I think I was wrong about PVP and will be giving it a serious try

Tornaad

Too Long didn't read version.
After watching a video by @Deltia it left me thinking I might actually enjoy PVP ... once I finally learn how.
Any recommendations for good starter builds? I have one of each class, but my Dragon Knight is only level 3 and will not be used for PVP (I have other plans for him).

Full version with background story to the whole process. Shared in hopes of helping others to at least know where I am coming from and possibly try it themselves.
Background.
In the 9th grade, I was first introduced to poetry through a class assignment and convinced myself that I hated it. A few years later, I find myself writing a poem. Another few years down the road and I find myself writing another poem. Eventually I meet the woman who would become my wife and I write three poems that year. From there, I wrote 7 the year we started dating and got married and in June of 2013, I started writing her a minimum of one love poem every single day. That year, I wrote 537 poems and the following year I wrote 1266 poems. I have now written my Beautiful Angel Queen a minimum of one love poem every day since 30 June 2013. I could not have been more wrong about my interest in poetry. I just needed to find the right inspiration.

I was first introduced to the world of the Elder Scrolls when Morrowind came out and instantly fell in love. Over the past 20 years, I have spent about 15 of those with Elder Scrolls games being the only game I really played. When ESO first came out, I wanted nothing to do with it. My Elder Scrolls games were single player only games, I hated anything and everything to do with MMO's and wanted nothing to do with any of them. Then Elder Scrolls 6 did not come out ... and might be a long while before it does come out ... and I needed a new game to play but was not ready to leave Tamriel yet so I started to look into Elder Scrolls online. The big thing I wanted to know was whether it was designed to feel like a job or not. Meaning I wanted to know if I would be forced to keep updating to the latest build in order to play the content the way I wanted to play it. And after talking with a friend at work I finally broke down and got my first MMO and started playing ESO in 2016.
Initially, my thought was that I would play ESO until Elder Scrolls 6 came out and then drop it like a bad habit and move on to my single player Elder Scrolls games, you know the real Elder Scrolls games. But as the years went on, I found myself falling in love with ESO. I still occasionally go back to Skyrim when I want a truly single player game again, but looking at where ESO sits now, I can see myself playing ESO for a very long time. When Elder Scrolls 6 comes out, I will have to figure out how to balance playing more than one game for the first time in a very long time. I was wrong about MMO's or at least ESO. I love it.

Being as devoted to single player games as I have been, I also told myself I hated anything PVP. Over the years of playing ESO, I have heard enough about PVP to get my curiosity up but in the end, my decision to hate anything PVP won out and I kept to my old ways, partially because I had no idea of how to even begin to think about doing PVP. I had learned enough about PVP to realize that it had a completely different mindset than PVE but I did not know anything beyond that. I don't know if I will turn out to be as wrong about PVP as I was about poetry and ESO, but I am committing to specking out one of my characters for PVP and giving it a serious try.

Will you join me in giving PVP a serious try during this mayhem event?

FelisCatus

If more people actually tried it instead of acting like cowards. You learn from trial and error not running away and hiding. As a long time PvPer it's really nice to see more people give it a chance. Good for you! Just hope ZOS stops neglecting it.

Tornaad

FelisCatus wrote: »

If more people actually tried it instead of acting like cowards. You learn from trial and error not running away and hiding. As a long time PvPer it's really nice to see more people give it a chance. Good for you! Just hope ZOS stops neglecting it.

That is partially the hope of this thread.

FluffWit

Healings not bad starting out since you can kinda stay in the back, watch and learn. Throw on siege shield too.

Tornaad

FluffWit wrote: »

Healings not bad starting out since you can kinda stay in the back, watch and learn. Throw on siege shield too.

That would mean my Templar (if I can figure out a shield) is going to be the best set up for that.

Ratzkifal

FluffWit wrote: »

Healings not bad starting out since you can kinda stay in the back, watch and learn. Throw on siege shield too.

Very true.

FelisCatus wrote: »

If more people actually tried it instead of acting like cowards. You learn from trial and error not running away and hiding. As a long time PvPer it's really nice to see more people give it a chance. Good for you! Just hope ZOS stops neglecting it.

I had a friend who wanted to be a PvE healer. I made him do daily battlegrounds with me because that's a fast way to level up. He said he hated PvP in every MMO he played, but he ended up having a blast with PvP in ESO. Being a healer in PvP is surprisingly impactful and isn't too different from how it's played in PvE.

