Should I Be a Vampire in ESO? (2024 Guide)

One of the most common questions in The Elder Scrolls Online community is: should you become a vampire in 2024? This guide explores the pros and cons of vampirism, how to acquire it, and whether it suits your playstyle, whether you're into PvP, PvE, or questing.

What is Vampirism in ESO?

Vampirism is a unique skill line in ESO that you can acquire to enhance your character. To become a vampire, you can be bitten by a special NPC found in certain locations at specific times, or more easily, get bitten by another player at a vampire shrine in Bangkorai, Reaper’s March, or The Rift. These shrines are accessible regardless of your alliance, and many players offer free bites—just check guilds or community groups! You can cure vampirism via a Priest of Arkay, but the Armory system now makes switching between vampire and non-vampire builds a breeze.

How to Become a Vampire

The easiest way to become a vampire in 2024 is to visit a shrine—Bangkorai’s is the most popular—and have another player bite you. No Crown Store purchase is needed! Use community resources like Discord, Facebook, or Reddit to find someone willing to help for free. Alternatively, rare NPCs at these shrines can bite you, but player assistance is faster and more reliable.

Pros of Being a Vampire

Vampirism shines in PvP with a passive that reduces damage taken by up to 30% based on missing health, offering clutch survivability when enemies try to finish you off. In PvE, it’s great for questing and gathering resources—Unnatural Movement lets you sprint invisibly after 3 seconds, skipping mobs and avoiding fights. Abilities like Blood Mist add mobility, healing, and damage, making it versatile for various scenarios.

Cons of Being a Vampire

The downsides are significant, especially at higher stages. At stage three, you take 133% more flame damage, and regular abilities cost 8% more. At stage four, health recovery drops to zero, which can be brutal in PvE trials or dungeons with flame-heavy mechanics. These debuffs make vampirism less ideal for pure combat-focused PvE players.

Vampire Stages Explained

Vampire stages (1-4) change your buffs and debuffs. Feed on NPCs or use items like Bloody Mara to increase your stage; wait, use furnishings, or drink specific items to lower it. Higher stages reduce vampire ability costs but amplify penalties like flame damage and ability cost increases. Stage management is key depending on your goals—PvP players often aim for stages 2-4, while PvE questers might stick to lower stages.

Vampire Abilities and Passives

The vampire skill line offers unique tools:

- **Blood Mist**: Dash forward, dodge three projectiles, deal damage over 20 seconds, and heal slightly—great for mobility.

- **Ethereal Burst**: A Magicka-based attack that scales with missing health.

- **Ultimate (Vampire Lord)**: Transform for 20 seconds, boosting resources and damage, with a morph to negate stage 4 penalties.

Passives include increased weapon/spell damage (300 for 6 seconds) after leaving stealth or mist form (stage 2+), and invisible sprinting at stage 4, perfect for stealth builds like Nightblades.

Vampirism in PvP and PvE

In PvP, vampirism’s damage reduction and mobility (e.g., Blood Mist) make it a strong choice. In PvE, it’s less suited for trials due to debuffs but excels in questing, harvesting, and guilds like Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild—sprint invisibly to bypass enemies and complete objectives fast. Classes like Dragonknights gain mobility they otherwise lack.

The Armory System Advantage

The Armory system lets you save vampire and non-vampire builds, switching instantly without curing or re-acquiring vampirism. This flexibility means you can use vampirism for PvP or questing, then swap to a non-vampire build for trials, making it less of a permanent commitment than it once was.

Should You Be a Vampire?

It depends on your playstyle. PvP players and questers benefit from vampirism’s survivability and stealth perks. PvE trial runners might avoid it due to flame damage and cost penalties. With the Armory system, there’s little risk—try it out! Join a community to get bitten for free and experiment with this balanced, versatile skill line in 2024.