The Dragonknight class in The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is focused on close combat and fire magic sourced from the power of Ancient Dragons. It’s a well-round class that can navigate through a variety of playstyles.
The best race to combine is Imperial for tanks, Dark Elf for Magicka DPS, Khajiit for Stamina DPS, and High Elf for healers. Since this class is related to Dragons, Nords would fit best considering the lore since the Graybeards were the only ones who could learn Dragon Shouts. Aside from that, Nords make great tanks.
How classes work in ESO
Classes normally define a role in MMOs, but in ESO you can play any role independent of your class. Some classes work best with different builds, but although Sorcerers are strongly connected to Magicka, a Stamina build works great with the class.
A great part of the game is to consider roleplay, so you can play any class with any role build if it will make an interesting character. There is no “correct” way of playing ESO.
The main difference between classes is the skill lines available for each class. All classes have three skill lines that allow you to choose what Ultimate, active, and passive skills your character can use. The three Dragonknight skill lines, for example, are Ardent Flame, Dragonic Power, and Earthen Heart.
The Ultimate and active skills are the attacks you can use during battle, while the passives are effects you can get after triggering a condition. After you gain experience, you can morph that skill to make it stronger. Each skill will give you two options for a better version, but you can only choose one.
I recommend choosing one skill from each skill tree when starting a new character so you can handle yourself better at the early game stage. And give priority to skills that can make a combo one after another.
In this guide, we’ll explain how each skill works based on the game’s description. We also simplified the descriptions to make it easier for beginners to understand.
Related: The best Werewolf builds for PvE in The Elder Scrolls Online
All Dragonknight Ultimate, Active, and Passive skills in ESO
Dragonknight’s Ardent Flame skill-line
Ardent Flame Ultimate Skill
- Dragonknight Standard: Deals Flame Damage every second to enemies and reduces their healing. An ally near the standard can activate the Shackle synergy, dealing Flame Damage to enemies in the area and immobilizing them.
- Morphs
- Shifting Standard: The same but the duration is increased and if you recast this Ultimate, you can move the Standard.
- Standard of Might: The same, but if you stand in the Standard, your damage is increased and the damage taken is reduced.
- Morphs
Ardent Flame Active Skills
- Lava Whip: Lash an enemy with flames. If you strike an enemy that is immobile or stunned, you set them Off Balance.
- Morphs
- Flame Lash: The same, but if you target an Off Balance or immobilized enemy, it changes this ability into you a more powerful attack that deals more damage at half cost and heals you.
- Molten Whip: The same but it divides the cost between Magicka and Stamina and your other Ardent Flame abilities increase the damage of your next use of this skill, Weapon and Spell Damage.
- Morphs
- Searing Strike: Slash an enemy with flames. Enemies hit by the initial hit are afflicted with the Burning status effect.
- Morphs
- Burning Embers: The same, but you heal for all the damage done.
- Venomous Claw: Rake an enemy with your claw, dealing Poison Damage, an additional damage per second, while leaving the target poisoned. The poison seeps into the target and deals increased damage the longer it lasts.
- Morphs
- Fiery Breath: Exhale a flaming blast to enemies in front of you plus additional damage over 20 seconds.
- Morphs
- Engulfing Flames: The same, but affected enemies take more damage from all Flame Damage attacks based on your Weapon and Spell Damage.
- Noxious Breath: You breathe poison instead of fire and reduce their Physical and Spell Resistance.
- Morphs
- Fiery Grip: Launch a fiery chain to grasp and pull an enemy to you, taunting them if they are not already taunted. Hitting the target increases your Movement Speed for four seconds.
- Morphs
- Chains of Devastation: You pull yourself to the enemy without taunting. And also increases damage for four seconds.
- Unrelenting Grip: The same as Fiery Grip, but if the target can’t be pulled, you refund the Magicka spent.
- Morphs
- Inferno: Activate an aura of flames that launches a fireball at the nearest enemy. While slotted, it increases your Spell and Weapon Critical rating.
- Morphs
- Cauterize: The same, but the fireballs heal allies
- Flames of Oblivion: The same, but it’s three fireballs instead of one.
- Morphs
Ardent Flame Passive skills
- Combustion: Increases the damage of your Burning and Poisoned status effects. When you apply Burning to an enemy, you restore Magicka. When you apply Poisoned to an enemy, you restore Stamina.
- Warmth: When you deal direct damage with an Ardent Flame ability, you reduce the enemy’s Movement Speed.
- Searing Heat: Increases the damage over time of your Fiery Breath, Searing Strike, and Dragonknight Standard abilities.
- World in Ruin: Increases the damage of your Flame and Poison attacks.
Dragonknight’s Dragonic Power skill-line
Dragonic Power’s active skills
- Dragon Leap: Launch yourself at an enemy, damaging all enemies in the area, knocking them back, and stunning them.
- Morphs
- Feroucious Leap: The same, but you gain a damage shield after leaping.
- Take Flight: The same, but deals more damage.
- Morphs
Dragonic Power’s active skills
- Dragon Leap: Launch yourself at an enemy, damaging all enemies in the area, knocking them back, and stunning them.
- Morphs
- Feroucious Leap: The same, but you gain a damage shield after leaping.
