Powerful Magicka Nightblade Build for ESO – Damage Dealer DPS
Type: Dungeon, Trial, Arena & Overland
Buildname: Azure
Table of Contents
- Magicka Nightblade Build Setup
- Resource Management
- Rotation
- AoE Setup
- Maelstrom Arena & Vateshran Hollows Arena
- Nightblade Subclassing
- Gameplay
- Outfit Style Showcase
- Related Content
- Update Log
Welcome to the Magicka Nightblade Build for ESO (Elder Scrolls Online). This build is optimized for group content such as dungeons, trials & arenas and has a very glass-cannon approach. The Magicka Nightblade DPS build is optimized for maximum damage. The build works best in a group but with some minor adjustments can also be played as a solo setup if necessary.
The Magicka Nightblade is a great damage dealer. It has access to strong abilities like Swallow Soul, Siphoning Attacks, Dark Shade, Twisting Path, Merciless Resolve, Sap Essence, and Death Stroke. Nightblades also have useful passives such as Master Assassin, Hemorrhage, Refreshing Shadows, Catalyst, Magicka Flood and of course plenty more.
The Magicka Nightblade Build has 3 different gear setups. Tier 1 with the best gear, Tier 2 with advanced gear and Tier 3 for beginners. If you are a new player I do recommend reading the Magicka Nightblade Beginners Guide. If you are looking for a solo build then I recommend checking out the Solo Magicka Nightblade Build.
- Double Destruction Staff Setup
- Amazing Single Target (ST) Damage
- Amazing Area of Effect (AoE) Damage
- Great Sustain
- Easy Survivability due to Magicka Shield
- Optimized for Trials, Dungeons & Arenas
More Nightblade Builds can be found in the Nightblade class category.
Magicka Nightblade Build Setup for ESO
In this section, we are going to take a look at how you can create the Magicka Nightblade DPS Build for ESO.
5x Perf. Whorl of Depths, 5x Pillar of Nirn, 1x Slimecaw, 1x Velothi Ur-Mage’s Amulet on a High Elf with Ghastly Eye Bowl buff food.
- Unbuffed: Out of combat, buff food active
- Buffed: Raid Target Dummy buffs, buff food, Spell Power Potion, Merciless Resolve max stacks, Weapon Damage Enchantment active.
Gear – Magicka Nightblade Build ESO
You will find 3 different setups here. Setup 1 is the preferred setup. People who do not have all the gear yet can use Setup 2 which is easier to obtain and beginners can use Setup 3.
- Setup 1 is the primary Gear setup
- Setup 2 is without Trial Gear
- Setup 3 is for Beginners
Gear Setup 1
- Whorl of Depths gives us access to the powerful Minor Slayer buff, increasing damage against monsters by 5%. Additionally, it also deals massive single-target and AOE damage.
- Pillar of Nirn is a strong proc set that deals massive damage both for single-target and AOE damage. We frontbar this set.
- Velothi Ur-Mage’s Amulet is a Mythic item that gives us an incredible damage boost, but reduces our light and heavy attack damage, which is a small tradeoff!
- Crushing Wall is slotted on the backbar to boost the damage of our Unstable Blockade.
- Slimecraw is only here for the one piece that gives us an extra crit bonus.
- No Mythic? If you don’t have access to the Mythic item, replace the Mythic and the Slimecraw piece with 2x Maw of the Infernal Monster set.
Alternatively, you can also use the Necromancer class-specific Corpseburster set.
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Pillar of Nirn | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Pillar of Nirn | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Pillar of Nirn | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Pillar of Nirn | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Pillar of Nirn | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Slimecraw | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Perfected Whorl of Depths | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Velothi Ur-Mage’s Amulet | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Perfected Whorl of Depths | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Perfected Whorl of Depths | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Weapon 1 | Perfected Whorl of Depths | Fire | Precise | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Perfected Crushing Wall | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Advanced – Gear Setup 2
The Gear setup 2 for the Magicka Nightblade Build is made for players who don’t have access to trial gear.
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Law of Julianos | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Law of Julianos | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Law of Julianos | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Law of Julianos | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Law of Julianos | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Maw of the Infernal | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Maw of the Infernal | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Mother’s Sorrow | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Weapon 1 | Mother’s Sorrow | Fire | Precise | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Mother’s Sorrow | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Gear Setup 3 Beginner
The beginner setup for the ESO Nightblade Build is made for players that just started out, you can join a guild and ask someone to craft you Law of Julianos and Magnus’ Gift. Willpower can be bought in Guildstores for very little money.
