While the Necro tank isn’t as forgiving as others in Elder Scrolls Online, it can be incredibly fun to play, that’s for sure. It’s all about management, using resources wisely, and of course, popping your Ultimate and letting the Glacial Colossus put in work, while also inflicting Major Vulnerability. It doesn’t really focus too hard on a specific rotation, but more making sure you have corpses down on the ground, as well as buffs up, and debuffs inflicted.

If you’re playing Elder Scrolls Online and are looking for a challenging, but satisfying tank option, the Necro tank may be for you! We’ll be going over the basics of what you need to know, as well as some other things like subclass options to consider.

---

How does a Necro tank work in Elder Scrolls Online?

Necro tanks are an excellent choice in Elder Scrolls Online, and while they do have their weaknesses, I think they’re easily one of the best ways to play a tank in this game. They have a resistance to damage-over-time, making them ideal in a lot of different instances, they have amazing Ultimate cycling, and deal some truly impressive burst damage, not to mention aiding others in their damage, thanks to Major Vulnerability inflicted by their Ultimate.

However, it’s very heavy on positioning and corpse management, and their sustain isn’t as great as some of the other tank options. They also don’t have quite as many overpowered passives and consistent buffs, again, compared to other tanks. This is a tank that has to put just a bit more effort in, but I think it’s worth doing. While Arcanist tanks and perhaps Dragonknights, considering they were recently updated, may be better overall, I think there’s a lot to love about the Necro tank in Elder Scrolls Online.

It’s all about how you use your resources (corpses) efficiently, as a Necro tank. However, the rewards are many. They can inflict Major Vulnerability (Colossus), AOE Major Cowardice (Bone Totem), AOE Major Breach/Minor Vulnerability (Boneyard), and they can even resurrect allies.

If you’re going to play a Necromancer tank, while any race is suitable, the best race to pick is the Nord. This is primarily thanks to their amazing passives, Rugged and Stalwart. These help with Armor and Ultimate Generation respectively. You can go with any race, but Nord makes life just a little bit easier.

---

Ideal Skill Loadout and Passives for Necro tank in Elder Scrolls Online

This Necro tank build for Elder Scrolls Online does feature subclassing, because I’m a firm believer in its overall power. However, we’re only going to use one Skill Line, because Necro tanks need both Bone Tyrant for its passives and defensive tools, and Grave Lord for Frozen Colossus, which is key to our success.

With that in mind, if you’re going to subclass, you have a few options, in Necrom’s Arcanist or Morrowind’s Warden, but I prefer the mighty Arcanist. We’ll be borrowing from the Soldier of Apocrypha tree, for its useful mitigation options, like Runeward.

Below we’ll go over a few Hot Bar options, such as what to include if you’re Main Tank or Off-Tank, and even a One Hot Bar option. However, it’s worth noting that you’re only likely going to use Frozen Colossus if you’re not subclassing. We’re including a loadout for that, too. Another note, that one of the Ultimates used here is from PVP (Replenishing Barrier).

Main Tank skills (Subclassing)

• Goading Throw: Ranged Taunt, Major Maim.
• Necrotic Potency: Consumes corpses to generate Ultimate/HOT
• Impervious Runeward: Damage Absorption, damage retaliation.
• Polar Wind: Burst Heal.
• Warding Contingency: Grants a damage shield to you and allies.
• Gibbering Shelter: Creates a damage shield, and grants damage shield to allies when you take damage.
• Leashing Soul: Deals damage, taunts, pulls enemy in.
• Elemental Susceptibility: Major Breach, inflicts Burning, Chilled, and Concussion ailments.
• Elemental Blockade: Elemental Barrier that deals magic damage.
• Expansive Frost Cloak: Major Resolve to you and allies.
• Runeguard of Freedom: Grants Minor Resolve to you and allies, Minor Protection to your, and also triggers a heal/Armor bonus.
• Replenishing Barrier: Protect yourself and nearby allies that absorb damage. Each time a ward dissolves, you restore Magicka.

Off Tank skills (Subclassing)

• Goading Throw: Ranged Taunt, Major Maim.
• Necrotic Potency: Consumes corpses to generate Ultimate/HOT
• Regenerative Ward: Creates a damage shield for you/your pets, grants Minor Intellect and Minor Endurance.
• Siphoning Attacks: Converts Health to Magicka and Stamina.
• Chilling Trample: Summons your mount to trample enemies. Inflicts Concussion, Sundered, and Hemorrhaging debuffs.
• Replenishing Barrier: Damage shield for you and allies, and restores Magicka when wards dissolve.
• Leashing Soul: Deals damage, taunts, pulls enemy in.
• Elemental Susceptibility: Major Breach, inflicts Burning, Chilled, and Concussion ailments.
• Elemental Blockade: Elemental Barrier that deals magic damage.
• Warding Burst: Grants you and allies a Damage Shield, can consume a Soul Gem in battle to generate 3 Ultimate. Also grants Minor Courage.
• Resolving Vigor: A HOT that lasts 5 seconds, and grants Minor Resolve.
• Summon Charged Atronach: Summons an immobile storm atronach that deals Shock Damage and stuns enemies. Grants allies Major Berserk as well.

