Magicka Nightblade Beginner Build for ESO – New Player Guide

“Adept Nightblade”

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Resource Management
• Setup CP 160
  • Gear
  • Skills
  • Champion Points
  • Important Info
• Rotation
• Summary

Welcome to the Magicka Nightblade Beginner Build PvE “Adept Nightblade”. This build is balanced for 160 Champion Points. It should be your next step to work on this setup after completing the Magicka Nightblade Beginner Guide. The focus on this setup will be to get you ready for veteran dungeons with basic gear and to make sure that you have enough sustain and good survivability. With this setup you can start farming your gear for the end game Trial & Dungeon Builds on this website.

It will also explain some more advanced game mechanics which you don’t have to master right away, but should be aware of.

If you have more questions, you can also ask someone in our community partner discord about this Magicka Nightblade Beginner Guide.

• Basic Gear Setup
• 160 Champion Points
• Good Sustain
• Good Survivability
• How to play Magicka Nightblade

Resource Management

Resource management is one of the most important things for all builds, you need to learn how to be able to sustain yourself on the Nightblade class. I will mention a few tricks in this section of the guide. In general you should make sure that you have around 1600-1800 magicka recovery fully buffed with a basic magicka potion active, the potion drops from killed monsters or you can also buy them in the guild store, though you probably don’t have the money yet (Potion gives you Major Intellect, increasing Magicka Recovery by 20%).

Alternatively you can also join a guild that supports new players and ask them for a few potions.

Witchmother’s Potent Brew Drink

The Witchmother’s Potent Brew drink is one of the key things that Magicka setups use to increase their magicka recovery and thus their sustain. It gives max health, max magicka and magicka recovery as stats. You can obtain this for a quite cheap price in most guild stores or you can join a guild that supports new players and ask there. Always make sure that you have this drink active. The drink scales with your level, that means you can use it with any level.

Heavy Attacks

Heavy attacks restore a huge amount of resources when you successfully hit the target. Make sure to do a heavy attack from time to time when you drop low on magicka. It is worth noting that when an enemy is off balanced, you will get twice the amount of magicka back from a heavy attack.

Absorb Magic Enchantment

Using an Absorb Magic Enchantment on our frontbar will also increase sustain. Every time the magic damage enchantment damages an enemy, we also get a small junk of magicka back. You can either craft the enchantment yourself but you probably won’t have the right level, therefore buying would be the second option. Often weapons already have this enchantment as a base enchamtent, that means chances are big you already have it active on your weapon.

Magicka Recovery Glyphs (optional)

I do recommend running one magicka recovery glyph on your jewelry, if you want you can also use a second one if you still think your sustain is too low. Please visit the Glyph List Guide to figure out how to craft this one. Alternatively you can also buy it in the store. Often jewelry already has recovery enchantments as a base enchantment equiped.

Gear Setup CP 160 Nightblade Beginner Guide

Here you will find three basic Beginner Setups. As soon as you hit CP 160 it would be good if you get a Monster Set, the headpiece is a guaranteed drop when you finish a veteran dungeon, in our case Crypt of Hearts 1 for Ilambris Monster Set. It is one of the easier dungeons to complete in veteran mode. If you do not have a Monster Set yet, just use some random gear pieces there.

Shoulders drop from the reward chests at each of the Undaunted enclaves in every major city of the base game. Depending on where the monster sets drop, it also drops from the chest from whom you received the quest.

• I will also explain down below what other sets that you should start farming, sets that can always be handy to have somewhere in the bank.
• Try to get as close to this setup as possible, it isn’t a problem if you don’t have the exact same setup. However, the more sets that you have complete the better for your stats.

Beginner Setup 1

This would be the ideal setup, but it takes some time and requires you to spend some time farming dungeons.
Divines would be ideal for the body pieces, but you can take any trait for now.

Beginner Setup 2

This setup is without a Monster Set, but requires you to either know someone that can craft this, or have the spare money to buy these parts in a guild store.

If you want to farm it yourself

This one is without a Monster Set and you can find all these pieces in Overland content

Where can I get the gear?

Law of Julianos: Craftable
Willpower: Guildstore
Mother’s Sorrow: Malabal Tor, Guildstore
Skooma Smuggler: Glenumbra, Guildstore
Shroud of the Lich: Crypt of Hearts I & II
Bloodthorn’s Touch: Glenumbra, Guildstore
Armor of the Seducer: Craftable

Monster Sets (Recommended)

Ilambris: Crypts of Hearts 1 (Head), Undaunted Pledges (Shoulder, Gilirion treasure chest)
Grothdarr: Vaults of Madness (Head), Undaunted Pledges (Shoulder, Glirion treasure chest)

Sets that you should also farm

In addition to the basic setup that is listed up there you should also farm some other sets that you will need sooner or later.

Ilambris Monster Set

Ilambris is the most popular Monster Set for Magicka Nightblade setups that isn’t locked behind a DLC. It provides a lot of extra magicka and fire and shock damage. It works for both Single Target and AoE (Area of Effect) damage, which is very handy.

Grothdarr Monster Set

Grothdarr is a very good alternative to Ilambris, as the AoE effect of it moves together with you. But you also have to stand close to the targets in order for the Monster Set to have an effect!

False God’s Devotion Trial Set

False God’s Devotion is currently the best Trial Set that you can get from normal trials, but it requires you to have the DLC Elsweyr.

If you want to find more sets that you can use more towards late game, you can check out the full list of recommended Magicka DPS sets.

Skills

This skill layout will be very close to the normal skill setup that we use in endgame builds like the Magicka Nightblade Azure Build. You might not have all the necessary skills yet, but I suggest that you start working on obtaining these specific skills as soon as possible.

