ONE BAR MAGICKA NIGHTBLADE PVP BUILD
Writer: @xGAMxHQ
Role: PVP
Patch: Update 40 – Infinite Archive
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Specter One Bar Magicka Nightblade PVP Build for The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is optimized for all levels of players, whether you’re looking to get a dedicated PVP build together or a veteran player looking at how you can improve upon your build.
Your typical ESO PVP builds are unlike any role compared to the PVE side of ESO. While you may not have dedicated Tanks, builds can lean toward being more offensive or defensive in playstyle. The Specter build is a stealthy glass cannon with the goal of taking out your enemies before they have the chance to spot you. It utilizes the Oakensoul Mythic Ring to build Ultimate faster and gain access to out-of-reach buffs at the cost of having access to only one ability bar.
The One Bar Magicka Nightblade PVP build covers everything you need to know, including recommended armor setups for campaigns with and without proc sets enabled, skills, champion points, and alternatives to meet various needs. Please read the entire build and bookmark the page, as it will update with each new patch.
JANUARY 11 / 2024: – UPDATE 40 – INFINITE ARCHIVE
• Build Published
RACE
KHAJIIT
DARK ELF
HIGH ELF
Khajiit, Dark Elves, and High Elves all offer solid racial passives, though all races will work. The One Bar Magicka Nightblade PVP build uses the Khajiit racial passives, as they provide the best bonuses to your Critical Damage. Choose a race that best suits your needs.
Khajiit are the best choice for this build as they are the only race that provides an increase to your Critical Damage by 12%. Khajiit also provide many benefits to hybridized builds, increasing your Maximum Health, Magicka, and Stamina by 915 and your Health, Magicka, and Stamina Recovery by 90.
Dark Elves are an excellent choice for heavily hybridized builds by increasing your Maximum Magicka and Maximum Stamina by 1910 and Weapon and Spell Damage by 258. They also increase your Flame Resistance by 4620, which helps to offset some of the downsides to being a Stage 3 Vampire.
High Elves offer strong raw damage and healing power and an easy way to restore Magicka, only requiring you to cast an ability to take advantage of the passive. They also increase your Maximum Magicka by 2000 and Weapon and Spell Damage by 258.
ATTRIBUTES
MAGICKA
64
HEALTH
0
STAMINA
0
ESO PVP builds typically aim to have at least 30,000 Maximum Health before the Minor Toughness buff; however, this build’s only goal is to kill before you are spotted, all points will be invested into Magicka. It’s also important to ensure you have a Maximum Magicka value that exceeds your Maximum Stamina value. Doing this ensures that you always restore Magicka when you activate the synergy provided by the Luminous Shards or Energy Orb skills.
ARMOR SETUPS - PROC
| SET NAME | TRAIT | ENCHANTMENT | WEIGHT/TYPE | ACQUIRED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
HEAD |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Medium |
Veteran Fungal Grotto I |
|
|
SHOULDERS |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Medium |
Crafted |
|
|
CHEST |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Heavy |
Crafted |
|
|
HANDS |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Light |
Crafted |
|
|
WAIST |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Light |
Crafted |
|
|
LEGS |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Medium |
Crafted |
|
|
FEET |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Medium |
Crafted |
|
|
NECKLACE |
Bloodthirsty |
Magical Harm |
Jewelry |
Crafted |
|
|
RING |
Bloodthirsty |
Magical Harm |
Jewelry |
Crafted |
|
|
RING |
Bloodthirsty |
Magical Harm |
Jewelry |
Scrying |
|
|
FRONT BAR (MAIN HAND) |
Nirnhoned |
Flame Damage |
Axe |
Crafted |
|
|
FRONT BAR (OFF-HAND) |
Sharpened |
Poison Damage |
Axe |
Crafted |
This build uses Sorcery-Draining Poisons instead of enchantments. See the Consumables section of the build for details.
ARMOR SETUPS - NO PROC
| SET NAME | TRAIT | ENCHANTMENT | WEIGHT/TYPE | ACQUIRED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
HEAD |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Medium |
Veteran Wayrest Sewers I |
|
|
SHOULDERS |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Medium |
Crafted |
|
|
CHEST |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Heavy |
Crafted |
|
|
HANDS |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Light |
Crafted |
|
|
WAIST |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Light |
Crafted |
|
|
LEGS |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Medium |
Crafted |
|
|
FEET |
Divines |
Maximum Magicka |
Medium |
Crafted |
|
|
NECKLACE |
Bloodthirsty |
Magical Harm |
Jewelry |
Crafted |
|
|
RING |
Bloodthirsty |
Magical Harm |
Jewelry |
Crafted |
|
|
RING |
Bloodthirsty |
Magical Harm |
Jewelry |
Scrying |
|
|
FRONT BAR (MAIN HAND) |
Nirnhoned |
Flame Damage |
Axe |
Crafted |
|
|
FRONT BAR (OFF-HAND) |
Sharpened |
Poison Damage |
Axe |
Crafted |
This build uses Sorcery-Draining Poisons instead of enchantments. See the Consumables section of the build for details.