- Take Flight: The same, but deals more damage.
- Morphs
- Spiked Armor: Release your inner Dragon to increase your Physical and Spell Resistance. While active, the armor returns Flame Damage to any enemy that uses a direct damage attack against you in melee range, scaling off your Physical and Spell Resistance.
- Morphs
- Hardened Armor: The same, but you gain a damage shield after casting.
- Volatile Armor: The same, but enemies near you take extra damage over 20 seconds.
- Morphs
- Dark Talons: Call forth talons from the ground, damaging enemies near you and immobilizing them. An ally near the talons can activate the Ignite synergy, dealing Flame Damage to all enemies held within them.
- Morphs
- Burning Talons: The same, but causes more damage over time.
- Choking Talons: The same, but reduces the cost and enemies deal less damage.
- Morphs
- Dragon Blood: Draw on your draconic blood to heal part of your missing Health. You also gain Major Fortitude, increasing your Health Recovery.
- Morphs
- Coagulating Blood: It heals more of your missing Health.
- Green Dragon Blood: The same but you also increase Stamina Recovery and healing received.
- Morphs
- Protective Scale: Flex your scales, reducing the damage taken from projectiles.
- Morphs
- Dragon Fire Scale: The same, but when you are hit with a projectile, you retaliate by launching a fiery orb at the attacker that deals Flame Damage.
- Protective Plate: The same, but you also gain immunity to snares and immobilizations for four seconds.
- Morphs
- Inhale: Channel draconic energy to suck in the air around you, damaging nearby enemies, and healing you. You then exhale fire, dealing Flame Damage to nearby enemies.
- Morphs
- Deep Breath: The same, but any enemy hit that is casting is interrupted, set Off Balance, and stunned for two seconds plus the final attack deals more damage.
- Draw Essence: The same, but deals it heals more, and the final attack refunds Magicka for each enemy hit.
- Morphs
Dragonic Power’s passive skills
- Iron Skin: Increases the amount of damage you block.
- Burning Heart: While a Draconic Power ability is active, your healing received is increased.
- Elder Dragon: Increases your Health Recovery for each Draconic Power ability slotted.
- Scaled Armor: Increases your Physical and Spell Resistance.
Related: How to unlock Sharp-as-Night as a Companion in The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO): Necrom
Dragonknight’s Earthen Heart skill line in ESO
Earthen Heart’s Ultimate skills
- Magma Armor: Ignite the molten lava in your veins, limiting incoming damage and damaging nearby enemies.
- Morphs
- Corrosive Armor: Oxidize the green Dragon blood in your veins, limiting incoming damage to your Max Health and dealing Poison Damage to nearby enemies each second.
- Magma Shell: Ignite the molten lava in your veins, limiting incoming damage to your Max Health and dealing Flame Damage to nearby enemies each second. When activated, nearby allies gain a damage shield for their Max Health.
- Morphs
Earthen Heart’s Active skills
- Stonefist: Crush the earth beneath you, dealing damage to all enemies nearby. Debris ripped from the ground is held around you. Activating the ability again allows you to launch part of the debris at an enemy.
- Morphs
- Stone Giant: It’s the same, but each hit applies Stagger, increasing damage taken per stack for five seconds.
- Obsidian Shard: Slam an enemy with molten rock, dealing Flame Damage and causing the rock to explode, splashing magma around. You then pull back on the magma to heal yourself or up to two allies near the enemy.
- Morphs
- Molten Weapons: Charge your and your grouped allies’ weapons with volcanic power increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage.
- Morphs
- Molten Armaments: The same but you also gain Empower for the duration, increasing the damage of your Heavy Attacks against monsters.
- Igneous Weapons: Charge you and your grouped allies’ weapons with volcanic power to gain Major Brutality and Sorcery, increasing your Weapon and Spell Damage for one minute.
- Morphs
- Obsidian Shield: Call the earth to your defense, granting a damage shield for you and nearby allies that absorbs damage. This portion of the ability scales off your Max Health and increases your healing for a couple of seconds.
- Morphs
- Fragmented Shield: The same but the time your healing is increased is higher.
- Igneous Shield: The same but the shield strength is increased.
- Morphs
- Petrify: Encase an enemy in molten rock, stunning them and dealing damage.
- Morphs
- Fossilize: The same but the enemy is immobilized after the stun ends.
- Shattering Rocks: The same but you are healed after the stun ends.
- Morphs
- Ash Cloud: Summon a scorching cloud of ash at the target location, reducing enemy Movement Speed and healing you and your allies.
- Morphs
- Fragmented Shield: The same but the amount you heal is increased.
- Igneous Shield: The same but the cloud deals damage instead of healing.
- Morphs
Earthen Heart’s passive skills
- Eternal Mountain: Increases the duration of your Earthen Heart abilities.
- Battle Roar: When you cast an Ultimate ability, you restore Health, Magicka, and Stamina for each point of the Ultimate spent.
- Mountain’s Blessing: When you cast an Earthen Heart ability, you increase your Weapon Damage. If you are in combat, you also generate three Ultimates.
- Helping Hands: When you cast an Earthen Heart ability with a cost, you restore Stamina.
Published: Jun 21, 2023 10:39 am