Skills Explanation

• Crippling Grasp: This is a so-called debuff and dot (damage over time). It weakens the enemy by immobilizing it for 2 seconds and slowing it for 4, as well as causing damage at the same time.
• Merciless Resolve: This is the most essential skill of a Nightblade. It should be active at all time and when you have light attacked for 5 times you are able to activate its ability “Assassin’s Will” (also known as Spectral Bow). The skill itself will reduce your damage taken by 3% for each Light or Heavy Attack, up to 5 times. The “arrow” you shoot from the “bow” will not only deal damage, but will also heal you for 50% of the damage dealt if you are within 7 meters of the enemy.
• Swallow Soul: This is your “spammable”, meaning you can cast this skill multiple times. It doesn’t only deal damage, but also heals you for 35% of the damage inflicted every 2 seconds for 10 seconds.
• Impale: This skill is best used when your enemy is below 25% health, as it deals 300% more damage and is your so called “execute”, meaning you use this in the execute phase which, for you as a Nightblade, is everything below 25% health.
• Dark Shades: Good area of effect damage.
• Incapacitating Strike: If an enemy doesn’t have much health points left and you can’t build up Shooting Star quickly enough, you can use this Ultimate to inflict more damage, but it’s usually used for it’s passive ability of restoring Magicka and Stamina to you when you deal a Light or Heavy Attack with a “debuff” active on your enemy.
• Unstable Wall of Elements: This needs to be on the ground all the times as it deals a lot of damage with a strong explosion.
• Twisting Path: Good are of effect damage.
• Harness Magicka: If you receive a lot of damage and don’t receive no or not much healing, this will be your main protection.
• Siphoning Attacks: This is a buff for you, causing your Light and Heavy Attacks to heal you and restoring Magicka to you for 20 seconds. When the effect ends, it will also restore additional Magicka.
• Inner Light: Increases your total Max Magicka by 7%, 5% from the skill and another 2% from the Magicka Controller passive.
• Shooting Star: Increases your Max Magicka by 2% due to the Magicka Controller passive. This is also your strongest AoE Ultimate that you can build up pretty fast, especially with your Magicka Controller passive.

Skill lines you have to work on

You want to make sure to max out all of the following Skill lines and grind up all the skills and morphs of:

• All Nightblade Class Skill-lines
• Destruction Staff
• Light Armor
• Mages Guild
• Undaunted (Passives only)
• Psijic Order (optional)
• Provisioning (Gourmand & Connoisseur)
• Alchemy (Medicinal Use)

Yes, that is a lot of Skill-lines, it will take a fair bit of time to completely level up all of those, but it will be worth it. If you want more information about each of the skill lines, make sure to visit ESO-hub.com. The website has all the skill lines up to date for ESO (Elder Scrolls Online).

Champion Points 

Important Info for Magicka Nightblade Beginner Build PvE

Buff-Food

Witchmothers Brew (Max Health, Max Magicka, Magicka Recovery)

This Drink is scaling with your level, so you can use it while leveling up!

Mundus Stone

The Lover (Increased Spell Penetration)

Race

All Magicka based races work with this setup. More about each race can be found on the racial overview page.

High Elf
Breton
Dark Elf
Argonian
Khajiit
Orc

Potions

You can use those potions, they drop from Monsters, so you should have plenty of them. You can also buy those potions in the guildstore, they are very cheap.

Passives

In the end you want to have all these passives active with this build:

• Assassination: Master Assassin, Executioner, Pressure Points, Hemorrhage
• Shadow: Refreshing Shadows, Shadow Barrier, Dark Vigor, Dark Veil
• Siphoning: Catalyst, Magicka Flood, Soul Siphoner, Transfer
• Destruction Staff: Tri Focus, Penetrating Magic, Elemental Force, Ancient Knowledge, Destruction Expert
• Light Armor: Grace, Evocation, Spell Warding, Prodigy, Concentration
• Mages Guild: Mage Adept, Everlasting Magic, Magicka Controller, Might of the Guild
• Undaunted: Undaunted Command, Undaunted Mettle
• Racial: All
• Alchemy: Medicinal Use
• Provisioning: Gourmand, Connoisseur

Rotation

In case you don’t know what what weaving light attacks is, make sure to check out the “Weaving Beginner Guide” which explains how to weave light attacks between abilities, aka animation canceling.

Magicka Nightblades have a very dynamic rotation. Their strength and bane lies in this, as they are definitely not an easy class to master. What you need to do is keep your buffs up and work on weaving in light attacks between your skills, as this is crucial in order to build up your Spectral Bow.

Start with casting Siphoning Attacks and Merciless Resolve.

Crippling Grasp > Weapon Swap >
Unstable Wall of Elements > Light Attack >Twisting Path > Weapon Swap (reapply Siphoning Attacks if needed before you swap)
Light Attack > Crippling Grasp > Light Attack > Soul Splitting Trap > Light Attack > 4x Swallow Soul
If you don’t have anything to reapply, use Light Attack>Swallow Soul to build up your Spectral Bow

• Use Spectral Bow from Merciless Resolve whenever it is ready. otherwise keep using Light Attack > Swallow Soul.
• From 25% and less you want to make sure to keep up Unstable Wall of Elements and Merciless Resolve and then use Impale instead of Swallow Soul
• Reapply Dark Shades every 2nd rotation

Important: If you can’t pull off a rotation yet, don’t worry too much about it, this is hard and you will get better at it the longer you play.

Summary

• Daily Dungeon queue
• Daily Battleground queue
• Crafting Writs
• Undaunted Daily quests

What’s next?!

• Magicka Nightblade META Group Build
• Magicka Nightblade SOLO Build

Related Topics:

• ESO-Hub.com
• New Player Beginner Guide
• Champion Points & Power Leveling Guide
• Race Guide
• Alchemy Guide
• Provisioning Guide