SKILLS
FRONT BAR
Concealed Weapon (Morph of Veiled Strike | Skill Line: Shadow)
Shadowy Disguise (Morph of Shadow Cloak | Skill Line: Shadow)
Shrewd Offering (Morph of Malevolent Offering | Skill Line: Siphoning)
Killer’s Blade (Morph of Assassin’s Blade | Skill Line: Assassination)
Merciless Resolve (Morph of Grim Focus | Skill Line: Assassination)
Ultimate: Incapacitating Strike (Morph of Death Stroke | Skill Line: Assassination)
ALTERNATIVE SKILLS
REAPER'S MARK
Skill Line: Assassination
Base Skill: Mark Target
Reaper’s Mark can replace Srewd Offering to if you’re using the No Proc setup and still want to apply Major Breach. Using Reaper’s Mark over Shrewd Offering reduces your self-healing capability.
PASSIVES
Most passives in your skill lines are worth unlocking, but some are more critical to the One Bar Magicka Nightblade PVP build than others and should be unlocked before others. This build utilizes Stage 3 Vampirism to significantly increase the effectiveness of your stealth and Weapon and Spell Damage when leaving stealth at the cost of some self-sustain.
Below is a list of the most essential passives to the One Bar Magicka Nightblade PVP build.
ASSASSINATION
- All Passives
SHADOW
- All Passives
SIPHONING
- All Passives
DUAL WIELD
- Dual Wield Expert
- Twin Blade and Blunt
LIGHT ARMOR
- All Passives
MEDIUM ARMOR
- Dexterity
- Wind Walker
- Agility
- Athletics
HEAVY ARMOR
- Resolve
- Juggernaut
- Revitalize
VAMPIRE
- Dark Stalker
- Strike from the Shadows
- Undeath
ASSAULT
- All Passives
SUPPORT
- Combat Medic
- Battle Ressurection
UNDAUNTED
- All Passives
RACIAL
- All Passives
ALCHEMY
- Medicinal Use
- Snakeblood
MUNDUS STONE
THE SHADOW
SHADOWFEN
RIVENSPIRE
GREENSHADE
Sustain isn’t as important on a build that focuses heavily on burst damage. The sustain you get from your choice of food should be enough.
The One Bar Magicka Nightblade PVP build uses the Shadow Mundus Stone to increase your Critical Damage by 11-18%. Each piece of Legendary Divines armor further increases this by 9.1%.
CONSUMABLES
FOOD
GHASTLY EYE BOWL
The Ghastly Eye Bowl food is the best option to increase your Maximum Magicka and Magicka Recovery. It is quite cheap to craft, and the ingredients are easy to find. It can also be purchased from guild stores if you haven’t learned the recipe.
Bonuses:
– Increase Maximum Magicka by ~4592.
– Increase Magicka Recovery by ~357.
– Scales with your level.
– Lasts 2 hours.
Ingredients:
– Bervez Juice (1)
– Lotus (1)
– Mint (1)
– Rose (1)
– Columbine (1)
JEWELS OF MISRULE
The Jewels of Misrule food is the best option if you’re looking for a blend of Magicka and Stamina sustain. It is relatively cheap to craft if you don’t want to spend a lot of gold on food.
Bonuses:
– Increase Maximum Health by ~3927.
– Increase Stamina Recovery by ~357.
– Increase Magicka Recovery by ~357.
– Scales with your level.
– Lasts 2 hours.
Ingredients:
– Bervez Juice (1)
– Lotus (1)
– Mint (1)
– Rose (1)
– Columbine (1)
ORZORGA'S SMOKED BEAR HAUNCH
The Orzorga’s Smoked Bear Haunch food grants you slightly better bonuses than Jewels of Misrule, but is much more expensive to craft due to its recipe requiring a Perfect Roe.
Bonuses:
– Increase Maximum Health by 4312.
– Increase Health Recovery by 406.
– Increase Stamina Recovery by 369.
– Increase Magicka Recovery by 369.
– Lasts 2 hours.
Ingredients:
– Frost Mirriam (1)
– Perfect Roe (1)
– Red Meat (1)
– Tomato (1)
– White Cap (1)
POTIONS & POISONS
SORCERY-DRAINING POISONS
Sorcery-Draining Poisons grant you buffs that are typically unique to other classes for a very short time. They also apply useful debuffs to your enemies.
Bonuses:
– Grants Major Sorcery.
– Grants Major Prophecy.
– Grants Breach.
– Applies Minor Cowardice.
– Applies Minor Uncertainty.
– Applies Minor Breach.
Ingredients:
– Lady’s Smock (1)
– Violet Coprinus (1)
– Water Hyacinth (1)
Though these poisons also afflict you with the Minor Breach debuff, investing in the Snakeblood passive from the Alchemy skill line negates this effect entirely.
