ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build

This guide gives skills, champion points, and gear for an ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build, intended for a PvP player!

This build has been updated for the Updated 42, the Gold Road Chapter of the Elder Scrolls Online (ESO).

Magicka Nightblade PvP Gameplay in ESO

Magblades play in the shadows and excel at single-target kills. In the current meta, the Magblade is the strongest solo class in the game. It has the most burst, the best healing and most single-target kill potential in the game. The major downside is, that the skill cap required makes it very challenging to play. Our ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build will give you two options to play. One will be the 1vX style, ideal for solo players or dueling. The second is the “bomber,” which instantly destroys large groups despite having lower survivability.

Nightblade Class Pros

• Best Burst: The Magblade offers the highest burst damage potential, whether through ganking, brawling, or using the Asylum staff with Force Pulse. This makes it a fearsome opponent capable of taking down enemies swiftly.
• Stealth: Unique to the Nightblade is the ability to maintain constant stealth. This skill allows you to avoid unwanted fights, reposition strategically, and launch surprise attacks, giving you control over engagements.
• Versatile Playstyle: The Nightblade dominates all forms of PvP, whether you prefer ranged, melee, bomber, healer, or ranged bow user playstyles. This versatility allows for a wide array of tactical approaches, making the class adaptable to various combat scenarios.

Nightblade Class Cons

• Complex: The only downside to playing a Nightblade is that it requires a high skill cap and knowledge of ESO PvP.

The Magicka Nightblade offers unparalleled potential in PvP, but it demands a high level of skill and dedication. For those who can master its complexities, it provides a dynamic and powerful playstyle capable of dominating duels and outnumbered fights. Despite its challenges, the Nightblade’s blend of burst damage, stealth, and versatility makes it one of the most rewarding classes to play in ESO PvP.

ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build Features

• Class: Nightblade
• Attribute: 32 Health, 32 Magicka
• Primary Weapon: Dual Wield
• Secondary Weapon: Frost Staff
• Armor Set 1: Order’s Wrath 
• Armor Set 2: Rallying Cry
• Monster Helm: Balorgh
• Mythic: Markyn Ring of Majesty
• Infection: Vampire Stage 3
• Armor Weight: 3 Light, 2 Medium, 2 Heavy
• Race: Khajiit
• Mundus Stone: Shadow
• Best Grimoires: Traveling Knife, Soul Burst

Skills

SETUP 1: 1vX Build Front Bar

Front Bar Weapon Options: They are all good choices depending on your playstyle and needs. Experiment with what works best.

Dual Wield – Best overall damage via passives. Highest DPS but without a restoration staff or Ice staff on the back bar, it can be brutal to sustain.
Fire staff – Range and most single target damage and pairs well with elemental users.
Lightning Staff – Provides easy fully charged heavy attacks for resource sustain and 10% AoE damage when channeling.
Two-handed – Has the best passives for burst.

Merciless Resolve (Morph of Grim Focus | Skill Line : Assassination) – Use light attacks 5x times while weaving for a spectral bow proc. Use Mass Hysteria to drop block and make target vulnerable and fire.

Power Extraction (Morph of Drain Power | Skill Line : Siphoning) – AoE damage and minor courage buff. Use this as execute since it’s an 8 meter range.

Concealed Weapon (Morph of Veiled Strike | Skill Line : Shadow) – Melee spammable mainly used to increase damage passively. You can swap to Force Pulse and play a ranged build with Asylum staff.

Mass Hysteria (Morph of Aspect of Terror | Skill Line : Shadow) – Crowd control used to block drop and shoot a 5x stack of Merciless Resolve.

Shadowy Disguise (Morph of Shadow Cloak | Skill Line : Shadow) – Can cloak and gain the critical damage buff Major Prophecy and Savagery.

Soul Tether (Morph of Soul Shred | Skill Line : Siphoning) – AoE bursting tool swap to Incap for single target.

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SETUP 1: 1vX Build Back Bar

Siphoning Attacks (Morph of Siphoning Strikes | Skill Line : Siphoning) – Your sustain tool that can be swapped out for Lingering Flare for extra damage reduction.

Refreshing Path (Morph of Path of Darkness | Skill Line : Shadow) – Our mobility tool keeps the 10% damage buff up for concealed weapon and a good heal over time.

Elemental Susceptibility (Morph of Weakness to Elements | Skill Line : Destruction Staff) – A armor debuff that triggers status effects.

Resolving Vigor (Morph of Vigor | Skill Line : Assault) – Stamina based heal over time.

Healthy Offering (Morph of Malevolent Offering | Skill Line : Siphoning) – Burst heal for survivability.

Temporal Guard (Morph of Undo | Skill Line : Psijic Order) – Used for damage reduction on the back bar.

