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The Nightmancer

Ban Finsceal de na Iolair
Morigana
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Posted On: 05/04/2015 at 04:40 PM

If you ever made a NB and gave up on them since you are a caster at heart and decided you really don't like melee, like me, this might be the build for you.  I had turned my V3 NB into just a dedicated crafter until I thought about this.

I must first admit, I am terrible at creating builds, but I did this one out of a bit of desperation.  If you have seen it anywhere else or something similar provide a link so I can check them out as I have never seen it but I have often talked about it (mostly to myself, late in night, while laying in the dark in my bed - also why I live alone ;)  ) and that is how I came up with this - and after playing her for a couple of weeks I really love it.   Also, let it be know I have not taken her into AvA but as I have often stated I don't care about dying in AvA but I have confidence she will fair as well as any of my characters.  Aye, now you know the rub - it is a casting Night Blade - aka, the Nightmancer.  

Here are some specifics...Right now she is a V4 and I took her from V3 1/2 to V4 1/4 just in PvE with this build and rarely die except to Spider Bosses - I hate spiders anyway so I avoid the bosses unless there is help.  Yes, I have arachnophobia - for real - and even in a game they make my skin crawl.

I wear full light armor all enchanted with health my set bonuses aren't great but I do have Willow's path atm because that is what my new dedicated crafter can make.

All my attribute points, however, are all in Magicka.

I have all NB passives almost totally maxed as this helps magicka and stamina regen, helps restore health, helps healing, damage from stealth, critical bonuses, etc.

I use only destro and restro staff as she is a caster and take all the passives from those weapon lines.

Slotted skills.

Destro reach, Impale, Crippling grasp, Funnel Health, Reaper's Mark, Soul Assault.  (This skill bar is what I use basically 80% of the time.)

Rapid regen, Prolonged Suffering, Manifest Terror, Funnel Health, Shadow Image, Veil of Blades.  (This skill bar is typically only used in groups if they need some extra healing)

As you will notice many of the skills slotted are similar to a Necromancer and thusly how I came up with the name.  I use impale as it is a ranged attack and with the NB passives restores magicka if it is a killing blow - which I typically plan for. 

The basic attack rotation is to pick the weakest armor class in the mob group... Reapers mark, Funnel Health, Crippling grasp, Desto heavy, Destro Reach, Impale - and this usually equals dead target in a few secs as both FH and CG are DOT's - I don't pay attention to any other target in the group except to dodge roll out of their way and this is vital - ignore them totally - it doesn't matter what damage they do to you as long as you avoid their CC efforts.  Kill the marked target.  You are receiving healing from the FH and that is why you need to keep hitting the marked target and then killing the marked target (at my current level) restores a whopping 62% of my health.  Then you just repeat - mark another target and take it down - then again and again and again - and even again.   So far I have managed up to a group of 6 and finished the fight at full health as the last marked target restores me all over again - it is leaching health just like a Necro.  I typically use a Frost staff as Destro Reach will root targets (as well as DOT) if they aren't immune and occasionally do this to pesky melee mobs that get in my way of my marked target so I can dodge to the side to start hitting them again. 

The larger the crowd around her the better she performs and here is the reason why.  I have soloed a V3 dolmen and the trick is to pick the weaker targets which are minions and the casting types first to maintain your health - you see the beauty is it doesn't matter how great your enemy - you still restore health on their death - it isn't about how much damage you do - or how much health they have - they just need to be marked and then die.  So stay out of the way of the hard hitting bossy types and kill minions.   I personally think Reaper's Mark is a tad OP, at least in PvE, but I definitely love it.

I don't need stamina except for dodge roll which I do quite a bit and always seem to have adequate stamina for that since I am a Wood Elf and have all my racials maxed as well as passives from NB.  Otherwise Wood Elf isn't the best class for casting, but I like wood elves. 

I am waiting patiently for Spell Crafting since this should help her become even more of a Necro type caster.  A few skeleton minions or a large Bone minion would be awesome :)

Any comments are naturally welcomed  and safe journey all.

