‘Runic Protector’ ESO Arcanist Tank Build

Welcome to The Tank Club’s Ultimate Arcanist Tank Build and Guide!

In this comprehensive guide for the ESO Arcanist Tank, we cover everything you need to know to master this class. We provide detailed information on the best skills to use, a thorough overview of all Arcanist skills and passives, and the buffs they offer. Additionally, we explore the benefits of playing an Arcanist Tank, the best race choices, scribing skill options and multiple fantastic builds tailored for various content and situations. Whether you’re tackling dungeons or trials, this guide has you covered.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Strengths, Weaknesses & Group Benefits
  3. Core Essentials
  4. Gear
  5. Skills
  6. Scribed Skills
  7. Skills & Passives Info
  8. Champion Points
  9. How To Play

ESO Arcanist Tank Introduction

Introduced with the Necrom Chapter in June 2023, the Arcanist brings a fresh dynamic to tanking in The Elder Scrolls Online.

Since their introduction, Arcanists have quickly become one of the top Tank classes in ESO, largely due to their incredible survivability, extensive resource recovery, and numerous group benefits. These benefits are easy to provide and have long durations, making Arcanists highly sustainable.

The new Crux system, exclusive to the Arcanist, introduces an interesting dynamic where certain abilities generate Crux and others spend it. Crux spender skills become significantly stronger when used with saved Crux.

Arcanist Tanks not only have access to incredible self-buffs that enhance their survival and sustain but also provide up to 14 valuable group buffs and benefits—the most of any class in the game. They can even replace 5-piece sets like Claw of Yolnahkriin with a single skill.

While Arcanist Tanks may not have the large burst heals of some other classes, they possess a damage shield skill that acts almost like a second health bar. This shield is enormous and, when used with the maximum of 3 Crux, also provides substantial healing. Combined with auto-healing abilities that trigger when you are hit at low health and the ease of reaching the resistance cap, the survivability of an Arcanist Tank is significantly increased.

Arcanist Tanks can stack an incredible amount of recovery simply by slotting their tank skills and utilizing a passive that increases recovery by a remarkable 18%.

Arcanists are by far the best class to use if you want to elevate your group performance in 4-player content and are frequently requested in trial content as well.

ESO Arcanist Tank Strengths, Weaknesses & Group Benefits

Strengths

  • Exceptional group utility
  • Boosts group DPS and safety
  • Massive recovery capabilities
  • Numerous long-duration abilities
  • Easily reaches the resistance cap
  • Multiple survival tools
  • Replaces the Yolnahkriin set with a single skill, freeing up slots for additional gear sets
  • More freedom with Race and Champion Points

Weaknesses

  • Many group benefits overlap with those from other skills and classes
  • One unique group buff is tied to a Taunt, necessitating a Main Tank role
  • Some potentially useful skills scale with Stamina, leading to sustain issues when used by a Tank
  • Consumes more Stamina than other classes, making it challenging to sustain during long fights

Group Benefits

ESO Arcanist Tank Core Essentials

Race

Imperial or Nord

Mundus

The Atronach

Attributes

64 Health

Food

Orzorga’s Red Frothgar

Potions

Essence of Health Potions

  • Race: The Arcanist’s toolkit offers significant flexibility when choosing a tank race. With easy access to Major and Minor Resolve, along with resistances from the Aegis of the Unseen passive (1980) and the Runic Sunder skill (2200), you have several options with Imperial for some cost reduction or Nord for flexibility with Champion Points. For more options, check out our Best Tank Race guide.
  • Mundus: Given that Arcanists rely heavily on Magicka abilities, the Magicka Recovery Mundus Stone is the best option.
  • Attributes: Put all points into Health to try and reach 40k. Max Magicka is less critical, as Magicka recovery stacking is more important. You’ll gain additional Stamina from gear and race.
  • Food: Red Frothgar provides essential Magicka Recovery. If you’re using Harmony jewellery, Sugar Skulls may be more beneficial.
  • Potions: Use Tri-Stat potions to replenish all recoveries and resources.

