New to ESO or Tanking? Start Here
Tanking in ESO can feel intimidating at first. You’re expected to control bosses, protect your group, manage resources, and somehow never die all while learning mechanics you’ve never seen before.
This build is designed to remove that pressure.
Whether you’re completely new to The Elder Scrolls Online or switching into the tank role for the first time, this setup focuses on simplicity, survivability, and clarity. You won’t need perfect gear, complicated rotations, or trial-level experience to make this work.
Instead, you’ll learn the core fundamentals of tanking:
- Holding taunt consistently
- Positioning enemies correctly
- Managing stamina and magicka
- Supporting your group with buffs and debuffs
We provide two beginner-friendly versions of this build:
- One for players brand new to ESO who need extra safety and forgiveness
- One for players comfortable with ESO but new to tanking
Both versions will comfortably handle normal dungeons, arenas, and early trials while you work toward stronger endgame setups.
This isn’t about being the strongest tank in the game.
It’s about becoming a reliable one.
Ready to Take Your Tanking to the Next Level?
Once you’re comfortable with the fundamentals, our full ESO Tank Guide breaks down advanced gear, group optimisation, mechanics, and endgame setups used in veteran dungeons and trials.
What Tanking Actually Means in ESO
Tanking in ESO is very different from many other MMORPGs.
There is no threat meter and no AoE taunting. Every enemy must be individually taunted, and each taunt lasts 15 seconds. If you let it drop, you lose control of the fight. Maintaining taunt on priority targets is your number one responsibility.
But tanking isn’t just about holding aggro.
As the tank, you control positioning and tempo. You engage first, pull enemies together, turn bosses away from the group, and decide where fights take place. Most mechanics are aimed at you, which means you need to understand encounters and stay aware at all times.
ESO tanks are also active support roles. You’ll constantly apply debuffs to reduce incoming damage and increase the damage enemies take. At the same time, you provide group buffs that improve your team’s survival and DPS.
The faster enemies die, the fewer mechanics you deal with. That’s why buffs and debuffs matter so much.
Because ESO uses action combat, tanking is fully active. You are blocking, bashing, dodging, moving, casting skills, and managing resources constantly. It’s not about standing still and holding block, it’s about controlling the fight while supporting your group.
ESO Beginner Tank Build Core Essentials
Core Essentials for Beginner Tanking
These are simple, reliable defaults. You do not need to optimise everything perfectly at this stage — focus on consistency and survivability first.
Mundus Stone
The Atronach
Magicka Recovery is the most valuable stat for beginner tanks. It allows you to cast skills more consistently, maintain debuffs, and avoid running dry during longer fights.
Food
Red Frothgar – Best overall beginner option.
Provides Max Health and Magicka Recovery, which are the two most important stats early on.
Potions
Essence of Health (Tri-Stat) Potions
These restore Health, Magicka, and Stamina at once. They are flexible, reliable, and work for every class. As a beginner, keep things simple — use these consistently.
Race
Nord is the easiest and most forgiving race for tanking thanks to extra resistances and Ultimate generation.
That said, race does not make or break a tank. Your positioning, taunt uptime, and awareness matter far more than racial bonuses.
Attributes
Put all 64 points into Health.
This gives you a strong survivability foundation. Your Stamina and Magicka will be supported through food, gear, and recovery instead.
Beginner Stat Targets (Fully Buffed)
These are safe baselines, not strict requirements.
- ~38,000 Health – Comfortable for most dungeon content
- ~20,000 Stamina – Enough to block, dodge, and break free
- ~15,000 Magicka – Sufficient for skill casting
- 25k–30k Resistances – Safe for most content
- ~2,000 Magicka Recovery – Helps maintain skill uptime
You do not need perfect numbers. If you are close to these values, you are more than ready for dungeon tanking.
Resistances cap at 33,100, but beginners should prioritise sustain and consistency over chasing the cap immediately.
Choosing Your Base Class as a Beginner Tank
Every class can tank in ESO. Some feel more forgiving and complete out of the box, while others require stronger resource management or later optimisation. With subclassing available, and future class adjustments strengthening core identities, no class choice will block your progression.
However, some classes are naturally easier to learn and scale more smoothly into harder content.
If you want the smoothest beginner experience, Arcanist or Dragonknight are generally the most forgiving starting points.
| Class | Best for |
|---|---|
| Arcanist | Very strong core tank with excellent sustain, survivability, and built-in group utility. Feels complete from the start. |
| Dragonknight | Reliable sustain, strong self-healing, and powerful debuffs. A safe long-term foundation for all tanking. |
| Sorcerer | Good sustain, strong shields, and useful group ultimate. Straightforward and effective in dungeons or off tanking. |
| Warden | Strong defensive utility and self-healing. Stable and supportive, with a comfortable learning curve. |
| Necromancer | Excellent ultimate generation and strong defensive tools, but slightly more timing-dependent and technical. |
| Nightblade | Capable tank with good ultimate gain, but offers fewer built-in group benefits. |
| Templar | Can tank effectively, but its base toolkit is less complete without later optimisation through subclassing or scribing. |
How Subclassing Affects This
At endgame, tank builds often mix skill lines from multiple classes. Your base class acts as the “core,” while subclassing fills in missing tools like sustain, buffs, or debuffs.
