Magicka Nightblade PvE Build ESO – Architect of Demise

Build Written By: NyassaV & Dottz Gaming – PC NA

Role: Damage Dealer

Patch: Flames of Ambition

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 their passives, 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 strong buff it offers you and your team, alongside having the benefit of Minor Slayer. 

Mother’s Sorrow: With all the critical damage modifiers you get in a trials group, combined with the strength of the shadow mundus, Mother’s Sorrow is an amazing front bar DPS set for magicka characters!

Zaan: This set deals an incredible amount of single target damage, connecting a beam of flame between us and our target that deals 100% more damage every time it ticks! This offers a huge boost to our single target pressure when it fires off.

vMA Fire Staff: You need the vMA fire staff for this build if you wish to use Elemental blockade to its fullest potential! If you cant get the veteran version of this staff, feel free to get the normal maelstrom arena version!

Attributes

All points into Magicka.

Skills

Main Bar – Fire Staff: Swallow Soul, Inner Light, Merciless Resolve, Impale, Channeled Acceleration, Incapacitating Strike

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

Vampire vs. Werewolf vs. Mortal

You are playing as a mortal for this build. Vampire/Werewolf do not give this build any bonuses that it needs.

Champion Points

Champion points were updated in the recent Flames of Ambition patch. The list below showcases the order in which the points should be acquired, the number of points you need to place into that perk and whether or not it needs to be slotted in the new CP bar. The Warfare CP perks increase your damage and mitigation and are the most important, the Fitness tree has some miscellaneous sustain and defensive perks and the Craft tree has crafting and non-combat bonuses. The Craft CP points are entirely customizable to however you want, or you can follow the list below.

CHAMPION POINT SETUP
WARFARE (BLUE)

• Precision – 40
• Fighting Finesse – 50 (Slotted)
• Piercing – 40
• Deadly Aim – 50 (Slotted)
• Thaumaturge – 50 (Slotted)
• Biting Aura – 50 (Slotted)
• Eldritch Insight – 40
• Flawless Ritual – 20
• War Mage – 30
• Flawless Ritual – 20
• Quick Recovery – 10
• Preparation – 40
• Elemental Aegis – 40
• Hardy – 40
• Quick Recovery – 30
• Blessed – 40
• Tireless Discipline – 40

FITNESS (RED)

• Boundless Vitality – 50 (Slotted)
• Rejuvenation – 50 (Slotted)
• Tumbling – 15
• Mystic Tenacity – 10
• Hero’s Vigor – 40
• Siphoning Spells – 50 (Slotted)
• Ironclad – 50 (Slotted)
• Tumbling – 30
• Defiance – 40
• Tireless Guardian – 40
• Fortification – 45
• Hasty – 32
• Sprinter – 40
• Nimble Protector – 15
• Savage Defense – 45
• Bashing Brutality – 40
• Survival Instincts – 10

CRAFT (GREEN)

• Steed’s Blessing – 50 (Slotted)
• Breakfall – 10
• Wanderer – 15
• Steadfast Enchantment – 10
• Rationer – 30 (Slotted)
• Liquid Efficiency – 75 (Slotted)
• Breakfall – 40
• Wanderer – 60
• Steadfast Enchantment – 40
• Treasure Hunter – 50 (Slotted)
• Fortune’s Favor – 50
• Gilded Fingers – 50
• Out of Sight – 30
• Fleet Phantom – 40
• Soul Reservoir – 33
• Inspiration Boost – 45

Other Important Info

Buff Food

• Mistral Banana-Bunny Hash (if a breton or if having sustain issues) – Max Health and Max Magicka
• Witchmother’s Potent Brew (If not breton) – Max Health, Magicka and Magicka Recovery

Mundus

Thief – Increased Critical Chance

Race

1. Breton
2. High Elf
3. Dark Elf

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), Destruction Staff (all), Mages Guild (all except persuasive passive), Undaunted (all), Racial (all), Alchemy (Medicinal Use), Psijic (Concentrated Barrier and Clairvoyance)

Resource Management & Rotation

Apply Channeled Acceleration, Merciless Resolve and Siphoning Attacks pre-fight.

Start on your back bar, and use Elemental Rage (if available) > Light Attack > Unstable Wall of Elements > Light Attack > Twisting Path > Light Attack > Mystic Orb > Weapon Swap > Light Attack > Swallow Soul > (Assassin’s Will when it procs). Keep using Light Attack > Swallow Soul and Assassin’s Will procs until it’s time to reapply your AoE and DoTs. Swap back to your back bar about a second before wall of elements ends and repeat the rotation.

• Re-apply the Merciless Resolve whenever it is about to expire.
• 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.
• Re-apply Channeled Acceleration whenever it is about to expire.
• When the boss is at less than 25% HP, replace Swallow Soul with Impale in the rotation.

Contact

If you have any questions about the build, join our discord server and ask @Nyassa or @Dottz 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
8/24/2020 – main gear setup overhauled
11/2/2020 – front bar weapon trait, mundus, CP, skills and rotation changed
3/9/2021 – changed skills, gear, cp, rotation