ESO Arcanist Tank Gear

PieceSetWeightTraitEnchantment
HeadArchdruid DevyricHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
ShoulderArchdruid DevyricHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
ChestTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
HandsPowerful AssaultMediumDivinesPrismatic Defence
WaistArmor of the TraineeLightDivinesPrismatic Defence
LegsTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
FeetTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
NecklacePowerful AssaultJewelleryHarmonyTri-Cost Reduction
RingPowerful AssaultJewelleryHarmonyTri-Cost Reduction
RingDeath Dealers FeteJewelleryHarmonyTri-Cost Reduction
Main HandTurning TideIce StaffInfusedAbsorb Stamina
Main Hand BackupPowerful AssaultIce StaffInfusedCrusher
PieceSetWeightTraitEnchantment
HeadArchdruid DevyricMediumDivinesPrismatic Defence
ShoulderArchdruid DevyricLightDivinesPrismatic Defence
ChestTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
HandsTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
WaistTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
LegsTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
FeetTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
NecklaceVestment of Olorime / Powerful AssaultJewelleryHarmony/InfusedTri-Cost Reduction
RingVestment of Olorime / Powerful AssaultJewelleryHarmony/InfusedTri-Cost Reduction
RingVestment of Olorime / Powerful AssaultJewelleryHarmony/InfusedTri-Cost Reduction
Main HandVoid Bash / Puncturing RemedyAny 1HDecisiveAbsorb Stamina
Off HandVoid Bash / Puncturing RemedyShieldDivinesPrismatic Defence
Main Hand BackupVestment of Olorime / Powerful AssaultIce StaffInfusedCrusher
PieceSetWeightTraitEnchantment
HeadNazaray / Archdruid Devyric / TremorscaleMediumDivinesPrismatic Defence
ShoulderNazaray / Archdruid Devyric / TremorscaleLightDivinesPrismatic Defence
ChestTurning TideHeavyReinforcedPrismatic Defence
HandsTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
WaistTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
LegsTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
FeetTurning TideHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
NecklacePearlescent WardJewelleryHarmonyMagicka Recovery
RingPearlescent WardJewelleryHarmonyMagicka Recovery
RingPearlescent WardJewelleryHarmonyMagicka Recovery
Main HandPearlescent WardAny 1HDecisiveAbsorb Stamina
Off HandPearlescent WardShieldDivinesPrismatic Defence
Main Hand BackupPearlescent WardIce StaffInfusedCrusher
PieceSetWeightTraitEnchantment
HeadMagma Incarnate / NazarayMediumDivinesPrismatic Defence
ShoulderSpaulder of Ruin / NazarayLightDivinesPrismatic Defence
ChestSaxhleel Champion / Lucent EchoesHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
HandsSaxhleel Champion / Lucent EchoesHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
WaistSaxhleel Champion / Lucent EchoesHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
LegsSaxhleel Champion / Lucent EchoesHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
FeetSaxhleel Champion / Lucent EchoesHeavyDivinesPrismatic Defence
NecklacePowerful AssaultJewelleryInfusedPrismatic Cost Reduction
RingPowerful AssaultJewelleryInfusedPrismatic Cost Reduction
RingPowerful AssaultJewelleryInfusedPrismatic Cost Reduction
Main HandPuncturing RemedyAny 1HDecisiveInfused Stamina
Off HandPuncturing RemedyShieldDivinesPrismatic Defence
Main Hand BackupPowerful AssaultIce StaffInfusedCrusher

ESO Arcanist Tank Scribed Skills

The Arcanist class is already well-suited for tanking, with the main exception being its reliance on Silver Leash as a pull skill, which can be unsustainable.

To address the need for a long-range Magicka pull, Wield Soul can be an excellent solution, providing enhanced Stamina sustain. Additionally, attaching Major Breach to this skill allows Arcanists to completely drop Pierce Armor, as they already benefit from Minor Breach through Fatewoven Armor. If Major Breach isn’t needed, other beneficial effects such as Major Vitality or Major Cowardice can be viable options. This flexibility further enhances the Arcanist’s tanking capabilities, making them more efficient and sustainable in various scenarios.