Because of this, even classes that feel slightly weaker early on can still contribute meaningfully in optimised group setups.
For beginners, though, subclassing should not influence your decision. Choose a class that feels comfortable and forgiving, you can optimise later as you gain experience.
ESO Beginner Tank Build Gear
| Piece | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Druid’s Braid | Medium | Sturdy | Stamina |
| Shoulder | Druid’s Braid | Light | Sturdy | Magicka |
| Chest | Druid’s Braid | Heavy | Sturdy | Stamina |
| Hands | Druid’s Braid | Heavy | Sturdy | Magicka |
| Waist | Druid’s Braid | Heavy | Sturdy | Magicka |
| Legs | Druid’s Braid | Heavy | Sturdy | Stamina |
| Feet | Druid’s Braid | Heavy | Sturdy | Magicka |
| Necklace | Wretched Vitality | Jewellery | Infused | Magicka Recovery |
| Ring | Wretched Vitality | Jewellery | Infused | Magicka Recovery |
| Ring | Wretched Vitality | Jewellery | Infused | Magicka Recovery |
| Main Hand | Wretched Vitality | Any 1H | Decisive | Absorb Stamina |
| Off Hand | Wretched Vitality | Shield | Sturdy | Health |
| Main Hand Backup | Wretched Vitality | Ice Staff | Infused | Crusher |
| Piece | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Engine Guardian | Medium | Divines | Stamina |
| Shoulder | Engine Guardian | Light | Divines | Health |
| Chest | Ebon | Heavy | Divines | Stamina |
| Hands | Ebon | Heavy | Divines | Health |
| Waist | Ebon | Heavy | Divines | Health |
| Legs | Ebon | Heavy | Divines | Stamina |
| Feet | Ebon | Heavy | Divines | Health |
| Necklace | Torug’s Pact | Jewellery | Infused | Bracing |
| Ring | Torug’s Pact | Jewellery | Infused | Magicka Recovery |
| Ring | Torug’s Pact | Jewellery | Infused | Magicka Recovery |
| Main Hand | Torug’s Pact | Any 1H | Infused | Absorb Stamina |
| Off Hand | Torug’s Pact | Shield | Sturdy | Health |
| Main Hand Backup | Torug’s Pact | Any Staff | Infused | Crusher |
| Piece | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Engine Guardian | Medium | Divines | Stamina |
| Shoulder | Engine Guardian | Light | Divines | Health |
| Chest | Turning Tide | Heavy | Divines | Stamina |
| Hands | Turning Tide | Heavy | Divines | Health |
| Waist | Turning Tide | Heavy | Divines | Health |
| Legs | Turning Tide | Heavy | Divines | Stamina |
| Feet | Turning Tide | Heavy | Divines | Health |
| Necklace | Crimson Oath’s Rive | Jewellery | Infused | Bracing |
| Ring | Crimson Oath’s Rive | Jewellery | Infused | Magicka Recovery |
| Ring | Crimson Oath’s Rive | Jewellery | Infused | Magicka Recovery |
| Main Hand | Void Bash | Any 1H | Decisive | Absorb Stamina |
| Off Hand | Void Bash | Shield | Sturdy | Health |
| Main Hand Backup | Crimson Oath’s Rive | Any Staff | Infused | Crusher |
| Piece | Set | Weight | Trait | Enchantment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Engine Guardian | Medium | Divines | Stamina |
| Shoulder | Engine Guardian | Light | Divines | Magicka |
| Chest | Pearlescent Ward | Heavy | Divines | Stamina |
| Hands | Pearlescent Ward | Heavy | Divines | Magicka |
| Waist | Pearlescent Ward | Heavy | Divines | Magicka |
| Legs | Pearlescent Ward | Heavy | Divines | Stamina |
| Feet | Pearlescent Ward | Heavy | Divines | Magicka |
| Necklace | Saxhleel Champion | Jewellery | Harmony | Magicka Recovery |
| Ring | Saxhleel Champion | Jewellery | Harmony | Magicka Recovery |
| Ring | Saxhleel Champion | Jewellery | Harmony | Magicka Recovery |
| Main Hand | Puncturing Remedy (Masters) | Any 1H | Decisive | Absorb Stamina |
| Off Hand | Puncturing Remedy (Masters) | Shield | Reinforced | Stamina |
| Main Hand Backup | Saxhleel Champion | Any Staff | Infused | Crusher |
Gear for Brand New ESO Players
If you’ve just reached CP160 or are completely new to tanking, start with crafted sets.
Crafted gear is inexpensive, easy to obtain, and provides stable stats that help you survive while learning dungeon mechanics.
Wretched Vitality is excellent early because it provides strong resource recovery, helping you maintain taunts and defensive skills. Druid’s Braid increases your maximum stats, giving you a larger survivability buffer.
At this stage:
- Use Sturdy traits to reduce block cost.
- Use simple stamina and magicka enchants.
- Don’t upgrade to legendary quality, this gear is temporary.
This setup is designed for Normal dungeons, normal trials, and early veteran content. Your goal here is not optimisation, it’s consistency.
How To Obtain
- Wretched Vitality Crafted: 3 Traits research needed.
- Druid’s Braid Crafted: 7 Traits research needed.
Optional Useful Gear
- Armor of the Seducer Crafted: 3 Traits research needed.
