for Wolfhunter
9/4/2018 – Swapped around gear positions on final build and listed Siroria as an alternative option.
10/10/2018 – Swapped out Master Architect for Siroria
10/22/2018 – CP Updated for murkmire
3/14/2019 – Build renamed under a new author and overhauled for Wrathstone
5/30/2019 – Mundus, Buff Food and race changed
8/15/2019 – Skills changed
10/25/2019 – back bar ult changed
2/27/2020 – no changes for harrowstorm
6/2/2020 – changed skills and updated rotation