"Spellcasters who use their magics to enhance mobility, concealment, and stealthy close combat. They have a sinister reputation, since many Nightblades are thieves, enforcers, assassins, or covert agents."
A lethal mix of Spellsword, and Assassin, they can break the Combat Rochambeau by using Melee, Magic, and Stealth effectively. Range is probably their weakest, being limited to Destruction at a distance (The Oblivion version added Archery) but they win by not playing any specialist's game. Warriors can be weakened, and killed before they can close, Archers taken first, from behind, and mages up close, where they're weakest.
Race Dunmer are naturals for their skillset. Altmer have a deeper Magicka Pool, and run quickly.
Major Skills One Handed, Sneak, Illusion
Minor Skills Alteration, Destruction, Light Armor.
Attributes Being a hybrid of all 3 Guardians, they use Magicka, Stamina, and may need some Health, depending on how much they avoid combat. There is no perfect ratio for all players.
Factions/Quests: I started off Companions for some easy XP, then Thieves' Guild/Dark Brotherhood for gear, and role play, plus the College of Winterhold for Magic. (The only place to buy Invisibility.) For the build, only Proving Honor, and Under Saarthal are really helpful for training, and good medium level gear. At least one of the stealth factions should be taken to their fullest. This also lampshades his combination of Warrior, Assassin, and Mage in appropriate proportions.
Perks
- One Handed Armsman, Fighting Stance, Critical Charge, Savage Strike, Dual Wield/Savegry optional.
- Sneak Stealth(1) Assassin's Blade. All others are handled by different effects, just crouches long enough to backstab.
- Illusion Expert, Quiet Casting, Hypnotic Gaze helps at low levels.
- Destruction Adept, Augment Frost/Shock, Disintegrate, Deep Freeze.
- Alteration Expert, Stability. Mage Armor/resist Magic optional.
- Light Armor Optional, Agile Defender can be replaced by Magearmor, and not being Targeted. Wind Walker.
Apparel
More enchantment carriers than Armor Rating, if you're good enough, you need not take a hit.
It's hard to go wrong with either the Nightingale, or Shrouded sets, I like to mix, and match. The Nightingale Cowl for Illusion, to match the Master Robes, the Nightingale Armor is a handy backup for open battle. Shrouded Gloves, Ancient if you can get them. Either set's boots, the Ancient Shrouded have slightly more Armor, or the fully leveled Nightingales'.
For Magearmor, just the Shrouded/Jesters shoes, and handwraps with the Shrouded Hood, or a Circlet of Illusion, and the Master Robes.
Blades
To start, an Imperial sword is lighter than steel, then a Skyforge Steel, or Blades' sword for damage. A Silver Sword helps against Draugr/Vampires. If you're enchanting, Silver Swords are valuable, so give you more experience.
Swords aren't silent, but are powerful enough to fight your way out until you get Assassin's Blade. In the endgame, the Blade of Woe for backstabs, and Windshear, or the Nightingale Blade for spellswording, or even Dual Wield. Mehrune's Razor is always a popular choice.
If you want to enchant, my best mix was Absorb Stamina/Magicka to pair with Invisibility for serial backstabs. You recover with each strike, so you can immediately recast, Silent Roll, Critical Charge, and/or Power Attack. I just called it "The Nightblade" on an Ebony Dagger (Unimproved.) Works well enough for spell, and dagger fighting as well.
The Gauldur Amulet, I also got the Ring of Namira along with my preferred sidekick, Eola. She fills in some gaps in my skillset, being able to summon, and raise dead as well as making for 2 Spellswords when the fight starts. I handed down The Blackblade (Fully leveled), Jyrik's staff, and other goodies to make her even more effective, and she can also wear the spares from both armor sets (Not to mention Scaled from Fultheim the Fearless, and some random Stormcloak.)
Jenassa is a good alternate, you know where to find her, and she dual wields like no other. I married Eola, so she can be found again after I temporarily dismiss her. The Dark Brotherhood Initiates can use the same gear, and are replaceable. Cicero, if you can stand him.
