Vampires use powerful magic to damage, stun, and elude their enemies. With high damage potential, effective damage reduction, and some very nice stealth Passives, Vampirism has a lot to offer.
Overview
Developing the Vampire skill line takes a bit of time and a good number of Skill Points. A new Vampire won’t receive many benefits from their curse, but those who stick with it have access to:
- Powerful new Magicka/Ultimate abilities
- Up to 10% additional Magicka/Stamina Recovery
- Multiple options for damage reduction
- Improved stealth movement speed
- The ability to transmit Vampirism to willing players
Of course, Vampirism has a few drawbacks. Afflicted players can expect:
- Up to 25% more damage taken from flame attacks
- Up to 75% less Health Recovery
- Up to 20% more damage taken from Fighters Guild abilities
Most of these benefits and penalties are affected by the stage of your Vampirism—a value that changes based on how often you feed and/or use Vampire abilities. Put simply, you must accept harsher penalties to enjoy greater benefits.
Active Effects
The Vampire skill line features only a few Active Effects:
- Bat Swarm is a damage-focused Ultimate Ability that blends area-of-effect and damage-over-time effects.
- Drain Essence is a channeled attack that also serves as a self-heal and single-target stun.
- Mist Form grants a brief window of powerful damage reduction and immunity to all Disabling Effects (including roots and snares).
All of these abilities can be morphed to improve or augment their effects, but the Vampire skill line essentially offers a powerful, damage-focused Ultimate Ability, a channeled self-heal, and a uniquely powerful escape ability.
Stages of Vampirism
As a Vampire’s need for blood increases, the effects of Vampirism become more potent:
- Stage 1: Your thirst is sated. Apart from your status as Undead, your affliction carries no penalties or benefits.
- Stage 2: You suffer a 25% penalty to Health Recovery and take 15% more damage from fire. However, the casting cost of all Vampire abilities is reduced by 7%.
- Stage 3: You suffer a 50% penalty to Health Recovery and take 20% more damage from fire. The casting cost of all Vampire abilities is reduced by 14%.
- Stage 4: You suffer a 75% penalty to Health Recovery and take 25% more damage from fire. The casting cost of all Vampire abilities is reduced by 21%.
Several of the Vampire Passive Abilities also have stage requirements. This means that higher Vampirism stages grant additional benefits as you progress (and invest in) the Vampire skill line.
Stage Management
Vampirism progresses by one stage every six hours, but using any Vampire ability advances the stage timer by 30 minutes.
Feeding lowers Vampirism by one full stage. To do this, sneak up behind a humanoid target and press your designated Synergy key (or buttons).
Proper stage management is an important part of being an effective Vampire. For example, reverting to Stage 1 is a great way to prepare for dungeons or Trials that feature excessive Flame Damage. With each new situation, try to weigh the benefits of Vampirism against its drawbacks, and then make any adjustments that might serve to improve your performance.