- Fortified Brass Crafted: 3 Traits research needed.
- Torug’s Pact Crafted: 3 Traits research needed.
Beginner Tank (No DLC Required)
Once you’re comfortable, you can move into base-game dungeon sets that begin supporting your group more directly.
Ebon Armory increases your group’s Max Health, which improves overall survivability. Torug’s Pact strengthens your enchantment effects, making your debuffs more impactful.
This is your first step toward playing as a support-focused tank rather than purely a survival-focused one.
These sets are still transitional. They help you farm stronger gear while learning positioning and debuff uptime.
Adding Your First Monster Set
Once you’re comfortable running veteran base-game dungeons, you can start collecting monster sets. These provide a noticeable boost to sustain, survivability, or group utility.
For beginners, monster sets are often the first meaningful upgrade beyond crafted gear.
Engine Guardian is one of the most beginner-friendly options. It provides strong resource sustain, helping you maintain taunts and defensive skills during longer fights.
Other accessible options include:
- Bloodspawn – Increases ultimate generation and resistances
- Sentinel of Rkugamz – Group sustain support
- Lord Warden – Defensive group utility
You do not need a monster set immediately but once obtained, it will make tanking feel significantly smoother.
Where To Obtain
- Torug’s Pact Crafted: 3 traits research needed.
- Ebon Looted: Crypt of Hearts I & II.
- Engine Guardian Looted: Helmet from Veteran Darkshade II & Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys from Maj al-Ragath.
- Sentinel of Rkugamz Looted: Veteran Darkshade Caverns I – Helmet. Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys via Maj al-Ragath.
- Bloodspawn Looted: Veteran Spindleclutch II – Helmet. Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys via Maj al-Ragath.
- Lord Warden Looted Veteran Imperial City Prison – Helmet. Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys via Urgarlag Chief-bane.
Beginner Tank (With DLC Access)
If you have DLC dungeons, you gain access to stronger group-oriented sets.
Crimson Oath’s Rive reduces enemy resistances, speeding up fights. Turning Tide provides a powerful group damage debuff that increases overall DPS, or Drake’s Rush increases ultimate generation for both you and your group, improving damage and defensive uptime.
This is where tanking begins to feel more active and supportive rather than purely defensive.
You are no longer just surviving, you are accelerating fights.
Turning Tide and Crimson Oath pairs well with:
- Engine Guardian for sustain
- Tremorscale for added group penetration
- Archdruid later for stronger group debuffs
Where To Obtain
- Turning Tide Looted: Shipwright’s Regret
- Crimson Oath’s Rive Looted: The Dread Cellar.
- Drake’s Rush Looted: Black Drake Villa.
- Engine Guardian Looted: Helmet from Veteran Darkshade II & Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys from Maj al-Ragath.
- Sentinel of Rkugamz Looted: Veteran Darkshade Caverns I – Helmet. Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys via Maj al-Ragath.
- Bloodspawn Looted: Veteran Spindleclutch II – Helmet. Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys via Maj al-Ragath.
- Lord Warden Looted Veteran Imperial City Prison – Helmet. Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys via Urgarlag Chief-bane.
Progressive / Trial Entry Setup
As you transition into trials, your gear shifts heavily toward group optimisation.
Pearlescent Ward increases group damage and provides defensive scaling if group members fall. Saxhleel Champion provides Major Force to your group when using defensive ultimates, significantly boosting damage output.
At this level, traits and enchants begin to matter more. Harmony jewellery, prismatic enchants, and more refined setups become valuable.
This is no longer beginner survival tanking, this is the start of endgame group support tanking.
- Saxhleel Champion Looted: Rockgrove Trial
- Pearlescent Ward Looted: Dreadsail Reef Trial
- Puncturing Remedy (Masters) Looted: Dragonstar Arena
- Lucent Echoes Looted: Lucent Citadel Trial
- Engine Guardian Looted: Helmet from Veteran Darkshade II & Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys from Maj al-Ragath.
- Bloodspawn Looted: Veteran Spindleclutch II – Helmet. Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys via Maj al-Ragath.
- Lord Warden Looted Veteran Imperial City Prison – Helmet. Shoulder buy with Undaunted Keys via Urgarlag Chief-bane.
ESO Beginner Tank Build Skills
Arcanist Skills
Pierce Armor
Role: Main Taunt
Why You Use It: Keeps bosses focused on you and applies Major & Minor Breach to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Every 12–14 seconds on priority targets to maintain aggro.
Destructive Clench
Role: Ranged Taunt / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Taunts enemies at range and applies Major Maim + Chilled (Minor Maim & Minor Brittle), reducing enemy damage and increasing group DPS.
When to Use: On ranged enemies, when you cannot safely reach a target and maintain on bosses.
Runic Sunder
Role: Debuff / Crux Generator
Why You Use It: Applies a unique armor shred and generates Crux. Each Crux stack reduces your damage taken while slotted.
When to Use: Maintain on bosses for constant debuff and survivability value.
Cruxweaver Armor
Role: Defensive Foundation
Why You Use It: Grants Major Resolve for increased resistances, generates Crux when you’re hit, and applies Minor Breach to enemies that attack you.
When to Use: Keep active at all times for survivability, passive debuffing, and steady Crux generation.
