Is it possible to play Cyrodiil casually?

farrier_ESO · March 2015

I understand that this may be an oxymoron, but I'd like to do the PvP stuff casually, and I'm wondering if that's even possible.

I have a VR5 enchanter main, most points gone into crafting. I've done exactly zero PvP past the basic training, but those achievements would be nice to get.

And reading these forums, I see people saying how to minmax their characters to one-shot "gank" people. I see people talking about what the right defense is against different attacks, and how people who die should "L2P", and how you need to have all the right kinds of defenses and armors and resistances and blah blah terms I don't even understand, and how you need to have instants to cast ti interrupt other attacks so you can do them faster, and what spells, effects, traits, potions, foods, mundus stones you can stack to do the most DPS, and other such tricks.

And from that, as a casual player not interested in developing the twitch-reflexes to know how to respond when he hears an arrow coming, and not interested in getting a "great build", I understand that I'm gonna die more than most. A lot more than most. And far as I can tell, that will mean a long walk of several minutes back to the front, just to die again in a few seconds. Big bill in armor repairs, not much to show for it.

Is this the only way things can possibly pan out, for someone who mostly wants to PvE, or is there a niche in PvP for noobs and half-assed players like me?

I guess the first question, really, is... which version of Cirodiil should I go to? There seems to be a while bunch of different campaigns. But what do they all mean? Which is best for a newbie VR5 PvPer? And, any tips when I get there?

Tankqull · March 2015

stick to the zerg is absolutly doable casually - there for look for a server with a high not neccessarly locked population for your realm while still not having no enemy populations.
but i recommend to in vest some time to get known to the termini used for pvp - with out any knoledge about rules behaviour you do not have any fun in any other hobby e.g. football.

DeLindsay · March 2015

You absolutely can play in Cyrodiil casually, but you will likely NEVER get high enough in PvP Rank to use the Allaince War Rank 10 abilities. Sadly ZoS seems to think that putting abilities behind a half year grind (playing many hours/day) to well over a year long grind was the best way to get people into Cyrodiil to PvP.

Dekkameron · March 2015

Wave around a resto staff and heal peeps that's super easy!

Sharee · March 2015

If you don't plan to play in the top league, you can safely ignore the leet talk on the forums about builds and counters.

You will have no chance against the top performers 1v1 (or even 1v10

), but there are plenty of people like you in cyrodiil that will give you a fair fight (and there will be tons more after the game drops sub!)

In short, don't worry about it, go play, buy some siege, take part in keep battles, have fun

k2blader · March 2015

What Sharee said. Also, I'm a very casual player (play when I want, how I want, but RL takes up much more), and the only reason I play this game is for PvP. Yeah I have very low chances matched against those with high game time, but battles where I'm just in the mix of things or lurking around the edges are quite fun.

gibous · March 2015

Without a doubt you can play in Cyrodiil casually, have fun, and contribute to the cause. Also - just FYI - your amor does not degrade in Cyrodiil so there's no repair bill.

Your best bet would probably be to fulfill a support role. Try to focus more on defense, put up siege and use it, heal other players, put down caltrops (when you unlock that ability). And be cautious in combat, aware of your surroundings, where your allies are and don't be at the front of the line. Be ready to retreat and advance with a larger group (zerg). You can also go around and scout the keeps and announce any sieges or attacks in zone chat - this is always really helpful to the faction and you'll want to say how many enemies there are and which side of the keep they're attacking.

So, there's plenty to do, and no you don't have to die every 5 mins.

k2blader · March 2015

Wanted to add: I notice a lot of times people will advise to "play defensively" by which they usually seem to mean "use siege and heal people" with an undertone of "because you aren't that useful otherwise," but take that with a grain of salt. If that's what you really want to do, by all means go for spending all your AP on siege or healing/rezzing folks who won't thank you. If that's not your thing, don't be afraid to play as "aggressively" as you enjoy-- just remember you'll need to be wilier than most and prioritize learning survival.

DisgracefulMind · March 2015

You can absolutely play casually in Cyrodiil. Just remember that if you encounter a monstrous player, and you're killed fast, it's about experience and skill difference.

But other than that, I sometimes have some of my friends who are totally casual players come in with me, and we have a blast (I'm not casual, but I don't mind playing with people who are from time to time). It's all about the fun you make of it.

farrier_ESO · March 2015

Great answers, and very reassuring. I'm really happy to hear that there's no armor deterioration, thank you @gibous. That alone makes Cyrodiil seem much less unappealing.

Thanks for the tips on picking a server, @Tankqull - sadly, there are no servers last I checked that have high Ebonheart Pact presence, but I'll do what I can

Any more newbie tips?

DisgracefulMind · March 2015

farrier_ESO wrote: »

Great answers, and very reassuring. I'm really happy to hear that there's no armor deterioration, thank you @gibous. That alone makes Cyrodiil seem much less unappealing.

Thanks for the tips on picking a server, @Tankqull - sadly, there are no servers last I checked that have high Ebonheart Pact presence, but I'll do what I can

Any more newbie tips?

EP presence is large in all servers for NA.

