Which class would suit my playstyle best?

Nyseto

I’m extremely impatient when it comes to combat meaning that in pvp and dungeons I’m always rushing to get to the next fight ahead of everyone. I don’t like waiting for the perfect opportunity, but rather creating it. I also don’t like too many pets or magicka builds. I’d rather have other players feel like there’s nowhere to run or hide.

OBJnoob

If you always want to be first to the fight then you're going to need something that can survive a beating because you might be alone and outnumbered a lot. I think you'll want a DK or a Warden for that. Of the two I think Wardens are the most mobile. An orc Warden, for instance, is pretty darn fast with little effort.

The bad news is I think both of these are strongest when played with a hybrid lean towards magicka. Of the two, DK playstyle has the more melee feel to it I think.

Nyseto

OBJnoob wrote: »

If you always want to be first to the fight then you're going to need something that can survive a beating because you might be alone and outnumbered a lot. I think you'll want a DK or a Warden for that. Of the two I think Wardens are the most mobile. An orc Warden, for instance, is pretty darn fast with little effort.

The bad news is I think both of these are strongest when played with a hybrid lean towards magicka. Of the two, DK playstyle has the more melee feel to it I think.

See that’s what keeps happening to me as a nightblade-I rush into a group while cloaked, maybe take out somebody and then I get dumped. Or I’ll hang nearby, attempt to take someone out, get spotted, pulled out of cloak or caught. I want to be able to keep picking people off within a group because I would rather be in combat than running away/searching for an opportunity.

Soarora

Sounds like you want to be a dpsy tank, which I know DKs are known for. Warden and maybe Templar are also good ideas. In dungeons, you should never pull before the tank but if you’re a dpsy tank then can just queue as tank for normals most likely. Just use the morph of inner rage that increases your own damage against the target and maybe use chains. It’s fun chaining players in PvP too though I don’t know how well it’d actually work out.

Nyseto

Soarora wrote: »

Sounds like you want to be a dpsy tank, which I know DKs are known for. Warden and maybe Templar are also good ideas. In dungeons, you should never pull before the tank but if you’re a dpsy tank then can just queue as tank for normals most likely. Just use the morph of inner rage that increases your own damage against the target and maybe use chains. It’s fun chaining players in PvP too though I don’t know how well it’d actually work out.

I always queue as a dps, hate tanking. In pvp too, tanks don’t do much dps, just annoy and support.

fred4

Nyseto wrote: »

Soarora wrote: »

Sounds like you want to be a dpsy tank, which I know DKs are known for. Warden and maybe Templar are also good ideas. In dungeons, you should never pull before the tank but if you’re a dpsy tank then can just queue as tank for normals most likely. Just use the morph of inner rage that increases your own damage against the target and maybe use chains. It’s fun chaining players in PvP too though I don’t know how well it’d actually work out.

I always queue as a dps, hate tanking. In pvp too, tanks don’t do much dps, just annoy and support.

If you want to run ahead and dictate the pace, tank is the best thing you can play, though. I don't think you should rush if someone is questing or the group isn't keeping up for some reason. On the other hand you can avoid delays by not using ZOS' "Are you ready?" feature. Just look at the group display in the top left corner and/or at the map to ascertain the group is present or that stragglers are almost there, then go. I've gotten compliments as a normal trial PUG tank while setting a brisk pace that way.

You can legitimately queue as a normal dungeon tank with modified DD builds. I highly recommend the Tormentor set to taunt with an AOE gap closer, such as Stampede or Explosive Charge (templar). This propels you forward and aggros everything. It's fun to play. A magplar DD works well, as the self healing is enough for most dungeons even in the tank role, although March of Sacrifices may give you trouble. A tankier variant of this idea is playing a Master's 2H Brawler build. Stamsorc works well for this purpose and can solo (aside from some mechanics) every normal dungeon and every non DLC vet dungeon. If you don't like being slowed down by a random group, it helps to play a hybrid DD / tank build, having multiple gear layouts ready for easier and harder random dungeons, for competent and not so competent groups. If the group is bad, stick with your hybrid damage setup. If the group is good or the content is hard (primarily DLC vet dungeons), I recommend switching to a more conventional tank via gear change, as buffing the group with Spaulder, Turning Tide and so on tends to be better for the overall DPS and you may need to be a proper blocking tank for the highest difficulty content.