Impervious Runeward
Role: Emergency Survival
Why You Use It: Large damage shield that scales with Max Health and consumes Crux to heal you.
When to Use: During heavy incoming damage or when Health drops quickly.
Runeguard of Still Waters
Role: Passive Safety Tool
Why You Use It: Grants Minor Resolve and Minor Protection and provides an automatic heal when under 50% Health.
When to Use: Passive safety layer that smooths incoming damage.
Chakram of Destiny
Role: Group Shield / Crux Generator
Why You Use It: Shields you and allies while generating Crux for defensive skills.
When to Use: During damage-heavy phases or before using Crux-consuming abilities.
Elemental Blockade
Role: Enchantment Uptime
Why You Use It: Maintains Crusher enchant uptime to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Keep active under bosses for consistent group damage support.
Rune of Uncanny Adoration
Role: Crowd Control / Minor Vulnerability
Why You Use It: Charms enemies and forces them to move toward you while applying Minor Vulnerability.
When to Use: For grouping enemies during trash pulls.
Leashing Soul (Alternative Pull)
Role: Pull / Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies reliably, restores Magicka and Stamina, and applies Major Cowardice.
When to Use: Preferred pull in organised groups or when charm is unreliable.
Binding Burst
Role: AoE Immobilise
Why You Use It: Immobilises and snares enemies while increasing resource recovery.
When to Use: During large trash pulls to control positioning.
Ultimates
Aggressive Horn
Role: Main Group Ultimate
Why You Use It: Grants Major Force and increases Max stats for your group, boosting damage output.
When to Use: During coordinated burn phases or high-damage windows.
Shield Discipline
Role: Emergency Resource Recovery
Why You Use It: Auto-blocks without stamina cost or holding block and allows safe heavy attacks to restore stamina.
When to Use: If you run out of stamina or during high-pressure damage moments.
Gibbering Shelter
Role: Defensive Group Ultimate
Why You Use It: Provides strong mitigation, shielding, and passive resource recovery.
When to Use: During heavy incoming group damage or emergency situations.
Scribing Variants (Switch morphs when using Scribed skills)
Rune of the Colorless Pool
Replaces charm with Minor Brittle for increased group damage when using Scribing.
Runeguard of Freedom
Replaces immobilisation with crowd control immunity.
Dragonknight Skills
Pierce Armor
Role: Main Taunt
Why You Use It: Keeps bosses focused on you and applies Major & Minor Breach to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Reapply every 12–14 seconds on priority targets to maintain aggro.
Destructive Clench
Role: Ranged Taunt / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Taunts enemies at range and applies Major Maim. When using a Frost Staff, it also applies Chilled, causing Minor Maim and Minor Brittle for extra damage reduction and group DPS.
When to Use: On ranged enemies, when you cannot safely reach a target and maintain on bosses.
Heroic Slash
Role: Minor Maim / Ultimate Generation
Why You Use It: Applies Minor Maim to reduce enemy damage and grants you Minor Heroism, increasing ultimate generation.
When to Use: Maintain on bosses for consistent damage reduction and faster ultimate gain.
Igneous Shield
Role: Group Shield / Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Provides a shield for you and nearby allies, grants Major Mending (boosting your healing), and restores Stamina through Earthen Heart passives even while blocking.
When to Use: Use before casting Green Dragon Blood for stronger healing, or during incoming damage phases. Spam-cast it for Stamina restore if needed.
Green Dragon Blood
Role: Emergency Self-Heal
Why You Use It: Large burst heal that also grants Major Fortitude, Major Endurance, and Minor Vitality for improved sustain and healing received.
When to Use: Use at low Health for maximum effectiveness. This is your emergency recovery button.
Cinder Storm
Role: Area Control / Healing Over Time
Why You Use It: Slows enemies and provides a heal-over-time for you and allies standing inside it.
When to Use: Drop during trash pulls or sustained damage phases to reduce pressure and minimise the need for burst heals.
Unrelenting Grip
Role: Pull / Resource Sustain
Why You Use It: Chains enemies to you, guarantees the Burning status effect, and refunds cost if the target cannot be pulled. Burning restores Magicka and Stamina through Ardent Flame passives.
When to Use: Use to group enemies together during trash pulls.
Leashing Soul (Alternative Pull)
Role: Pull / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: A reliable pull that restores resources and applies Major Cowardice, reducing enemy damage output.
When to Use: Use instead of chains in organised content or when you want stronger damage reduction and sustain.
Elemental Blockade
Role: Enchantment Uptime
Why You Use It: Maintains high uptime on your Crusher enchantment to reduce enemy resistances and increase group DPS.
When to Use: Keep active under bosses.
Hardened Armor
Role: Defensive Buff
Why You Use It: Grants Major Resolve for increased resistances, provides a damage shield, and deals flame damage back to attackers.
When to Use: Keep active at all times for defensive stability.
Choking Talons
Role: AoE Immobilise / Minor Maim
Why You Use It: Immobilises enemies, applies Minor Maim to reduce their damage, and provides a synergy for your group.
When to Use: Use during large trash pulls to control positioning and reduce incoming damage.
Ultimates
Aggressive Horn
Role: Main Group Ultimate
Why You Use It: Grants Major Force and increases Max stats for your group, significantly boosting damage output.
When to Use: Use during coordinated burn phases or high-damage windows.
