Necromancer Tank Build PvE for Elder Scrolls Online

“Colossus”

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Changes from the previous version
• Resource Management
• Dungeons & Trials Setup
  • Gear
  • Skills
  • Champion Points (810, 600, 300)
  • Important Info (Food, Mundus, Race, Potions, Passives, Attributes)
• Update Log

Introduction

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

Keep in mind there is a huge variety of different tank builds out there that synergize well depending on your group setup. Remember, each Dungeon or Trial needs some small adjustments to the build. So if you for example feel that you need more health, then go for it!

Other Tank Guides:

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

The Necromancer has a very strong tanking toolkit, especially thanks to the Bone Tyrant skill-line. The sets are similar to other classes but the skills differentiate quite a bit. Beckoning Armor is a nice ability to pull in ranged targets without paying too much attention to them,

Agony Totem applies debuffs to the enemies and players can even use a synergy with this skill. The most important skill for a Necromancer Tank is the Necrotic Potency which can increase your ultimate regeneration by a lot. that way you can regain your Ultimate way faster then any other class!

• Necromancer Class
• Trial, Dungeon & Arena
• Tank/ Support Build
• Heavy Armor
• Great sustain
• Great survivability
• Great self healing

Changes to the previous Version

In the Stonethorn DLC U27 the build got a small buff if you are using the Battalion Defender Set.

• Battalion Defender: Increased the heal of this set to 2466, up from 2000.

Resource Management

Mortal Coil requires a corpse to drain, once the tether is connected it heals and restores Stamina.

Spirit Guardian reduces your damage taken by 10%, heals you and also keeps the Undead Confederate passive active to boost your sustain.

Spell Symmetry returns Magicka, you can use this as much as you want, but be careful that your Healer is healing you. Because you loose Health while using this.

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 manage 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.

• Mortal Coil
• Spirit Guardian
• Spell Symmetry
• 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.

Dungeon & Trial Setup

5x Ebon Armory, 5x Battalion Defender, 2x Thurvokun on a Nord with Bewitched Sugar Skulls food.

• Unbuffed: Out of combat
• Buffed: Raid Target Dummy buffs, Beckoning Armor, Spirit Guardian and Tri-stat potions were active.

Gear

Gear Setup

Lightning vs Frost Staff: You can use both options, a frost staff is better if you want to go the save route and get all the block mitigation on the backbar as well. The Lightning Staff is used in combination with Elemental Blockade to apply Off-Balance to the enemy, that way you can support your group and increase the overall damage output.

• Monster Sets: There are various Monster Sets that you can wear along with this combination, you can use Mighty Chudan, Pirate Skeleton, Bloodspawn, Vykosa etc.

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?

Ebon Armory: Crypts of Hearts
Battalion Defender: Cyrodiil, Guildstores
Thurvokun: Fang Lair, Urgarlag Undaunted Chest
Lord Warden: Imperial City Prison
Fortified Brass: Craftable
Torug's Pact: Craftable
Night's Silence: Craftable
Plague Doctor: Deshaan, Guildstore

 Skills

Skills explanation:

• Agony Totem: Place this on the ground to give Minor Protection to your group, decreasing their damage taken by 8%. Allies can also use the synergy to apply Minor Vulnerability to the enemy, increasing their damage taken by 8%.
• Heroic Slash: Debuffs the enemy with a 15% damage reduction debuff and also gives you Minor Heroism, increasing your Ultimate generation.
• Pierce Armor: Your main taunt, also debuffs the enemy with Major Fracture and Major Breach, reducing Spell and Physical Resistance by 5280.
• Spirit Ward: The ghost heals you and also mitigates damage you take by 10%.
• Spell Symmetry: If you use Spell Symmetry you restore 3000 Magicka and your next magicka ability that you use gets a reduced cost of 25% this lasts 5 seconds.
  IMPORTANT: Be aware that when you use the skill, that all shields and healing will be cut in half for the next 4 seconds.
• Aggressive Warhorn: Your main Ultimate, to buff the group with 10% more max resources and crit damage boost.
• Necrotic Potency: Use this ability on trash fights where you have a lot of corpses, you will gain a lot of extra Ultimate and some health.
• Elemental Blockade: If you are using a Shock staff, this can proc off balance on the enemies which increases the damage output of your group. (You could also use Expunge and Modify here)
• Mortal Coil: Heals you and returns Stamina at the same time.
• Inner Rage: This is your ranged taunt, in case you can not get to a mob fast enough.
• Beckoning Armor: Buffs your resistances and pulls in ranged enemies that hit you.
• Pestilent Colossus: Applies Major Vulnerablity for 8 seconds, so bosses take 30% more damage.

Champion Points

If you need optimized defensive Champion Points for a specific trial I recommend checking out my Maximize Damage Mitigation in Trials Article.

• Calculator: In case you need help distributing your Champion Points, make sure to check out the Champion Points Calculator!

Champion Points [810]

The Ritual
The Atronach
47 Physical Weapons Expert, 73 Master-at-Arms
The Apprentice
100 Blessed, 48 Elfborn, 2 Spell Erosion
The Shadow
81 Shadow Ward, 60 Tumbling
The Lover
43 Tenacity
The Tower
56 Warlord, 21 Bashing Focus, 9 Sprinter
The Lord
32 Quick Recovery
The Lady
49 Hardy, 49 Elemental Defender, 48 Thick Skinned
The Steed
66 Ironclad, 26 Spellshield

Champion Points [600]

The Ritual
26 Precise Strikes, 1 Piercing
The Atronach
73 Master-at-Arms
The Apprentice
100 Blessed
The Shadow
100 Shadow Ward, 50 Tumbling
The Lover
The Tower
50 Warlord
The Lord
The Lady
49 Hardy, 49 Elemental Defender, 23 Thick Skinned
The Steed
61 Ironclad, 18 Spell Shield

Champion Points [300]

The Ritual
The Atronach
The Apprentice
100 Blessed
The Shadow
44 Shadow Ward
The Lover
43 Arcanist
The Tower
13 Warlord
The Lord
The Lady
27 Hardy, 27 Elemental Defender, 2 Thick Skinned
The Steed
44 Ironclad

Important Info for Necromancer Tank Build PvE

Buff-food

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

Bewitched Sugar Skulls

This is a slightly more advanced version that has a bit higher stats and also includes health recovery. Though it also costs more.

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.

The Lord (Max Health)

Race

Nord (Fast ultimate generation, extra resistances)
Argonian (Best sustain)
Imperial
Orc
Redguard

Potions

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

Passives

• Grave Lord: Reusable Parts, Death Knell, Dismember, Rapid Rot
• Bone Tyrant: Death Gleaning, Disdain Harm, Health Avarice, Last Gasp
• Living Death: Curative Curse, Near-Death Experience, Corpse Consumption, Undead Confederate
• One Hand and Shield: Fortress, Sword and Board, Deadly Bash, Deflect Bolts, Battlefield Mobility
• Destruction Staff: Penetrating Magic, Elemental Force, Ancient Knowledge, Destruction Expert
• Heavy Armor: Resolve, Constitution, Juggernaut, Revitalize, Rapid Mending
• Medium Armor: Dexterity, Wind Walker, Athletics
• Light Armor: Grace, Evocation, Spell Warding
• Fighters Guild: Banish the Wicked
• 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.

10 Magicka, 54 Health, 0 Stamina

Update Log

Related Topics

• Dragonknight Tank Build PvE
• Sorcerer Tank Build PvE
• Nightblade Tank Build PvE
• Warden Tank Build PvE
• Templar Tank Build PvE