The Necrom chapter in ESO introduces two powerful new companions: Azandar the Arcanist and Sharp-as-Night the Warden. We would dedicated several days to thoroughly testing various combinations of gear, skills, and traits to create optimal builds for these new companions. In this guide, we will explore the best companion builds for these new combat allies. Whether you need a tank, healer, DPS, or a unique role for your companions, we have you covered.  Let's begin our exploration of the best companion builds right away!

 

• Azandar Tank
• Azandar Healer
• Azandar Mage DPS
• Azandar Support
• Sharp-as-Night Bow DPS
• Sharp-as-Night Tank
• Sharp-as-Night Healer

 

↖ Azandar Tank

Azandar the Arcanist is a powerful companion, especially suitable for supporting roles like tank builds and healers. As a tank, Azandar offers buffs and debuffs, such as minor vulnerability and major vulnerability, along with options for healing and survival through damage shields. Azandar is the only companion with a taunt ability, making him a valuable asset in drawing enemy attention. Here's a guide on building Azandar as a tank companion:

 

Equipment:

• Heavy Armor: Focus on acquiring heavy armor pieces for Azandar. Heavy armor provides increased protection, reducing the damage he takes from bosses and improving his survivability.

 

Traits:

• Vigorous Traits: Allocate points into vigorous traits to increase Azandar's maximum health. This will enhance his overall tankiness.
• Quicken Traits: Invest in quicken traits to reduce Azandar's ability cooldowns. This enables him to cast his skills more frequently, increasing his effectiveness as a tank.

 

Skills:

• Scathing Rune (Quill Knight skill line): This skill applies minor maim to enemies, reducing their damage dealt. It is a preferable option over the one-handed shield taunt or undaunted taunt for companions.
• Augmented Ward: This damage shield absorbs up to 25% of Azandar's maximum health, providing him with a substantial shield. Additionally, it deals magic damage back to attackers.
• Zone of Recuperation: This unique skill provides healing over time to Azandar and all allies in the group. It also grants 150 health, magicka, and stamina. It's a valuable ability for sustaining the group's health.
• Shields of Erudition (Healing skill line): This skill not only grants Azandar a damage shield but also provides damage shields to up to two allies. It offers great utility and protection for the group.
• Triptych Physic (Healing skill line): This skill provides a burst heal for Azandar when he is in trouble. It delivers three quick heals, ensuring his survival during intense moments.

 

Ultimate Ability:

• Tentacular Eruption: Azandar's ultimate ability is a tentacular eruption, which is one of the best companion ultimates for tanks. It inflicts major vulnerability, increasing the damage taken by all targets in the area by 10%. It also knocks enemies up and stuns them, providing crowd control.

 

Overall, Azandar makes an excellent tank companion due to his unique buffs and debuffs. It's important to note that he lacks significant damage reduction, so equipping him with multiple damage shields is crucial for his survival. Additionally, Azandar ability to provide both minor and major vulnerability debuffs allows for potent damage stacking. For additional utility, you can consider using "Tendrils of the Colorless Sea" from Azandar DPS skill line, which applies minor vulnerability to enemies.

 

↖ Azandar Healer

The Azandar companion is an excellent choice for a healer role due to its unique buffs and access to debuffs. This build will help you set up a pure healer build for your Azandar companion.

 

Equipment:

• Companion Restoration Staff: This will be your main healing tool, providing you with the necessary abilities to support your group.
• Light Armor: Focus on equipping light armor pieces to benefit from the companion light armor passives, enhancing your healing capabilities.
• Quicken Traits: Prioritize traits that increase your healing speed, as this will allow you to stack healing over time effects effectively.

 

Active Abilities:

• Shields of Air Edition: This ability, found in the healing skill line, grants three damage shields, providing significant protection for you and your group.
• Zone of Recuperation: Use this unique heal over time and recovery buff. It will stack with other healing effects and provide area-of-effect healing. Ensure that Azandar is close enough to benefit from this ability.
• Tryptic Physic: Despite the low tooltip healing value, remember that this ability hits three times quickly. It can be used to heal Azandar or your group in bursts.
• Rejuvenation: This restoration staff ability is an effective heal over time, especially when combined with the Quicken trait. Maintain near 100% uptime on this ability.
• Mending Incantation: This ability acts as a mini burst heal while providing substantial armor bonuses. Use it strategically to support your group in critical moments.

