Few games offer as much freedom as The Elder ScrollsOnline. These large sandbox titles are hard for any non-Bethesda developer to replicate. MMOs are also known for this degree of freedom, which is why it was a no-brainer for Zenimax to create an Elder Scrolls MMO.
The Elder Scrolls Online, otherwise known as ESO, is one of the most robust MMOs available. Its wide range of quests and builds makes it hard to beat. Any class can fulfill any role, Dragonknights being a great example of this. This tank-heavy class is also well-suited for healing and damage-dealing.
Updated November 8, 2021 by Erik Petrovich: Dragonknights in The Elder Scrolls Online excel at two things: being a Tank and being a DPS. They are particularly adept at these two roles thanks to their class skills that emphasize high damage output at close range and class skills that are oriented around self-defense. Dragonknights may seem simple on the surface, but as you dig deeper into some of the many builds out there it becomes apparent just how complex the bruiser class can be. As always, keep the strengths and weaknesses (and playstyle) of a build before committing to it, or you may find yourself wasting time hunting down item sets that will never be put to use.
11 Playing a Dragonknight
Dragonknights excel when it comes to close-ranged melee combat, thanks to their three skill trees that revolve around being in close quarters with foes. This isn't to say that they can't do well at a long range, because The Elder Scrolls Online encourages multi-classing mechanics throughout. However, to make the most of the Dragonknight it's important to know the focus of each class-specific Skill Tree.
- Ardent Flame: This skill tree is home to damage-over-time abilities and various crowd control spells. This is the most DPS-oriented skill tree for Dragonknights.
- Draconic Power: A blend of Tanking and DPS abilities, the Draconic Power tree is a good go-to for Dragonknights looking to stay in combat while taking the majority of hits.
- Earthen Heart: Another tanking-oriented skill tree with more utility spells than damaging ones. Great for Dragonknights looking to Tank or even Support.
When it comes to weapon skill trees, the Dragonknight's choices are a bit more limited than other classes, in terms of usefulness. The player won't be able to make the most of a Bow with this class, but it pairs perfectly with melee weapons. It's not the worst idea to keep a Restoration Staff in the back bar, for soloing or just in case a fight gets too hard for your healer.
- One-Handed and Shield: The go-to for many Dragonknights, the One-Handed and Shield skill tree grants Tanking, Defensive, and CC abilities to the player.
- Two-Handed: When used in conjunction with a Dragonknight Tank build, the Two-Handed sword gives a boost to damage at the cost of less utility.
- Dual Wield: Dual Wield is a great option for DPS-oriented Dragonknights thanks to its myriad of useful combat skills and a high DPS output.
10 Stone Dragon Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Stamina
- Strengths: Easy for beginners to learn Dragonknight rotations without being overly simple
- Weaknesses: Not as effective as some more complex Dragonknight builds
Dragonknights are The Elder Scrolls Online's closest class to a traditional Fighter RPG class, though its magickal abilities and prowess at a range differentiates them. As such, it's one of the MMO's most popular classes for new players to choose as it's the simplest to learn. The Stone Dragon build from Hack The Minotaur is a great choice for ESO players who want to start off with an all-around decent build.
It uses a Two Handed weapon in its front bar with abilities like Venomous Claw, Flames of Oblivion, and the ultimate Standard of Might to provide bonuses for the player and deal good damage over time to enemies. The back bar uses Endless Hail and Poison Injection for long-term sustained damage. The Leviathan and Deadly Strike sets are recommended for this build, but good alternatives that are easier to acquire include Hunding's Rage and Tzogvin's Warband.
9 Tank Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Stamina
- Strengths: Great for taking damage, and equally decent at PvP and PvE content
- Weaknesses: Hard to kill but has very low damage output compared to some other Tank builds
When it comes to tanking, any ESO Dragonknight Tank Build tends to outrank other class tanks. Their passives and abilities are naturally suited for taking large amounts of punishment. Taunting targets will be the player's bread-and-butter as a tank, so always have Pierce Armor and Inner Rage at the ready to garner enemy attention. Igneous Shield and Green Dragon Blood are both staple Dragonknight abilities that make players nigh-unkillable.
If combat gets exceptionally tough, use Magma Shell to cap the damage taken with each hit. Most of the time, though, players should be using Aggressive Horn to grant a massive boost to the party's damage and sustain. Sets boil down to what the group needs, but common picks are Ebon Armory, Claw of Yolnahkriin, and Plague Doctor for newer characters.
8 One Bar Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Magicka
- Strengths: Great for new players or casual players who don't want to deal with min-maxing a dual weapon rotation
- Weaknesses: Not as powerful as more complex builds, thanks to the reduced number of skill slots
One bar builds are becoming more popular as many Elder Scrolls Online players turn away from maximizing their characters as much as possible in favor of simpler and more rewarding gameplay. This one bar build from Hack the Minotaur utilizes powerful armor sets as well as a good mix of offensive and defensive abilities to make playing a Dragonknight as stress-free as possible.
While Dragonknights are typically seen as melee fighters, this build uses a Destruction Staff at a range. Abilities like Igneous Weapons and Unstable Wall of Elements increase the Dragonknight's effectiveness in combat, while Channeled Acceleration and Cauterize provide useful utilities for the player. The recommended armor sets for this build are the Mother's Sorrow and Silks of the Sun sets for their increase to Critical Chance, Weapon and Spell Damage, and Magicka.
