The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) now offers you a selection of up to 6 classes to choose from. In this guide, we want to show you some tank builds that will help you master the beginnings in ESO.
What is this about? This is part 3 of a series of guides where we want to introduce builds that can help beginners start well in ESO. This article is all about tank builds. As a tank, you need to be resilient, draw the attention of enemies to you, and manage your resources well.
In this guide, we want to explain how the various builds work. Not only the choice of classes plays an important role, but also the choice of races. In this guide, you’ll learn which race is best suited for which role.
In the other guides, we will also cover the following topics:
Before we get into the guide, we would like to briefly introduce some important vocabulary that is used repeatedly in the guide and in the game.
Important vocabulary for this guide
- What is a taunt? This refers to a skill that taunts the opponent. This means that only the player who has cast this skill on them will be attacked.
- What is a ranged taunt? A ranged taunt is the same as a regular taunt, except that it has a greater range and can thus be used when the opponent is further away.
- What does the word Morph mean? This refers to an alternative version of a skill. In ESO, you have the ability to change (morph) a skill once it reaches level IV. You will always have 2 selectable options that differ slightly.
- What does “prebuffing” mean? This refers to preparing for a fight: Before it starts, you activate abilities that grant you buffs (advantages) from the beginning.
Skills for the tank in ESO
In general, it’s not easy to create a tank build. Here, unlike with DDs or healers, there is no solution that is by far the one or the best. As a tank, you mainly need one thing: to survive and support the group in later content. How you do that is generally up to you.
And everyone has their preferences. Some play the tank relatively immobile, standing most of the time in block stance. Others prefer to dodge attacks instead of absorbing them. Your playstyle affects your choice of armor traits and the distribution of your attribute points.
This is why tank builds often reflect one of many options that suit you best. However, it will take a while before you really reach the level where a specialized tank is needed. Before you face the veteran difficulty, you should progress better with a DD build.
From level 50 onwards, you can enter dungeons in veteran mode. Before that, you can transform your DD for (random) dungeons into a DD/tank hybrid and sign up for the tank role. However, you should still exchange some skills for that.
Otherwise, the dungeon will take longer, as the boss will constantly move between players. This causes him to move out of the AoE areas of the DDs. So make sure he moves as little as possible.
What skills does a tank definitely need? You must be able to draw the boss’s attention to yourself in the tank role. Thus, you need a taunt. Additionally, for add groups, it’s important that you position the individual adds correctly. When they stand close together, the DDs can deal damage to all enemies at the same time.
You can use these skills for these tasks:
- Pierce (Weapon & Shield): This skill is your taunt. The enemy will only be interested in you for 15 seconds. Additionally, you will apply 2 debuffs: minor & major fracture. This will reduce their physical resistance and magic resistance by 2974 and 5948 for 15 seconds.
- Silver Leash (Fighter’s Guild): You deal an insignificant amount of damage and pull enemies towards you. They will also be slowed by 30% for 4 seconds. Note that the enemies will be stunned while being pulled. Recently stunned enemies cannot be pulled while they are immune.
- Inner Rage (Unyielding): Deals instant magic damage and taunts the enemy for 15 seconds. Allies can use the Radiant Synergy to deal 3 seconds of magic damage to the enemy and additionally deal magic damage to all nearby enemies.
Or you can use the other morph:
- Inner Beast (Unyielding): This is the other morph of Inner Rage. Unlike this one, this skill becomes a stamina skill. It deals slightly less initial damage, but the enemy takes 2% more damage from your attacks. The synergy effects remain the same (like with Inner Rage).
The Silver Leash allows all classes to play a functioning tank. However, this has not always been possible, and therefore some players still believe that a tank can only be played with a Dragonknight. However, this information is outdated.
In the endgame, you’ll notice that especially the class of the off-tank often varies. For instance, supporters (tanks and healers) in a group may have to adjust their class choice according to the DDs. The DDs play the classes that deal the most damage, and supporters must fill in the missing classes.
This is because almost every class has a passive ability that buffs the group.
Nightblade Tank (NB Tank)
The Nightblade is well-suited as a tank class, as some survival skills scale with maximum health.
On the 1st bar (front bar):
- 1: Chimera (Assassination): You receive the buff: Greater Evasion, which reduces incoming damage from area attacks by 20%. You receive the buff: Minor Resolve, which increases physical resistance and magic resistance by 2974 for 26 seconds.
- 2: Dark Mantle (Shadow): You heal 1278 health every second for 6 seconds. This value scales with your maximum health. You receive the buff: Minor Protection, reducing your damage taken by 5%.
- 3: Defensive Stance (Weapon & Shield): You receive a damage shield that absorbs a certain amount of damage. This amount scales with your maximum health. The next projectile that targets you is returned. This effect can only occur once after activation. While the shield is active, the amount of blocked damage increases by 10%, and block costs are reduced by the same amount.
- 4: Heroic Strike (Weapon & Shield): You apply a debuff to the enemy: Minor Crippling, which reduces their damage by 5%. Additionally, you receive the buff: Minor Heroism, which grants you 1 ultimate power every 1.5 seconds for 12 seconds, allowing you to use your ultimate ability faster.
- 5: Pierce (Weapon & Shield): This skill is your taunt. The enemy will be interested in you for 15 seconds only. Additionally, you will apply 2 debuffs: Minor & Major Fracture, reducing their physical resistance and magic resistance for 15 seconds by 2974 and 5948.