 

Ultimate Ability:

Choose an ultimate ability that complements your healing role and provides utility for your group. Consider an ultimate with a debuff effect, as it can be particularly useful. This will further enhance your Azandar companion's support capabilities.

 

Additional Utility Skills:

• Tentacle Debuff or Minor Vulnerability: Depending on the situation, you can incorporate utility skills such as the tentacle debuff or minor vulnerability. These skills can further increase your group's effectiveness in combat.
• Bates Omen's Inspiration: Azandar has a unique buff called Bates Omen's Inspiration, which grants all allies in the group minor berserk. This is a powerful option to consider when building a healer companion, as it enhances the overall damage output of your group.

Remember to adjust your skill loadout and abilities based on the specific needs of your group and the encounters you face. Experiment with different setups to find what works best for your playstyle and the content you're tackling. Azandar is a versatile and effective companion choice for healing backup, whether you're playing solo or with a group.

 

↖ Azandar Mage DPS

When building Azandar as a DPS mage, it's important to note that he excels more in support roles. However, with the right setup, you can still create a viable DPS build. In this guide, we'll focus on a ranged mage build using a destruction staff, specifically the lightning staff.

 

• Armor: Aim for mostly medium armor pieces. While this may not align with the traditional mage setup, medium armor provides the highest passive boost to damage for companions.
• Skills:
  • Triune Word: This will be Azandar's main damage skill. It unleashes three quick runes, dealing significant single-target damage.
  • Tendrils: Although this skill doesn't offer high upfront damage, it applies an area-of-effect (AoE) minor vulnerability debuff to all targets in front of Azandar. This is particularly useful for grinding and AoE situations.
  • Elemental Barricade: This skill comes from the destruction staff skill line and provides damage over time (DoT) effects. It adds additional sustained damage to your rotation.
  • Starfall: From the mage skill line, Starfall is a powerful single-target hit. It works exceptionally well for focused damage on a single enemy.
  • Shields of Air (Optional): This skill provides companion shields, which protect not only Azandar but also his group. If you prefer a different damage option, feel free to replace this skill with another damaging ability.
• Ultimate: Choose an ultimate ability that enhances your damage output. While it may not deal a significant amount of damage itself, it should synergize with your playstyle. Consider using an ultimate that applies a 10% damage bonus, such as one that exploits major vulnerabilities.
• Weapon: Equip a destruction staff, specifically the lightning staff, to complement Azandar's mage archetype. Focus on the aggressive trait, which increases all companion damage.

 

Building Azandar as a DPS mage requires adapting his support-oriented skills to maximize damage output. Although his damage skills are limited, combining them with the right weapon and armor choices can create a viable DPS build. Remember to utilize his companion shields and choose an ultimate ability that synergizes with your playstyle.

 

↖ Azandar Support

When it comes to using Azandar as a damage companion, there are other options that may be better suited for the role. However, you can still make Azandar work as a mage or Elementalist build by incorporating skills from other skill lines and focusing on buffs and debuffs. Alternatively, you can try a unique melee support build using Azandar. This guide will outline the necessary steps and skills for such a build.

 

