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)
• Build Video
• 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!

If you are NEW to ESO, I also recommend checking out the Beginner’s Tanking Guide and the Advanced Tanking Guide which have a lot of important information about tanking!

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 from the previous version

No major changes to the build in the Dragonhold DLC.

COLOSSUS: The Major Vulnerability from this ability and its morphs now last 8 seconds after dealing any damage, rather than 3 seconds after the final smash. Enemies hit by Major Vulnerability cannot be affected again for 20 seconds after it applies.

Resource Management

Keeping up the Ghost will give you an additional 200 Magicka and Stamina Recovery plus it also heals and mitigates damage, you want to make sure to keep this one up a 100% of the time. Healers can also support you with Energy Orb and Luminous Shards (Templar) to give you around 4000 Stamina back, that is also the reason why we have more Stamina than Magicka, because you gain resources depending on your higher resource stat. So our Stamina should be about 1500 higher than our Magicka pool, which means we will always get Stamina back from the Spears or the Orbs! Also, you do not always need to permablock, so when you have time, do some heavy attacks to restore some resources! Potions are also a key to manage your resources well, use the right potions to really get the edge on your resources! If you still have trouble then use Deep Thoughts (or Spell Sym), just be careful with those abilities, you need to use them in the right moment.

• Spirit Guardian with Undead Confederate
• Potions
• Heavy Attacks
• Energy Orb or Luminous Shards
• Deep Thoughts or Spell Symmetry

Dungeon & Trial Setup

• Unbuffed: Out of combat
• Buffed: Major Ward, Major Resolved and the Gost are 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
Roar of Alkosh: Maw of Lorkhaj
Bloodspawn: Spindleclutch 2
Lord Warden: Imperial City Prison
Mighty Chudan: Ruins of Mazzatun
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%.
• Deep Thoughts/ Spell Sym: If you have sustain issues, use either one of these skills. If you have access to Psijic Skill Line, I would recommend using Deep Thoughts.
• 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)
• (optional) Expunge and Modify: Good ability to remove negative effects on yourself, keep in mind this costs health to use.
• Avid Boneyard: You can activate your own synergy, especially useful when you are using the Alkosh set.
• 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.

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.

Championpoints

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

Championpoints [810]

The Ritual
The Attronarch
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

Championpoints [600]

The Ritual
26 Precise Strikes, 1 Piercing
The Attronarch
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

Championpoints [300]

The Ritual
The Attronarch
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 (Max Health)

Race

Argonian (Recommended, best sustain)
Nord (Fastest ultimate generation, extra resistances)
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
• Vampire (optional): Supernatural Recovery, Undeath, Dark Stalker
• Fighters Guild: Banish the Wicked
• Undaunted: Undaunted Command, Undaunted Mettle
• Psijic Order (Only if you use Deep Thoughts): Concentrated Barrier, Deliberation
• 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, 40 Health, 14 Stamina

Build Video

Update Log

Related Topics

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