IMMOVABLE POTIONS
Immovable Potions are a must-have for any successful stealthy Nightblade. Drink one of these before engaging an enemy for the best chance of getting away if things don’t go as planned.
Bonuses:
– Become Immune to Knock Effects.
– Become Immune to Disabling Effects.
– Grants Major Expedition.
Ingredients:
– Namira’s Rot (1)
– Dragonthorn (1)
– Scrib Jelly (1)
If you also want to restore Magicka when you drink one of these potions, you can replace the Scrib Jelly ingredient with Dragon Rheum, though, these are much more expensive.
MAGICKA POTIONS
Magicka Potions are generic world-dropped potions that should only be used to take advantage of the Catalyst passive from the Siphon skill line to boost your Ultimate gain outside of combat.
Bonuses:
– Restore ~7582 Magicka.
– Gain Major Intellect.
These potions are not worth crafting.
CHAMPION POINTS
The Champion Point system in ESO is unlocked once you reach Level 50 and maxes out at 3600 points, though, once you get CP1506, most points gained after are for quality of life purposes.
Champion Points unlock many powerful benefits that allow you to customize and strengthen your build. The CP system has three unique constellations: Craft, Warfare, and Fitness. The Warfare and Fitness constellations each have three subtrees.
• The Craft constellation focuses on crafting, gold gain, movement speed, stealth, and increasing material yields.
• The Warfare constellation focuses on increasing damage, healing, and damage mitigation.
• The Fitness constellation focuses on increasing your core stats, such as Maximum Health, self-sustain by recovery, and other defensive benefits.
The Champion Point allocation below is optimized with the One Bar Magicka Nightblade PVP build in mind, focusing on increasing Critical Damage, single-target damage, self-sustain, and Movement Speed.
Follow the recommended path below while levelling up and spending your Champion Points to see strong progression.
- Out of Sight (+30)
- Fleet Phantom (+40)
- Steed’s Blessing (+50) (Slot 1)
- Gilded Fingers (+10)
- Fortune’s Favor (+10)
- Wanderer (+15)
- Steadfast Enchantment (+10)
- Rationer (+10) (Slot 2)
- Liquid Efficiency (+75) (Slot 3)
- Rationer (+20)
- Treasure Hunter (+50) (Slot 4)
- Master Gatherer (+15)
- Gifted Rider (+100) (Replace Slot 4)
- Gilded Fingers (+40)
- Breakfall (+50)
- Steadfast Enchantment (+40)
- Beyond this point, you can continue to unlock passives or more slottable perks based on your preference.
- Precision (+20)
- Fighting Finesse (+50) (Slot 1)
- Piercing (+10)
- Master-at-Arms (+50) (Slot 2)
- Deadly Aim (+50) (Slot 3)
- Wrathful Strikes (+50) (Slot 4)
- Piercing (+10)
- Flawless Ritual (+20)
- War Mage (+30)
- Battle Mastery (+20)
- Mighty (+30)
- Eldritch Insight (+20)
- Tireless Discipline (+20)
- Beyond this point, you can continue to unlock passives or more slottable perks based on your preference.
- Sprinter (+10)
- Hasty (+8)
- Celerity (+50) (Slot 1)
- Tumbling (+15)
- Defiance (+10)
- Slippery (+50) (Slot 2)
- Rejuvenation (+50) (Slot 3)
- Mystic Tenacity (+10)
- Survival Instincts (+50) (Slot 4)
- Hero’s Vigor (+20)
- Piercing Gaze (+30)
- Mystic Tenacity (+40)
- Hasty (+20)
- Tumbling (+15)
- Defiance (+10)
- Beyond this point, you can continue to unlock passives or more slottable perks based on your preference.
ROTATION
Typically, most ESO PVP builds have a back bar (buff bar) for defensive combat to maintain your healing abilities, resource sustain, and buffs; however, due to the One Bar Magicka Nightblade PVP build utilizing the Oakensoul Mythic ring, you do not have a back bar. Instead, your buffs are always active, and you can focus more on taking your enemies down.
As said above, you only have a front bar consisting primarily of offensive abilities. Please read the Skills section of this build guide for a complete overview of what these abilities do and why they are essential. Understanding your build and why you use the recommended armor sets and skills is critical to becoming great at PVP in ESO. With that said, here is a standard order of skills that will get you a high success at taking out your opponents:
1. Ensure you have 5 stacks of Merciless Resolve and at least 120 Ultimate for the best results.
2. Remain in Stealth until you find an enemy.
3. Cast Shadowy Disguise to make sure your next attack is a guaranteed Critical Hit.
4. Cast Incapacitating Strike to Stun your enemy.
5. Cast Shadowy Disguise again to get another guaranteed Critical Hit.
6. Cast Merciless Resolve to deal huge burst damage.
7. Clean up with Killer’s Blade.
8. If the above rotation does not work, get back into Stealth and try again.
