Few games offer as much freedom as The Elder Scrolls Online. These large sandboxes are hard for any non-Bethesda game 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.

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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 5/11/2021 by Erik Petrovich: The variety of options available to Dragonknights in The Elder Scrolls Online is staggering. The class is able to take on any of the multiple roles players are accustomed to in MMORPGS like ESO. Each of the Dragonknight's possible builds focuses on a different element of the game. Although they may rely on similar tactics and gear, each build has its own unique playstyle and iconic abilities associated with it.

10 Magicka Dragonknight - PvE

• Magicka Dragonknights excel in PvE situations, but are very versatile.
• Iconic abilities: Seething Fury, Engulfing Flames, Burning Embers, Flames of Oblivion

Magicka Dragonknights are one of the most unique archetypes in The Elder Scrolls Online, using most of their class abilities in their rotation to fulfill the pyromancer power fantasy. There are many variants of the MagDK for PvE, but one of the most popular for PvE content involves spamming Molten Whip.

Running Burning Embers, Flames of Oblivion, and Engulfing Flames on the front bar can help with achieving 3 stacks of Seething Fury. As for gear, the best is False God's Devotion for sustain, Mother's Sorrow for a massive boost to Spell Critical, and Zaans for its great fire DoT (damage over time).

9 Tank Dragonknight - PvE

• Tanking comes naturally to Dragonknights, although every class can take on multiple roles.
• Iconic abilities: Aggressive Horn, Green Dragon Blood, Igneous Shield, Magma Shell

Few classes are as well-suited for tanking as Dragonknights. 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 Stamina Dragonknight - PvE

• Stamina-based Dragonknights excel in both PvE and PvP situations.
• Iconic abilities: Noxious Breath, Venomous Claw, Whirling Blades, Endless Hail

This poison-based build is a great option for fans of melee combat. Just as Magicka Dragonknights dominate the battlefield with fire, Stamina Dragonknights use poison and weapons to take down hordes of enemies. These poison DoTs mainly come from Venomous Claw and Noxious Breath.

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Stone Giant is a great spammable for this build, since it weakens targets with every successive cast. When players face clusters of opponents, Endless Hail on the back bar and Whirling Blades on the front bar are best to quickly take these enemies down. The best sets for this build are Arms of Relequen, Tooth of Lokkestiiz, and Spectral Cloak for damage resistance while in the thick of combat.

7 Vampiric Dragonknight - PvE

• Vampiric Dragonknights are best suited for PvE situations, for consistent healing.
• Iconic abilities: Blood for Blood, Cauterize

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 - PvE/PvP

• The Elf Bane set is a core set that increases the length of Damage over Time skills.
• Iconic abilities: Engulfing Flames, Flames of Oblivion, Other DoT abilities

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.

Players' major DoTs like Engulfing Flames and Flames of Oblivion should be on the back bar, while the front bar has a spammable 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 - PvE/PvP

• Dragonknight healers are rare, but useful as an off healer.
• Iconic abilities: Obsidian Shard, Cauterize, Cinder Storm

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.

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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 - PvP

• The Stamina-based Dragonknight takes a life of its own in the PvP space.
• Iconic abilities: Spell Wars, Two-Handed Weapon, Noxious Breath

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. The best way to improve with this build is to practice.

3 Magicka Dragonknight - PvP

• Magicka Dragonknights in a PvP setting are great supportive allies.
• Iconic abilities: Cauterize, Volatile Armor, Fossilize, Flame Lash

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 - PvP

• Werewolf Dragonknights amplify the passives of the Werewolf form.
• Iconic abilities: Werewolf Berserker, Hircine's Rage, Default Attacks

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 Magicka Dragonknight - Soloing

• Magicka Dragonknights are the best all-around class for soloing content, if group work doesn't sound appetizing.
• Iconic abilities: Harness Magicka, Cauterize, Seething Fury, Flames of Oblivion

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.

This setup is similar to the PvE MagDK build except players should use Harness Magicka and Cauterize to keep your 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.

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