Best advice I can give you is to explore your skills in a new way, use experience to develop strategy, and don't give up after the first handful of deaths. Just keep trying and trying.

Germtrocity · March 2015

DisgracefulMind wrote: »

You can absolutely play casually in Cyrodiil. Just remember that if you encounter a monstrous player, and you're killed fast, it's about experience and skill difference.

But other than that, I sometimes have some of my friends who are totally casual players come in with me, and we have a blast (I'm not casual, but I don't mind playing with people who are from time to time). It's all about the fun you make of it.

When we play together you're the casual, babe.
-Just kidding

But yes, you can definitely play Cyrodiil casually, though the casual players are generally the players that get 1vX'd by me and my friends

DisgracefulMind · March 2015

Germtrocity wrote: »

DisgracefulMind wrote: »

You can absolutely play casually in Cyrodiil. Just remember that if you encounter a monstrous player, and you're killed fast, it's about experience and skill difference.

But other than that, I sometimes have some of my friends who are totally casual players come in with me, and we have a blast (I'm not casual, but I don't mind playing with people who are from time to time). It's all about the fun you make of it.

When we play together you're the casual, babe.
-Just kidding

But yes, you can definitely play Cyrodiil casually, though the casual players are generally the players that get 1vX'd by me and my friends

Umm, excuse me? Are you stalking my forum page! I KNEW IT! Casual? Blah.

<

Heehee, you mean the casuals are usually who WE 2vX, right? :P

But seriously, you can have a blast even as a casual! Come in and have a good time!

bugmom · March 2015

Please, give it a try! I never PVP'd before and love it. Agree - stock up on siege (oil pots, couple of pact ballistas, stone treb). If you pay attention, you can figure out from the map where the action is. If you're worried about getting ganked, travel with a group or use transit. If a keep is not flagged you can safely transit there. In the beginning I just stayed inside keeps and got pretty good at predicting which would get attacked. I just waited inside and put my anti-siege up on the fall and had great fun firing back. Observe what others are doing and do that. Eventually I got braver and joined a group. PvP is much more fun in a group, especially with Teamspeak. Also the group leader will usually be someone who knows what they are doing. Follow the crown, obey orders, you will stay alive much longer.

Sky Chancellor · March 2015

Yes, you can contribute as others have said on here. You don't need to be the best 1 versus 1 player to be effective in pvp. You can contribute in a group type of way, just as well. As people have mentioned use healing abilities and utility to help others. Learn about how to use siege, and make sure to communicate via chat about what is happening. Everyone can contribute in pvp.

Also, as you play the game you will learn a lot about the pvp mechanics. The builds that people use, the skills, and how to counter certain abilities. In the end, its pvp, everyone has troubles at some point and runs into trouble. Just play and have fun.

Armitas · March 2015

Yeah, you can play a hit-n-run build pretty easily as a NB or Sorc. FYI for a NB you need to rely on more than just dark cloak, you have to have the run speed to stealth and move out quickly while stealthed or you will get busted immediatly.

You can also just follow the zerg and tag people with caltrops and soul assault half dead people till you learn the ropes. Pick a ranged build and pew pew, while watching out for DK flaps. If you see the flapity flap stop shooting for 4 seconds.

klopferian · March 2015

I have only recently started playing much in Cyrodiil, so my observations are basically those of a noob. So far, it has been a lot of fun - but I would say that I'm a casual player compared to the people who are skilled at PvP.

I shifted a few skills from my normal build - but only because it made sense after watching what was going on around me.

It sounds like you have made peace with the idea that you will get killed... a lot. It's really not so bad, I'm less annoyed by being zapped by a player than when something in the PvE landscapes rolls me up. Sometimes, I'm even impressed by the skill that went into putting me out of my misery. As mentioned previously, you don't get repair bills in PvP.

When you die, be sure to look at the recap and see if there is a lesson to be learned... sometimes, it might be as simple as "don't stand underneath a big pot of boiling oil".

Pretty much of all of the siege support stuff needs to be added to your quickslots. You buy the bits from your friendly local quartermaster, add them to your quickslots and then you select the slotted item to use it.

Rez people when you can (the exception here is if they are right next to somewhere that they can respawn). Say thanks when when people rez you...

Understanding the maps and the routes between places is handy. Enemy NPCs will detect you from a fair distance, so be aware of that.

If you are anywhere near the edge of battle, don't stand still.

Stealth can be a big deal. If you see a bunch of folks creeping along, get off your horse and start creeping too.

david.haypreub18_ESO · March 2015

I strongly suggest you try the non-veteran campaign (Blackwater). With characters being lower level, combat is slower and you are less likely to get one-shotted. It is a lot of fun.

Seri · March 2015

klopferian wrote: »

Rez people when you can (the exception here is if they are right next to somewhere that they can respawn). Say thanks when when people rez you...

^^ This. Rezzing is always appreciated and can change the tide of a keep take or defence.

klopferian wrote: »

If you are anywhere near the edge of battle, don't stand still.

Just keep this part in mind when rezzing others or saying thanks yourself. No point dying trying to revive another and I'll "/s ty<enter>" after getting resurrected but only if I have time to not collapse again.