FluffWit

Siege shield is a skill, it's under support in the pvp skills. Reduces peoples damage taken from siege weapons.

DigiAngel

Honest advice: Play a different PvP game. ESO's PvP will leave you with less resources, and more frustration...don't let the curated and cherry picked videos fool you.

Tornaad

DigiAngel wrote: »

Honest advice: Play a different PvP game. ESO's PvP will leave you with less resources, and more frustration...don't let the curated and cherry picked videos fool you.

That would involve picking up a different game. I don't think I'm ready to leave Tamriel yet.

neferpitou73

I second healing to get the hang of PvP there are too few healers in PvP as it is.

Finding a good group or guild to run with is also super important.

Lumsdenml

I think Templar is a good way to start out, healing or dps. It's probably the most accessible class, imo. My biggest suggestion for first starting is don't solo. Find a group. A lot of people think that they should be able to solo Cyrodiil, and that is simply not the case. A good group, and even better a guild, will be more fun to run with, provide help against good players, teach you how Cyrodiil works, and provide a much better experience. If you are planning to play on an under 50 character and fight for the Pact, let me know. I have a guild for you.

Vevvev

Ratzkifal wrote: »

I had a friend who wanted to be a PvE healer. I made him do daily battlegrounds with me because that's a fast way to level up. He said he hated PvP in every MMO he played, but he ended up having a blast with PvP in ESO. Being a healer in PvP is surprisingly impactful and isn't too different from how it's played in PvE.

Indeed, if anything you get more love from PvP healing.

Also being a PvP healer helps you learn how to defend yourself because people like me love to decapitate the hostile team's ability to heal. Forces you to learn how to dodge, block, burst heal, and counter people's burst combos to stay alive.

Tornaad

Lumsdenml wrote: »

I think Templar is a good way to start out, healing or dps. It's probably the most accessible class, imo. My biggest suggestion for first starting is don't solo. Find a group. A lot of people think that they should be able to solo Cyrodiil, and that is simply not the case. A good group, and even better a guild, will be more fun to run with, provide help against good players, teach you how Cyrodiil works, and provide a much better experience. If you are planning to play on an under 50 character and fight for the Pact, let me know. I have a guild for you.

I don't know what faction my Templar is in, but I know my Warden is in the Pact. I am on PC NA. I would love an invite. My in game handle is @Tornaad. I have been thinking about trying to get my forum name changed because I have all but stopped using Zuboko, I just have not gotten to it yet.

Agenericname

I started as a healer. Eventually I changed, but I think as far as healing itself goes, I enjoyed it more in PvP than I did in PvE. Thats just personal preference.

Id say just jump in and have some fun. Id go a little on the tanky/survivable side at first. It may help you adjust and/or learn a little easier.

Tornaad

Agenericname wrote: »

I started as a healer. Eventually I changed, but I think as far as healing itself goes, I enjoyed it more in PvP than I did in PvE. Thats just personal preference.

Id say just jump in and have some fun. Id go a little on the tanky/survivable side at first. It may help you adjust and/or learn a little easier.

That's what @Deltia suggested and what I was planning.

neferpitou73

Just please don't purge on healers if you don't know what you're doing

Tornaad

neferpitou73 wrote: »

Just please don't purge on healers if you don't know what you're doing

... I'm not sure what you mean. And yes, I have no idea of what I am doing.

Lumsdenml

neferpitou73 wrote: »

Just please don't purge on healers if you don't know what you're doing

Unless you fight for DC or AD, then it is OK...

Lumsdenml

Zuboko wrote: »

neferpitou73 wrote: »

Just please don't purge on healers if you don't know what you're doing

... I'm not sure what you mean. And yes, I have no idea of what I am doing.

He's talking about the set Plaguebreak. The 5th set bonus says "Dealing direct damage to an enemy, who is not a Plague Carrier, turns them into a Plague Carrier for 10 seconds, dealing 1715 Disease Damage over the duration. If the plague is removed early, it explodes, infecting enemies within 8 meters of the carrier and dealing 712 Disease Damage. The explosion deals an additional 50% damage per enemy hit. This effect can occur once per attack and scales off the higher of your Weapon or Spell Damage."

neferpitou73

Zuboko wrote: »

neferpitou73 wrote: »

Just please don't purge on healers if you don't know what you're doing

... I'm not sure what you mean. And yes, I have no idea of what I am doing.

