Best Elder Scrolls Online Nightblade builds (PvE)

Nightblades in Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) are generally considered the stealthy class of the game, but with the right tools and setup are in reality incredibly versatile. Nightblade builds will vary depending if the main source of power will be Magicka or Stamina.

Nightblade active and passive skills in ESO

An argonian holding two red daggers with crossed armes. Theres is a red glow around them. — The best race for a Nightblade depends on the build you choose. Image via Bethesda

The Nightblade has a unique set of active and passive skills the player can benefit from. This class has three skill trees that you can choose to follow: Assassination, Shadow, and Siphoning.

Nightblade’s Assassination skill-line

Here are all the Assassination’s active skills in ESO:

Death Stroke: Ravage an enemy with a swift strike, dealing Magic Damage and causing them to take 20 percent more damage from your attacks for eight seconds.
Assassin’s Blade: Thrust a magic blade with lethal precision to stab an enemy, dealing Magic Damage. Deals 300 percent more damage to enemies below 25 percent Health.
Teleport Strike: Flash through the shadows and ambush an enemy, dealing Magic Damage and afflicting them with Minor Vulnerability for 10 seconds, increasing their damage taken by five percent.
Blur: Surround yourself in a phantasmic aura to gain Major Evasion, reducing damage from area attacks by 20 percent for 20 seconds. While active, taking direct damage reduces the cost of your next Roll Dodge by 10 percent, up to a maximum of 100 percent. This effect can stack up to once every half second.
Mark Target: Expose an enemy’s weaknesses to afflict them with Major Breach, reducing their Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance for 20 seconds. When a marked enemy dies, you heal to full Health. You can only have one Mark Target active at a time.
Grim Focus: Focus your senses for 40 seconds, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 60 with every Light or Heavy Attack, up to five times. While active, hitting an enemy with five Light or Heavy Attacks converts this ability into Assassin’s Will, allowing you to fire a spectral arrow for half cost to deal Magic Damage, and healing for 33 percent of the damage dealt if you are within melee range.

Here are all the Assassination’s passive skills in ESO:

Master Assassin: Increases your Physical and Spell Penetration against enemies you are flanking. Increases the duration of the stun from Sneak by 100 percent.
Executioner: When an enemy dies within two seconds of being damaged by you, you restore 1000 Magicka and Stamina.
Pressure Points: Increases your Weapon and Spell Critical ratings for each Assassination ability slotted.
Hemorrhage: Increases your Critical Damage by 10 percent. Dealing Critical Damage grants you and your group Minor Savagery, increasing your Weapon Critical rating for 20 seconds.

Nightblade’s Shadow skill-line

Here are all the Shadow’s active skills in ESO:

Consuming Darkness: Conjure a ring of shadow, reducing the Movement Speed of enemies by 70 percent and granting you and your allies Major Protection, reducing your damage taken by 10 percent. Allies in the area can activate the Hidden Refresh synergy, granting them invisibility, increasing their Movement Speed by 70%, and healing them for 9110 Health over four seconds.
Veiled Strike: Slash an enemy, dealing Magic Damage. If you strike an enemy from their flank you set them Off Balance.
Shadow Cloak: Cloak yourself in shadow to become invisible for three seconds.
Path of Darkness: Create a corridor of shadows for 10 seconds, granting you and allies in the area Major Expedition, increasing Movement Speed by 30 percent. Effect persists for four seconds after leaving the path.
Aspect of Terror: Summon a dark spirit to terrify nearby enemies, causing them to cower in fear for two seconds and be afflicted with Major Cowardice for 10 seconds, reducing their Weapon and Spell Damage.
Summon Shade: Summon a shade version of yourself to attack an enemy and fight at your side for 20 seconds. The shade slashes at an enemy, dealing Magic Damage once every two seconds, and inflicts Minor Maim for four seconds, reducing the enemy’s damage done by five percent.

Here are all the Shadow’s passive skills in ESO:

Refreshing Shadows: Increases your Health, Stamina, and Magicka Recovery by 15 percent.
Shadow Barrier: Casting a Shadow ability grants you Major Resolve for six seconds, increasing your Physical and Spell Resistance. This duration is increased by 25 percent for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped.
Dark Vigor: Increases your Max Health by three vigor for each Shadow ability slotted.
Dark Veil: Increases the duration of your non-invisibility based Shadow abilities by two seconds.