 

 

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Response:

Caomhnoir de na Ulchabhan Gorm
Doreth
Caomhnoir de na Ulchabhan Gorm
Replied On: 05/05/2015 at 04:56 AM PDT

have you tried sap essence,  I know its not as range as some of your other skill, but it does take in health from targets around you and if you in a group it heals everyone in the group..  I find specialy when taking on larger mobs it can soak up a lot of health real quick if I need it...  the way you have your bar set up it could easily be put into your second bar..  use it just before you fear them and then go back to your main bar and dot dps again till they come back where you can switch sap and fear them again..... just a thought or soemthign you can try.. I run a magika NB myself with destroy and I can survive a lot more against large mobs with sap essence then funnel health

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Muintir de na Capall
Bluenotebacker
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Replied On: 05/05/2015 at 09:05 AM PDT
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I've always preferred melee but I can't wait to try this out on my V4 Vamp NB! I love new builds and this one sounds fun

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Ban Finsceal de na Iolair
Morigana
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Replied On: 05/05/2015 at 01:48 PM PDT

Thanks Doreth and I will give it a try on my second skill bar - I never noticed that Sap healed team mates which is what my second bar is all about.  I could actually dodge roll into the tank - hit Sap - then dodge roll out - and with FH also healing team mates as well as the resto staff I might almost, I say "almost", call myself a healer - lol.  I would replace the snare since takes too long to get off on the target anyway and never lasts since someone usually hits them with an AE just as I get it off.   It was really situational so Sap should work better actually.  And switching to it when groups surround me is a great tactic - thanks again.

...and Blue, for me it is really fun since it keeps me moving and doing rotations during the entire fight which is typical of melee but yet I don't melee - I have yet to run out of magicka or stamina (nothing but dodge rolling uses stam) during a fight  - I failed to mention I have all the light armor passives, too.   Although it is in my imagination - I know I get a few weird looks from passing players especially when I do Impale since it looks like I thrust my staff into my enemies when they are close to me - which I do love that animation - I'm pretty sure some wonder what type of sorc I am.   Since most of my moves aren't too Night Blade-ish.   I am really hoping for a Bone Colossus as an ultimate when they do bring in spell crafting. 

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Seaimpin de na Ulchabhan
Dirkdaring
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Replied On: 05/05/2015 at 05:46 PM PDT
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 Nice i set up my Night blade as an old school EQ  Shadowknight  , i wish they had added more necromancer type pelees, but necro orb, and spiders isn`t bad  just need a longer acting  fear , and a better lifetap hehe 

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Ban Finsceal de na Iolair
Morigana
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Replied On: 05/05/2015 at 11:23 PM PDT

Well, with spell crafting - sometime in the future - we will supposedly be able to craft any spell that we've seen a PvE mob cast - so I have hopes ;)  I have been hit with some pretty good life taps from bosses - even if it is an ultimate it will be nice.

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Muintir de na Capall
Bluenotebacker
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Replied On: 05/08/2015 at 03:41 PM PDT
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I've used Reaper's Mark in other builds, it's fantastic, and I'm really liking this caster NB :) I'm wearing 5 pieces of Song of Lamae (incl staff) & 3 of Willow's Path. I left my attribuite pts all in health when I re-spec'd but with food my magicka is fine. Not sure what number we should be shooting for but my magicka max is ~15k, recovery 722, health max 23.k & recovery 205. Not worrying about stam anymore at all.

Bottom line, feels powerful so far and very fun, especially for someone who's not used to being a caster :)

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Caomhnoir de na Ulchabhan Gorm
Doreth
Caomhnoir de na Ulchabhan Gorm
Replied On: 05/08/2015 at 06:29 PM PDT

if your looking to be a high dps magika, I would say anything around 22-25k magika

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Ban Finsceal de na Iolair
Morigana
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Replied On: 05/12/2015 at 09:41 PM PDT

A big THANK YOU

So - thanks again.

And Blue - I have gone all magicka as I stated and enchant for health - mostly.   I'm not even running a food buff for normal stuff - just for some of the world boss fights when I am soloing them or dark anchors - also solo.   If I drop below 50% and no one is close to dying I pop a health potion.  And yes - stamina is a non factor now.

Although I have enjoyed this so much that I have made another Wood Elf NB who will only use bow and I'm putting all points into Stam.   Not sure how this will go - it's another experiment.   Shall call them The Nightstalker  (since it is based mostly around a hunter and hopefully I'll get a pet in the future from Spell Crafting) - if it works .... which will be known only weeks down the road and I'm not sure what skills will be on the bar yet but there won't be much healing for a group - and if it doesn't work.... /waves hands in circular magical motion and chants "you never read this".  :)



» Edited on: 2015-05-12 22:06:49

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Caomhnoir de na Ulchabhan Gorm
Doreth
Caomhnoir de na Ulchabhan Gorm
Replied On: 05/13/2015 at 05:12 PM PDT

well if you are going full stam then you could go bow/2hander,  or even dualwield.....  2handers are crazy dps right now, they also have rally witch helps you heal yourself and dish out more dps....  DW I don't know as much, but steel tornado is all over ava....... and well if you are doing mostly pve mobs and such, 2hander brawler is and awsoem way to do dps and give yourself a dmg shield to keep you alive....