Loadout without Subclassing

• Goading Throw: Ranged Taunt, Major Maim.
• Necrotic Potency: Consumes corpses to generate Ultimate/HOT
• Warding Burst: Grants you and allies a Damage Shield, can consume a Soul Gem in battle to generate 3 Ultimate. Also grants Minor Courage.
• Hungering Scythe: Deals Magic Damage, heals you, and the healing scales from Maximum Health.
• Chilling Trample: Summons your mount to trample enemies. Inflicts Concussion, Sundered, and Hemorrhaging debuffs.
• Replenishing Barrier: Damage shield for you and allies, and restores Magicka when wards dissolve.
• Leashing Soul: Deals damage, taunts, pulls enemy in.
• Elemental Susceptibility: Major Breach, inflicts Burning, Chilled, and Concussion ailments.
• Elemental Blockade: Elemental Barrier that deals magic damage.
• Summoner’s Armor: Grants you Major and Minor Resolve, reduces cost of several skills as well.
• Spirit Guardian: Summons a ghost that heals you or the lowest Health ally every 2s. Creates a corpse on death if you’re in battle, when it wears off.
• Glacial Colossus: Huge icy Flesh Colossus smashes the ground three times over 3s, dealing Frost Damage, stuns enemies on the last hit, and inflicts Major Vulnerability to any enemy hit for 17s.

One Hot Bar Loadout

• Destructive Clench: Deals Magic damage and inflicts whatever the element’s status effect is. Has bonus effect, depending on which element the staff is.
• Unnerving Boneyard: Makes the ground beneath you deal Frost Damage, and apply Major Breach/Minor Vulnerability. An ally can use the Grave Robber Synergy as well.
• Elemental Blockade: Elemental Barrier that deals magic damage.
• Beckoning Armor: Grants you Major and Minor Resolve, and ranged attackers get pulled in once every 2s, and become taunted for 15s if they aren’t taunted already. If you use this in battle, you can cast a corpse-consuming ability on yourself.
• Necrotic Potency: Consumes corpses to generate Ultimate/HOT
• Glacial Colossus: Huge icy Flesh Colossus smashes the ground three times over 3s, dealing Frost Damage, stuns enemies on the last hit, and inflicts Major Vulnerability to any enemy hit for 17s.

Below, we’ve also highlighted all of the Passives you’re going to want as a Necro tank in Elder Scrolls Online. If you’re subclassing, you won’t be using the Living Death talents, and instead, taking on the Arcanist passives instead. That’s entirely up to you, though.

Grave Lord

Bone Tyrant

• Death Gleaning
• Disdain Harm
• Health Avarice
• Last Grasp

Living Death

• Curative Curse
• Near-Death Experience
• Corpse Consumption
• Undead Confederate

One Hand and Shield

• Fortress
• Sword and Board
• Deadly Bash
• Deflect Bolts
• Battlefield Mobility

Destruction Staff

• Elemental Force
• Ancient Knowledge
• Destruction Expert

Light Armor

• Light Armor Bonuses
• Light Armor Penalties
• Grace
• Evocation
• Spell Warding

Medium Armor

• Medium Armor Bonuses
• Dexterity
• Wind Walker
• Athletics

Heavy Armor

• Heavy Armor Bonuses
• Heavy Armor Penalties
• Resolve
• Constitution
• Juggernaut
• Revitalize
• Rapid Mending

Fighters Guild

Mages Guild

• Mage Adept
• Everlasting Magic
• Magicka Controller

Undaunted

• Banish the Wicked
• Undaunted Mettle

Support

Racial

Alchemy

Subclassing Talents (Arcanist – Soldier of the Apocrypha)

• Aegis of the Unseen
• Wellspring of the Abyss
• Circumvented Fate
• Implacable Outcome

Finally, you’ll also want to have some Scribed skills as a Necro tank in Elder Scrolls Online. We’ve listed them above as well, but we’ll put the specific details below that you’ll want for those skills.

• Leashing Soul: Wield Soul, Pull, Druid’s Resurgence, Cowardice.
• Goading Throw: Shield Throw, Taunt, Sage’s Remedy, Maim.
• Chilling Trample: Trample, Frost Damage, Assassin’s Misery, Heroism.
• Warding Burst: Soul Burst, Damage Shield, Anchorite’s Potency, Courage.
• Binding Contingency: Ulfsild’s Contingency, Immobilize, Growing Impact, Vulnerability.
• Warding Contingency: Ulfsild’s Contingency, Damage Shield, Gladiator’s Tenacity, Intellect and Endurance.

---

Ideal Stats, Foods, and Equipment for a Necro tank in Elder Scrolls Online

When playing a Necro tank in Elder Scrolls Online, we’re dumping all of our points into Health (64/0/0 split). That said, ;you still want to have ideally 40,000 Health, 20,000 Stamina and 15,000 Magicka from gear. At least 23k Resistances will be ideal, but if you’re doing Veteran difficulty content you may want more.

Another thing to keep in mind is your Mundus Stone, which is The Atronach. This increases your Magicka Recovery by 310, and with 7 Divines Armor equipped, you receive increased Magicka Recovery by 507. Below we have a few things to consider in your utility kit (Food, Potion, Mundus Stone).

• Mundus Stone: The Atronach
• Food of Choice: Red Frothgar, Smoked Bear Haunch, Bewitched Sugar Skulls
• Potion: Essence of Health (Tri-Stat)

When considering your Champion Points, you’re going to want to focus on Warfare and Fitness. We’ve got some recommendations below to consider for your Necro tank build in Elder Scrolls Online.

Warfare

• Ironclad
• Duelist’s Rebuff
• Bulwark
• Enduring Resolve
• Unassailable

Fitness

• Boundless Vitality
• Fortified
• Rejuvenation
• Bracing ANchor
• Celerity
• Shield Master

---

Check out our other Elder Scrolls Online guides and features