Strategy
This is the Stealth Mode. Calm-Backstab in the beginning until you can upgrade to Invisibility and puff out of sight after each kill. (Both combos level Sneak, 1H, and Illusion at once.) It lasts long enough with Robes to fully recover for the next one...
Detect Life/Undead, because they're deadliest when they see the enemy first. Paralysis comes in real handy to chill out someone who is too powerful to Calm, though Pacify can return a moshpit to the strategic "Don't fight, kill" theatre. You can cast Magelight down a corridor from around the corner, and the NPCs will follow the damned thing with their backs turned...
Remove the greatest threats first, which doesn't always mean the biggest, and toughest. You can run circles around tanks, but archers can kill you from a distance, and mages surprise you with wildcard tactics.
Quiet Casting makes even Shouts silent. You can blast them all with Ice Form, from invisibility, and just leave them. Whirlwind Sprint followed by Invisibility can lose anyone. Invisible, and muffled, you can run through the enemy undetected if you don't run into them. If you charge Invisibility before interacting, you are only visible for a blink, then you can be gone again.
Become Ethereal is useful for dropping behind someone from heights you wouldn't normally survive. Otherwise, it's mostly replaced with Invisibility.
Before switching to Spell/sword, you can set up the battlefield with Runes, and recover all your magicka without it timing out. Ice Storm, slows, fatigues, and may Paralyse with Deep Freeze. Chain Lightning with Disintegrate slows weakens them for a Critical Charge.
With Follower Commands, you can have more options at your disposal. "Wait Here" to an archer in Line of Site sets her (Jenassa) to open up with support fire after the first Backstab, just be ready to switch into Spell/Sword, or Dual Wield before the enemy counters. Also handy to have them hang back while you disable Traps for them.
If you pick a clanker, you can hide, and order them forward as a distraction. Handy for Mikrul Gauldurson, and Red Eagle, because you can clear out the weenies while she tanks for you (Assuming Lydia here.)
Battle Tactics
Though it's possible to backstab anything but a Dragon on the wing, it can be a lot quicker to just stand up, and fight. In large open areas with a lot of enemies, and there's always the fights you can't avoid because of scripting (The Caller, and Beefgate Tsun are particularly annoying examples.)
Even with Absorb Health effects, and Ebonyflesh, you just won't have enough health to take several poundings at once indefinitely. So, you're better off playing your Mobility to your advantage, with Critical Charges between spells to alternate Stamina/Magicka. Ebonyflesh is adequate with Mage Armor, but you want to finish the fight before it times out. Otherwise, you're using it to reinforce what little you have from boots, gloves, and cowl by 100 points.
Lightning Bolt>Critical Charge weakens the target with Disintegrate for the Coup de Grace'. Frenzy is real handy for clustering them together into the blast radius for that combo. Running in, and out of the fray, or even through it is a lot safer if it's a true Mêlée, or free for all. You want them all fighting each other instead of gunning for you.
Ice Storm is crowd control, and can detonate a Fire Rune to double up the elements. You can followed it in with the sword, along with it's slow, and fatigue effects. Critical Charge to catch up, or overtake it, or use Whirlwind Sprint then turn around, set up for your next assault. I like to use it to run right through the weenies then hit the Boss, Hard. If you can drop in, it'll get you back out, instead.
If you would rather Dual Wield with an empty Magicka gauge, it doesn't get much better than Windshear, and the Nightingale Blade. In the left hand, the scimitar replaces bash without using Stamina, nor the ability to block. Dual Attacks can double your Backstab bonus, and Dual Power Attacks win duels quickly. Absorb Stamina/Health keeps you alive, and Power Attacking indefinitely, but not surrounded. Dual Flurry/Savagery will deal more damage than Bladesman in any such build.
Whirlwind Sprint is your get out of the fray card. You can also use it with a little high ground to jump cleanly over the battle. Good for when you backed yourself into some rocks, and trees kiting them into position, then you can divide, and conquer as they turn around, and come back down after you.
Unrelenting Force can Stagger at a distance. Not much range, but it beats wasting magicka, and perks on Impact. Interrupts Dragons mid-shout while they're hovering where you can't reach them with anything but Lighting Bolts. It can also blow an entire blitz back, and off their feet before they collectively pound you in an unfortunate position.
