How to Build DPS Nightblade Magicka in Elder Scrolls Online

We’d like to welcome you to The Elder Scrolls Online’s Nightblade leveling guide! The build is intended to assist anyone who is upgrading a Nightblade in order to become a Magicka damage dealer. This isn’t a typical “leveling procedure,” but rather a structure that shows some of the most common constructions for this role. 

This allows you to pick and select from a list and combine and match as desired, avoiding the impression of a rigid leveling process. Instead, you will be able to experiment with various powers as you level. By the conclusion of the game, you will not only have a majority of the most often used skills leveled up and transformed, but you will also know which of these abilities you like and which work best for you.

Insight

Elder Scrolls Online is one of the best MMORPG video games of 2025. In this game, Nightblades are masters of stealth and life-stealing magic, with exceptional agility and damage. Even while Nightblades are mainly utilized as damage dealers, their unique play style allows them to fill tank and healer roles.

Nightblades may be a little challenging for novice players as a first character due to their somewhat higher skill cap than most other classes when utilized effectively. Simple and effective eso Nightblade builds can be created to make leveling much simpler.

Once you reach level 50, you are promoted to CP 10 and can access the Champion Point system.

Magicka DPS

Race

• High Elf
• Breton
• Dark Elf
• Khajiit

Gear

• 5 light
• 1 medium
• 1 heavy
• Destruction Staffs (Front/Back Bar) OR Destro/Resto (for PvP)

The recommended gear weight distribution is not a definite guideline for leveling. If you obtain better gears as you level, feel free to change them. Just make sure your primary gear weighs more than your secondary gear!

Attributes (Full Magicka)

Vampire/Mortal/Werewolf

Vampire or Mortal: Whichever is most suited to your playstyle. If you want to use Vampire for any of the skills, you can do so. However, keep in mind that there will be certain disadvantages, such as increased skill costs, vulnerability to fire, and decreased health regeneration. If you do not want to use any of the skill line’s abilities, just stay Mortal. The Werewolf does not affect Magicka DPS.

Food and Potions

Magicka: Potions

Food is not required, but try to get items that boost your Magicka, health, and Magicka recovery if you can locate any.

Abilities

You want to ensure that both your front and back bars include at least one ability from each class tree. When you earn experience, whether via killing monsters or completing missions, the abilities on the active bar gain experience along with their associated skill lines.

Another good technique is that if you have skills on a skill bar that you wish to level up, you can switch to that bar upon finishing a quest or dungeon to give those abilities and associated ability lines a boost in experience. We often suggest the first talent in a skill tree as an option just to assist you in starting to level that skill line.

If you wish to level skill tree or weapons without actually using it, just putting skill from that tree on your ability bar lets it earn experience as you level that bar. You are not required to use it at all!

PVE

• Assassination > Grim Focus > Merciless Resolve
• Assassination > Assassin’s Blade > Impale
• Shadow > Veiled Strike > Concealed Weapon
• Siphoning > Strife > Swallow Soul
• Siphoning > Cripple > Crippling Grasp
• Siphoning > Siphoning Strikes > Siphoning Attacks
• Siphoning > Drain Power > Sap Essence
• Light Armor > Annulment > Harness Magicka
• Soul Magic > Soul Trap > Soul Splitting Trap
• Mage’s Guild > Entropy > Degeneration
• Mage’s Guild > Fire Rune > Scalding Rune
• Destruction Staff > Destructive Touch > Destructive Reach
• Destruction Staff > Wall of Elements > Unstable Wall of Elements
• Destruction Staff > Weakness to Elements > Elemental Drain
• Psijic Order > Accelerate > Channeled Acceleration
• Fighter’s Guild > Trap Beast > Barbed Trap

Additional Abilities for PVP

• Assassination > Blur > Phantasmal Escape
  • Assassination > Mark Target > Piercing Mark
  • Shadow > Shadow Cloak > Shadowy Disguise
  • Shadow > Aspect of Terror > Mass Hysteria
  • Shadow > Summon Shade > Shadow Image
  • Restoration Staff > Regeneration > Rapid Regeneration
  • Restoration Staff > Steadfast Ward > Healing Ward

Ultimates

• Assassination > Death Stroke > Soul Harvest
• Siphoning > Soul Shred > Soul Tether
• Destruction Staff > Elemental Storm > Elemental Rage
• Mage’s Guild > Meteor > Shooting Star
• Restoration Staff > Panacea > Either Morph

Passive

• Assassination
• Shadow
• Siphoning
• Racial
• Light Armor
• Destruction Staff

Optional: Restoration Staff Passives for PVP

• Vampirism Passives (except Savage feeding and blood ritual)
• Alchemy – Medicinal Use
• Mages Guild
• Fighter’s Guild – Banish the Wicked
• Undaunted
• Psijic Order

After acquiring these, get the passives for the other armor skill lines. Save those that require you to wear five pieces of that gear type.

Skill Rotation

Use any skills that give you a boost first since they will strengthen any abilities you use subsequently or help you remain alive longer.

You want to maximize the usage of any dots in your build first, so hit your opponents with each dot you have, weaving a light attack in between each one.

You should have at least one spammable ability in the build when all of your dots are up, and you do not require buffs. It would be Swallow Soul in this case.

Use any CC, shields, or heals as necessary. When creating a build for general play, you want to ensure that you have a couple of them at your disposal.

Sets

While it is not required to create gear for leveling, some players like creating gear for alts or having gear built while making a new character. These are some well-crafted choices you can make. We suggest the “Training” trait: Julianos and Shacklebreaker.

Conclusion

Do not bother about a particular gear configuration if you have just started playing Elder Scrolls Online.

If you have found some friends or a guild willing to assist you with gear, you may request that they make you the gear recommended in other guides, although this is not required and is often a waste of resources/money. So stop wasting any more time, get your gaming gears and gadgets, and start demolishing with Nightblades. Good luck and enjoy ESO!