• Companion Gear: To maximize Azandar's ultimate generation and get his major vulnerability ability back quickly, use the Prolific trait. This trait increases ultimate generation for the companion, and you can stack it with other traits to boost ultimate generation further. This will allow you to use Azandar's major vulnerability ability, Tendrils of the Colorless, as soon as possible. Consider using heavy armor to provide extra protection since Azandar will be in melee range.
• Skills:
  • Tendrils of the Colorless: This is Azandar's ultimate ability, which applies minor vulnerability to all targets in front of him for six seconds. With proper cooldown reduction, you can use this ability frequently. Aim for a cooldown of around 5.6 seconds.
  • Ritual of Salvation (Companion Fighter's Guild skill): This skill places a rune on the ground, granting 20% damage reduction to everyone within the circle, including Azandar. The duration is eight seconds, and the cooldown is 7.5 seconds. This skill provides group support and protection.
  • Razor Cape: Azandar lacks damage reduction in his skill line, so using Razor Cape will grant him 20% damage reduction. You can keep this ability active at all times.
  • Zone of Recuperation: This skill is common in other Azandar builds and provides healing over time and recovery. It contributes to group support.
  • Parallel (Companion Mages Guild skill): This skill generates 50 ultimates every seven seconds, further increasing Azandar's ultimate generation. Combining this with the Prolific trait allows you to regain the ultimate every 10 to 15 seconds. Azandar's ultimate ability applies major vulnerability and an area-of-effect stun, making it a powerful asset.
• Cooldown Reduction: Without relying on quicken traits, you can achieve low cooldowns for this build. The Talvani Efficiency crafted set from the Necrom chapter can reduce all companion cooldowns by 50%. This set also offers a bonus: if your companion dies, the cost of your skills is reduced by 8%. While this set is specific to Azandar, it may be worth considering if you want to focus on maximizing his buffs and debuffs.

 

Note: The Talvani Efficiency set requires sacrificing a five-piece set of your own gear, so consider whether the benefits outweigh the loss of your own bonuses.

 

By following this build, you can optimize Azandar as a support companion with excellent buffs and debuffs. The focus is on quickly generating his ultimate ability, major vulnerability, which is an AoE stun and applies major vulnerability to enemies. This build provides group support and protection, making Azandar an effective melee support companion.

 

↖ Sharp-as-Night Bow DPS

This build, we will focus on building Sharp-as-Night, the warden companion from the Necrom chapter, as a DPS character with a bow setup. Sharp-as-Night excels in dealing damage and pairs well with the warden theme, making him a great choice for players who enjoy a hunter-style play style. We will discuss his strengths, gear choices, and recommended skills to maximize his damage output.

 

Strengths:

• Damage-focused Skills: Unlike other companions like Azandar, Sharp-as-Night's DPS skills are primarily damage-dealing abilities. This means you can rely on his skills to deal consistent damage.
• Warden Theme: Sharp-as-Night's skills complement the warden theme, making him a natural fit for players who enjoy the warden play style.

 

Gear Selection:

• Companion Bow: Start by equipping Sharp-as-Night with a companion bow, which is essential for his bow-focused DPS build.
• Trait Selection: Prioritize traits that increase damage done, such as the aggressive trait, on as many gear pieces as possible. This will enhance his damage output.
• Medium Armor: Equip Sharp-as-Night with medium armor whenever possible. Medium armor passives provide increased damage, making it a suitable choice for a DPS-focused build.

 

Recommended Skills:

• Deep Fissure: This skill allows Sharp-as-Night to deal damage twice in front of him, causing AoE damage. It has a 16-second cooldown.
• Swoop: Swoop inflicts single-target magic damage and applies off-balance. It synergizes well with heavy attacks.
• Infest: Infest deals magic damage over time and applies minor vulnerability. This skill is single-target focused.
• Piercing Arrow: This companion bow skill inflicts strong single-target damage. It should be included in Sharp-as-Night's skill lineup.
• Viper's Bite: Viper's Bite is another powerful companion bow skill that combines single-target damage with a damage-over-time effect.

 

Ultimate Skill:

• Gore: Sharp-as-Night's ultimate skill, Gore, is highly potent. It deals over 30k physical damage and includes an execute bonus of 150 damage if the target's health is below 25%. It is recommended to utilize this ultimate skill to maximize damage output.

 

Additional Notes:

• Melee Range: While the guide focuses on a bow setup, Sharp-as-Night can also be effective in melee range using two-handed or dual-wield weapons. However, keep in mind that his self-healing capabilities could be stronger in melee combat. It's advisable to have a teammate or yourself keep an eye on his health.