Ice Form means never having to cast Mass Paralysis. Aura Whisper replaces Detect life, which makes a great Alteration trainer, but runs you down so you have to wait to cast Invisibility, or Ebonyflesh.
Dragonslaying
About the greatest challenge for a Nightblade, they are immune to Illusion, Paralysis, and it takes a while to shoot them down with Destruction. Unrelenting Force can interrupt their shouts so you don't have to waste magicka on Impact. (3 Lightning Bolts is more damage for less magicka than Dual Cast.) I prioritise the Main Quest (A lot of it can be done in parallel with the Dark Brotherhood/Thieves' Guild.) to get Dragon Rend so I can ground them without having to take out half their Health with Destruction. If you chose to unlock them. One of the main reasons I even used followers. Jyrik Gauldersons' staff once you run yourself dry with hand casts at lower levels. A scroll, or staff of the Storm Atronach would be nice as well.
Once Grounded, I use Critical Charge to stagger, especially when they start a Shout. Get back out of reach before they recover, and burn them again. They're large enough to hit while side-straffing, so they turn more than attacking, and chasing after you. If you're lucky, you can catch them on their roost, and stick their tail, but the random encounters rarely give you that opportunity. It is possible to hide long enough to backstab a grounded one, but Dragonrend doesn't usually last that long. If you get Destruction up to Expert, Wall of Frost keep them grounded (Even Frost Dragons) and you can keep hosing different elements across their huge footprints to kill them quickly. Dragon Priest Staffs are handy for this.
Once you get Dragonrend+Windshear, even these fights get boring. Shout them down, and sping them to death with Stagger, and any Absorb Stamina effect (Nightingale Blade, Drainheart Sword...) You might have to hack, and slash a few times to recover, but they're stunlocked the entire duel. You can also give it to Jenassa with any dagger (Or whatever the Blade of Woe is) and let her do it, while you take a Wing.
"Spellcasters who use their magics to enhance mobility, concealment, and stealthy close combat. They have a sinister reputation, since many Nightblades are thieves, enforcers, assassins, or covert agents."
A lethal mix of Spellsword, and Assassin, they can break the Combat Rochambeau by using Melee, Magic, and Stealth effectively. Range is probably their weakest, being limited to Destruction at a distance (The Oblivion version added Archery) but they win by not playing any specialist's game. Warriors can be weakened, and killed before they can close, Archers taken first, from behind, and mages up close, where they're weakest.
Race Dunmer are naturals for their skillset. Altmer have a deeper Magicka Pool, and run quickly.
Major Skills One Handed, Sneak, Illusion
Minor Skills Alteration, Destruction, Light Armor.
Attributes Being a hybrid of all 3 Guardians, they use Magicka, Stamina, and may need some Health, depending on how much they avoid combat. There is no perfect ratio for all players.
Factions/Quests: I started off Companions for some easy XP, then Thieves' Guild/Dark Brotherhood for gear, and role play, plus the College of Winterhold for Magic. (The only place to buy Invisibility.) For the build, only Proving Honor, and Under Saarthal are really helpful for training, and good medium level gear. At least one of the stealth factions should be taken to their fullest. This also lampshades his combination of Warrior, Assassin, and Mage in appropriate proportions.
Perks
- One Handed Armsman, Fighting Stance, Critical Charge, Savage Strike, Dual Wield/Savegry optional.
- Sneak Stealth(1) Assassin's Blade. All others are handled by different effects, just crouches long enough to backstab.
- Illusion Expert, Quiet Casting, Hypnotic Gaze helps at low levels.
- Destruction Adept, Augment Frost/Shock, Disintegrate, Deep Freeze.
- Alteration Expert, Stability. Mage Armor/resist Magic optional.
- Light Armor Optional, Agile Defender can be replaced by Magearmor, and not being Targeted. Wind Walker.
Apparel
More enchantment carriers than Armor Rating, if you're good enough, you need not take a hit.