Magma Shell
Role: Emergency Defensive Ultimate
Why You Use It: Caps incoming damage to 3% of your Max Health per hit, grants you a powerful shield, and provides strong damage shields to nearby allies.
When to Use: Use during extreme incoming damage or group emergencies.
Shield Discipline
Role: Emergency Resource Recovery
Why You Use It: Auto-blocks without stamina cost or holding block and allows safe heavy attacks to restore stamina.
When to Use: If you run out of stamina or during sustained high-damage situations.
Necromancer Skills
Pierce Armor
Role: Main Taunt
Why You Use It: Keeps bosses focused on you and applies Major & Minor Breach to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Every 12–14 seconds on priority targets to maintain aggro.
Destructive Clench
Role: Ranged Taunt / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Taunts enemies at range and applies Major Maim + Chilled (Minor Maim & Minor Brittle), reducing enemy damage and increasing group DPS.
When to Use: On ranged enemies, when you cannot safely reach a target and maintain on bosses.
Heroic Slash
Role: Minor Maim / Ultimate Generation
Why You Use It: Applies Minor Maim to reduce enemy damage and grants you Minor Heroism, increasing ultimate generation.
When to Use: Maintain on bosses for consistent damage reduction and faster ultimate gain.
Beckoning Armor
Role: Defensive Buff / Passive Pull
Why You Use It: Grants Major & Minor Resolve for increased resistances and automatically pulls ranged enemies to you when they attack.
When to Use: Keep active at all times for defensive stability and enemy control.
Necrotic Potency
Role: Ultimate Generator / Minor Healing
Why You Use It: Consumes nearby corpses to generate a large amount of ultimate and provides a small heal. Also reduces damage taken while slotted.
When to Use: Use after enemies die to rapidly build ultimate for Colossus or other ultimates.
Mortal Coil
Role: Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Tethers to a corpse, healing you and restoring both Magicka and Stamina over time.
When to Use: Use on corpses during fights to maintain resource sustain.
Hungry Scythe
Role: Main Self-Heal
Why You Use It: Heals on hit, heals more per enemy struck, and applies a heal-over-time. Scales with Max Health, making it strong for tanks.
When to Use: Use during sustained damage or when taking pressure from multiple enemies.
Spirit Guardian
Role: Passive Survival / Damage Mitigation
Why You Use It: Heals you or a low-health ally and transfers 10% of your incoming damage to the spirit. Also unlocks passives that increase healing and recovery.
When to Use: Keep active at all times for steady survivability.
Agony Totem
Role: Crowd Control / Group Utility
Why You Use It: Grants Minor Protection to you and allies, applies Major Cowardice to enemies, fears nearby enemies, and provides a synergy for group damage.
When to Use: Use during trash pulls or high incoming damage situations. (Note: Pulled/chained enemies cannot be feared immediately.)
Elemental Blockade
Role: Enchantment Uptime
Why You Use It: Maintains Crusher enchant uptime to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Keep active under bosses for consistent group damage support.
Leashing Soul (Alternative Pull)
Role: Pull / Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies reliably, restores Magicka and Stamina, and applies Major Cowardice.
When to Use: Preferred pull in all groups or when charm is unreliable.
Binding Burst (Alternative Crowd Control)
Role: AoE Immobilise
Why You Use It: Immobilises and snares enemies while increasing resource recovery.
When to Use: During large trash pulls to control positioning.
Ultimates
Glacial Colossus
Role: Main Group Ultimate
Why You Use It: Applies Major Vulnerability, significantly increasing enemy damage taken and boosting group DPS.
When to Use: Use during coordinated burn phases for maximum damage.
Renewing Animation
Role: Emergency Group Recovery
Why You Use It: Revives up to three allies and restores a large amount of your resources when successfully resurrecting players.
When to Use: Use to prevent wipes when multiple allies go down.
Shield Discipline
Role: Emergency Resource Recovery
Why You Use It: Auto-blocks without stamina cost or holding block and allows safe heavy attacks to restore stamina.
When to Use: If you run out of stamina or during high-pressure damage moments.
Nightblade Skills
Pierce Armor
Role: Main Taunt
Why You Use It: Keeps bosses focused on you and applies Major & Minor Breach to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Every 12–14 seconds on priority targets to maintain aggro.
Destructive Clench
Role: Ranged Taunt / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Taunts enemies at range and applies Major Maim + Chilled (Minor Maim & Minor Brittle), reducing enemy damage and increasing group DPS.
When to Use: On ranged enemies, when you cannot safely reach a target and maintain on bosses.
Heroic Slash
Role: Minor Maim / Ultimate Generation
Why You Use It: Applies Minor Maim to reduce enemy damage and grants you Minor Heroism, increasing ultimate generation.
When to Use: Maintain on bosses for consistent damage reduction and faster ultimate gain.
Elemental Blockade
Role: Enchantment Uptime
Why You Use It: Maintains Crusher enchant uptime to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Keep active under bosses for consistent group damage support.
Siphoning Attacks
Role: Core Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Converts Health into Magicka and Stamina and restores additional resources whenever you deal damage. Also grants ultimate on cast and increases Max Magicka and Stamina via passives.
When to Use: Keep active at all times for steady sustain.