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Ban Finsceal de na Iolair
Morigana
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Replied On: 05/14/2015 at 02:00 PM PDT

Dang - Don't know what happened to my last post - that was a Big Thank You to Doreth with a long explanation of how well Sap was working out - especially in tight spaces and it was all lost with just the "Thank You" which makes no sense at all :(   but it was for Doreth's suggestion.

So - going to use that suggestion on the Bow build also...

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Ban Finsceal de na Iolair
Morigana
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Replied On: 05/16/2015 at 03:26 PM PDT

Update:  The Nightstalker is using the GS in PvE - she is just lvl 15 but I already feel like an immortal with the GS.   In AvA I will probably be uing the both 80% of the time as I suck at melee PvP so this should work out great.   Thanks again Doreth :)

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Ban Seaimpin de na Aracos Donn
Raighan
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Replied On: 05/17/2015 at 07:31 AM PDT
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Hi Morigana. I have also have two nightblades (low level right now), one Breton who I plan to play similar to you Nightmancer, and one Bosmer who I am planning to go for more of a stamina build with bow and 2h so I would be interested to see how your Nightstalker progresses, keep us updated!

 



» Edited on: 2015-05-17 07:33:57

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Ban Finsceal de na Iolair
Morigana
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Replied On: 05/22/2015 at 06:55 PM PDT

I shall keep you updated - but just realize my Nightmancer is VR4 (almost 5 now) and my Nightstalker is only lvl 16 - I have a long ways to go with her before she has the skill set I want to use and the necessary skill points to accomplish it. ;) - like months :0

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Bluenotebacker
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Replied On: 06/08/2015 at 12:01 PM PDT
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My Nightmancer is about 20% through VR5 and while I leveled up to VR4 by other means this new build approach has been a lot of fun. The survivability is through the roof thanks to keeping Reaper's Mark up on each successive target. Soloing groups of 4 or even 5 mobs is mostly cake. 

Just a quick follow up,. thanks again for the fun build idea!

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Ban Finsceal de na Iolair
Morigana
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Replied On: 06/08/2015 at 01:31 PM PDT

You don't realize how elated I am that someone finds this build as fun as I do.  Thank you!

ps.  I went through most of V3 and all of V4 with that build and with the addition of Doreth's  suggestion which I use on my second bar and switch to when trapped in small rooms I survive stupendously well.

pps.  I just got mark target on my, now level 20, Nightstalker and not far away from getting snipe which is more useful than it was at launch - so should make things easier now on her.

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Ridire de na Fhiaigh Donn
Stormsworn
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Replied On: 06/10/2015 at 11:40 AM PDT
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Have you tried measuring DPS using an add-on with this build? I tried caster with my NB and had trouble breaking 1.5k DPS sustained without using an ult. With bow, I can sustain 3-4k, and for AoE fights I'm sustaining 7-8k with spikes to 13k or even 24k in some fights.

I love casting and healing, but my DPS with NB caster was just too low, so I'm leveling a DK for healing right now. I love the idea of NB healing while doing a little damage, which I can't do as easily with my DK, but I just couldn't solo PVE or DPS as well with caster NB.

If your DPS is higher than mine was, then I may have to give it another go.

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Morigana
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Replied On: 06/11/2015 at 03:43 PM PDT

Well, I have never like to measure DPS since it is a bit of a one trick pony - it is DPS.  I measure survivability and as I, and evidently Blue, have found out, I can take down groups of 4-6 (PvE) without dying.  At V4 I was able to solo V3 dolmens - which I totally understand a lot of builds can do - but I never was on my NB because I really do suck at melee which is what I was attempting to do.  This build is about surviving and killing - and having fun.  The Nightmancer was created in a desperation move so that I wouldn't have my highest level character just sitting on the "Character Select" screen - and it works.    I tried tons of stuff with her. 

All I can really say is that at V4 (just turned V5) a V4 PvE mob only lasts a few secs before they are dead and I am at full health when I turn to the next mob.  The biggest plus is that I have fun with this build - which is a must - you have to enjoy what you are doing.  Really - I have to like the way I look and how I "act" on the screen which is why I play a Wood Elf which is not the greatest caster but she has the look I like and the race has a back story that appeals to me.

And as an after thought, I didn't like splitting my points to take advantage of the "magic" skills and the "physical" attacks.   Which is not done with either the Nightmancer or the Nightstalker.  Nightmancer has all points put into Magicka and full set of light  armor - all 7 pieces - and all of the attacks are magicka based.  The Nightstalker will have all points put into stamina with full medium armor and, with the exception of a few attacks, will have all attacks stamina based.  I am carefully watching for physical/stamina based attacks vs. magicka attacks.  Still have a long way to go with her.

Safe journey and enjoy the game.

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