It's hard to go wrong with either the Nightingale, or Shrouded sets, I like to mix, and match. The Nightingale Cowl for Illusion, to match the Master Robes, the Nightingale Armor is a handy backup for open battle. Shrouded Gloves, Ancient if you can get them. Either set's boots, the Ancient Shrouded have slightly more Armor, or the fully leveled Nightingales'.
For Magearmor, just the Shrouded/Jesters shoes, and handwraps with the Shrouded Hood, or a Circlet of Illusion, and the Master Robes.
Blades
To start, an Imperial sword is lighter than steel, then a Skyforge Steel, or Blades' sword for damage. A Silver Sword helps against Draugr/Vampires. If you're enchanting, Silver Swords are valuable, so give you more experience.
Swords aren't silent, but are powerful enough to fight your way out until you get Assassin's Blade. In the endgame, the Blade of Woe for backstabs, and Windshear, or the Nightingale Blade for spellswording, or even Dual Wield. Mehrune's Razor is always a popular choice.
If you want to enchant, my best mix was Absorb Stamina/Magicka to pair with Invisibility for serial backstabs. You recover with each strike, so you can immediately recast, Silent Roll, Critical Charge, and/or Power Attack. I just called it "The Nightblade" on an Ebony Dagger (Unimproved.) Works well enough for spell, and dagger fighting as well.
The Gauldur Amulet, I also got the Ring of Namira along with my preferred sidekick, Eola. She fills in some gaps in my skillset, being able to summon, and raise dead as well as making for 2 Spellswords when the fight starts. I handed down The Blackblade (Fully leveled), Jyrik's staff, and other goodies to make her even more effective, and she can also wear the spares from both armor sets (Not to mention Scaled from Fultheim the Fearless, and some random Stormcloak.)
Jenassa is a good alternate, you know where to find her, and she dual wields like no other. I married Eola, so she can be found again after I temporarily dismiss her. The Dark Brotherhood Initiates can use the same gear, and are replaceable. Cicero, if you can stand him.
Strategy
This is the Stealth Mode. Calm-Backstab in the beginning until you can upgrade to Invisibility and puff out of sight after each kill. (Both combos level Sneak, 1H, and Illusion at once.) It lasts long enough with Robes to fully recover for the next one...
Detect Life/Undead, because they're deadliest when they see the enemy first. Paralysis comes in real handy to chill out someone who is too powerful to Calm, though Pacify can return a moshpit to the strategic "Don't fight, kill" theatre. You can cast Magelight down a corridor from around the corner, and the NPCs will follow the damned thing with their backs turned...
Remove the greatest threats first, which doesn't always mean the biggest, and toughest. You can run circles around tanks, but archers can kill you from a distance, and mages surprise you with wildcard tactics.
Quiet Casting makes even Shouts silent. You can blast them all with Ice Form, from invisibility, and just leave them. Whirlwind Sprint followed by Invisibility can lose anyone. Invisible, and muffled, you can run through the enemy undetected if you don't run into them. If you charge Invisibility before interacting, you are only visible for a blink, then you can be gone again.
Become Ethereal is useful for dropping behind someone from heights you wouldn't normally survive. Otherwise, it's mostly replaced with Invisibility.
Before switching to Spell/sword, you can set up the battlefield with Runes, and recover all your magicka without it timing out. Ice Storm, slows, fatigues, and may Paralyse with Deep Freeze. Chain Lightning with Disintegrate slows weakens them for a Critical Charge.
With Follower Commands, you can have more options at your disposal. "Wait Here" to an archer in Line of Site sets her (Jenassa) to open up with support fire after the first Backstab, just be ready to switch into Spell/Sword, or Dual Wield before the enemy counters. Also handy to have them hang back while you disable Traps for them.
If you pick a clanker, you can hide, and order them forward as a distraction. Handy for Mikrul Gauldurson, and Red Eagle, because you can clear out the weenies while she tanks for you (Assuming Lydia here.)
Battle Tactics
Though it's possible to backstab anything but a Dragon on the wing, it can be a lot quicker to just stand up, and fight. In large open areas with a lot of enemies, and there's always the fights you can't avoid because of scripting (The Caller, and Beefgate Tsun are particularly annoying examples.)
