How to Feed As a Vampire in Elder Scrolls (ESO)

Being a vampire is a pretty sweet deal. You get all sorts of nifty magical powers and physical enhancements, you get to live pretty much forever, and you look great in leather. Yeah, there’s the whole “blood-sucking beast of the night” thing, but that’s easily managed with the right strategy and a bit of gumption. Here’s how to feed as a vampire in Elder Scrolls Online.

How to Feed As a Vampire in Elder Scrolls (ESO)

Vampire characters in Elder Scrolls Online have access to the special Vampire skill tree after they’ve been initiated as a proper vampire, with all the powers and abilities that come with it. However, being a vampire means perpetually suffering from Vampirism, a condition that requires you to regularly feed on human blood to stave off its worst effects.

Related: Best Vampire Games Online

The Vampirism condition gradually worsens with the passage of time, and the only way to reverse its effects and stay healthy is by drinking blood from human NPCs or players. If you go too long without feeding, you’ll receive multiple stat penalties (as well as one stat buff).

• Stage 1 Vampirism: Default state. Receive 50% more damage from fire
• Stage 2 Vampirism: Reached after not feeding for 30 minutes. Receive 50% more damage from fire, regenerate health 25% slower, vampire abilities cost 20% less Magicka to cast.
• Stage 3 Vampirism: Reached after not feeding for 60 minutes. Receive 50% more damage from fire, regenerate health 50% slower, vampire abilities cost 40% less Magicka to cast.
• Stage 4 Vampirism: Reached after not feeding for 90 minutes. Receive 50% more damage from fire, regenerate health 75% slower, vampire abilities cost 60% less Magicka to cast.

Performing Feed

To stave off your degradation, you’ll need to use the dedicated Feed action. This ability needs to be manually unlocked with a skill point; you can find it in your skill tree under World, Vampire, and Passive Abilities.

Once you’ve got Feed unlocked, using it is a snap. Just crouch down to enter stealth mode and sneak up behind a human target. When you’re close enough, you’ll get the “Use Feed” prompt, allowing you to swoop all up on them and get intimately acquainted with their neck.

Here are a few extra notes to help in this process:

• Remember to go into your Gameplay settings and toggle off “Prevent Attacking Innocents” if you’re stalking for a meal in a town
• Invisibility potions or the Nightblade Shadow Cloak ability can make the approach a little easier
• If you have the Blade of Woe skill, don’t stand too close during the approach, or it’ll activate instead of Feed

As long as you don’t mind regularly sinking your teeth into some innocent necks, Vampirism can bring all kinds of nifty perks. I just hope you’re not a picky eater.

For more helpful tidbits on Elder Scrolls Online, check out our guide on finding Antiquities in the Greymoor expansion, or our list of the best public dungeons for farming. Visit our Facebook page as well for more news and guides.