Powerful Arcanist Tank Build for ESO – Elder Scrolls Online

Table of Contents

• Dungeons & Trials Setup
  • Gear
  • Skills
  • Champion Points
  • Important Info (Food, Mundus, Race, Potions, Passives, Attributes)
• Resource Management
• Outfit Style Showcase
• Update Log

Welcome to the Arcanist Tank Build PvE “Sanctum” for ESO (Elder Scrolls Online). Make sure to bookmark the link as I will keep updating the build for each new Update of ESO. The Arcanist Tank Build PvE “Sanctum” is optimized for Dungeons & Trials.

Other Tank Guides:

• Beginner’s Tanking Guide
• Advanced Tanking Guide
• Endgame Tank Sets

The Arcanist is an amazing tank in ESO. Runic Sunder is a great mid-range taunt that also applies a unique armor debuff on the enemy, reduces incoming damage and generates Crux. Unbreakable Fate increases your resistance by a lot and increases block mitigation on top of that.

Runeguard of Freedom applies more damage mitigation buffs to yourself and your group and also heals you when you fall below a certain health threshold. These are just a few, there are plenty more great abilities, more in the skill section below.

The Arcanist also has great passives for tanking. The Aegis of the Unseen Passive is a unique buff that adds extra armor to your character. The Wellspring of Abyss passive adds a ton of extra Magicka and Stamina Recovery. The Erudition and Hideous Clarity passive further increase your sustain as a tank.

• Dungeon & Trials Build
• Arcanist Class
• Tank/Support Build
• Heavy Armor
• Great Sustain
• Easy Survivability
• Great Self Healing
• Insane Shielding

If you want to get an overall look at all the Arcanist skills please view the video showcase:

Dungeon & Trial Setup Arcanist Tank Build

In this section, we are going to take a look at the ESO Arcanist Tank Build setup.

5x Turning Tide, 5x Perf. Pearlescent Ward, 2x Nazaray with Bewitched Sugar Skills on a Nord.

• Unbuffed: Out of combat, buff-food active.
• Buffed: In combat, Raid Target Dummy buffs, Tri-Stat Potions active.

Gear Arcanist Tank Build ESO

Gear Setup

Gear Combo: Combining the sets Turning Tide and Nazaray creates a powerful combo. You can apply Major Vulnerability with Turning Tide and then activate an ultimate to proc Nazaray to get a very extended duration on the Major Vulnerability debuff. Basically increasing the damage output for the whole group for a long duration. If you have 500 ultimate points saved up you get an additional 25 seconds of Major Vulnerability, increasing the total time to 35 seconds!

Backbar Weapon: We use a Frost staff as a base backbar weapon, because of the Ancient Knowledge passive. However, you can also use a Lightning Staff or another sword and board if you wish to do so.

Beginner Gear Setup

This beginner setup is here for people that do not have access to the other setup now. You can ask a friend to craft Fortified Brass and Torug’s Pact for you. You could also use Plague Doctor instead of Torug’s Pact as it is very cheap available in the Guild Stores.

Where can I get the gear?

Turning Tide: Shipwright’s Regret dungeon
Perfected Pearlescent Ward: vDreadsail Reef Trial
Pearlescent Ward: Dreadsail Reef Trial
Nazaray: vShipwright’s Regret dungeon, Undaunted Enclave rewards.
Fortified Brass: Craftable
Torug’s Pact: Craftable
Night’s Silence: Craftable
Plague Doctor: Deshaan, Guildstore

Skills Arcanist Tank Build

Make sure to adjust your skills to your needs, this setup is not maced into stone, make sure to adjust skills depending on the situation of a fight.

Skills Explanation:

• Unbreakable Fate: 5% extra Block Mitigation and gives you Major Resolve increasing your Armor by a lot. Also applies Minor Breach on the enemy, reducing their armor when taking damage. In addition, each Crux you spend when activating this, you gain 5% extra mitigation (so 20% total).
• Heroic Slash: Debuffs the enemy with a 5% damage reduction debuff and also gives you Minor Heroism, increasing your Ultimate generation. This is your flex spot, you can replace this skill if you want.
• Runic Sunder: Generates Crux. This is your main short-range taunt and it also applies a unique armor reduction debuff on the enemy as well as Minor maim. (Note: No Major Breach compared to Pierce Armor, but you likely get that from another source/player already anyway through Elemental Susceptibility).
• Runeguard of Freedom: Applies Minor Resolve, increasing your Armor. Also adds Minor Protection which reduces incoming damage by 5%. When you are healed below 50% the Minor Protection buff goes away and you are healed. You also gain even more armor and CC immunity.
• Rune of the Colorless Pool: Applies Minor Vulnerability and Minor Brittle to the enemy for a long duration. This increases enemy damage and Critical Damage taken.
• Gibbering Shelter: This is a defensive ultimate, it applies a Huge shield to yourself absorbing 60% of incoming damage. When you absorb damage, allies gain shields as well.
• Zenas’ Empowering Disc: Buff circle that gives you and your allies Recovery and extra Damage.
• Blood Altar: Heals every second and allies can activate synergy for a huge burst heal.
• Elemental Blockade: If you are using a frost staff, this can proc Minor Brittle and Minor Maim on the enemy, which increases enemy critical damage taken and reduces enemy damage. Also provides a small shield to allies.
• Inner Rage: This is your long-range taunt, in case you can not get to a mob fast enough.
• Impervious Runeward: Strong shield that applies to yourself and also heals you.
• Aggressive Warhorn: Your main Ultimate, to buff the group with 10% more max resources and crit damage boost.

