The classes in a nutshell...I think I need help :(

Mricci1988 · December 2014

Hi everyone thank you in advance for taking the time to read this posting either out of curiosity or for entertainment.

I have had an internal battle since open beta...I love this game I enjoy all aspects I don't complain about it and I generally enjoy my time online.

Every time I start getting into the game and my character I think I want to try another class.

So I start a DK...and then say I want to try a NB..then the NB to the Templar.....Then I say well I like 1 part of the DK...let me try it again...

The problem is I like the name I picked...so I don't like making toons with new names...

So can someone give me a breakdown of the classes (I have never gotten past level 30...and I have no idea what to expect at 50.)

Dragonknights - Tank and Fire DPS (Destro / DW) - cant be strong healers due to class skill limits?

Nightblades - Melee / Bow DPS or Healers....difficult to be a caster DPS??

Templars - obviously healers...tanks...but why do they say that they are not good dpsers? Mind you I don't like spamming just spear...I really don't...its not my favorite skill but its so good for leveling! also I am not crazy about most of the class skills - but I love the idea of the Paladin!!

Sorcs - Necromancer / Summon? Melee DPS? what is a sorc?

thanks for the help guys - please be as detailed as possible I would love to know more about it

Lynx7386 · December 2014

Alright, here's the down-low:
Any class can perform any role. All four classes can heal, or tank, or deal damage. That being said, each one -does- have areas that it is strongest at.

The Dragonknight Excels as either a melee, heavy armor tank or as a ranged, destruction-staff wielding light armored spellcaster. Here you can be the juggernaut or you can be the pyromancer.

The Sorceror Excels in melee, dual-wield damage as well as ranged caster damage. Pet builds seem to be getting a buff with update 6, so you may start to see more ranger type builds as well.

The Templar Is, without the slightest inkling of a doubt, the best healer in the game. Templars also make respectable tanks and good melee, two-handed damage dealers. At the moment ranged caster templars are a little on the weak and limited side, but they're getting improvements in update 6 as well.

The Nightblade Is probably the top melee damage dealer all around, and makes a good spellcaster too. They're probably the second best healers next to templars, and make respectable tanks. All in all the nightblade can fill any role you want, though maybe not as effectively as some other classes.

I have a similar problem to what you're describing, and I've been struggling with it since before beta was even available. Every class has it's charms, so why only play one? Sure, you may like that name, but there's got to be other names you like as well.

What I finally ended up doing was making one character per alliance so that I could play on whichever faction I wanted at any time I wanted. I have an Aldmeri Dominion Nightblade, a Daggerfall Covenant Templar, and an Ebonheart Pact Dragonknight. Each offers a different playstyle and approach to combat.

Still, I've probably put the most time and effort into my nightblade (who is currently berserking it up with a 2h medium armor build for massive wrecking ball damage), and every time I play one of my other characters I end up going back to him fairly quickly.

It's probably easier to decide what kind of archetype you enjoy playing, and then build your character to match.

Lynx7386 · December 2014

To better address your specific issues:

Dragonknights - Tank and Fire DPS (Destro / DW) - cant be strong healers due to class skill limits?

I wouldnt say dragonknights cant be good healers. They definitely lack the tools of the templar or nightblade healer, but it's better to say that they're just a different -kind- of healer.

A dragonknight healer focuses more on buffing and improving the group's efficiency than it does on pure healing power. You use igneous shield as a group-wide damage shield which also increases your healing power by 30%. You use molten weapons to boost everyone's damage so things die quicker. You use ash cloud to debuff enemies so that people take less damage. You use magma shell (ultimate) to boost your group's armor and the synergy grants them a damage shield.
Using these abilities may not directly heal your allies, but it provides ways to reduce the damage they take and increase the damage they deal, meaning they end up needing less healing from you so you dont require the extra heals a templar or nightblade has.

Nightblades - Melee / Bow DPS or Healers....difficult to be a caster DPS??

Nightblades can fill the caster DPS role fairly well. They wont put out as much damage as a melee nightblade, but it's still a respectable amount, and they're much tougher than other casters.
I ran my nightblade as a spellcaster throughout most of my late 40's and coldharbour quest lines (up to veteran rank 1). Nightblade casters rely more on damage over time spells and life-leeching/siphoning spells to keep themselves healed. The best thing about nightblade casters, though, is siphoning strikes, which gives you nearly unlimited magicka and lets you keep on fighting just about forever.