Another potential scribed skill is Trample, which can be used to provide a speed buff to yourself and your group, compensating for the Arcanist’s lack of built-in speed enhancements.

The Arcanist class script is solid, though not particularly exciting.

Arcanist Class Script

Signature Script: Class Mastery
Create a Crux.

Wield Soul

Focus Script: Pull
Deals ? Magic Damage to an enemy, pulls them to you, and taunts them for 15 seconds if they are not already taunted.

Signature Script: Druid’s Resurgence
Restores 1000 Magicka and 1000 Stamina.

Affix Script: Breach
Afflicts the enemy with Major Breach for 10 seconds, reducing Physical and Spells Resistance by 5948.

Trample

Focus Script: Magic Damage
Deals ? Magic Damage to all enemies.

Signature Script: Thief’s Swiftness
Leaves behind an area of speed for 10 seconds which increases Movement Speed of you and your allies within by 15%.

Affix Script: Expedition
Grants you Minor Expedition for 20 seconds, increases Movement Speed by 15%.

ESO Arcanist Tank Class Skills & Passives

Herald of the Tome

The Unblinking Eye
(Unnecessary)
This skill is not required for tanking but might be used in solo content.

Runeblades
(Unnecessary)
Not useful for Tanking.

Fatecarver
(Unnecessary)
Not really useful for Tanking but it’s a nice damage skill especially the Pragmatic Fatecarver morph. If you needed to add any damage at all to your build this would be the first thing to use.

Abyssal Impact
(Unnecessary)
This skill offers an Immobilisation but only in front of you and with a very short duration, there is a better option in the Soldier of Apocrypha skills.

Recuperative Treatise → Morph of Tome-Bearer’s Inspiration
(Situational)
Bit of a strange skill, reading it you think you’re getting a sustain skill but the reality is it doesn’t proc very often and you need to hit an enemy with an Arcanist skill, one of the only skills you’d be using as a Tank that does this is Runic Sunder.

Rune of Displacement → Morph of The Imperfect Ring
(Unnecessary)
This skill acts like a vacuum where you apply it to an enemy and it will pull all other enemies with 10m right on top of it. The problem generally is it’s just nowhere near as good as Void Bash because you can end up with a stack of enemies in the wrong place.

Fated Fortune – Increased crit healing by 12% is big, definitely use it to buff up your self healing.

Harnessed Quintessence

Psychic Lesion

Splintered Secrets

(All Optional)
All of these passives are fully damage focussed and so they are optional for Tanking.

Soldier of Apocrypha

Gibbering Shield
(Optional)
While Gibbering Shield provides a group shield, Barrier is a superior choice for this purpose. The primary benefit of Gibbering Shield is its Wellspring of the Abyss passive, granting an additional 129 to all recoveries when slotted. However, it’s not recommended for use. If your goal is Magicka Recovery, Barrier combined with the Magicka Aid passive is a more effective option.

Runic Sunder → Morph of Runic Jolt
(Vital)
Runic Sunder is one of the Arcanist’s unique strengths. When applied to an enemy, it taunts and inflicts an armor penetration debuff of 2200. Combined with Tremorscale, it can potentially replace the need for Crimson Oath’s Rive and Alkosh in groups. This skill is particularly beneficial in dungeons and arenas, as your Damage Dealers might not be at the penetration cap. Additionally, Runic Sunder “steals” armor from the enemy, granting you 2200 armor and boosting your own resistances. It also applies Minor Maim to the enemy and provides a 2% damage reduction while slotted.

Impervious Runeward → Morph of Runespite Ward
(Vital)
Impervious Runeward is a crucial damage shield and one of the most vital Arcanist survival tools, as it also provides healing. This morph is preferred for its reactive nature, offering a larger shield initially and a smaller one afterward. Unlike the other morph, which consumes Crux to reduce the shield’s cost, this one allows for frequent casting without cost reduction due to the Arcanist’s substantial recovery potential. The healing effect scales with the amount of Crux saved, making it the most useful Crux spender for tanks, providing a substantial heal when needed.