Nightblade’s Siphoning skill-line

Here are all the Siphoning’s active skills in ESO:

Soul Shred: Ravage nearby enemies’ souls with a night rune, dealing Magic Damage and stunning them for four seconds. An ally can target a ravaged enemy and activate the Soul Leech synergy, dealing Magic Damage to them and healing for the damage caused.
Strife: Steal an enemy’s life force, dealing Magic Damage and healing you or a nearby ally for 50 percent of the damage inflicted every two seconds for 10 seconds.
Malevolent Offering: Pour out your lifesblood and channel the arcane, healing yourself or an ally in front of you for Health, while draining Health from yourself over three seconds.
Cripple: Sap an enemy’s agility and wrack them with pain, dealing Magic Damage over 20 seconds and reducing their Movement Speed by 30 percent for four seconds.
Siphoning Strikes: Imbue your weapons with soul-stealing power, causing your Light and Heavy Attacks to heal you for Health for 20 seconds. Fully-charged Heavy Attacks restore twice the value.
Drain Power: Siphon the vigor from your enemies’ blood, dealing Magic Damage to all nearby enemies. If an enemy is hit, you gain Major Brutality and Sorcery, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage by 20 percent for 30 seconds.

Here are all the Siphoning’s passive skills in ESO:

Catalyst: After drinking a potion you gain 20 Ultimate.
Magicka Flood: Increases your Max Magicka by eight percent while a Siphoning ability is slotted.
Soul Siphoner: Increases your healing done by three percent for each Siphoning ability slotted.
Transfer: Casting a Siphoning ability while in combat generates two Ultimate. This effect can occur once every four seconds.

Best Nightblade builds (PvE) in ESO

A archer with a mask consealing his face is sneaking while holdin their bow. Two undead creatures are further ahead and haven't noticed the archer. On the upper left corner is written The Elder Scrolls Online: Thieves Guild. — Not all sneaky characters are thieves. Image via Bethesda.

The builds presented in this guide can be used for solo or group gameplay. The DPS builds are focused on the solo playstyle but you can use them as a base for group content as well.

You have to pay attention to the race, gear, the skills in each bar, and the champion points you pick.

Nightblade Magicka DPS build

This build is for those who wish to deal the most damage possible with spells. It works well with Magicka-based races such as High Elves, Bretons, and Dark Elves. We also recommend activating the Thief Mundus Stone.

With Trial Gear

This set requires the High Isle and Elsweyr DLC and the completed Cloudrest trials.

Armor: Swarm Mother (Head), Perfected Whorl of Depths or Perfected False God’s Devotion (Shoulders, Hands, Chest, Waist, Legs and Feet)
Jewelry: Tzogvin’s Warband (Necklace, and Ring), and Ring Of The Pale Order.
Weapon: Tzogvin’s Warband (Fire Staff)

Without Trial Gear

Armor: Iceheart or Zaan Monster Set (Head and Shoulder), Law of Julianos or Julianos (Chest, Waist, and Feet), and Mother’s Sorrow (Legs and Hands).
Jewelry: Tzogvin’s Warband or Mother’s Sorrow (Necklace, and Rings).
Weapon: Tzogvin’s Warband or Law of Julianos (Fire Staff)

Active skills mainbar

Skill one: Harness Magicka
Skill two: Merciless Resolve
Skill three: Swallow Soul
Skill four: Impale
Skill five: Inner Light
Ultimate: Incapacitating Strike

Active skills second bar

Skill one: Unstable Wall of Elements
Skill two: Dark Shade
Skill three: Channeled Acceleration
Skill four: Elemental Drain
Skill five: Dampen Magic
Ultimate: Soul Tether

Champion Points

Warfare: Siphoning Spells, Deadly Aim, Master-at-Arms, Wrathful Strikes, Backstabber.
Craft: Steed’s Blessing, Rationer, Master Gatherer, Steed’s Blessing, Liquid Efficiency.
Fitness: Boundless Vitality, Siphoning Spells, Fortified, Bastion, Boundless Vitality.

Nightblade Stamina DPS build

For damage focusing on Stamina users, the weapons type doesn’t have to be strictly followed by those chosen in this guide and has a little leeway for personal preference. If you prefer to use daggers, for example, just adapt this build.

Any Stamina-based race like Khajit, Orc, and Redguard will benefit from this build. Activate the Lover Mundus Stone for increased Physical and Spell penetration.

With Trial Gear

This set requires the Markarth and Summerset DLCs and the completed Cloudrest trials.