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Scribing Skills & Grimoires – ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build

Traveling Knife and Soul Burst are the two best Grimoires (skills) for a Magicka Nightblade PvP build. Traveling Knife gives you a ranged bleed attack that acts like Rending Slashes but doesn’t require Master Dual Wield to be effective. Moreover, Traveling Knife can be given a stun in the focus script for classes lacking a ranged stun. Soul Burst is a helpful crowd control and buff skill. You can immobilize, pull, or snare targets and get your favorite minor buffs. Below are the suggested combination of Grimoires, focus, signature, and affix scripts:

• Traveling Knife – Bleed or Stun (focus script), Lingering Torment or Assassin’s Misery (signature script), Berserk or Vulnerability (Affix Script)
• Soul Burst – Immobilize or Pull (focus script), Class Mastery or Hunter’s Snare (signature script), Courage or Expedition (Affix Script)

The Scribing System utilizes one of 11 new skills from the Gold Road Chapter called Grimoires. With Grimoires, you can customize spells via Scripts. The scribing feature requires the purchase of the Gold Road Chapter (sponsored link). To learn more about scribing, check out our full guide here.

Passives Skills

Below are the lines of the passive skill that add power without requiring a skill slot while playing the ESO PvP Magicka Nightblade Build. Consider taking all the skill passives in the skill tree listed below:

• Siphoning (class skill line)
• ‎Shadow (class skill line)
• Assassination (class skill line)
• Destruction Staff (weapon skill line)
• Dual Wield (weapon skill line)
• Restoration Staff (weapon skill line)
• Light Armor
• Medium Armor
• Heavy Armor
• Undaunted
• Psijjic Order
• Fight’s Guild
• Vampirism
• Racial
• Alliance War Support
• Alliance War Assault
• Crafting, Alchemy Medicinal Use

Gear – Best in Slot

This build is for solo players wanting the most damage and survivability possible using ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build:

Slot	Type	Set	Trait	Glyph
Head	Heavy	Balorgh	Well-fitted	Prismatic
Shoulders	Medium	Balorgh	Well-fitted	Magicka
Chest	Heavy	Armor of the Trainee	Reinforced	Prismatic
Legs	Medium	Order’s Wrath	Well-fitted	Prismatic
Gloves	Light	Order’s Wrath	Well-fitted	Magicka
Boots	Light	Order’s Wrath	Well-fitted	Magicka
Belt	Light	Rallying Cry	Well-fitted	Magicka
Weapon One	Axe	Order’s Wrath	Nirnhoned	Flame
Secondary	Axe	Order’s Wrath	Sharpened	Disease
Weapon Two	Frost Staff	Rallying Cry	Powered	Weapon Damage
Necklace		Rallying Cry	Infused	Magicka Recovery
Ring 1		Markyn Ring of Majesty	Swift	Spell Damage
Ring 2		Rallying Cry	Swift	Spell Damage

Monster and Mythic

Markyn Ring of Majesty: Great all-around defensive and offensive mythic. Boost our stats without the slow of Sea-Serpent’s Coil.

Balorgh: Obtained in March of Sacrifices Veteran Dungeon, Wolfhunter DLC.

FLEX OPTIONS

• Sea-Serpent’s Coil: Great if you don’t mind the snare, which hinders a nightblade.
• Death Dealer’s Fete: Max stats which equates good damage and survivability
• Wild Hunt: Easy to obtain mythic making you much faster.
• Gaze of Sithis: Drop your monster helm for huge survivability.
• Roksa the Warped: Gives great resource sustain without Engine Guardian droid.
• Ozezan the Inferno: Great paired with heals over time.
• Zaan: Truly god-tier dueling or single-target killer monster helm.

Gear Sets

Rallying Cry: obtained via rewards of the worthy from PvPing in mail. Provides the best damage reduction with massive weapon and spell damage.

Order’s Wrath: craftable set in the High Isle. Gives great burst damage without food requirement of Back-Alley Gourmand.

Armor of the Trainee: Obtained in overland starter areas or guild trader. Added stats with a one-piece item set.

Alternative Sets

• True-Sworn Fury: High burst damage set that increases when health low.
• Shattered Fate: Good craftable set that you can use for penetration bonus with five piece.
• War Maiden: Decent spell damage set to the front bar.
• Scathing Mage: Good front bar that will help with your damage and healing if playing with staff.
• Stygian: Good overland set if using cloak frequently.
• Shadow of the Red Mountain: Good burst ganking set.
• Stuhn’s Favor: Great penetration 5pc if not using AoE proc set.
• Back-Alley Gourmand: Light armor set that can be front bar for max burst.
• Ashen Grip: Good craftable proc set.
• Powerful Assault: Great set to add damage to you and your group and the buff stacks with Rallying Cry.
• Robes of the Hist: Great back bar healing set alternate to Mara’s Balm.
• Clever Alchemist: Insane burst potential when using potion and combined with Balorgh.
• Druid’s Braid: Craftable high isle gives 1pc bonus just smaller.