Other optional Skills:

• Silver Leash: This morph now chains enemies towards you. Be careful when you use it, because it costs Stamina.
• Shield Discipline (Ultimate): You can also use this Ultimate instead of the Remembrance Ultimate.

Champion Points for the ESO Arcanist Tank Build

Below you can find the Champion Points setup for this build. Work your way from top to bottom in your allocation. For more information on Champion Points, please visit the Champion Points Overview Page on ESO-Hub.com.

Important:

• Warfare Tree: This tree gives you a mix between damage, healing and damage mitigation.
• Fitness Tree: This tree gives you extra health, sustain and defensive buffs.
• Craft Tree: This tree is mostly optional, nothing really “impacts” combat, therefore you can pick whatever you prefer, or use the preset below.
• Perks: Hovering over each perk will give you insights on what it does. Presets are also provided for each of the allocations below.

Click the tab below to open the allocation.

Important Info for Arcanist Tank Build PvE

Buff-food

In general, most Tanks like to go with max resource buff foods such as the Bewitched Sugar Skulls or the cheaper version Longfin pasty with Melon Sauce. However, you could also use Jewels of Misrule which provides Health and a lot of Magicka and Stamina recovery.

Longfin pasty with Melon Sauce
(Max Health+Max Stamina+Max Magicka)

Bewitched Sugar Skulls

The Bewitched Sugar Skulls is a slightly more advanced version than Longfin Pasty with Melon sauce that has a bit higher stats and also includes health recovery, it costs more though.

You can also visit the Buff Food and Drinks Overview Page for more information on all food and drinks.

Mundus Stone

The Lord is a good Mundus Stone to increase maximum Health. However, you can also use other available Mundus Stones if you don’t need the extra Health. For an overview of all the Mundus Stones in ESO you can check out the Mundus Stone Overview Page.

The Lord Mundus Stone (Max Health)

Race

You can find more about racial passives on the ESO Race Overview page.

Nord
Argonian
Imperial
Orc
Redguard
Dark Elf

Potions

For hard content, I recommend using crafted or crown store Tri-Stat potions.

Tri-Stat Potion
(Health, Stamina, Magicka)
(Bugloss, Columbine, Mountain Flower)

Passives

• Herald of Tome: Fated Fortune, Harnessed Quintessence, Psychic Lesion
• Curative Runeforms: Healing Tides, Hideous Clarity, Erudition, Intricate Runeforms
• Soldier of Apocrypha: Aegis of the Unseen, Wellspring of the Abyss, Circumvented Fate, Implacable Outcome
• One Hand and Shield: Fortress, Sword and Board, Deadly Bash, Deflect Bolts, Battlefield Mobility
• Destruction Staff: Penetrating Magic, Elemental Force, Ancient Knowledge, Destruction Expert (Note: Do not activate Tri Focus passive)
• Heavy Armor: Resolve, Constitution, Juggernaut, Revitalize, Rapid Mending
• Medium Armor: If you have spare skillpoints, max out this skill line too.
• Light Armor: If you have spare skillpoints, max out this skill line too.
• Mages Guild: Mage Adept, Everlasting Magic, Magicka Controller
• Undaunted: Undaunted Command, Undaunted Mettle
• Racial: All
• Alchemy: Medicinal Use

Attributes

You have to make sure to have a bit more Stamina than Magicka. Because of the Synergies you pick up give you back whatever stat is higher. You can change this to your liking, if you do not need that much health, get more stamina.

20 Magicka, 20 Health, 24 Stamina

Resource Management for the Arcanist Tank

The Arcanist tank has great sustain thanks to some amazing Arcanist passives. The Wellspring of Abyss passive adds a ton of extra Magicka and Stamina Recovery. The Erudition and Hideous Clarity passive further increase your sustain as a tank.

Energy Orb is a skill that Healers use to throw into the group. You can use the synergy this skill provides to regain around 4000 resources. Our max Stamina is a bit higher than our Max Magicka, that is because you will get resources depending on your higher max Stamina or Magicka. And because we are a tank, Stamina is definitely more important.

Heavy Attacks restore a big amount of stamina, if you hit an off-balanced enemy it gives twice the amount back. You don’t need to permablock, try to find time to do Heavy Attacks in your rotation.

Potions are also a key to managing your resources well, I recommend using Tri-Stat potions to regain all three resources at the same time. Further below you will learn how to craft the right potions.

• Erudition Passive
• Wellspring of Abyss Passive
• Hideous Clarity Passive
• Heavy Attacks
• Potions
• Orbs (Undaunted skill-line)

Choosing an Argonian as a race for your tank will also increase sustain due to the Resourceful racial passive.

Outfit Style Showcase of the Arcanist Tank Build for ESO

Update Log for the ESO Arcanist Tank Build

28.04.2023 Added the first version of the ESO Arcanist Tank Build for the Necrom Chapter.
25.10.2023 Updated the Build for Necrom Update 40.
06.03.2024 Updated the Build for the Scions of Ithelia DLC Update 41, Gold Road Chapter.

Tags: Health Arcanist Tank Build, Arcanist Tank Build, Arcanist Tank Build PvE.

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