If you play in the CP campaign purging procs PB which blows everyone up

Oreyn_Bearclaw

This may not be the best advice in the current meta, as Magsorcs are as weak as they have ever been in PVP, but Mag Sorc is my standard recommendation for someone to break into PVP. They have a very simple and binary playstyle. Under pressure, stack shields. On offense, try for a simple burst combo of Frags, Curse, wrath and a stun, meteor if its up (Curse>Wrath>Meteor/CS, Streak, Frags, will make them all land at once on a stunned target in theory). They can be played at range so you dont have to be in the thick of things. I wont turn this into a why sorc is bad in the current meta thread.

If you have oakensoul, its even easier. Crushing shock, Frags, Streak, Twlight Matriarch, hardened ward, Ultimate (meteor or overload). Focus mostly on stat sets, Necro or crafty for the max magic with Shacklebreaker or Amber for sustain. CS spam until you get a frag, Meteor, streak to stun, turn and toss a frag.

I plan on playing a glass cannon oakensorc for the event (spells strat, Balorgh, Willpower, Oakensoul). Might as well abuse it while it lasts. Nothing like tossing 20k+ frags at pugs. LOL

FlopsyPrince

FelisCatus wrote: »

If more people actually tried it instead of acting like cowards. You learn from trial and error not running away and hiding. As a long time PvPer it's really nice to see more people give it a chance. Good for you! Just hope ZOS stops neglecting it.

No, most of us will never have the twitch skills to do it right, especially for the ones just there to gank.

Deltia has some good content, but his idea of just "figure it out" has serious flaws that he does not see because he does not face them.

Welcome to the "Feed the Gankers" event!

Tornaad

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

This may not be the best advice in the current meta, as Magsorcs are as weak as they have ever been in PVP, but Mag Sorc is my standard recommendation for someone to break into PVP. They have a very simple and binary playstyle. Under pressure, stack shields. On offense, try for a simple burst combo of Frags, Curse, wrath and a stun, meteor if its up (Curse>Wrath>Meteor/CS, Streak, Frags, will make them all land at once on a stunned target in theory). They can be played at range so you dont have to be in the thick of things. I wont turn this into a why sorc is bad in the current meta thread.

If you have oakensoul, its even easier. Crushing shock, Frags, Streak, Twlight Matriarch, hardened ward, Ultimate (meteor or overload). Focus mostly on stat sets, Necro or crafty for the max magic with Shacklebreaker or Amber for sustain. CS spam until you get a frag, Meteor, streak to stun, turn and toss a frag.

I plan on playing a glass cannon oakensorc for the event (spells strat, Balorgh, Willpower, Oakensoul). Might as well abuse it while it lasts. Nothing like tossing 20k+ frags at pugs. LOL

My Sorcerer is my main right now so that has merit. And I will be going into this expecting to die ... a lot ... so maybe.

ChunkyCat

Jordan.nick11b14_ESO

I love how ESO has such diversity for gameplay. The PvP scene is something I don't join regularly, but the fact that's there is always a pull that keeps me playing when I want something new. This really is a great game that has more content than anything else around.

Tornaad

Jordan.nick11b14_ESO wrote: »

I love how ESO has such diversity for gameplay. The PvP scene is something I don't join regularly, but the fact that's there is always a pull that keeps me playing when I want something new. This really is a great game that has more content than anything else around.

I agree.

Oreyn_Bearclaw

Zuboko wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

This may not be the best advice in the current meta, as Magsorcs are as weak as they have ever been in PVP, but Mag Sorc is my standard recommendation for someone to break into PVP. They have a very simple and binary playstyle. Under pressure, stack shields. On offense, try for a simple burst combo of Frags, Curse, wrath and a stun, meteor if its up (Curse>Wrath>Meteor/CS, Streak, Frags, will make them all land at once on a stunned target in theory). They can be played at range so you dont have to be in the thick of things. I wont turn this into a why sorc is bad in the current meta thread.

If you have oakensoul, its even easier. Crushing shock, Frags, Streak, Twlight Matriarch, hardened ward, Ultimate (meteor or overload). Focus mostly on stat sets, Necro or crafty for the max magic with Shacklebreaker or Amber for sustain. CS spam until you get a frag, Meteor, streak to stun, turn and toss a frag.