 

With his emphasis on damage-dealing skills and the warden theme, Sharp-as-Night excels as a bow-focused DPS companion. Equipping him with a companion bow and prioritizing gear traits that enhance damage done will further amplify his effectiveness. By utilizing the recommended skills, including the powerful ultimate skill Gore, players can maximize Sharp-as-Night's damage output and enjoy a formidable DPS companion.

 

↖ Sharp-as-Night Tank

When it comes to Sharp-as-Night as a tank companion, he performs decently but may not be as effective as some other tank companions due to his limited options for damage shields. However, he does possess damage-reduction abilities that contribute to his survival. In terms of equipment, focus on heavy armor for Sharp-as-Night. Instead of mixing in quickened traits, go for all vigorous traits. This is because some of his companion abilities scale with maximum health, similar to the Warden class. Since he lacks shields, stacking health is crucial not only for his survival but also to enhance his abilities through the vigorous trait.

 

Here are the abilities you should prioritize for Sharp-as-Night:

• Sleep Mail: This ability is obtained from his tank skill line and has recently been upgraded to provide damage reduction for six seconds. It also grants major resolve, although it does not stack with player abilities that grant major resolve.
• Provoke: As a tank companion, it's essential to have a taunt skill. Provoke serves this purpose well.
• Pedals of the Hunter: If you prefer using a frost staff, this ability is a useful healing skill for Sharp-as-Night. Whenever he performs a light attack, he will heal himself and two allies for approximately 3,000 health, which is quite beneficial.
• Perennial Bloom: This ability functions as an area-of-effect (AOE) heal. Although it is a basic heal without any bonus effects like Azandar's AOE heal, it can still provide valuable healing support.
• Snow Squall: This ability is Sharp-as-Night's powerful burst heal. It will heal for over 10,000 health and also provide additional healing over time. This skill is particularly useful for survival situations.

 

Avoid relying on Gore too heavily for a tank companion, as it is not as effective in that role. While it can deal decent damage, and the stun effect can be helpful against crowds, it provides less utility for tanking purposes.

 

↖ Sharp-as-Night Healer

The Sharp-as-Night Healer companion build focuses on combining restoration staff healing abilities with the Healer skill line to provide solid healing over time for both the companion and their group. This build utilizes a nature-focused theme and benefits from the light armor passives that increase healing effectiveness. Here's a step-by-step guide to creating this build:

 

• Light Armor: Start by equipping light armor for increased healing effectiveness and reduced ability cooldowns. The quick and trait passives will be particularly useful in this build. Consider using soothing traits further to enhance the healing potential of your companion's skills.
• Restoration Staff Skills: Begin by unlocking the first two skills in the restoration staff skill line. Choose Rejuvenation for a healing over time effect and Mending Incantation for an upfront heal, as well as extra physical and spell resistance.
• Class-Based Skills: Combine two of Sharp's class-based healing abilities. One of these skills is Perennial Bloom, which provides an area of effective healing over time. Pair this with the Fungal Forage skill, which acts as a burst heal. Fungal Forage heals 50% more if you are within eight meters of Sharp, making it an excellent emergency heal with a low cooldown.
• Mage's Guild Skill: Add Reverse Entropy from the Mage's Guild skill line to provide additional healing over time. This skill is a powerful heal-over-time effect and will further enhance your companion's healing capabilities.
• Ultimate Ability: Sharp has the Gore ultimate ability, which deals upfront physical damage, has executed capabilities, and knocks down enemies. While not the strongest healing ultimate, it provides utility and can be useful in certain situations.

 

By combining the restoration staff skills, class-based skills, mage's guild skill, and the ultimate ability, Sharp-as-Night can fulfill the role of a decent healer companion. Remember to choose skills and abilities that synergize well together and consider the playstyle and preferences of your character when making adjustments.

 

Conclusion:

Overall, the companion builds for Azandar and Sharp-as-Night provide players with various options to tailor their gameplay experience to their preferred playstyle and role. Experimenting with different setups and adapting the builds to specific needs and encounters can further enhance the effectiveness of these companions in combat.