Nightblade Tank Build PvE for Elder Scrolls Online

“Siphoner”

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 Nightblade Tank Build PvE “Siphoner” for Elder Scrolls Online. Make sure to bookmark the link as I will keep updating the build for each new Update of ESO. The Nightblade Tank Build Siphoner is optimized for Dungeons and 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 needs some small adjustments to the build.

Other Tank Guides:

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

We are using a Health build, as you really want to make sure to have enough health to absorb damage. Having a lot of health also increases our heals that we get from Dark Cloak. This ability scales off health, so we get a decent amount of health per second thanks to our big health pool as long as we keep this ability up.

The Mirage skill gives us constant 20% AoE damage mitigation, which really helps a lot to mitigation a lot of the incoming damage. We also use Battalion Defender set which both can heal you or your group mates.

• Dungeon & Trial Build
• Tank/Support Build
• Heavy Armor
• Great Sustain
• Easy Survivability

Changes to the previous Version

Update 28 Markarth DLC brings the following changes to the build:

Major Breach:

• Increased to 5948, up from 5280.
• Major Breach now affects both Physical and Spell Resistance equally.

Major Evasion:

• Decreased to 20%, down from 25%.

Resource Management

Leeching Strikes helps us sustain our stamina better, you will get a big burst of resources when the effect ends and when you do light or heavy attacks.

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.

Incapacitating Strike ultimate is slotted on the front bar for the “Reave” buff. Every time you do a Light or Heavy Attack you will gain resources, this is very powerful.

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.

To increase our Magicka sustain, we want to make sure to use Spell Symmetry to manage our Magicka resources.

• Leeching Strikes
• 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.

Dungeons & Trials Setup

5x Ebon Armory, 5x Batallion Defender, 2x Symphony of Blades with Bewitched Sugar Skills on a Nord.

• Unbuffed: Out of combat.
• Buffed: Raid Target Dummy buffs.

Gear

Gear Setup 1

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.

• Set allocation: It does not matter what gearsets you wear where, as long as you use those two combos, you should be fine.

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: Rewards of the Worthy, Guildstore
Lord Warden: Imperial City Prison
Roar of Alkosh: Maw of Lorkhaj
Bloodspawn: Spindleclutch
Swarm Mother: Spindleclutch 1
Torug's Pact: Craftable
Fortified Brass: Craftable
Torug's Pact: Craftable
Night's Silence: Craftable
Plague Doctor: Deshaan, Guildstore

Skills

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.

• Lotus Fan can also be used for the setup to apply Minor Vulnerability to the enemy.
• Silver Leash can be used if you need something to pull monsters to you.

Skill explanation:

• Heroic Slash: Debuffs the enemy with a 5% damage reduction debuff and also gives you Minor Heroism, increasing your Ultimate generation.
• Dark Cloak: Heals you based on Max Health and grants Minor Protection, increasing your damage mitigation by 5%.
• Pierce Armor: Your main taunt, also debuffs the enemy with Major Fracture and Major Breach, reducing Spell and Physical Resistance by 5948.
• Relentless Focus: Flexspot, you can place another ability here if you would like.. If you keep Relentless Focus up you gain increased Critical healing.
• Defensive Stance: Applies a shield to you and increases the amount you can block by 10% and reduces block cost by 10%.
• Incapacitating Strike: This ultimate is only slotted, never used. It returns resources due to the Reave perk every time you Light or Heavy Attack.
• Leeching Strikes: One of your resource management tools, keep this active all the time.
• Mirage: Keep this up as it provides you with Minor Ward and Resolve, plus a 20% AoE damage mitigation effect.
• Spell Symmetry: This gives you unlimited Magicka, just be careful when you activate it due to the Health loss.
• Inner Rage: This is your ranged taunt, in case you can not get to a mob fast enough.
• Elemental Blockade: The Lightning Blockade needs to be on the ground all the time, it is here to keep our crusher enchantment up a 100%. The crusher enchantment will even proc while you are on the frontbar, you just have to make sure to keep the blockade up.
• Aggressive Warhorn: Your main Ultimate, to buff the group with 10% more max resources and crit damage boost.

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
40 Thaumaturge, 34 Precise Strikes, 43 Mighty
The Atronach
2 Physical Weapons Expert, 31 Master-at-Arms
The Apprentice
75 Blessed, 44 Elfborn, 1 Spell Erosion
The Shadow
81 Shadow Ward, 61 Tumbling
The Lover
43 Tenacity
The Tower
56 Warlord, 21 Bashing Focus, 8 Sprinter
The Lord
18 Bastion, 12 Heavy Armor Focus
The Lady
56 Hardy, 56 Elemental Defender, 56 Thick Skinned
The Steed
72 Ironclad

Champion Points [600]

The Ritual
27 Precise Strikes, 26 Thaumaturge, 43 Mighty
The Atronach
26 Master-at-Arms, 2 Physical Weapon Expert
The Apprentice
49 Blessed, 26 Elfborn, 1 Spell Erosion
The Shadow
100 Shadow Ward, 50 Tumbling
The Lover
The Tower
50 Warlord
The Lord
The Lady
56 Hardy, 49 Elemental Defender, 23 Thick Skinned
The Steed
72 Ironclad

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 Nightblade 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

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

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

Passives

• Assassination: Executioner, Pressure Points, Hemorrhage
• Shadow: Refreshing Shadows, Shadow Barrier, Dark Vigor, Dark Veil
• Siphoning: Catalyst, Magicka Flood, Soul Siphoner, Transfer
• 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

Update Log

Related Topics

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