ESO: Dragonknight as a Tank, tips, skills ESO guide, tips

Dragonknight as a Tank: General information, Active skills - the first weapons set, the second weapons set, Explanation of skills, How to build a tank - Dragonknight

Last update: 07 July 2020

This page of our The Elder Scrolls Online guide has a recommended build for the Dragonknight class. It turns Dragonknight into a Tank focused on distracted enemies' attention and receiving damage. We have prepared general information about this character build and listed the most useful skills.

• General information
• Active skills - the first weapons set
• Active skills - the second weapons set
• Explanation of skills
• How to build a tank - Dragonknight

General information

Due to his disposition to fight over a short distance, Dragonknight is perfect as a tank, i.e. the one that gets the whipping for the entire party. What is especially useful, in this case, are the abilities from the Dragonic Power and Earthen Heart trees - Ardent Flame is centered, rather, around a solo play, if you want to deal as high damage as possible.

As a tank, your main task is to drag the attention, of the enemies, away from the rest of the party and, to do that, you need to have as large a pool of health as possible and average amounts of stamina, and magicka. Also, you should have the highest possible value of your armor and resistance to magic, thanks to which you will bring damage to a minimum. Wear heavy armor only.

The recommended race, for this task, is the Imperial, due to his race abilities, which raise sword and shield wielding abilities, which increase maximum health and stamina which, in turn, allows him to steal health by attacking. Of course, the other races are just as fit or that, but this guide assumes that you are playing as an Imperial - if you have selected any other race, ignore Imperial's passive abilities, provided in this section. Additionally, in both weapons slots, keep a sword and the shield - yes, n both of them. This has been explained below.

• General information
• Active skills - the first weapons set
• Active skills - the second weapons set
• Explanation of skills
• How to build a tank - Dragonknight

Active skills - the first weapons set

Icon	Ability name (after the recommended metamorphosis)
	Standard of Might
	Empowering Chains
	Burning Embers
	Engulfing Flames
	Burning Talons
	Deep Breath

Active skills - the second weapons set

Icon	Ability name (after the recommended metamorphosis)
	Corrosive Armor
	Shield Assault
	Flame Lash
	Ransack
	Green Dragon Blood
	Eruption

In addition to the above sets of abilities you should invest into the following passive abilities (from the One Hand and Shield, Imperial and Heavy Armor trees):

1. Iron Skin
2. Kindling
3. Warmth
4. Searing Heat
5. World in Flame
6. Burning Heart
7. Elder Dragon
8. Scaled Armor
9. Battle Roar
10. Eternal Mountain
11. Mountain's Blessing
12. Helping Hands
13. Sword and Board - raises the damage that you deal and block, when you are using the sword and the shield.
14. Deflective Bolts - increases the value of the blocked damage from bolts.
15. Deadly Bash - shield bash (the attack while blocking) deals higher damage and costs less stamina.
16. Fortress - decreases the cost of blocking and using of abilities, while using the sword and the shield.
17. Constitution - increases the regeneration of health, per each element of heavy armor that you wear.
18. Bracing - decreases the cost of blocking, if you are wearing, at least 5 elements of heavy armor.
19. Juggernaut - increases the power of melee attacks, per each element of heavy armor that you wear.
20. Rapid Mending - increases the amount of healing that you receive, per each element of heavy armor that you wear.
21. Red Diamond - your melee attacks have a chance of healing you.
22. Resolve - raises the armor and resistance to magic per each element of heavy armor that you wear.
23. Shield Affinity - increases the income of experience in the One Handed and Shield tree.
24. Tough - increases the maximum amount of health.
25. Conditioning - increases the maximum amount of stamina.

Explanation of skills

The first set is designed to fight a larger amount of weak enemies, where the most important thing is to deal high damage and keep them riveted to you (and also to immobilize them). In practice, all of the abilities allow you to deal AoE damage and DoT (Damage over Time) damage, which should prove its worth, while fighting cannon fodder, whereas Burning Talons allows you to keep them on you. After you get the attention of all of them, activate the Shield of Might ultimate ability, to summon the standard that deals immense damage.

The second set is designed to be used against a single, big and strong enemy. Switch to this other mode when you reach the boss, or a strong enemy surrounded by dozens of the weaker ones. Start the battle with the Shield Assault, to run up to the enemy and stun him, after which you should use the Flame Lash, to extend the CC effect on the enemy. Eruption (the improved version of Ash Cloud) allows you to slow down the enemy considerably, which decreases his chances at hitting you, whereas Ransack allows you to keep the hostile aggro, even if your allies wreak havoc and deal huge damage.

When things go awry and the boss starts dealing too massive damage, use Green Dragon Blood, which should soothe him down and allow the healer to take a lungful of breath. If this proves ineffective (or if the enemy is using an attack/attacks that deal high damage) use the Corrosive Armor ultimate ability - for a dozen-or-so seconds, you will be virtually immortal.

The tank build presented here focuses on constant dealing of damage, focus the enemy attention on yourself and on not letting yourself be killed. Unfortunately, there is no room here, for the abilities that would support your party.

How to build a tank - Dragonknight

Apart from choosing the appropriate abilities, you should also distribute your points properly and ensure a good selection of weapons:

1. Most of the points, distribute into Health - 10 points into both Magicka and Stamina should do, put all the remaining points into health. You will receive Magicka and Stamina from items.
2. Wear heavy armor only - it offers the highest bonus to armor and also harmonizes perfectly with the passive abilities, presented in this chapter. Even if your armor exceeds the threshold (it is then highlighted in orange, the so called Overcharge), you are going to need each and every points, because your role is to get the whipping for the whole party.
3. Enchant the armor in a way that allows you to make up for the missing statistics - enchant some of the armor elements with Magicka and Stamina, because you have already invested the points in health. If you fell that the rest of the resources are sufficient, and you can put some of the points into the resistance of some of the elements of the armor, do that - you can never have too much health. when it comes to jewelry, again, enchant it to make it suit your needs - if you are low on stamina/magicka/health regeneration, add these statistics to the jewelry. You can also invest in decreasing the cost of abilities )depending on the type of ability - "Reduce Stamina / Magicka cost of abilities").
4. Use the swords and the shield in combat, only - a lot of the abilities that you are using are based on them. Apart from that, you will also have more armor and you are going to find it easier to block attacks) which is your main role). Put the sword and the armor into both of the weapons slots.
5. While crafting armor (or buying it), try to obtain useful traits, like (in the case of armor) Impenetrable (resistance to critical hits) or Reinforced (increased armor value on the item). As for the weapon, an useful trait is Precise (increases the chance of scoring a critical hit), Defending (increases the overall resistance and resistance to magic, by a percent value), or Sharpened (increases the armor piercing and resistance to magic).