7 Vampiric Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Magicka
- Strengths: Great passives and abilities that complement the Magicka Dragonknight's playstyle
- Weaknesses: Relies on the player being a Vampire and maintaining the curse
The Greymoor expansion has presented massive changes to both Vampires and Werewolf skill trees. Vampires are arguably more niche than ever before, but that doesn't mean they can't be powerful for certain builds. MagDKs should consider becoming a Vampire for a few of their passives and skills.
Most notably, Blood for Blood is an exceptionally strong spammable ability that out-damages Molten Whip in most situations. Players will need consistent healing for this to work, so consider using Cauterize on the back bar so Blood for Blood doesn't kill the player. Focus on maximizing the Magicka stat and improving direct damage and penetration stats with Champion Points.
6 Elf Bane Magicka Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Magicka
- Strengths: Fantastic damage over time and good bonuses to Spell Damage
- Weaknesses: Low self-sustain in exchange for high damage output
Set items are a core part of any build in ESO, granting powerful conditional buffs that can make or break a build. While most builds have many options for sets, MagDKs have some of the most interesting options. One such build is using the Elf Bane overworld armor set, which increases the length of fire DoT skills by 5 seconds. As a Dragonknight DPS build, though, it's a little bit squishy.
Players' major DoTs like Engulfing Flames and Flames of Oblivion should be on the back bar, while the front bar has a spammable ability and shorter duration skills. Damage over time is king, so using Grothdarr and improving the Thaumaturge Champion Point node are fantastic choices to stay competitive with other classes.
5 Healer Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Magicka
- Strengths: Great support-oriented build for Dragonknights, who aren't usually known for being good Supports
- Weaknesses: Other Support builds for other classes are just more effective, though this is a fun build to play otherwise
Dragonknight healers are uncommon in ESO, despite their usefulness. They might not be as good at healing as Templars are, but any class can fulfill virtually any role with the right build. Obviously, restoration staff abilities should be used to grant frequent heals and resources to your team.
As for Dragonknight skills, Obsidian Shard, Cauterize, and Cinder Storm are fantastic for this build as they grant strong passive heals while hindering foes. As with most healing builds, players should look out for Hollowfang Thirst, Sentinel of Rkugamz, Vestment of Olorime, or Kagrenac's Hope.
4 Stamina Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Stamina
- Strengths: Burst damage in a PvP setting
- Weaknesses: Not as great at PvE thanks to its lack of reliable rotation
Fighting other players is a whole other ballgame to fighting enemy AI in any game, ESO being no exception. Focusing on positioning and burst damage are key components to getting the most out of any PvP build.
Stamina Dragonknights should use a sword and shield as one of their weapons, for their great defense and Spell Ward ultimate. Two-handers on the back bar are fantastic for applying debuffs to enemies. There isn't a direct rotation like most PvE builds, since fighting human players is much more unpredictable. It's a great PvP Dragonknight build ESO allows, but it does require practice.
3 Magicka Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Magicka
- Strengths: Self-sustain backbar, crowd control, and buffs
- Weaknesses: Not as great at damage output, a semi-support build
Since rotations are much harder to pull off in Cyrodiil or Battlegrounds, the usefulness of self-healing and buffs becomes much more important for any PvP build. MagDKs can use some powerful defensive abilities in PvP such as Cauterize and Volatile Armor.
Running a restoration staff as a secondary weapon is a great idea since they have powerful Magicka-scaling healing abilities. Besides staying alive, try to stun targets with Fossilize and then punish with Flame Lash and Burning Embers.
2 Werewolf Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Stamina
- Strengths: High resource regeneration and Weapon Damage through werewolf form
- Weaknesses: Requires players to become cursed to be a Werewolf
Tanking is already one of the Dragonknight's greatest strengths, and Werewolves take this up a notch. Since players benefit from passives while in Werewolf form, they have access to improved mitigations and incredible resource restoration when using an ultimate.
Go for morphs that heal and grant buffs. Werewolf Berserker and Hircine's Rage are the best. Maintain health and stamina through innate life leech on certain skills and by Heavy Attacking. Arms of Relequen and Tzogvin's Warband are incredibly strong for Werewolves, making this build perfect for StamDKs that want to spice up combat.
1 Solo Magicka Dragonknight
- Resource Focus: Magicka
- Strengths: Fantastic defense, self-sustain, and damage output to keep Dragonknights alive through tough solo encounters
- Weaknesses: Not great at PvP, not focused on any single aspect or gameplay style
Not every build needs to be in groups to be optimal. Sometimes, playing solo is the best way to experience all that ESO's quests and story have to offer. The innate healing in most MagDK abilities makes them a great option for solo content. It's not the most focused nor is it the best Dragonknight build ESO has to offer, but it's fantastic for high self-sustain and damage reduction so necessary when attempting Solo content.
This setup is similar to the PvE MagDK build except players should use Harness Magicka and Cauterize to keep their character alive. Sets are down to preference with False God's Devotion being one of the best. If you do decide to play solo, however, consider using the Iceheart Monster Set for its incredibly strong absorption shield.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S