The Bloodmage — The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind eGuide

Class: Nightblade

Race: Breton

Attribute Focus: Magicka

Weapon Types: Destruction Staves

Armor Focus: Light

Mundus Stone: The Thief

Bar 1: Destruction Staff (Flame Staff)

Key Abilities

Ability	Description
	Swallow Soul: Morphed from Strife (Nightblade > Siphoning). This is your primary attack and a solid source of healing. Slotting it also grants Minor Vitality, increasing your healing received by 8%.
	Elemental Blockade: Morphed from Wall of Elements (Destruction Staff). A powerful area-of-effect skill that should be kept up at all times.
	Impale: Morphed from Assassin’s Blade (Nightblade > Assassination). A great ranged execute. Use it whenever your target’s Health drops below 25%.
	Crippling Grasp: Morphed from Cripple (Nightblade > Siphoning). This is your main damage-over-time attack, but it also offers a bit of utility.
	Soul Harvest: Morphed from Death Stroke (Nightblade > Assassination). This is slotted to help with Ultimate generation, but it’s also a great way to boost your Impale attacks.

This is your main damage Bar. Use it for the bulk of your attack rotation. The remaining slot can be used to hold any ability you like, but consider selecting a stronger heal or something that offers additional utility.

Bar 2: Destruction Staff (Lightning Staff)

Key Abilities

Ability	Description
	Siphoning Attacks: Morphed from Siphoning Strikes (Nightblade > Siphoning). Causes your light and heavy attacks to restore Health and Magicka for 20 seconds.
	Twisting Path: Morphed from Path of Darkness (Nightblade > Shadow). Another solid AoE/DOT attack. Bring it into your attack rotation during longer battles.
	Merciless Resolve: Morphed from Grim Focus (Nightblade > Assassination). This long-lasting buff grants Minor Berserk, boosting your damage done by 8% for 20 seconds. It allows the use of a spectral bow. Cast at the start of each encounter and refresh as needed.
	Harness Magicka: Morphed from Annulment (Light Armor). A damage shield that mitigates incoming damage while restoring Magicka for each spell it absorbs. Use it when you’re in danger of taking heavy damage.
	Elemental Rage: Morphed from Elemental Storm (Destruction Staff). A powerful area-of-effect skill that changes based on your staff type. It’s chosen to keep a Destruction Staff ability on the Action Bar, but it’s also the Ultimate Ability you’ll use in most situations.

This is something of a utility Bar, but it’s responsible for a lot of your damage. Use it to activate and refresh your longer-lasting abilities as needed. It’s also the Action Bar you’ll favor for Ultimate use.

The remaining slot can be used for whatever you like, but consider slotting something for group support.

Priority Passives

Investing in core Passives is a good start; branch out as you gain the Skill Points to explore other skill lines.

One Destruction Staff Passive, Ancient Knowledge, deserves special mention. This Passive Ability is the reason a Lightning Staff is your backup weapon—it’s also the reason you need a Destruction Staff ability slotted on your backup Bar. Snatch it up as soon as you can to make the most of this build.

Equipment Recommendations

Weapons
Priority Trait: Sharpened
Priority Enchantment: Spell Damage
For your main weapon, use the best Flame Staff available to you. Try for something that includes the Sharpened trait and a Spell Damage enchantment.
For your backup weapon, go with the best Lightning Staff you can find. Again, the Sharpened trait and a Spell Damage enchantment allow for maximum damage

Armor
Priority Trait: Divines
Priority Enchantment: Maximum Magicka
Use at least five pieces of light armor at all times. The related Passives grant you some very important benefits. If you’ve invested in the Undaunted Mettle Passive Ability, equip medium/heavy armor pieces in the remaining slots. Otherwise, a full set of light armor is likely your best option.
In lieu of useful set bonuses, look for light armor that offers Maximum Magicka enchantments as you work toward obtaining high-level gear. Getting seven pieces with the Divines trait is a big step toward reaching your damage potential.

Jewelry
Priority Trait: Arcane
Priority Enchantment: Spell Damage
Until you manage to track down useful set pieces, use anything that increases Maximum Magicka and Spell Damage.

Archetype Advice

The Breton’s racial Passives support a more durable, efficient build. If you’re after raw damage, feel free to go with a High Elf or a Dark Elf.

Use your backup Bar to cast Merciless Resolve and Siphoning Attacks at the start of every fight, then swap weapons and focus on damage until it’s time to activate the spectral bow or reapply fading effects.

To fire Merciless Resolve’s spectral bow, you need to land four light attacks before the effect ends. Weave these between your main damage attacks, and it will be ready in no time.

Keep Elemental Blockade active throughout every fight. Use Swallow Soul as your main attack ability until your target drops below 25% Health, then switch to Impale for serious damage—just remember that you won’t have Swallow Soul’s healing effect during this time.