Dark Cloak
Role: Defensive Heal / Minor Protection
Why You Use It: Grants a heal-over-time that increases while blocking and scales with Max Health. Also grants Minor Protection and triggers Major Resolve through passives.
When to Use: Keep active during combat to smooth incoming damage.
Refreshing Path
Role: Group Utility / Healing
Why You Use It: Provides a group speed boost, heal-over-time, and grants Minor Endurance and Minor Intellect for improved sustain.
When to Use: Use during movement phases or sustained damage situations.
Silver Leash
Role: Pull
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies to you for positioning control.
When to Use: Use during trash pulls, but be aware of its high stamina cost.
Leashing Soul (Alternative Pull)
Role: Pull / Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies reliably, restores Magicka and Stamina, and applies Major Cowardice to reduce enemy damage.
When to Use: Use in all groups and when sustain and mitigation are preferred.
Mirage
Role: Defensive Mitigation
Why You Use It: Grants Major Evasion (reducing AoE damage taken), Minor Resolve, and reduces dodge roll cost.
When to Use: Use during heavy AoE encounters or mechanic-heavy fights.
Mass Hysteria
Role: Crowd Control / Major Cowardice
Why You Use It: Fears nearby enemies and applies Major Cowardice, reducing their damage output.
When to Use: Use during trash pulls (note: enemies recently pulled cannot be feared immediately).
Binding Burst (Alternative Crowd Control)
Role: AoE Immobilise / Interrupt
Why You Use It: Immobilises and snares enemies while interrupting those casting.
When to Use: Use during large pulls if you prefer immobilisation over fear effects.
Ultimates
Soul Siphon
Role: Emergency Group Heal
Why You Use It: Provides a strong heal, heal-over-time, Major Vitality for your group, and a powerful synergy.
When to Use: Use during heavy group damage or emergency situations.
Aggressive Horn
Role: Main Group Ultimate
Why You Use It: Grants Major Force and increases Max stats for your group, boosting damage output.
When to Use: During coordinated burn phases or high-damage windows.
Shield Discipline
Role: Emergency Resource Recovery
Why You Use It: Auto-blocks without stamina cost or holding block and allows safe heavy attacks to restore stamina.
When to Use: If you run out of stamina or during high-pressure damage moments.
Sorcerer Skills
Pierce Armor
Role: Main Taunt
Why You Use It: Keeps bosses focused on you and applies Major & Minor Breach to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Every 12–14 seconds on priority targets to maintain aggro.
Destructive Clench
Role: Ranged Taunt / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Taunts enemies at range and applies Major Maim + Chilled (Minor Maim & Minor Brittle), reducing enemy damage and increasing group DPS.
When to Use: On ranged enemies, when you cannot safely reach a target and maintain on bosses.
Elemental Blockade
Role: Enchantment Uptime
Why You Use It: Maintains Crusher enchant uptime to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Keep active under bosses for consistent group damage support.
Regenerative Ward
Role: Shield / Group Utility
Why You Use It: Provides a large damage shield, heals you, and grants Minor Intellect and Minor Endurance to your group for improved sustain.
When to Use: Use during incoming damage phases or before heavy mechanics.
Dark Deal
Role: Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Converts Magicka into Health and Stamina, restoring Stamina over time. Also grants Minor Prophecy and increased healing through passives.
When to Use: Use carefully when low on Stamina — be aware it briefly drops block while casting.
Unstable Clannfear
Role: Emergency Heal
Why You Use It: Provides a strong burst heal when activated and attacks enemies automatically. Must be slotted on both bars to remain active.
When to Use: Use when you need a reliable burst heal during sustained pressure.
Boundless Storm
Role: Defensive Buff / Mobility
Why You Use It: Grants Major Resolve for increased resistances and Major Expedition for increased movement speed.
When to Use: Keep active during combat for defensive stability and better positioning.
Silver Leash
Role: Pull
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies to you for positioning control.
When to Use: Use during trash pulls, but be aware of its high stamina cost.
Leashing Soul (Alternative Pull)
Role: Pull / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies reliably, restores Magicka and Stamina, and applies Major Cowardice to reduce enemy damage.
When to Use: Use in all groups and when sustain and mitigation are preferred.
Shattering Spines
Role: AoE Immobilise / Major Maim
Why You Use It: Immobilises enemies in front of you and applies Major Maim to reduce their damage output.
When to Use: Use during trash pulls to reduce incoming damage and stabilise the group.
Binding Burst (Alternative Crowd Control)
Role: AoE Immobilise / Minor Resolve
Why You Use It: Immobilises and snares enemies in an area and grants Minor Resolve. More reliable than directional immobilises.
When to Use: Use during large pulls if you prefer wider crowd control coverage.
Ultimates
Absorption Field
Role: Emergency Control Ultimate
Why You Use It: Removes enemy ground AoEs, prevents new ones from forming, stuns enemies, and heals allies.
When to Use: Use during dangerous AoE-heavy mechanics or group emergencies.
Aggressive Horn
Role: Main Group Ultimate
Why You Use It: Grants Major Force and increases Max stats for your group, boosting damage output.
When to Use: During coordinated burn phases or high-damage windows.
Shield Discipline
Role: Emergency Resource Recovery
Why You Use It: Auto-blocks without stamina cost or holding block and allows safe heavy attacks to restore stamina.