I plan on playing a glass cannon oakensorc for the event (spells strat, Balorgh, Willpower, Oakensoul). Might as well abuse it while it lasts. Nothing like tossing 20k+ frags at pugs. LOL

My Sorcerer is my main right now so that has merit. And I will be going into this expecting to die ... a lot ... so maybe.

My second recommendation for any difficult content, trials, VMA, PVP, play the character you are most comfortable with. 100% run oakensoul on a sorc if you have it. Try to keep your shield up, cast twilight when you see your health bar move. Otherwise, spam CS and frags when they proc, use streak for a stun if needed and mobility. Meteor, streak, Frag proc is a very simple combo.

You wont be doing 1vX your first day in Cyro, lol. Stick to the zerg, make sure you can see enemy health bars, try to pick of weak targets. Bewitched Sugar Skulls and Tri Pots are your friends. For mundus either go max magic or magic regen. You dont need as much regen when hanging near the zerg or when lag is bad, so in MYM, I run a lot less. Max magic means bigger shields.

One Bar advice: Crushing Shock, Crystal Frags, Streak, Hardened Ward, Twilight Tormentor, Shooting Star

Gear advice:

Sharp Fire staff (poisons or shock enchant), 5 light, 1 medium, 1 heavy, all Impenetrable (maybe 1-2 well fitted). My suggestion on simple starting gear (assuming you have oakensoul and will play a pet), 5 piece Necro, 5 piece shacklebreaker, 1 Oakensoul, 1 monster (either Magma Incarnate for double regen or Domiahus for max stam+magic). If you dont have monster sets, 1 piece Trainee is also nice as the 1 piece bonus is 1500 health. Necro is cheap, shackle is crafted, so you can adjust the armor weights as needed. Go with Arcane jewelry 1 or 2 with spell damage, 1 or 2 with mag regen (infused spell damage is slightly more damage, but slightly worse defense as shields only scale with max magic). Max magic for armor enchants. If you have money to spend, go with prismatic enchants on your head, chest, and legs, and an infused prismatic recovery glyph on one piece of jewelry is really nice (EDIT:Infused prismatic recovery comes standard on Oakensoul, so dont need to mess with it).

Equipment advice:

3 pieces of siege that everyone needs: Wall repair kits, Door repair kits, standard ballista for siege (elemental ballista's do less damage against keeps). Dont mess with anything else unless you know what you are doing. Always have tri pots and invis pots (for running away) on your quickslot. Imov pots and dectect pots are also handy. Sugar skulls are the best bang for your buck, but Clockwork Citrus Filet is also a great option, just spendy. I have deep pockets and still run sugar skulls.

Lots of options on CP: For blue, definitely take Deadly Aim, Master at arms, and Iron Clad (pick another one that looks good to you). For Red, I suggest Rejuvination or sustained by suffering, Fortified, pains refuge, (again pick any 4th). Green doesnt matter much. You probably want mount speed.

Hop in, the water is warm.

Tornaad

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

Zuboko wrote: »

Oreyn_Bearclaw wrote: »

This may not be the best advice in the current meta, as Magsorcs are as weak as they have ever been in PVP, but Mag Sorc is my standard recommendation for someone to break into PVP. They have a very simple and binary playstyle. Under pressure, stack shields. On offense, try for a simple burst combo of Frags, Curse, wrath and a stun, meteor if its up (Curse>Wrath>Meteor/CS, Streak, Frags, will make them all land at once on a stunned target in theory). They can be played at range so you dont have to be in the thick of things. I wont turn this into a why sorc is bad in the current meta thread.

If you have oakensoul, its even easier. Crushing shock, Frags, Streak, Twlight Matriarch, hardened ward, Ultimate (meteor or overload). Focus mostly on stat sets, Necro or crafty for the max magic with Shacklebreaker or Amber for sustain. CS spam until you get a frag, Meteor, streak to stun, turn and toss a frag.

I plan on playing a glass cannon oakensorc for the event (spells strat, Balorgh, Willpower, Oakensoul). Might as well abuse it while it lasts. Nothing like tossing 20k+ frags at pugs. LOL

My Sorcerer is my main right now so that has merit. And I will be going into this expecting to die ... a lot ... so maybe.