Cruxweaver Armor → Morph of Fatewoven Armor
(Vital)
This is the preferred morph of this skill due to its longer duration and ability to generate Crux, as opposed to spending it. Fatewoven Armor grants Major Resolve and also applies Minor Breach to enemies when they hit you, making it exceptionally useful in dungeons for easy application of Minor Breach. This allows you to potentially drop Pierce Armor entirely and rely on Runic Sunder, as Minor Breach is already covered. For Major Breach, you can use skills like Razor Caltrops or Weakness to Elements.

Unbreakable Fate → Morph of Fatewoven Armor
(Optional)
This alternative morph provides additional Block Mitigation but consumes Crux to do so. It’s better to limit Crux-consuming skills to just one for better control, and the additional 5% Block Mitigation isn’t substantial. However, if you’re struggling to survive single-target or AoE damage, this morph can be useful. Just ensure you’re building up Crux before using it to gain the full benefit.

Runeguard of Freedom → Morph of Runic Defense
(Optional)
This multifunctional skill provides an automatic heal if it is still active when your health drops low. It also offers a group buff of Minor Resolve and grants you Minor Protection, which is consumed to trigger the heal if needed. This morph is generally better for Trials, as it provides additional resistances and CC immunity when your health is low and the heal procs. It is especially useful in boss fights where immobilizing enemies isn’t usually possible, making this morph more valuable for trial content.

Runeguard of Still Waters → Morph of Runic Defense
(Vital)
This morph is particularly effective for dungeons, arenas, and add pulls, as it immobilizes up to 6 nearby enemies in a 360-degree radius. It retains all the benefits of the other morph, including the automatic heal, group buff of Minor Resolve, and self-buff of Minor Protection. The added crowd control is especially useful after using Void Bash or any chain skill to keep enemies rooted in a tight stack, making it a superior choice for these scenarios.

Rune of Uncanny Adoration → Morph of Rune of Eldritch Horror
(Vital)
The Arcanist lacks a traditional pull skill, but this Charm ability effectively pulls and stacks enemies. Unlike other crowd control abilities, Charm is a unique and powerful mechanic in ESO. Casting this on a ranged enemy causes them to run to you and follow you for 8 seconds, making it a sustainable alternative to Silver Leash, as it uses Magicka. However, it has a limited range of 15 meters and cannot be used on Elite enemies or those already stunned/immobilized.
This skill is essential for dungeons. While Void Bash can stack enemies, any that are missed can be charmed into the stack with this ability. A key advantage is that charmed enemies are bound to you and unable to cast abilities for 8 seconds. To prevent unnecessary movement, it’s beneficial to immobilize enemies after charming them. This combination ensures efficient crowd control and positioning.

Rune of the Colorless Pool → Morph of Rune of Eldritch Horror
(Vital)
This skill is crucial in trial scenarios, providing significant DPS benefits. While the other morph is preferred for dungeon content, if you use Silver Leash or another pull ability, this morph excels especially against bosses.
This morph grants a long duration of Minor Brittle and Minor Vulnerability, enhancing group DPS. Notably, it allows you to apply Brittle without using an Ice Staff, offering a new and sustainable way to maintain high uptime on this debuff.

Aegis of the Unseen
(Vital)
As long as you have a Soldier of Apocrypha skill active, you will benefit from the added resistances.

Wellspring of the Abyss
(Vital)
This passive is incredibly powerful. For each Soldier of Apocrypha skill you have slotted, you gain 129 to all recoveries. Since all Soldier of Apocrypha skills are useful for a tank, this can result in substantial recovery gains. With five Soldier skills slotted, you achieve a base gain of 645 recovery (774 with Gibbering Shield), and this increases further with percentage modifiers. Typically, you won’t have all of these skills on one bar, but with three Arcanist abilities on each bar, you gain 387 recovery per bar, significantly enhancing your sustain.

Circumvented Fate
(Vital)
This passive provides a group buff of Minor Evasion, offering a small survival benefit by reducing Area of Effect damage. Although it is situationally useful, it becomes valuable in content with significant AoE damage, enhancing the overall survivability of your group in such scenarios.