Skill – Bomber

Front Bar: Bomber Playstyle

Concealed Weapon (Morph of Veiled Strike | Skill Line : Shadow) – Buffs our damage if we maintain Refreshing Path.

Power Extraction (Morph of Drain Power | Skill Line : Siphoning) – AoE damage used after our “bomb” combo.

Lotus Fan (Morph of Teleport Strike | Skill Line : Assassination) – Gap closer used to proc our Rush of Agony gear set.

Mass Hysteria (Morph of Aspect of Terror | Skill Line : Shadow) – Used as mass fear and stun to drop block.

Camouflaged Hunter (Morph of Expert Hunter | Skill Line : Fighters Guild) – Used for critical buff on front bar.

Soul Tether (Morph of Soul Shred | Skill Line : Siphoning) – Our bomb ultimate after Proxy Detonation explodes

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Back Bar: Bomber Playstyle

Twisting Path (Morph of Path of Darkness | Skill Line : Shadow) – Used for mobility and to proc increased damage via Concealed weapon on the front bar.

Proximity Detonation (Morph of Magicka Detonation | Skill Line : Assault) – This is our bomb skill we try to time with soul tether for instant nuke.

Race Against Time (Morph of Accelerate | Skill Line : Psijic Order) – Mobility tool and pre-buff for bigger critical damage.

Siphoning Attacks (Morph of Siphoning Strikes | Skill Line : Siphoning) – Resource sustaining tool. Slot radiating regeneration for group play if you don’t have sustain issues.

Healthy Offering (Morph of Malevolent Offering | Skill Line : Siphoning) – Burst heal.

Life Giver (Morph of Panacea | Skill Line : Restoration Staff) – Defensive ultimate.

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Gear – Bomber

This build is for solo players wanting the most damage and survivability possible.

Slot	Type	Set	Trait	Glyph
Head	Heavy	Balorgh	Well-fitted	Prismatic
Shoulders	Medium	Balorgh	Well-fitted	Magicka
Chest	Light	Vicious Death	Reinforced	Prismatic
Legs	Light	Vicious Death	Well-fitted	Prismatic
Gloves	Light	Vicious Death	Well-fitted	Magicka
Boots	Light	Vicious Death	Well-fitted	Magicka
Belt	Light	Vicious Death	Divines	Magicka
Weapon One	Dagger	Rush of Agony	Precise	Drain Health
Secondary	Dagger	Rush of Agony	Precise	Drain Health
Weapon Two	Restoration Staff	Blessing of the Potentates	Powered	Weapon Damage
Necklace		Rush of Agony	Infused	Magicka Recovery
Ring 1		Rush of Agony	Swift	Spell Damage
Ring 2		Rush of Agony	Swift	Spell Damage

• Rush of Agony: Pulls in enemies in a large radius. Obtained in the Dread Cellar, Waking Flame DLC.
• Balorgh: Saves up ultimate to add damage and penetration. Obtained in March of Sacrifices, Wolfhunter DLC.
• Vicious Death: Provides massive area based kills. Obtained in PvP Cyrodiil Vendor, base game.
• Blessing of the Potentates: Gives damage mitigation on back bar. Obtained in PvP Cyrodiil Vendor, base game.

Race

The best race choices for PvP Magblade:

1. Khajiit: Best overall due to burst critical damage bonus.
2. Dark Elf: Good max stats and weapon and spell damage.
3. Argonian: Powerful defensive tank race all around.

Attributes

You should aim to reach 32,000 health; therefore, we recommend 32 health and 32 magicka attribute split.

Mundus Stone

Shadow is the best mundus stone because it provides critical damage, which adds to burst damage.

Champion Points – ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build

Craft	Warfare	Fitness
War Mount	Ironclad	Survival Instincts
Gifted Rider	Focused Mending	Fortified
Liquid Efficiency	Master-at-Arms	Pain’s Refuge
Rationer	Duelist’s Rebuff	Celerity

Warfare Constellation Champion Points

Below is a step-by-step method for slotting your champion points in the Warfare tree (blue).  We have used the minimum possible to reach 4 slottable selections all maxed out.  If you have more CP, consider taking more in the passives for optimal performance.

Below are recommended Warfare Champion Point selections for the ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build:

1. Precision 10
2. Extended might – sub – con – piercing 10
3. Master-at-arm (slottable) 50
4. Mastered curation – sub-con – blessed 10
5. Mastered curation – sub-con – focused mending (slottable) 50
6. Eldritch insight 10
7. Staving death – sub con – quick recovery – 10
8. Staving death – sub con – ironclad – (slottable) 50
9. Duelist’s rebuff (slottable) 50

This would be the bare minimum setup, spending 250 CP (750 total required). The next step is to max out passives, that do not require a slottable but increase performance.