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Law of Julianos | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Law of Julianos | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Law of Julianos | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Magnus’ Gift | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Magnus’ Gift | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Magnus’ Gift | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Magnus’ Gift | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Willpower | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Willpower | Jewelry | Arcane | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Willpower | Jewelry | Arcane | Magicka Recovery |
| Weapon 1 | Law of Julianos | Fire | Precise | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Law of Julianos | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Where can I get the gear?
Perfected Whorl of Depths: vDreadsail Reef Trial
Whorl of Depths: nDreadsail Reef Trial
Pillar of Nirn: Falkreath Hold
Velothi Ur-Mage’s Amulet (Mythic): Antiquities
Perfected Crushing Wall: vMaelstrom Arena
Slimecraw: vWayrest Sewers 1
Maw of the Infernal: The Banished Cells 2
Mother’s Sorrow: Deshaan, Guildstores
Perf. Ansuul’s Torment: vSanity’s Edge Trial
Law of Julianos: Craftable
Willpower: Guildstore
Magnus’ Gift: Craftable
Skills
If you are in melee fights you can also use Concealed Weapon instead of your ranged spammable.
| Fire Staff Mainbar | Fire Staff Bar |
|---|---|
| Slot 1: Dark Shade | Slot 1: Unstable Wall of Elements |
| Slot 2: Merciless Resolve | Slot 2: Twisting Path |
| Slot 3: Swallow Soul | Slot 3: Harness Magicka |
| Slot 4: Impale | Slot 4: Siphoning Attacks |
| Slot 5: Inner Light | Slot 5: Scalding Rune |
| Ultimate: Incapacitating Strike | Ultimate: Incapacitating Strike |
Skills explanation:
- Dark Shade: Powerful single target and area of effect damage ability.
- Merciless Resolve: Powerful single target damage ability. Also improves damage in execute if you keep the procs stacked.
- Swallow Soul: Your main spammable, deals great damage and also heals. (Alternatively you can also use other spammables such as Elemental Weapon or Force Pulse).
- Impale: Your execute ability, use this instead of your spammable when the boss has 25% or lower health.
- Inner Light: Passively slotted to gain more max magicka via the skill and the Magicka Controller passive.
- Incapacitating Strike: High damage ultimate and boosts all your damage from other abilities too.
- Unstable Wall of Elements: Powerful single target and area of effect damage ability. Also procs our back bar enchantment even when we are on the front bar.
- Twisting Path: Powerful single target and area of effect damage ability.
- Harness Magicka: Your shield that absorbs enemy damage.
- Siphoning Attacks: While on either one of your bars automatically restores health, magicka and stamina when dealing damage. You can also activate this skill to trade some health for extra magicka and stamina.
- Scalding Rune: Strong stationary damage over time skill.
Nightblade Scribing Skills
The ESO Scribing System offers plenty of adjustable skills to add to our build. Right now none of the new ESO Scribing Skills maximizes our DPS. Therefore I don’t recommend slotting any of them. However, there are two viable options that you can test out and play with if you still want to give it a try. More great combos might be discovered over time because there are so many available combinations. Make sure to bookmark this ESO Nightblade Build and check back later for changes.
Important: Please read here how to get Grimoires, Focus Scripts, Signature Scripts and Affix Scripts for the ESO Scribing System.
Base Scribing Skill:
- Destruction Staff: Elemental Explosion
- World: Wield Soul
To unlock the Elemental Explosion skill, you need to reach level 25 in the Destruction Staff skill line. To unlock the Wield Soul skill you need to complete the Scribing Tutorial Quest.
Elemental Explosion
Elemental Explosion turns into Fiery Explosion with our Scribing scripts.
- Focus Script
- Signature Script
- Lingering Torment (Damage over time)
- Affix Script
- Brittle (Applies Brittle to the enemy, increasing their Crit Damage taken)
Wield Soul
Wield Soul turns into Shocking Soul with our Scribing scripts.
- Focus Script
- Signature Script
- Lingering Torment (Damage over time)
- Affix Script
You can also test more combinations out with the ESO Scribing Simulator.
Champion Points – Magicka Nightblade Build
Below you can find the Champion Points setup for this build. Work your way from top to bottom in your allocation. For more information on Champion Points, please visit the Champion Points Overview Page on ESO-Hub.com.
Hovering over each perk will give you insights on what it does. Presets are also provided for each of the allocations below.
Click the tab below to open the allocation.
