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Beginner’s Nightblade Magicka DPS Build for The Elder Scrolls Online

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Categories The Elder Scrolls Online Nightblade Builds

Welcome to the Beginner’s Nightblade Magicka DPS Build/Guide for Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). This guide will teach you the basics of building a Nightblade Magicka DPS and provide you with the necessary tools to start your journey as a powerful damage dealer in ESO.

This build is designed for players new to the damage dealing role and focuses on easy-to-use abilities, survivability, and easy gear acquisition.

Race Selection:

While any race can be a Nightblade Magicka DPS, the following races have passives that make them more suitable for the role:

  • High Elf: Max Magicka, Spell Damage, and Magicka Recovery
  • Dark Elf: Max Magicka, Max Stamina, and Spell Damage
  • Breton: Max Magicka, Spell Resistance, and Magicka Recovery

Attribute Points:

Allocate all 64 points into Magicka to maximize your damage output. This can be changed later as you adapt and get better gear and stats.

Mundus Stone:

The Apprentice (Spell Damage) or The Lover (Spell Penetration)

Food and Potions:

  • Food: Bi-stat food (Max Health and Magicka)
  • Potions: Essence of Spell Power or basic health/magicka potions

Skills:

The skill setup for a beginner Nightblade Magicka DPS is as follows:

Bar 1 – Destruction Staff (Preferably Inferno Staff):

  1. Force Shock – Morph to Crushing Shock or Force Pulse
  2. Crippling Grasp – Morph to Debilitate or Crippling Grasp
  3. Twisting Path – Morph to Path of Darkness
  4. Impale – Morph to Assassin’s Blade
  5. Swallow Soul – Morph to Strife Ultimate: Elemental Storm – Morph to Elemental Rage

Bar 2 – Destruction Staff (Preferably Inferno Staff):

  1. Merciless Resolve – Morph to Grim Focus
  2. Siphoning Strikes – Morph to Leeching Strikes or Siphoning Attacks
  3. Elemental Blockade – Morph to Wall of Elements
  4. Harness Magicka – Morph to Annulment
  5. Inner Light – Morph to Magelight Ultimate: Soul Shred – Morph to Soul Siphon or Soul Tether

Champion Points:

Assuming you have 1800 CP available, focus on the following CP allocation to improve your damage dealing abilities. Keep in mind that these allocations may change as you progress and experiment with different playstyles.

Craft (Green):

  1. Slot 1: Steed’s Blessing – 50 points
  2. Slot 2: Breakfall – 50 points
  3. Slot 3: Wanderer – 50 points

Warfare (Red):

  1. Slot 1: Boundless Vitality – 50 points (Slot Unlock at 1200 CP)
  2. Slot 2: Fortified – 50 points
  3. Slot 3: Rejuvenation – 50 points
  4. Slot 4: Tireless Guardian – 50 points (Slot Unlock at 1800 CP)

Spend remaining points in:

  • Preparation (up to 50 points)
  • Quick Recovery (up to 50 points)
  • Elemental Aegis (up to 50 points)
  • Hardy (up to 50 points)

Fitness (Blue):

  1. Slot 1: Tumbling – 50 points
  2. Slot 2: Mystic Tenacity – 50 points
  3. Slot 3: Hero’s Vigor – 50 points
  4. Slot 4: Defiance – 50 points (Slot Unlock at 1200 CP)
  5. Slot 5: Hasty – 50 points (Slot Unlock at 1800 CP)

Spend remaining points in:

  • Sprinter (up to 50 points)
  • Tireless Discipline (up to 50 points)
  • Relentless Focus (up to 50 points)
  • Fortification (up to 50 points)
  • Piercing Gaze (up to 50 points)

Remember that the Champion Points system is flexible, and you can redistribute your points as you gain more experience and adapt to different situations. The allocation provided here is a starting point for a beginner Nightblade Magicka DPS, and you should feel free to experiment with other allocations as you progress through the game.

Passives:

  • Destruction Staff: All passives
  • Light Armor: All passives
  • Medium Armor: Wind Walker and Athletics passives
  • Heavy Armor: Juggernaut passive
  • Nightblade: All passives in Assassination, Shadow, and Siphoning skill lines
  • Mages Guild: All passives, if you use Inner Light
  • Racial: All passives for your chosen race

Gear:

As a beginner, your priority should be to acquire easy-to-obtain gear that provides good bonuses. Here’s a beginner-friendly gear setup:

  • 5x Julianos (Crafted set)
  • 5x Mother’s Sorrow (Deshaan overland or Guild Traders)
  • 2x Monster Set: Iceheart (Direfrost Keep) or Grothdarr (Vaults of Madness)

Traits and Enchantments:

  • Armor: Divines on all pieces with Magicka enchantments
  • Weapons: Precise on both destruction staffs with Absorb Magicka and Weapon Damage enchantments
  • Jewelry: Arcane with Spell Damage or Magicka Recovery enchantments

This beginner’s Nightblade Magicka DPS build is designed to help you learn the basics of dealing damage in ESO. As you progress, you’ll be able to experiment with different sets, skills, and playstyles to find the perfect DPS build for your playstyle.

Remember to communicate with your group, adapt to different situations, and always strive to improve your gameplay. Damage dealing is a rewarding and essential role in ESO, and with practice and patience, you’ll become a reliable and effective Nightblade Magicka DPS.

As you gain experience, explore more advanced builds and strategies to further optimize your damage dealing capabilities. Happy DPSing!