The Necrom Chapter in Elder Scrolls Online introduces two  powerful new companions, Azandar the Arcanist and Sharp-as-Night the Warden. In this guide, we will explore the best powerful builds for these new allies. Whether you're looking for a tank, healer, DPS, or a unique build, we have you covered. We will also provide links to previous companion build guides for your reference.

 

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

 

 

↖ Azandar Tank

Let's start with Azandar the Arcanist, who is arguably one of the most powerful companions. His skill set and unique buffs make him an excellent choice for supporting roles, and particularly tank builds and healers. As a tank, Azandar offers buffs and debuffs like Minor Vulnerability and Major Vulnerability, along with solid healing options and damage shields, which are his speciality. Azandar is also the only companion with a taunt in his skill set, allowing you to explore different combinations beyond the one-handed shield. However, for this build, we recommend using a shield for the extra armor.

 

When building a tank companion, prioritize heavy armor pieces to increase their survivability. More armor means they will take less damage from bosses and have an easier time staying alive. For traits, focus on Vigorous traits to increase Azandar's maximum health. Additionally, consider using some Quicken traits to reduce his cooldowns, allowing him to cast skills more frequently.

 

Here are the recommended skills for Azandar's tank build:

• Scathing Rune (Quill Knight skill line): This skill offers Minor Maim and is a solid option for a tank companion.
• Augmented Ward: This damage shield absorbs up to 25% of Azandar's maximum health and deals magic damage.
• Zone of Recuperation: This unique heal and buff effect provides healing over time and grants 150 health, magicka, and stamina to Azandar and all allies in the group.
• Shields of Erudition (Healing skill line): In addition to providing a damage shield for Azandar, this skill also grants up to two allies damage shields, offering great utility.
• Triptych Physic (Healing skill line): This burst heals three quick heals for Azandar when he gets in trouble.
• Ultimate: This ultimate skill inflicts Major Vulnerability, increasing the damage taken by all targets in the area. It also knocks enemies up and stuns them, making it one of the best companion ultimates.

 

↖ Azandar Healer

Azandar also excels as a healer companion due to his unique buffs, debuffs, and support capabilities. When building Azandar as a pure healer, equip him with a companion restoration staff and focus on light armor for the companion light armor passives. For traits, prioritize Quicken traits to stack heal over time effects with your companion healer effectively.

 

Here are the recommended skills for Azandar's healer build:

• Shields of Erudition (Healing skill line): This skill provides three damage shields, offering significant protection for you and the group.
• Zone of Recuperation: As mentioned earlier, this unique heal over time and recovery buff is excellent for stacking with other abilities. Ensure that Azandar is close enough to you or vice versa to maximize its benefits.
• Triptych Physic: This burst to heal hits three times quickly, making it useful for healing Azandar or your group in challenging situations.
• Rejuvenation: This heal-over-time ability works effectively with the Quicken trait, allowing you to maintain 100% uptime on it.
• Mending Incantation: This mini burst heal also provides a significant armor boost, making it a valuable addition to your healing setup.
• Ultimate: Choose an ultimate that complements the healing role, considering the utility it provides. Azandar's Tentacular Eruption Ultimate, with its debuff effect, can be effective in this build as well. Another option is Bates Omen's Inspiration, which grants all allies in the group Minor Berserk, making it ideal for healer companions.

 

↖ Azandar Mage DPS

If you want to build Azandar as a DPS with a mage setup, you'll need to rely on weapon skills since his own damage skills are more focused on support. A ranged approach works best for this build. Equip a Destruction Staff, specifically focusing on the Aggressive trait, which increases companion damage. Surprisingly, for a mage setup, you should use mostly medium armor as it provides the highest passive boost to damage for companions. 

 

Here are the recommended skills for this build:

• Triune Word: Azandar's main damage skill, dealing good single-target damage.
• Tendrils: Provides AoE minor vulnerability, debuffing all targets in front of Azandar.
• Elemental Barricade: Adds a damage over time, sourced from the Destruction Staff skill line.
• Starfall: A powerful single-target hit from the Mages Guild skill line.
• Shields of Air (optional): Provides companion shields for added protection. You can replace this skill with any other damage option. The ultimate skill, Xandar's Aid, is great for damage despite not dealing high damage itself, thanks to the 10% damage bonus from major vulnerability.