My second recommendation for any difficult content, trials, VMA, PVP, play the character you are most comfortable with. 100% run oakensoul on a sorc if you have it. Try to keep your shield up, cast twilight when you see your health bar move. Otherwise, spam CS and frags when they proc, use streak for a stun if needed and mobility. Meteor, streak, Frag proc is a very simple combo.

You wont be doing 1vX your first day in Cyro, lol. Stick to the zerg, make sure you can see enemy health bars, try to pick of weak targets. Bewitched Sugar Skulls and Tri Pots are your friends. For mundus either go max magic or magic regen. You dont need as much regen when hanging near the zerg or when lag is bad, so in MYM, I run a lot less. Max magic means bigger shields.

One Bar advice: Crushing Shock, Crystal Frags, Streak, Hardened Ward, Twilight Tormentor, Shooting Star

Gear advice:

Sharp Fire staff (poisons or shock enchant), 5 light, 1 medium, 1 heavy, all Impenetrable (maybe 1-2 well fitted). My suggestion on simple starting gear (assuming you have oakensoul and will play a pet), 5 piece Necro, 5 piece shacklebreaker, 1 Oakensoul, 1 monster (either Magma Incarnate for double regen or Domiahus for max stam+magic). If you dont have monster sets, 1 piece Trainee is also nice as the 1 piece bonus is 1500 health. Necro is cheap, shackle is crafted, so you can adjust the armor weights as needed. Go with Arcane jewelry 1 or 2 with spell damage, 1 or 2 with mag regen (infused spell damage is slightly more damage, but slightly worse defense as shields only scale with max magic). Max magic for armor enchants. If you have money to spend, go with prismatic enchants on your head, chest, and legs, and an infused prismatic recovery glyph on one piece of jewelry is really nice.

Equipment advice:

3 pieces of siege that everyone needs: Wall repair kits, Door repair kits, standard ballista for siege (elemental ballista's do less damage against keeps). Dont mess with anything else unless you know what you are doing. Always have tri pots and invis pots (for running away) on your quickslot. Imov pots and dectect pots are also handy. Sugar skulls are the best bang for your buck, but Clockwork Citrus Filet is also a great option, just spendy. I have deep pockets and still run sugar skulls.

Lots of options on CP: For blue, definitely take Deadly Aim, Master at arms, and Iron Clad (pick another one that looks good to you). For Red, I suggest Rejuvination or sustained by suffering, Fortified, pains refuge, (again pick any 4th). Green doesnt matter much. You probably want mount speed.

Hop in, the water is warm.

I've been slowly going through collecting all the gear in PVE, and I just finished collecting all the Covenant gear so I can now reconstruct the Necropotence set, which I was planning on doing for my next build anyway, and I have two crafters with all traits unlocked so I can easily make any craftable set. And My Sorc already has the Oakensoul ring. It sounds like I might have my build.

ValerraTheProwler

FelisCatus wrote: »

If more people actually tried it instead of acting like cowards. You learn from trial and error not running away and hiding. As a long time PvPer it's really nice to see more people give it a chance. Good for you! Just hope ZOS stops neglecting it.

Oh wow I'm suddenly not a coward anymore! thank you for showing how passive aggressive the PvP community is.

Tornaad

ValerraTheProwler wrote: »

FelisCatus wrote: »

If more people actually tried it instead of acting like cowards. You learn from trial and error not running away and hiding. As a long time PvPer it's really nice to see more people give it a chance. Good for you! Just hope ZOS stops neglecting it.

Oh wow I'm suddenly not a coward anymore! thank you for showing how passive aggressive the PvP community is.

Look at the rest of the comments. The rest are all wonderfully positive and helpful. Don't let the one bad apple spoil the bunch.

ValerraTheProwler

Zuboko wrote: »

ValerraTheProwler wrote: »

FelisCatus wrote: »

If more people actually tried it instead of acting like cowards. You learn from trial and error not running away and hiding. As a long time PvPer it's really nice to see more people give it a chance. Good for you! Just hope ZOS stops neglecting it.

Oh wow I'm suddenly not a coward anymore! thank you for showing how passive aggressive the PvP community is.

Look at the rest of the comments. The rest are all wonderfully positive and helpful. Don't let the one bad apple spoil the bunch.

True, I just can't stand people when they do that no matter how long they played PvP for.