Even with Absorb Health effects, and Ebonyflesh, you just won't have enough health to take several poundings at once indefinitely. So, you're better off playing your Mobility to your advantage, with Critical Charges between spells to alternate Stamina/Magicka. Ebonyflesh is adequate with Mage Armor, but you want to finish the fight before it times out. Otherwise, you're using it to reinforce what little you have from boots, gloves, and cowl by 100 points.
Lightning Bolt>Critical Charge weakens the target with Disintegrate for the Coup de Grace'. Frenzy is real handy for clustering them together into the blast radius for that combo. Running in, and out of the fray, or even through it is a lot safer if it's a true Mêlée, or free for all. You want them all fighting each other instead of gunning for you.
Ice Storm is crowd control, and can detonate a Fire Rune to double up the elements. You can followed it in with the sword, along with it's slow, and fatigue effects. Critical Charge to catch up, or overtake it, or use Whirlwind Sprint then turn around, set up for your next assault. I like to use it to run right through the weenies then hit the Boss, Hard. If you can drop in, it'll get you back out, instead.
If you would rather Dual Wield with an empty Magicka gauge, it doesn't get much better than Windshear, and the Nightingale Blade. In the left hand, the scimitar replaces bash without using Stamina, nor the ability to block. Dual Attacks can double your Backstab bonus, and Dual Power Attacks win duels quickly. Absorb Stamina/Health keeps you alive, and Power Attacking indefinitely, but not surrounded. Dual Flurry/Savagery will deal more damage than Bladesman in any such build.
Whirlwind Sprint is your get out of the fray card. You can also use it with a little high ground to jump cleanly over the battle. Good for when you backed yourself into some rocks, and trees kiting them into position, then you can divide, and conquer as they turn around, and come back down after you.
Unrelenting Force can Stagger at a distance. Not much range, but it beats wasting magicka, and perks on Impact. Interrupts Dragons mid-shout while they're hovering where you can't reach them with anything but Lighting Bolts. It can also blow an entire blitz back, and off their feet before they collectively pound you in an unfortunate position.
Ice Form means never having to cast Mass Paralysis. Aura Whisper replaces Detect life, which makes a great Alteration trainer, but runs you down so you have to wait to cast Invisibility, or Ebonyflesh.
Dragonslaying
About the greatest challenge for a Nightblade, they are immune to Illusion, Paralysis, and it takes a while to shoot them down with Destruction. Unrelenting Force can interrupt their shouts so you don't have to waste magicka on Impact. (3 Lightning Bolts is more damage for less magicka than Dual Cast.) I prioritise the Main Quest (A lot of it can be done in parallel with the Dark Brotherhood/Thieves' Guild.) to get Dragon Rend so I can ground them without having to take out half their Health with Destruction. If you chose to unlock them. One of the main reasons I even used followers. Jyrik Gauldersons' staff once you run yourself dry with hand casts at lower levels. A scroll, or staff of the Storm Atronach would be nice as well.
Once Grounded, I use Critical Charge to stagger, especially when they start a Shout. Get back out of reach before they recover, and burn them again. They're large enough to hit while side-straffing, so they turn more than attacking, and chasing after you. If you're lucky, you can catch them on their roost, and stick their tail, but the random encounters rarely give you that opportunity. It is possible to hide long enough to backstab a grounded one, but Dragonrend doesn't usually last that long. If you get Destruction up to Expert, Wall of Frost keep them grounded (Even Frost Dragons) and you can keep hosing different elements across their huge footprints to kill them quickly. Dragon Priest Staffs are handy for this.
Once you get Dragonrend+Windshear, even these fights get boring. Shout them down, and sping them to death with Stagger, and any Absorb Stamina effect (Nightingale Blade, Drainheart Sword...) You might have to hack, and slash a few times to recover, but they're stunlocked the entire duel. You can also give it to Jenassa with any dagger (Or whatever the Blade of Woe is) and let her do it, while you take a Wing.
I've tried it without Quite Casting and enemies seem to detect me proportionally to the light travel. Tried even from a place where they can't see and reach me and they still detect me. Sneak 3/5, skill 46, vampirism