 

↖ Azandar Support

While Azandar might not be the best damage companion, he excels at support. To build him as a mage or Elementalist, you'll need to include skills from other skill lines, such as the Companion Mages Guild. In this build, the focus is on Azandar's ultimate, which is one of the best companion ultimates. To maximize ultimate generation, use the Prolific trait on companion gear, which increases ultimate generation for the companion. 

 

Heavy armor is recommended for this melee support build to provide extra protection. Here are the skills for this build:

• Tendrils of the Colorless: Applies minor vulnerability to all targets in front of Azandar.
• Ritual of Salvation: Places a rune on the ground that grants 20% damage reduction to everyone in the circle.
• Razor Cape: Provides Azandar with 20% damage reduction for extra protection.
• Zone of Recuperation: Offers healing over time and recovery for the group.
• Parallel: Generates 50 ultimates every seven seconds, combined with the Prolific trait, allowing Azandar to use his ultimate frequently. This skill comes from the Mages Guild skill line.

 

To achieve low cooldowns without any Quicken traits, use the Telvanni Efficiency crafted set from the Necron chapter. This set reduces all companion cooldowns by 50% and provides an additional bonus when your companion dies, reducing skill costs by 8%.

 

↖ Sharp-as-Night Bow DPS

Sharp-as-Night shines as a DPS companion, especially when built for ranged combat. As a bow user, he excels at dealing with the damage and pairs well with the Warden class's hunter playstyle. Here are the specific gear and skills for this build:

 

Gear: Companion Bow with aggressive or increased damage-done traits. Prioritize medium armor for increased damage through passives.

 

Skills:

• Deep Fissure Clone: Deals AoE damage twice in front of you.
• Swoop: Inflicts single-target magic damage and applies off-balance.
• Infest: Applies magic damage over time with minor vulnerability (single target).

 

Combining two skills from the Companion Bow skill line:

• Piercing Arrow: Deals high single-target damage.
• Viper's Bite: Strong single-target damage with a damage-over-time effect.
• Ultimate: Gore - Deals significant physical damage and bonus execute damage if the target is below 25% health.

Note: While Sharp-as-Night can also do melee damage with two-handed or dual-wield weapons, his self-healing abilities are not as strong. It's recommended to have someone keep an eye on his health if you choose a melee range setup.

 

↖ Sharp-as-Night Tank

Sharp-as-Night can also fulfil the role of a tank companion, although he may not be as effective as some other tank companions due to his limited damage shield options. The key focus for this build is stacking health for survival and empowering certain abilities with the Vigorous trait. Here's what you need:

 

Gear: Heavy armor with all pieces having the Vigorous trait.

 

Skills:

• Sleep Mail: Provides damage reduction for six seconds.
• Provoke: Essential taunt skill for a tank companion.
• Pedals of the Hunter: A healing skill that triggers whenever Sharp-as-Night performs a light attack, healing himself and two allies.
• Perennial Bloom: Basic AoE heal.
• Snow Squall: Strong burst heal with additional healing over time.
• Ultimate: Gore - While less useful for a tank companion, it can still deal decent damage and stun crowds.

 

↖ Sharp-as-Night Healer

Sharp-as-Night can also serve as a reliable healer companion by combining restoration staff heals with his companion healer skill line. This build focuses on nature-themed healing over time abilities. Here's what you need:

 

Gear: Light armor for increased healing (Light Armor passives) and the Quickened trait to reduce ability cooldowns. Soothing traits are also viable for increased healing potential.

 

Skills:

• Rejuvenation: Restoration staff skill that provides a healing over time effect.
• Mending Incantation: Restoration staff skill that offers an upfront heal and increased physical and spell resistance.
• Perennial Bloom: Basic AoE heals over time.
• Fungal Forage: Burst heals that provide 50% more healing when within eight meters of Sharp-as-Night.
• Reverse Entropy: Powerful heal over time effect from the Mage's Guild skill line.
• Ultimate: Gore - Deals upfront physical damage, has execute capability, and can knock down enemies.

 

Please note that while Sharp-as-Night may not be the strongest healing companion, combining restoration staff skills with his class-based heals and potentially a few guild skills should make him a solid healer for your group.

 

Conclusion:

With these companion builds for Azandar and Sharp-as-Night, you can enhance your ESO gameplay in various roles, including tanking, healing, and DPS. Experiment with different gear, traits, and skills to find the build that suits your playstyle. Remember to check out the links provided for build guides on previous companions. Best of luck with your adventures