Stamina Nightblade DPS Build
Stamina Nightblade DPS builds are capable of fighting incredibly well in melee combat or from range. With access to many high damage multipliers and great sustain options, they can deal very high sustained damage and great burst damage as well. While they don't offer much in terms of buffs and debuffs, they make up for that with sheer damage output.
Gear Sets
Perfected Arms of Relequen: A plan and simple excellent DPS set that adds a ton of single target damage, which is where Stamina Nightblades shine. You can get this from Cloudrest, but if trials aren't your bag, go with Pillar of Nirn from Falkreath Hold.
Zaan's: A powerful set from Scalecaller Peak that will allow you to deal very high damage while you are in close range. If you cannot stay in close range for a particular fight, switch to Stormfist or Selene's.
Aegis Caller: This set is currently very popular, but has always been a favourite at Cerny Gaming. Deals incredibly high damage in a relatively large area, and is easy to keep up. You can get this from Unhallowed Grave.
Maelstrom Bow: Found in Maelstrom Arena, this bow will add a lot of damage to the Endless Hail ability, and is an important addition to stamina DPS builds.
Skills
Surprise Attack: This is your primary spammable. Try to make sure you are always attacking the target from behind so that you can regularly set it Off Balance.
Killer's Blade: A powerful execute ability that you should start spamming once the target reaches around 30% health.
Merciless Resolve: Be sure to always weave your light attacks, and activate this as fast as possible every time it is ready for a massive burst of damage.
Camouflaged Hunter: We keep this on the front bar to make sure we always have access to Major Savagery, meaning we don't need to get this from our potions.
Barbed Trap: Your source of Minor Force, granting 10% extra critical damage. If you are already reaching the 125% critical damage cap, switch this to something else.
Soul Harvest: You don't need to actively use this ultimate. It is here so that you can quickly harvest ultimate from enemies that you kill, allowing faster access to Veil of Blades.
Endless Hail: Be sure to never reactivate this too early as you will lose out on valuable escalating damage ticks caused by the Maelstrom Bow.
Poison Injection: This is a nice extra damage over time ability that increases in damage the lower the target's health is, meaning it can be used as a spammable ranged execute if you can't get close.
Dark Shade: A simple extra bit of damage that also keeps up the Minor Maim debuff, helping your group's survivability.
Twisted Path: Another nice boost to your group's survivability that deals respectable damage in a relatively large area.
Degeneration: This is your source of Major Brutality and must be kept up at all times so that you don't need to get these buffs from your potions.
Veil of Blades: This is an incredibly powerful and highly underrated ultimate that deals a ton of damage over its duration, and provides some extra survivability as well. While this may be an unconventional one to use, it is potentially the best option in terms of raw damage.
Champion Points
Fighting Finesse: A welcome addition to your critical damage output that will help you get up to the 125% crit damage cap. If you are exceeding this cap in your group, choose a different perk like Wrathful Strikes.
Thaumaturge: Damage in The Elder Scrolls Online is measured in how much damage you do per second over the duration of a fight, and stacking damage over time effects is the way to increase this. Thaumaturge will boost that damage type.
Master at Arms: An essential boost to one of the primary damage types that all DPS use - direct damage. This is important on almost any DPS build in ESO.
Deadly Aim: An important buff to single target damage that is essential to any build that gets hefty use out of a single-target spammable. It also boosts the power of single-target damage over time effects, stacking with Thaumaturge in that case.
Boundless Vitality: Every bit of health makes a difference, especially in some of the tougher content that The Elder Scrolls Online has to offer. This will help you bump yours up a little more, increasing your survivability.
Bloody Renewal: A powerful buff that allows you to restore stamina every time you slay an enemy. This shines best in boss fights with adds, or when facing many non-boss enemies.
Rejuvenation: Recoveries are important for every role. For healers, it is essential for keeping your group alive, for tanks, it is the source of most of your buffs and debuffs, for DPS, you can't deal damage with no fuel, and in PvP, no resources means death.
Celerity: Extra movement speed is an amazing boost in all content. In PvE, it helps massively with avoiding nasty mechanics, and in PvP, it allows you to run circles around your opponents.
Mundus Stone
The go-to Mundus Stone for any DPS is the Thief. It is very rare that you will reach the optimal critical chance numbers without the Thief unless you are specifically building for it, which isn't ideal. a
Food Buff
The Lava Foot Soup and Saltrice food buff is the absolute best option for stamina DPS across all classes, offering the best spread of Max Stamina and Stamina Recovery. However, if you are in content that needs more Max Health, try the Dubious Camoran Throne or Artaeum Takeaway Broth instead.
Race
The best race to use for this build is a Dark Elf (Dunmer). If you struggle to reach the crit damage cap of 125%, then a Khajiit is your best option instead.
Potion
Having built-in access to Major Brutality and Major Savagery means you don't need to run weapon power potions. Instead, you should run Heroism potions, granting Minor Heroism along with Magicka and Stamina return for a lengthy duration.
Mortality
Most Stamina DPS characters already have to work extra hard on survivability, and being susceptible to fire damage on top of high skill cost will make you a liability. Therefore, Vampirism is not recommended, and a werewolf offers no benefit. Stick to being a Mortal.
Notes
Notes go here