Playing as a tank also has the advantage that random dungeon queue times are essentially zero and selective queue times are short. Ideal for farming.

fred4

Nyseto wrote: »

I’m extremely impatient when it comes to combat meaning that in pvp and dungeons I’m always rushing to get to the next fight ahead of everyone. I don’t like waiting for the perfect opportunity, but rather creating it. I also don’t like too many pets or magicka builds. I’d rather have other players feel like there’s nowhere to run or hide.

See that’s what keeps happening to me as a nightblade-I rush into a group while cloaked, maybe take out somebody and then I get dumped. Or I’ll hang nearby, attempt to take someone out, get spotted, pulled out of cloak or caught. I want to be able to keep picking people off within a group because I would rather be in combat than running away/searching for an opportunity.

Nightblade has a high skill ceiling. Picking off people, e.g. 1vXing, is a rather ambitious goal that is difficult at the best of times. You're typically working at the edge of a zerg, always making sure you have no one behind you. Clips on YouTube are invariably cherry-picked. Better to tune in to a good player on Twitch to see (a) how they build and play and (b) where they go on the map for favorable conditions. My suggestion would also be to play in Ravenwatch. A lot of newer players go there on PC EU. The competition in Ravenwatch is soft in my experience. You also won't run afoul of proc sets, such as Dark Convergence.

You have different options as a nightblade. One is to learn stamblade properly. By far the best video I have ever seen on that topic is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgRmoWuvAy0

Another option would be playing a fast magblade, which I do. Building for high speed and cloak sustain lowers your damage, but boosts your survivability. True infinite cloak sustain plus speed also gives you incredible freedom to go where you want, criss-crossing busy battlefields and spearheading through doors into a hostile keep with relative impunity. The trouble with going hard into this kind of spec is that it can eat substantially into your damage.

I suppose AOE specs deserve a mention. I'm not an expert on those, but I believe you don't have to be an outright bomber to benefit from this approach. Rush of Agony hits hard, even single target. Ambush -> Soul Tether -> Whirlwind might not kill everyone you hit, but may do enough damage that you're not immediately subjected to counter attack. Same idea with wearing Zoal. That set gets zergs off your back when you need it most, i.e. when you are CCd. Not the best option for damage - Balorgh is invariably your choice for that - but it plays well.

If you're asking for the best class other than nightblade, I'm not sure any of the brawler classes would be your cup of tea. DK Leap is definitely fun, and fun specifically as a gap closer too. To say warden is fast, e.g. presumably because Bird of Prey is finally decent and worth slotting, is questionable though. Any class can be fast. You can dodge roll with a bow. You can slot Race Against Time. That doesn't make you faster than the average player, because every class has those options.

If you're prone to rushing in and dying, then the class I recommend is stamsorc. You got Streak. You got Minor Expedition on top of Major with a bow (backbar). You can literally probe a zerg by streaking into it and, if they turn out competent, you streak back out. 2x Streak in a row creates enough distance that you are momentarily out of attack range, unless your opponents are very determined. Streak stuns everyone and is much easier to use than the nightblade toolkit.

That said, sorc has issues. It's a fun class, but is not regarded as highly competitive right now. Damage tends to be good, healing is not. You also need to watch your resources lest you be too reckless with Streak. The idea is to alternate between that skill and dodge rolls. Bow is IMO highly recommended. I use a Blackrose bow and Draining Shot to help with healing. I also use a Master's 2H on the other bar. Spamming Brawler in PvP with good sustain is effective to bolster defense, though basically a noob killer build. I recommend going hybrid, using Curse and the sorc execute with this, giving the build more bite than in older patches.

The other stamsorc I've seen that made sense to me was a Dizzying Swing build with Crystal Weapon for more burst, Rally for the Major Brutality / Sorcery / heal, but no Crit Surge. I have not played this, but would say it's stronger to take people out 1v1. Of course anything goes. Bow main and dual wield should also be viable, although always bear in mind sorc's problem is that Vigor + Crit Surge + Dark Deal is not enough healing. Dark Deal is channeled, which means your burst heal is time delayed and can be interrupted. Pet healing has it's own downsides (double slotted, can be killed).

Anyway, here's an old clip of my Brawler stamsorc in action in a low MMR BG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VniS3OdmC6k