Important Info for Magicka Nightblade Build PvE
In this section of the Magicka Nightblade Build we are going to take a look at buff-food, mundus stone, race, potions, passives and attributes. These things are very important for the Magicka Nightblade Build as they help with damage and sustain.
Buff-food
You can use several good buff foods for this Magicka Nightblade Build in ESO. As a base we are using the Ghastly Eye Bowl if you want the highest max magicka and magicka recovery boost. If you want more health in combination with max magicka and magicka recovery then you could also use Clockwork Citrus Filet or the much cheaper version Witchmother’s Potent Brew. All buff foods and drinks can also be found on the Buff Food and Drink Overview Page.
Ghastly Eye Bowl
(Max Magicka, Magicka Recover)
Clockwork Citrus Filet
(Max Health, Max Magicka, Magicka Recovery)
Witchmother’s Potent Brew
If you can’t afford Clockwork Citrus Filet, then I recommend getting the way cheaper Witchmother’s Potent Brew which has similar effects.
Mundus Stone
The Thief Mundus Stone increases our overall Spell Critical chance by a lot which will result in more overall damage. You can learn more about all the other Mundus Stones on the Mundus Stone Overview Page.
The Thief Mundus Stone (Increased Spell Critical Chance)
Race
Any race with magicka based passives will work with this setup. You can find out more about all the racial passives in the Racial Overview page.
Potions
Spell-Power Potions
(Spell-crit, Spell Damage, Magicka)
(Cornflower, Ladys Smock, Water Hyacinth)
Passives
- Assassination: Master Assassin, Executioner, Pressure Points, Hemorrhage
- Shadow: Refreshing Shadows, Shadow Barrier, Dark Vigor, Dark Veil
- Siphoning: Catalyst, Magicka Flood, Soul Siphoner, Transfer
- Destruction Staff: Tri Focus, Penetrating Magic, Elemental Force, Ancient Knowledge, Destruction Expert
- Light Armor: Grace, Evocation, Spell Warding, Prodigy, Concentration
- Mages Guild: Mage Adept, Everlasting Magic, Magicka Controller, Might of the Guild
- Psijic Order: (Only if you use Channeled Acceleration) Clairvoyance, Spell Orb, Concentrated Barrier, Deliberation
- Undaunted: Undaunted Command, Undaunted Mettle
- Racial: All
- Alchemy: Medicinal Use
Resource Management – Magicka Nightblade Build
Siphoning Attacks automatically restores health, magicka and stamina when dealing damage. You can also activate this skill to trade some health for extra magicka and stamina.
Energy Orb will always be present in a good group. When you get close to the Orb you can activate its synergy to regain resources.
Potions should always be used on cooldown to gain the maximum benefit from them.
Heavy Attacks help you restore Magicka, if you drop low on resources do a few Heavy Attacks between skills to refill your Magicka.
- Siphoning Attacks
- Orb Synergy
- Potions
- Heavy Attacks
Rotation for the Magicka Nightblade Build
Here is a quick explanation of what you have to do with all the skills on your bar.
- Your main spammable is Swallow Soul.
- Your semi spammable is Merciless Resolve, activate the bow proc whenever it is ready.
- When boss reaches 25% health use Impale instead of your other spammable and stop using the bow proc but keep Merciless Resolve active for the extra spell damage.
- Reapply DoTs (damage over time) effects after they run out: Dark Shade, Twisting Path, Unstable Wall of Elements, and Channeled Acceleration.
- Activate the Incapacitating Strike ultimate whenever it is ready.
- If you drop low on sustain activate Siphoning Attacks.
- Always light attack between each ability.
Area of Effect Setup
Here you can find an optimized AoE setup for the build. There are plenty of other good options available.
| Gear | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest | Azureblight Reaper | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Belt | Azureblight Reaper | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoes | Azureblight Reaper | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Pants | Azureblight Reaper | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Hands | Azureblight Reaper | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Head | Slimecraw | Light | Divine | Magicka |
| Shoulder | Ansuul’s Torment | Medium | Divine | Magicka |
| Necklace | Velothi Ur-Mage’s Amulet | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Ansuul’s Torment | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Ring | Ansuul’s Torment | Jewelry | Bloodthirsty | Spell Damage |
| Weapon 1 | Ansuul’s Torment | Fire | Nirnhoned | Fire Enchant |
| Weapon 2 | Perfected Crushing Wall | Fire | Infused | Weapon Damage Enchant |
Skills
Maelstrom Arena & Vateshran Hollows Arena
Please check out the Solo Magicka Nightblade Build for the Maelstrom and Vateshran Setup. The build here focuses on group setups, therefore the Solo Magicka Templar Build is better suited to face the dangers of the Maelstrom and Vateshran Arena. I also highly recommend reading the full in depth Maelstrom Arena Guide & Vateshran Hollows Arena Guide.
