Darkness – Nightblade Tank PvE Build

Build Written By: Dottz Gaming – PC NA 

Role: Tank

Patch: Harrowstorm

Table of Contents

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

Introduction

Welcome to DottzGaming.com’s nightblade Tank Build PvE, Darkness, for the Elder Scrolls Online!

Nightblades make really solid tanks if built and played correctly. While most people like to think that nightblades are incapable of tanking higher level content, they couldn’t be more wrong. If you play on the strengths that the nightblade has, you can create a powerful nightblade tank that can take on not only vet DLC dungeons, but veteran trials as well. The Darkness build has run through multiple Vet DLC dungeon achievement runs, as well as vet trial hard mode runs, so if you choose to run this setup you’ll be building your character up for success!

There are a lot of factors that vary in this build depending on if you are tanking dungeons or trials. Some are different gear choices and some are different skill choices, and all of this will be outlined below!

Setup

Gear

NOTE: The sets needed for a trials group will vary per group. Be sure to check with your group’s leader to see what sets they want you to run. Other great sets to make sure you have on you are Hircine’s Veneer and Worm’s Raiment.

Attributes

The attribute breakdown is going to vary based on race, but when I created this setup, I was using an Imperial and tried to create all 4 build setups above around the same attribute spread. You just want to make sure you have at least around 35k+ HP, and that your stamina is higher than your magicka so that when you use Shards/Orbs, your stamina is returned. Do keep in mind this attribute breakdown is for using 3 healthy. If you use Harmony, you’re going to need to move some more points into health to make sure you’re over that 35k threshold. 

Magicka: 18
Health: 16
Stamina: 30

Skills

Main Bar – Sword and Shield: Pierce Armor, Heroic Slash, FLEX, Dark Cloak, Leeching Strikes, Aggressive Horn

Back Bar – Ice/Lightning Staff: Silver Leash, Inner Rage, Refreshing Path, Elemental Blockade, Mirage, Soul Siphon

Flex Skill Options

The build has 1 primary flex spot on the front bar; you can fill that slot based on what build you’re using and what is needed at the time. In terms of any changes to the back bar, most of the time, Silver Leash is used. But, if I am in a specific fight where Silver Leash is not necessary, I’ll also swap in another flex skill. The options for flex skills are as follows:

• Absorb Magic
• Deep Thoughts
• Sap Essence
• Sanguine Altar
• Shielded Assault
• Bone Surge
• Mass Hysteria
• Efficient Purge
• Relentless Focus

I also recommend getting Shield Discipline, the ultimate from the One-handed and Shield skill line. In certain fights where stamina sustain is going to be a real challenge and dropping block isnt the best option, this can be substituted in for Aggressive Horn to significantly help with stamina sustain.

Vampire vs. Mortal

I absolutely recommend playing as a vampire. The 10% recoveries that you gain, in addition to the undeath passive, greatly outweigh any of the negative side effects.

Champion Points

CHAMPION POINT 810 SETUP

THE MAGE (BLUE)

• Blessed – 100
• Elfborn – 100
• Spell Erosion – 3
• Elemental Expert – 32
• Physical Weapons Expert – 35

THE THIEF (GREEN)

• Warlord – 37
• Arcanist – 64
• Tenacity – 56
• Shadow Ward – 82
• Tumbling – 31

THE WARRIOR (RED)

• Ironclad –  72
• Spell Shield – 32
• Thick Skinned – 48
• Hardy – 49
• Elemental Defender – 49
• Heavy Armor Focus – 20

For the sap tank style, run the following as your blue CP:

THE MAGE (BLUE)

• Blessed – 100
• Elfborn – 81
• Spell Erosion – 14
• Elemental Expert – 75

CHAMPION POINT 300 SETUP

THE MAGE (BLUE)

• Blessed – 49
• Elfborn – 48
• Physical Weapons Expert – 3

THE THIEF (GREEN)

• Arcanist – 23
• Tenacity – 21
• Shadow Ward – 56

THE WARRIOR (RED)

• Ironclad –  37
• Thick Skinned – 23
• Hardy – 19
• Elemental Defender – 19
• Heavy Armor Focus – 2

Other Important Info

Buff Food

Longfin Pasty w/ Melon Sauce (Max Health, Magicka & Stamina)

Mundus

Atronach – Increased Magicka Recovery

Race

1. Imperial
2. Argonian
3. Nord

Potions

Tri-Stat (Restore HP, Mag and Stam) (Bugloss, Columbine and Mountain Flower)

Passives

Class (all), Light 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), Heavy Armor (all), One-Handed and Shield (all), Destruction Staff (all except tri-focus), Fighters Guild (Banish the Wicked), Undaunted (all), Racial (all), Alchemy (Medicinal Use)

Contact

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

Update Log

2/25/2018 – Build created.
5/31/2018 – Build writer changed and build overhauled for Summerset Isles.
9/5/2018 – CP updated for wolfhunter
10/31/2018 – CP updated for wolfhunter, off tank setup removed
1/31/2019 – New build writer and build completely overhauled
2/28/2019 – Front bar/back bar enchants swapped, CP 300 setup added
5/22/2019 – Attributes changed, Ebon changed the Claw of Yol for trials main tank setup
8/14/2019 – No changes for scalebreaker
10/21/2019 – No changes for Dragonhold
2/24/2020 – Alkosh replaced with Ebon in main setup, Akaviri Dragonguard replaced with Torug’s in off-tank setup, front bar trait changed from infused to decisive on all setups