Armor: Bloodspawn (Head and Shoulder), Tzogvin’s Warband, or Perfected Arms of Relequen (Hands, Chest, Waist, Legs and Feet)
Jewelry: Briarheart or Pillar of Nirn (Necklace, and Ring), and Ring Of The Pale Order.
Weapon: Tzogvin’s Warband (Two-handed Sword) and Thunderous Volley (Bow)

Without Trial Gear

Armor: Bloodspawn or Zaan Monster Set (Head and Shoulder), Hunding’s Rage (Chest, Waist, and Feet), and Mother’s Sorrow (Legs and Hands).
Jewelry: Briarheart (Necklace, and Rings).
Weapon: Briarheart (Two-handed Sword) and Thunderous Volley (Bow)

Active skills Two-handed weapon

Skill one: Brawler
Skill two: Relentless Focus
Skill three: Wrecking Blow
Skill four: Reverse Slice
Skill five: Echoing Vigor
Ultimate: Incapacitating Strike

Active skills Bow

Skill one: Endless Hail
Skill two: Dark Shade
Skill three: Razor Caltrops
Skill four: Leeching Strikes
Skill five: Mirage
Ultimate: Soul Tether

Champion Points

Warfare: Siphoning Spells, Deadly Aim, Master-at-Arms, Wrathful Strikes, Fighting Finesse.
Craft: Steed’s Blessing, Rationer, Treasure Hunter, Steed’s Blessing, Liquid Efficiency.
Fitness: Boundless Vitality, Bloody Renewal, Fortified, Bastion, Boundless Vitality.

Nightblade Healer build

If you’re looking for something a little more support-based, you can take on the role of a Nightblade Healer. This build is meant for players who play in groups in ESO. Your character will depend on spells, so it’s best to use a Magicka-based race and activate the Atronach Mundus Stone for increased Magicka recovery.

Support builds can vary depending on what your group looks like. Does your group need more healing or do they need buffs? It’s good to discuss this with your team before making a decision.

With Trial Gear

This set requires the Blackwood DLC and the completed Veteran Rockgrove trial.

Armor: Sentinel of Rkguamz (Head and Shoulder), Spell Power Cure or Transformative Hope (Hands, Chest, Waist, Legs, and Feet)
Jewelry: Perfected Stone-Talker’s Oath or Powerful Assault (Necklace and Rings).
Weapon: Perfected Grand Rejuvenation (Restoration Staff) and Powerful Assault (Frost Staff)

Without Trial Gear

Armor: Nightfalme or Earthgore Monster Sets (Head and Shoulder), Kagrenac’s Hope or Hollowfang Thirst (Chest, Waist, Hands, Legs, and Feet).
Jewelry: Seducer (Necklace and Rings).
Weapon: Kagrenac’s Hope (Restoration and Frost Staffs)

Active skills mainbar

Skill one: Combat Prayer
Skill two: Radiating Regeneration
Skill three: Siphoning Attacks
Skill four: Illustrious Healing
Skill five: Lotus Fan
Ultimate: Reviving Barrier

Active skills second bar

Skill one: Energy Orb
Skill two: Elemental Blockade
Skill three: Echoing Vigor
Skill four: Siphoning Attacks
Skill five: Funnel Health
Ultimate: Aggressive Warhorn

Champion Points

Warfare: Arcane Supremacy, From The Brink, Enlivening Overflow, Hope Infusion.
Craft: Steed’s Blessing, Rationer, Treasure Hunter, Liquid Efficiency.
Fitness: Boundless Vitality, Rejuvenation, Fortified, Spirit Master.

Nightblade Tank build

Tanks need high sustain in order to take most of the damage to protect the party, while still able to deal a considerable amount of damage. Instead of focusing on Stamina or Magicka like the other build, we’ll focus on Health.

The best races of a tank build are Nord, Argonian, and Imperial. We recommend activating the Lord Mundus Stone for increased Maximum Health.

With Mythic Item

This set requires the High Isle DLC.

Armor: Swarm Mother (Head), Perfected Whorl of Depths or Perfected False God’s Devotion (Shoulders, Hands, Chest, Waist, Legs and Feet)
Jewelry: Tzogvin’s Warband or Mother’s Sorrow (Necklace and Ring) and The Oakensoul Ring.
Weapon: Tzogvin’s Warband (Fire Staff)

Without Mythic Item

Armor: Nazaray Monster Set (Head and Shoulder), Turning Tide (Chest, Waist, Legs, Hands, and Feet)
Jewelry: Torug’s Pact (Necklace and Ring) and The Oakensoul Ring.
Weapon: Puncturing Remedy (One-handed Weap and Shield) and Fortified Brass (Frost Staff)

Active skills mainbar

Skill one: Pierce Armor
Skill two: Defensive Stance
Skill three: Dark Cloak
Skill four: Heroic Slash
Skill five: Inner Rage
Ultimate: Incapacitating Strike

Active skills second bar

Skill one: Mirage
Skill two: Spell Symmetry
Skill three: Leeching Strikes
Skill four: Echoing Vigor
Skill five: Elemental Blockade
Ultimate: Aggressive Warhorn

Champion Points

Warfare: Duelist’s Rebuff, Enduring Resolve, Unassailable, Bulwark.
Craft: Steed’s Blessing, Rationer, Treasure Hunter, Liquid Efficiency.
Fitness: Boundless Vitality, Rejuvenation, Fortified, Expert Evasion.