ESO Nightblade Subclassing Build Options
ESO’s Subclassing offers a lot of variety, allowing you to swap, mix, and match different skill lines of various classes all on one character. Read our How does Subclassing work in ESO guide to get an understanding of how the subclass system works. We also have plenty of ESO Builds optimized for Subclassing.
Take a look at our ESO Nightblade Subclassing Build if you are interested in what you can all mix and match on a Nightblade build!
Gameplay for Magicka Nightblade Build PvE
Here you can find Gameplay videos from recent and previous patches.
Castle Thorn Dungeon Vet Hardmode Run
Stone Garden Vet Hardmode Run
Mountain God Achievement Scalecaller Peak
Daedric Deflector Achievement Scalecaller Peak
Minimal Anomisity Achievement Fang Lair Dungeon
Cold Pursuit Achievement Fang Lair Dungeon
Outfit Style Showcase of the Azure Nightblade Build for ESO
Lets take a look at the outfit style of the Magicka Nightblade PvE Build for ESO. You can find a close up shot, an image from the back and an image of the outfit editor dye station below.
- Costume: Black Hand Robe
- Ilambris Style Motif: Staff
- Head Marking: Mystic Magicka Flow Face Tattoos
- Personality: Swashbuckler
- Dyes: Legate’s Black, Scintillating Scarlet
| Slot | Name |
|---|---|
| Costume | Black Hand Robe |
| Weapon | Ilambris Motif |
| Dyes | Legate’s Black, Scintillating Scarlet |
| Personality | Swashbuckler |
| Head Marking | Mystic Magicka Flow Face Tattoos |
Related Content
More Magicka Nightblade Builds & Guides:
- PVE Magicka Nightblade Beginner Guide
- PVE Magicka Nightblade Beginner Build (160CP)
- PVE Solo Magicka Nightblade Build
- PVE Magicka Nightblade EXP Grind Build
- PVP Magicka Nightblade Build
- PVP Magicka Nightblade Bomb Build
Other Magicka DPS Builds:
Update Log
11.08.2019 Updated the Build for the SCALEBREAKER DLC, Elsweyr Chapter, Magicka Nightblade Build PvE.
20.10.2019 Updated the Build for the DRAGONHOLD DLC.
20.02.2020 Updated the Build for the HARROWSTORM DLC.
24.05.2020 Updated the Build for the GREYMOOR CHAPTER.
22.08.2020 Updated the Build for the STONETHORN DLC, Greymoor Chapter.
30.10.2020 Updated the Build for the MARKARTH DLC, Greymoor Chapter.
05.03.2021 Updated the Build for the FLAMES OF AMBITION DLC, Blackwood Chapter.
28.05.2021 Updated the Build for the BLACKWOOD CHAPTER.
13.08.2021 Updated the Build for the WAKING FLAME DLC, Blackwood Chapter.
02.09.2021 Updated the Champion Point links and added tooltips for the buff food links, WAKING FLAME DLC, Blackwood Chapter.
25.10.2021 Updated the Build for the DEADLANDS DLC, Blackwood Chapter.
10.03.2022 Updated the Build for the ASCENDING TIDE DLC, High Isle Chapter.
01.06.2022 Updated the Build for the HIGH ISLE CHAPTER.
15.08.2022 Updated the Build for the LOST DEPTHS DLC, High Isle Chapter.
28.10.2022 Updated the Build for the FIRESONG DLC, High Isle Chapter.
13.03.2023 Updated the Build for the SCRIBES OF FATE DLC, Necrom Chapter.
01.06.2023 Updated the Build for the ESO NECROM CHAPTER.
27.10.2023 Updated the Build for the Necrom Update 40.
06.03.2024 Updated the Build for the Scions of Ithelia DLC U41, Gold Road Chapter
28.05.2024 Updated the Build for the Gold Road Chapter U42.
20.08.2024 Updated the Build for Update 43, Gold Road Chapter.
28.10.2024 Updated the Build for Update 44, Gold Road Chapter.
11.03.2025 Updated the Build for Update 45, Fallen Banners.
27.05.2025 Updated the Build for Update 46, Seasons of the Worm Cult.
Tags: Magicka Nightblade Build, Magicka NB Build PvE, Magblade PvE Build.
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