- R: Restorative Barrier (Support): You protect your nearby group members and yourself from up to 20238 damage for 30 seconds. The protection heals your allies and you additionally for a total of 9375 health over 15 seconds.
On the 2nd bar (back bar):
- 1: Elemental Blockade (Destruction Staff): An area damage in front of you that deals magic damage every second for 14 seconds. As a tank, you often play with a frost staff. When you place the elemental blockade, nearby allies receive a shield against ranged attacks. You can also use a lightning staff to unbalance enemies in the area of effect.
- 2: Renewing Path (Shadow): You create a path in front of you. While you are within this path, you gain the buff: Greater Speed, increasing your movement speed by 30%. This effect lasts for 4 seconds after leaving the path. Additionally, you and your allies will be healed for 1068 health every second.
- 3: Silver Leash (Fighter’s Guild): You deal an insignificant amount of damage and pull enemies to you. Additionally, they are slowed by 30% for 4 seconds. Note that the enemies are stunned while being pulled. Recently stunned enemies cannot be pulled while they are immune.
- 4: Inner Rage (Unyielding): Deals instant magic damage and taunts the enemy for 15 seconds. Allies can use the Radiant Synergy to deal 3 seconds of magic damage to the enemy and additionally magic damage to all nearby enemies.
- 5: Elemental Drain: (Destruction Staff) The target receives the debuff: Greater Fracture, which reduces its physical resistance and magic resistance by 5948 for 23 seconds. The target receives the debuff: Minor Magicka Drain, restoring 168 Magicka to you and your allies every second.
- R: Aggressive Signal (Storm Attack): Increases maximum stamina and maximum Magicka for 30 seconds by 10%. Additionally, the group receives the buff: Greater Power, increasing critical damage for 10 seconds by 20%.
Templar Tank
Basically, the Templar can also be played as a tank. However, in optimized groups, it is rarely needed. Additionally, he does not have strong self-healing. I would recommend against this choice. However, if you absolutely want to, here are some skills you could use:
On the 1st bar (front bar):
- 1: Restorative Focus (Restorative Light): You create a rune of divine protection and receive the buff: Greater Resolve for 20 seconds, increasing your physical and magic resistance by 5948. Moreover, during this duration, you recover 242 stamina every second. Inside the rune, you heal by 1342 every second, scaling with your maximum health.
- 2: Radiant Protection (Aedric Spear): You surround yourself with a shield that absorbs up to 6,711 damage for 6 seconds. This part of the ability scales with your maximum health. Nearby enemies will take 3,034 magic damage when the shield is activated, and every successful hit increases the shield’s strength by 9%.
- 3: Power of Light (Dawn’s Wrath): You summon a beam that deals 1,929 physical damage to an enemy, copies all damage you suffered for 6 seconds, and releases 20% of that as additional magic damage to them. Maximum damage copied: 11,240. Additionally, you debuff your target with Minor Fracture, reducing their physical and magic resistance by 2,974 for 9 seconds.
- 4: Defensive Stance (Weapon & Shield): You gain a damage shield that absorbs a certain amount of damage. The amount scales with your maximum health. The next projectile that targets you is returned. This effect can only occur once after activation. While the shield is active, the amount of blocked damage increases by 10%, and block costs are reduced by the same amount.
- 5: Pierce (Weapon & Shield): This skill is your taunt. The enemy will only be interested in you for 15 seconds. Additionally, you will apply 2 debuffs: minor & major fracture. This will reduce their physical resistance and magic resistance by 2974 and 5948 for 15 seconds.
- R: Refreshing Barrier: You protect your nearby group members and yourself from up to 20238 damage for 30 seconds. Each time a shield fades, you gain 4 ultimate power and 1,000 Magicka.
On the 2nd bar (back bar):
- 1: Elemental Blockade (Destruction Staff): An area damage in front of you that deals magic damage every second for 14 seconds. As a tank, you often play with a frost staff. When you place the elemental blockade, nearby allies receive a shield against ranged attacks. You could also use a lightning staff and unbalance enemies in the effective area.
- 2: Radiant Aura (Restorative Light): Applies Minor Magicka Drain to all enemies around you for 20 seconds, restoring 168 Magicka to you and your allies every second when you deal damage to them. While equipped, you receive Minor Valor, Minor Endurance, and Minor Intellect, increasing your health, stamina, and Magicka regeneration by 15%.
- 3: Extended Ritual (Restorative Light): Instantly removes up to 5 harmful effects from you and heals you and nearby allies for 1,300 health every 2 seconds for 24 seconds. Allies in the area can activate the Cleanse Synergy to cleanse themselves of all harmful effects and heal for 3,286 health. This ability scales with your highest offensive resource value.
- 4: Silver Leash (Fighter’s Guild): You deal an insignificant amount of damage and pull enemies to you. Additionally, they are slowed by 30% for 4 seconds. Note that the enemies are stunned while being pulled. Recently stunned enemies cannot be pulled while they are immune.
- 5: Inner Rage (Unyielding): Deals instant magic damage and taunts the enemy for 15 seconds. Allies can use the Radiant Synergy to deal 3 seconds of magic damage to the enemy and additionally magic damage to all nearby enemies.
- R: Aggressive Signal (Storm Attack): Increases maximum stamina and maximum Magicka for 30 seconds by 10%. Additionally, the group receives the buff: Greater Power, increasing critical damage for 10 seconds by 20%.
Other skills from the Sorcerer class that are interesting for the tank role:
- Living Shadow
- Spears
- Solar Fire