Implacable Outcome
(Vital)
This passive grants additional Ultimate gain when you use Crux, allowing you to cast your main Ultimate more quickly. Any increase in Ultimate generation is highly beneficial.

Curative Runeforms

Resonating Glyphic → Morph of Vitalizing Glyphic
(Optional)
This ultimate can be used in combination with Saxhleel Champion to provide additional Weapon and Spell Damage. When activated, it places a Glyphic in mid-air that can be damaged. Ideally, place it near a boss to receive cleave damage, which in turn buffs your group members’ Weapon and Spell Damage while also healing them. The more damage the Glyphic takes, the stronger the buff it provides

Glyphic of the Tides → Morph of Vitalizing Glyphic
(Optional)
This ultimate can be used in combination with Saxhleel Champion to provide additional Weapon and Spell Damage, especially in Trials where healers are present. It offers additional group Major Protection, but you need to heal this morph rather than damage it. This makes it ideal for Trial situations with two healers but possibly less effective for Dungeons.

Runemend
(Unnecessary)
This skill consumes the highest resource, which for a tank is typically Stamina, making it less than ideal. Additionally, the healing provided is not as effective as other available options, making it unnecessary for tanking purposes.

Remedy Cascade
(Unnecessary)
This skill consumes the highest resource, which for a tank is typically Stamina, making it less than ideal. Additionally, it is a channel skill, preventing you from blocking while using it. Therefore, it is not suitable for tanking.

Chakram Shields
(Optional)
This group shield skill is similar to Igneous Shield on a Dragonknight. The main drawback is that it uses your highest resource pool, typically Stamina for a tank, making it challenging to sustain regular use while also tanking and blocking. One morph spends Crux to provide a small healing over time, while the other generates Crux and allows you to double cast for a larger shield. If you need to offer additional group protection, this skill is a viable option, though it is not ideal due to its Stamina cost.

Zenas’ Empowering Disc → Morph of Arcanist’s Domain
(Vital)
This skill provides a group buff of Minor Courage and all Minor Recoveries. Its large AoE makes it useful for all content, offering a reliable way to enhance group performance. In trial situations, it can be challenging to maximize its benefit as a Main Tank, but this morph is designed to address that. The AoE lasts for 20 seconds, and the buffs persist for an additional 10 seconds after leaving the area. This makes it a dependable source of Minor Courage, allowing you to drop the Claw of Yolnahkriin set in favour of other gear sets that offer greater group benefits.

Apocryphal Gate
(Unnecessary)
While there are a few situations where this skill could be useful, such as evading certain boss mechanics, it is generally less effective than using a gap closer like Shield Charge.

Healing Tides
(Vital)
This passive increases the healing you do based on the number of Crux you have active. It’s essential to have, especially when using only one Crux spender like Impervious Runeward, which provides both a shield and a heal. By banking Crux to use with Impervious Runeward, this passive can enhance your heal by up to 9% if you have 3 Crux active, providing a significant healing boost.

Hideous Clarity
(Vital)
This passive frequently activates, providing additional resource gain due to the various ways Crux is generated, especially when using only one Crux spender skill. Since your Stamina is typically higher, you will gain Stamina return each time you generate Crux. Given the limited number of useful Crux spenders but a substantial number of Crux earners, you can expect this passive to proc often.

Erudition
(Vital)
This passive elevates Arcanist tanks above other classes in terms of recovery. With significant recovery already provided by Wellspring of the Abyss, Champion Points, food, enchants, and Major/Minor sustain buffs, Erudition further enhances this with an enormous 18% boost. If you experience any recovery issues as an Arcanist, it indicates a serious problem with your setup

Intricate Runeforms
(Vital)
This passive enhances your damage shields and reduces their cost by 10%. To gain this benefit, you need a Curative Runeform ability slotted on the same bar as your shield. For optimal results, slot Zenas’ Empowering Disc on the same bar as Impervious Runeward. This combination will significantly boost the effectiveness of Runeward, providing an even larger damage shield.

ESO Arcanist Tank Champion Points

Warfare

Fitness

ESO Arcanist Tank How To Play