The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind Guide Training Archetypes Tanks

The Crusader

Class: Templar

Race: Imperial

Attribute Focus: Health/Stamina

Weapon Types: One Hand and Shield

Armor Focus: Heavy

Mundus Stone: Ritual

Bar 1: One Hand and Shield

Key Abilities

Ability	Description
	Pierce Armor: Morphed from Puncture (One Hand and Shield). This is your main taunt and debuff ability. It applies Major Fracture and Major Breach, reducing the target’s Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance. Keep the effects up, but don’t overuse the ability—in single-target situations, try to wait at least 10 seconds between uses.
	Heroic Slash: Morphed from Low Slash (One Hand and Shield). This is your main damage ability and single-target snare. It applies Minor Maim, reducing the target’s damage done, and grants you Minor Heroism, increasing your Ultimate generation.
	Channeled Focus: Morphed from Rune Focus (Templar > Restoring Light). Using this Magicka ability places a protective rune at your feet. This rune grants you Major Resolve and Major Ward, increasing your Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance. It also boosts your Magicka Recovery.
	Absorb Magic: Morphed from Defensive Posture (One Hand and Shield). While slotted, this ability increases the amount of damage you can block and reduces the Stamina cost for blocking, making it an important tool for survivability and sustainability. Activating this ability allows you to absorb an impressive amount of damage from the next spell projectile cast at you, healing you for a percentage of your Maximum Health.
	Breath of Life: Morphed from Rushed Ceremony (Templar > Restoring Light). This Magicka ability heals you or a wounded ally. It also grants a smaller heal to an additional target. Use it for self-healing, but be aware of any allies who might benefit from its secondary effect.
	Aggressive Horn: Morphed from War Horn (Assault). Increases the Maximum Magicka, Health, and Stamina of you and your allies by 10%. Affected targets also gain Major Force, temporarily increasing the damage and healing done by Critical Strikes. Use this Ultimate Ability during group content.

This is your main Bar. It contains your most frequently used abilities. To benefit from Absorb Magic’s slotted effect, prioritize use of this Action Bar. This loadout offers no empty Bar slots.

Bar 2: One Hand and Shield

Key Abilities

Ability	Description
	Inner Beast: Morphed from Inner Fire (Undaunted). This is your long-range taunt. It does a nice amount of damage, but it’s one of your more expensive Stamina abilities. Use it when you need to taunt from a distance.
	Bone Surge: Morphed from Bone Shield (Undaunted). Grants you a damage shield that scales based on your Maximum Health. Also allows allies to activate the Spinal Surge Synergy, granting them Minor Vitality and a damage-absorbing wall. This is a solid defensive ability and a good option for group support.
	Blazing Shield: Morphed from Sun Shield (Templar > Aedric Spear). Grants you a damage shield that scales based on your Maximum Health. The shield grows stronger based on the number of enemies near you when the ability is activated. When the shield expires, it explodes outward, dealing a percentage of the damage it absorbed to nearby enemies.
	Power of the Light: Morphed from Backlash (Templar > Dawn’s Wrath). This attack deals Physical Damage and applies Minor Fracture and Minor Breach to the target. It also copies their damage taken for six seconds, applying up to 20% of it as additional Physical Damage when the effect ends. It’s most useful during group content, but it can sometimes be handy during solo adventuring.
	Solar Disturbance: Morphed from Nova (Templar > Dawn’s Wrath). This ranged Ultimate Ability deals AoE/DOT damage and reduces the damage done by affected enemies. It also snares enemies and allows an ally to use the Supernova Synergy. Use this Ultimate Ability while you’re adventuring alone.

This is your backup Bar. Use it to taunt from range, apply damage shields, and offer group support. The remaining slot can be used for any ability you find helpful, depending on the situation.

Priority Passives

Other than those found in the Assault skill line, invest in all of your core Passives. Move on to other skill lines as Skill Points become available.

Equipment Recommendations

Weapons
Priority Trait: Defending
Priority Enchantment: Crushing
You want to have a one-handed melee weapon and a shield equipped at all times. Early on, use the highest-quality weapon/shield combinations you can find. Prioritize one-handed melee weapons that feature the Defending trait.
For your shields, Reinforced and Sturdy are both good traits. Favor enchantments that boost Maximum Health or Maximum Stamina as needed.

Armor
Priority Trait: Sturdy or Infused
Priority Enchantment: Maximum Health or Maximum Stamina
Heavy armor should be your priority. Never tank with fewer than five pieces of heavy armor equipped. In many cases, it’s best to forgo the Undaunted Mettle Passive Ability and don a full set of heavy armor. You’ll need as much protection as you can get, and the Heavy Armor skill line’s Passive Abilities contribute a lot to your survivability.
If you’re serving as a group’s main Tank, try to assemble a collection of high-quality armor sets. Your preferred balance of stats is sure to change from encounter to encounter, and the more options you have, the better off you’ll be. You have a bit more freedom during solo adventuring, but your survivability is always your greatest asset.
Until you’ve acquired at least one Tank-friendly armor set, favor heavy armor pieces that offer a mix of Maximum Health and Maximum Stamina enchantments. Choose the highest-quality armor you can find for your level, but look for pieces that feature the Sturdy trait. Once you’re comfortable with your Stamina management, aim for head, chest, and leg pieces that feature the Infused trait to get the most out of your enchantments.

Jewelry
Priority Trait: Healthy
Priority Enchantment: Shielding
Until you collect a set you find useful, prioritize jewelry items that increase your Maximum Health and reduce the Stamina cost for blocking.

Archetype Advice

The Ritual Mundus Stone makes Breath of Life a more effective self-heal, so it’s a nice option for any situation. Still, don’t hesitate to exchange it for any boon that might serve you better.

With high-level gear, this build makes for a solid main Tank. However, it doesn’t offer much in the damage department. Even during basic adventuring, combat is more a matter of outlasting your enemies than overpowering them.

The use of Channeled Focus limits your mobility—the effects linger for a bit if you leave the rune, but staying put is an important part of your Magicka management.

Health will likely be your primary Attribute, so Stamina management can be an issue. Perform a heavy attack at every opportunity to help support your Stamina abilities.

Bone Surge has a fairly heavy Stamina cost and should be used sparingly. Blazing Shield is a Magicka ability; use it every so often to reduce blocking-related Stamina consumption. Neither effect lasts long, so proper timing is important.