When to Use: If you run out of stamina or during high-pressure damage moments.
Templar Skills
Pierce Armor
Role: Main Taunt
Why You Use It: Keeps bosses focused on you and applies Major & Minor Breach to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Every 12–14 seconds on priority targets to maintain aggro.
Destructive Clench
Role: Ranged Taunt / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Taunts enemies at range and applies Major Maim + Chilled (Minor Maim & Minor Brittle), reducing enemy damage and increasing group DPS.
When to Use: On ranged enemies, when you cannot safely reach a target and maintain on bosses.
Elemental Blockade
Role: Enchantment Uptime
Why You Use It: Maintains Crusher enchant uptime to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Keep active under bosses for consistent group damage support.
Extended Ritual
Role: Group Heal / Cleanse / Utility
Why You Use It: Provides a large heal-over-time, cleanses negative effects, and offers a synergy for allies. Through passives, it also improves healing and generates ultimate for your group.
When to Use: Keep active during sustained damage or when mechanics apply debuffs.
Radiant Ward
Role: Defensive Shield
Why You Use It: Grants a damage shield that scales with nearby enemies and applies Minor Maim, reducing enemy damage.
When to Use: Use during heavy incoming damage or large trash pulls.
Repentance
Role: Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Consumes nearby corpses to restore Stamina to you and Health to you and your group.
When to Use: Use after enemies die to stabilise resources between pulls.
Living Dark
Role: Defensive Heal / Group Buff Trigger
Why You Use It: Heals you when hit and triggers passives that grant Minor Sorcery to your group and generate ultimate when cast.
When to Use: Use during sustained incoming damage to smooth Health recovery.
Blazing Spear
Role: Crowd Control / Group Synergy
Why You Use It: Immobilises enemies in an area and provides a synergy that restores Magicka or Stamina to allies.
When to Use: Use during trash pulls to support group sustain and positioning.
Binding Burst (Alternative Crowd Control)
Role: AoE Immobilise / Minor Resolve
Why You Use It: Immobilises and snares enemies in an area and grants Minor Resolve. More reliable than directional immobilises.
When to Use: Use during large pulls if you prefer wider crowd control coverage.
Restoring Focus
Role: Defensive Buff / Sustain
Why You Use It: Grants Major Resolve for increased resistances and restores Stamina even while blocking. Also heals you, with stronger healing while standing inside the rune.
When to Use: Keep active during combat for defensive stability and resource sustain.
Silver Leash
Role: Pull
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies to you for positioning control.
When to Use: Use during trash pulls, but be aware of its high stamina cost.
Leashing Soul (Alternative Pull)
Role: Pull / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies reliably, restores Magicka and Stamina, and applies Major Cowardice to reduce enemy damage.
When to Use: Use in all groups and when sustain and mitigation are preferred.
Ultimates
Aggressive Horn
Role: Main Group Ultimate
Why You Use It: Grants Major Force and increases Max stats for your group, boosting damage output.
When to Use: During coordinated burn phases or high-damage windows.
Shield Discipline
Role: Emergency Resource Recovery
Why You Use It: Auto-blocks without stamina cost or holding block and allows safe heavy attacks to restore stamina.
When to Use: If you run out of stamina or during high-pressure damage moments.
Warden Skills
Pierce Armor
Role: Main Taunt
Why You Use It: Keeps bosses focused on you and applies Major & Minor Breach to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Every 12–14 seconds on priority targets to maintain aggro.
Destructive Clench
Role: Ranged Taunt / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Taunts enemies at range and applies Major Maim + Chilled (Minor Maim & Minor Brittle), reducing enemy damage and increasing group DPS.
When to Use: On ranged enemies, when you cannot safely reach a target and maintain on bosses.
Elemental Blockade
Role: Enchantment Uptime
Why You Use It: Maintains Crusher enchant uptime to reduce enemy resistances.
When to Use: Keep active under bosses for consistent group damage support.
Expansive Frost Cloak
Role: Group Defensive Buff
Why You Use It: Grants Major Resolve to you and nearby allies, increasing group resistances.
When to Use: Keep active during combat for group-wide defensive stability.
Enchanted Growth
Role: Group Heal / Sustain Buff
Why You Use It: Provides a group heal, grants Minor Intellect and Minor Endurance, and activates Green Balance passives that grant Minor Toughness (increasing Max Health). Also improves your healing and sustain.
When to Use: Use during sustained group damage or when extra sustain is needed.
Corrupting Pollen
Role: Area Control / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Applies Minor Cowardice to enemies (reducing their damage), heals allies, and provides a healing synergy.
When to Use: Drop during trash pulls or high incoming damage situations.
Bull Netch
Role: Sustain Tool
Why You Use It: Restores Stamina over time for free and removes one negative effect when activated. Unlocks powerful passives that improve recovery and generate ultimate.
When to Use: Keep active at all times for consistent sustain.
Polar Wind
Role: Main Self-Heal
Why You Use It: Strong burst heal that scales with Max Health, applies a heal-over-time, and also heals a nearby ally.
When to Use: Use during heavy incoming damage or when Health drops quickly.
Frozen Device
Role: Positional Control / Major Maim
Why You Use It: Places a portal that teleports enemies to you and applies Major Maim.
When to Use: Best in predictable spawn locations (such as arenas). Less reliable in standard dungeon pulls.