Templars - obviously healers...tanks...but why do they say that they are not good dpsers? Mind you I don't like spamming just spear...I really don't...its not my favorite skill but its so good for leveling! also I am not crazy about most of the class skills - but I love the idea of the Paladin!!

Caster templars have issues right now, primarily because 3 out of 5 abilities in the dawn's wrath tree have absolutely nothing to do with the caster-damage role. That's getting changed in update 6, where the blinding flash ability is being replaced with a ranged execution style ability.

Melee templars, however, are completely capable of putting out respectable damage. If you want a paladin style character, I'd suggest trying a 5 medium / 2 heavy armor build geared towards stamina and critical chance, wielding a 2handed maul.

Sorcs - Necromancer / Summon? Melee DPS? what is a sorc?

Currently the summoner type sorcs dont work all that well at high level or endgame (they work great for levelling up though). The pets dont deal a lot of damage right now, but they make good tanks.

Caster sorcs mostly rely on destruction staff skills and crystal shards for single target damage.

The 'melee' sorcs you've heard about are dual-wielders, using medium armor and daggers to get their critical chance as high as possible. They combine that with critical surge (a sorceror ability) which boosts weapon damage and causes your critical strikes to heal you, thus boosting survivability.

newtinmpls · December 2014

It all depends on your approach. I came to this game as a die hard RPGer, and when I realized that Sorcerer was the only class that could have a familiar (pets don't count because they don't DO anything), I said screwit, that's all I'm going to play.

That being said, there are only 3 skill lines different between the classes - so despite the fact that I have eight "sorcerers", they are all quite different. Racial abilities come into it, weapon choice comes into it and so on.

As two examples, I have a dunmer who has pretty much split her attribute points between stamina & magicka, and alternates spells (usually crystal shard which is pretty decent at higher levels) and dual wield (her 'flurry' is fun to behold). I also have an altmer who has poured everything into magicka; her favorite spells are storm-type area of effects and she has her magicka regen cranked high enough to be able to pretty much cast continuously. She partners with a tank, starts her spells on his forward foot when he's attacking and he triggers the conduit (or whatever, depending on the spell).

It's all in what you pick, and how you play. Even with two bars, you are only going to have so many 'regular' abilities and that will shape what 'that character' usually does.

Lynx7386 · December 2014

It all depends on your approach. I came to this game as a die hard RPGer, and when I realized that Sorcerer was the only class that could have a familiar (pets don't count because they don't DO anything), I said screwit, that's all I'm going to play.

FYI, the new spellcrafting system being implemented in the near future will allow for additional summoning/conjuration type spells. We've already pretty much had fire atronachs confirmed, and I think I heard something about a wolf conjuration as well.

AlexDougherty · December 2014

Mricci1988 wrote: »

Dragonknights - Tank and Fire DPS (Destro / DW) - cant be strong healers due to class skill limits?

Only restriction I've heard of is they have no ranged abilities, but this can be compensated with weapon abilities.

Nightblades - Melee / Bow DPS or Healers....difficult to be a caster DPS??

Nope, They have a skill line and two sets of passives built around stealth, but they can still do ranged damage, especially with a bow. Several class abilities work excellently at range. Admittedly they seem to work better at melee, but they do ranged combat fine.

Templars - obviously healers...tanks...but why do they say that they are not good dpsers? Mind you I don't like spamming just spear...I really don't...its not my favorite skill but its so good for leveling! also I am not crazy about most of the class skills - but I love the idea of the Paladin!!

Templars have magicka management issues that limit them from doing DPSing with just their class skills, but add a few weapon skills and they are fine.

Sorcs - Necromancer / Summon? Melee DPS? what is a sorc?

Summoning is weak at higher levels, but give them thundering presence and critical surge and a sword and shield (or two weapons) and they are fine at DPSing. High magicka means they can heal fine too, and there are people who swear by their Sorc Tanks (not at them, but by them).

Spark · December 2014

Lynx7386 wrote: »

The Dragonknight Excels as either a melee, heavy armor tank or as a ranged, destruction-staff wielding light armored spellcaster. Here you can be the juggernaut or you can be the pyromancer.

I would slightly disagree with a small bit in here. I do think DKs do their best DPS in melee range (despite being light armour destro staff casters! ) The DK fire DoT's can only be applied in melee range, and in general most DK class skills synergize best with melee. But otherwise, a very good description of the class!