Few games offer as much freedom asThe Elder ScrollsOnline. These large sandbox titles are hard for any non-Bethesda developer to replicate. MMOs are also known for this degree of freedom, which is why it was a no-brainer for Zenimax to create anElder ScrollsMMO.
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The Elder Scrolls Online, otherwise known asESO, 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 June 17, 2025 by Erik Petrovich:Dragonknights in The Elder Scrolls Online excel at two things: being a Tank and being a DPS. They are particularly adept at these two roles thanks to their class skills that emphasize high damage output at close range and class skills that are oriented around self-defense. Dragonknights may seem simple on the surface, but as you dig deeper into some of the many builds out there it becomes apparent just how complex the bruiser class can be. As always, keep the strengths and weaknesses (and playstyle) of a build before committing to it, or you may find yourself wasting time hunting down item sets that will never be put to use.
11Playing a Dragonknight
Dragonknights excel when it comes to close-ranged melee combat, thanks to their three skill trees that revolve around being in close quarters with foes. This isn’t to say that they can’t do well at a long range, becauseThe Elder Scrolls Onlineencourages multi-classing mechanics throughout. However, to make the most of the Dragonknight it’s important to know the focus of each class-specific Skill Tree.
When it comes to weapon skill trees, the Dragonknight’s choices are a bit more limited than other classes, in terms of usefulness. The player won’t be able to make the most of a Bow with this class, but it pairs perfectly with melee weapons. It’s not the worst idea to keep a Restoration Staff in the back bar, for soloing or just in case a fight gets too hard for your healer.
10Stone Dragon Dragonknight
Dragonknights areThe Elder Scrolls Online’s closest class to a traditional Fighter RPG class, though its magickal abilities and prowess at a range differentiates them. As such, it’s one of the MMO’s most popular classes for new players to choose as it’s the simplest to learn. The Stone Dragonbuild from Hack The Minotauris a great choice forESOplayers who want to start off with an all-around decent build.
It uses a Two Handed weapon in its front bar with abilities like Venomous Claw, Flames of Oblivion, and the ultimate Standard of Might to provide bonuses for the player and deal good damage over time to enemies. The back bar uses Endless Hail and Poison Injection for long-term sustained damage. The Leviathan and Deadly Strike sets are recommended for this build, but good alternatives that are easier to acquire include Hunding’s Rage and Tzogvin’s Warband.
9Tank Dragonknight
When it comes to tanking, anyESODragonknight Tank Buildtends to outrank other class tanks. 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 togrant a massive boostto 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.
8One Bar Dragonknight
One bar builds are becoming more popular as manyElder Scrolls Onlineplayers turn away from maximizing their characters as much as possible in favor of simpler and more rewarding gameplay. This one barbuild from Hack the Minotaurutilizes powerful armor sets as well as a good mix of offensive and defensive abilities to make playing a Dragonknight as stress-free as possible.
RELATED:The Top Best MMORPGs Of All Time (According to Metacritic)While Dragonknights are typically seen as melee fighters, this build uses a Destruction Staff at a range. Abilities like Igneous Weapons and Unstable Wall of Elements increase the Dragonknight’s effectiveness in combat, while Channeled Acceleration and Cauterize provide useful utilities for the player. The recommended armor sets for this build are the Mother’s Sorrow and Silks of the Sun sets for their increase to Critical Chance, Weapon and Spell Damage, and Magicka.
7Vampiric Dragonknight
TheGreymoorexpansionhas 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 bepowerful 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.
6Elf Bane Magicka Dragonknight
Set items are acore part of any buildinESO, 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. As aDragonknight DPS build, though, it’s a little bit squishy.
Players' major DoTs like Engulfing Flames and Flames of Oblivion should be on the back bar, while the front bar has a spammable ability 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.
5Healer Dragonknight
Dragonknight healers are uncommoninESO,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.
4Stamina Dragonknight
Fighting other playersis a whole other ballgameto fighting enemy AI in any game,ESObeing 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. It’s a great PvPDragonknight buildESOallows, but it does require practice.
3Magicka Dragonknight
Since rotations are much harder to pull offin Cyrodiilor 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.
2Werewolf Dragonknight
Tanking is already one of the Dragonknight’s greatest strengths, and Werewolvestake 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.