Leashing Soul (Alternative Pull)
Role: Pull / Damage Reduction
Why You Use It: Pulls enemies reliably, restores Magicka and Stamina, and applies Major Cowardice to reduce enemy damage.
When to Use: Use in all groups and when sustain and mitigation are preferred.
Gripping Shards
Role: AoE Immobilise
Why You Use It: Immobilises and snares enemies in an area and can apply Chilled for additional control.
When to Use: Use during trash pulls to stabilise positioning.
Binding Burst (Alternative Crowd Control)
Role: AoE Immobilise / Minor Resolve
Why You Use It: Immobilises and snares enemies while granting Minor Resolve.
When to Use: Use if you prefer wider, more reliable crowd control.
Ultimates
Enchanted Forest
Role: Emergency Group Heal
Why You Use It: Provides a strong heal-over-time and refunds ultimate when healing low-Health allies.
When to Use: Use during heavy group damage to stabilise fights.
Feral Guardian
Role: Passive Bonus Ultimate
Why You Use It: Often slotted to activate Animal Companion passives on both bars for additional stats and sustain.
When to Use: Slotted for passive benefits rather than active use in tanking setups.
Aggressive Horn
Role: Main Group Ultimate
Why You Use It: Grants Major Force and increases Max stats for your group, boosting damage output.
When to Use: During coordinated burn phases or high-damage windows.
Shield Discipline
Role: Emergency Resource Recovery
Why You Use It: Auto-blocks without stamina cost or holding block and allows safe heavy attacks to restore stamina.
When to Use: If you run out of stamina or during high-pressure damage moments.
ESO Beginner Tank Scribed Skills
Certain classes benefit from incorporating scribed skills, though they aren’t included in the beginner build due to the likelihood of new players not having this system fully unlocked.
Scribed spells can help cover class discrepancies. For instance, a Magicka costing pull skill like Wield Soul is useful for all classes. Additionally, improved immobilization skills from scribing benefit Necromancers, Nightblades, Templars, and Sorcerers. These skills enhance tanking capabilities, providing flexibility and additional utility in various scenarios.
- Wield Soul
- Pull
- Druid’s Resurgence
- Cowardice
A highly efficient multi-purpose skill. Primarily used to chain in smaller adds while applying a taunt, it also functions as a strong sustain tool by restoring both Magicka and Stamina when cast. When used on bosses, it applies Major Cowardice, reducing enemy damage output.
- Soul Burst
- Immobilize
- Hunter’s Snare
- Intellect and Endurance
Provides a strong crowd control skill that’s especially useful for classes that don’t have one. This provides an immobilize, snare and extra recovery for improved sustain.
ESO Beginner Tank Champion Points
- Ironclad
- Duelist’s Rebuff
- Bulwark
- Enduring Resolve (DoT damage fights)
- Unassailable (AoE damage fights)
ESO Beginner Tank How To Play
Tank Rotation
As a beginner Tank, your role is to hold aggro, control enemies, survive, and manage resources.
Pre-Buff & Engage
- Activate Major Resolve before every fight and maintain it throughout.
Add Pulls (Group Fights)
- Place Elemental Blockade for AoE damage.
- Immobilize melee enemies & Pull in ranged enemies.
- Recast Immobilize, then taunt remaining enemies with Pierce Armor.
Boss Fights (Taunting & Debuffing)
- Pierce Armor – Taunt & reduce boss resistances (recast every 15s).
- Heroic Slash – Reduces boss damage & boosts your Ultimate gain.
- Destructive Clench – Major boss debuff, use frequently.
- Elemental Blockade – Applies your weapon enchant, gives a group projectile shield and debuffs (recast every 15s).
Staying Alive
- Keep Healing-over-Time & Shields active.
- Use burst heal if low on health.
- Roll dodge sparingly to conserve stamina but evade taking damage.
Managing Resources
- Use potions & recovery skills regularly.
- Follow “Heavy After a Heavy” – When a boss heavy attacks, follow up with a heavy attack for sustain.
Emergency Survival
- Low resources? Use Shield Discipline + 3x Heavy Attacks.
- Survival emergency? Stack heals, shields, and your back-bar Ultimate.
Progressing Beyond Beginner Tanking in ESO
This build is designed to give you stability while you learn. It prioritises survivability, sustain, and simplicity so you can focus on mechanics, positioning, and understanding your role without being overwhelmed by optimisation.
As you grow more comfortable, you’ll naturally begin shifting from survival-focused gear into sets that provide stronger group buffs and debuffs. Tanking in ESO evolves over time, you start by staying alive, then progress into controlling fights and accelerating them for your group.
Remember that gear does not make a strong tank. Awareness, taunt uptime, positioning, and resource management will always matter more than perfect optimisation.
Once you feel confident in normal dungeons and early veteran content, begin exploring more advanced tank builds, trial gear, and subclass combinations. ESO continues to adjust class balance and reduce reliance on subclassing alone, so your base class will remain a meaningful foundation as you progress.
Master the fundamentals first.
The optimisation can come later.
Useful Links
- Explore more ESO Tank Builds
- New to tanking? Learn how to Tank in ESO
- ESO Tank Gear Guide
- Visit The Tank Club ESO Hub
- Looking for something new? Browse the Best Console MMORPGs for 2026
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