1. Precision 10
2. Piercing 10
3. Tireless discipline 20
4. Eldritch insight 10
5. Blessed 20
6. Quick recovery 10
7. Battle mastery 40
8. Mighty 30
9. Flawless ritual 40
10. War mage 30
11. Elemental aegis 20
12. Hardy 20
13. Preparation 20

This would max out the Warfare tree with all active and passive champion points at 520 spent 1,560 total spent.

Fitness Constellation Champion Points

Below are recommended Fitness Champion Point selections for the ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build:

1. Fortified (slottable) 50
2. Sprinter 10
3. Wind chaser – sub con – hasty 8
4. Wind chaser – sub con – celerity (slottable) 50
5. Hero’s Vigor 10
6. Survivor’s spite – sub con – mystic tenacity 10
7. Survivor’s spite – sub con – pain’s refuge (slottable) 50
8. Survival instincts 50 (slottable)

This would be the bare minimum setup, spending 238 CP (714 total required). The next step is to max out passives, that do not require a slottable but increase performance.

1. Hero’s Vigor 10
2. Tumbling 30
3. Sprinter 10
4. Defiance 10
5. Hasty 8
6. Tireless guardian 20
7. Fortification 30
8. Nimble 6
9. Mystic tenacity 40
10. Tempered soul 50
11. Piercing gaze 30
12. Savage defense  30
13. Bashing brutality 20

This would max out the fitness tree with all active passive champion points at 532 cp spent 1,596 total spent.

Craft Constellation Champion Points

Below are recommended Craft Champion Point selections for the ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build:

1. Breakfall 10 
2. Wanderer 15
3. Steadfast 10
4. Rationer (slottable) 30
5. Liquid efficiency (slottable) 75
6. Treasure hunter 50
7. Master gatherer 15
8. Gifted rider (slottable) 100
9. War mount (slottable) 120

This would be the bare minimum setup, spending 425CP (1275 total required). The next step is to max out passives, that do not require a slottable but increase performance.

1. Steadfast enchantment 40cp
2. Breakfall 40 cp
3. Wanderer 60
4. Fortunes favor 10
5. Friends in low places 25
6. Out of sight 30
7. Fleet of Phantom 40
8. Soul’s Reservoir 33
9. Gilded fingers 50
10. Fortunes favor 40
11. Inspiration boost 45
12. Infamous 30

This would max out the crafting tree with all active, passive champion points at 868 cp spent 2,604 total spent.

Consumables

The best consumables for the Magicka Nightblade PvP build are Bewitched Sugar Skulls food and Essence of Health tri-stat potions. Bewitched Sugar Skulls give a massive boost to overall stats but sacrifices recovery. If you struggle with recovery, use Orzorga’s Smoked Bear Haunch or cheaper Jewels of Misrule. The essence of health or Tri-stat potions is the best to passively give you a flood of resources and tri-recovery with alchemy medicinal use. Immovability potions are also helpful. Below are our recommended food and potion choices:

• Bewitched Sugar Skulls: Increase Max Health by 4620, Max Stamina and Max Magicka by 4250, and Health Recovery by 462 for 2 hours. Ingredients: Scrib Jelly, Flour, Columbine, Bervez Juice, and Honey.
  • Orzorga’s Smoked Bear Haunch (recovery): Increase Max Health by 4312, Health Recovery by 406 and Stamina and Magicka Recovery by 369 (effects are scaled based on your level). Ingredients: Red Meat, Tomato, White Cap, Frost Mirriam, and Perfect Roe.
  • Jewels of Misrule (cheap): Increase Stamina and Magicka Recovery by 357 and Max Health by 3927 for 2 hours. (effects are scaled based on your level) Ingredients: Rose (1), Mint (1), Lotus(1), Columbine (1), Bervez Juice (1)
• Essence of Health (tri-stat): Restore 7329 Health, 6618 Magicka, and 6618 Stamina immediately. Grants Major Fortitude, Major Intellect, and Major Endurance, which increase your Health Recovery, Magicka Recovery, and Stamina Recovery by 20% for 31.7 seconds. (effects are scaled based on your level) Ingredients: Bugloss, Columbine, Mountain Flower.
  • Essecene of Immovability: Restores health and stamina and is immune to knockback effects. Ingredients: Namria’s Rot, Columbine, and Mountain Flower.
• Escapist’s Poison IX: Immobilizes your target and grants you unstoppable, rendering you immune to control effects for 1.6 seconds. Ingredients: Columbine, Namira’s Rot, Wormwood.

Build Summary – ESO Magicka Nightblade PvP Build

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