So I want to be an archer!

Timsierramist · March 2015

I hope this question doesn't come off as a "dumb question". I've recently been strongly drawn to want to restart my game as an archer and as such I want to know what the main difference between playing as a DD/Tank is compared to more of a support job such as Archer. I, in fact, would rather play the vast majority of my online time as solo.

I ask because throughout my long MMO career, I have always played DD/Tank every single time. Never relying on skills of ranged or sneaking, i've always jumped right in and took what I wanted through brute force/strong armor. However, playing through a recent game of Skyrim as an Archer class, I've found this form of gameplay to be far more satisfying than hack and slash and I hope it translated over into ESO halfway decent.

There are tons of great archers that have come before me and i'm hoping you can give me some advice on what should I expect and how I should expect to play the game differently now that i'm switching it up. Will I be able to kill targets before they reach me? Or will I have to still hack and slash after shooting them with an arrow (there is a quick weapon change hot button right?).

Lastly, any of you folks chose the Ebonhart Pact instead of the other alliances with this class? I ask because I've played through a lot of the Daggerfall Covenant to level 23 and into Rivenspire and want a bit of a different story to replay with rather than the same one I just went through.

Thanks for the info!

Valyndras · March 2015

If you want to play a Lawfully Good/Neutal Good type archer, which can do serious DPS, but is also able to support his allies, you might want to take a look at my build: http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/158631/the-aedric-honorguard-templar-archer-dps-support?new=1

Timsierramist · March 2015

That's an excellent build! Thanks for sharing Valyndras. In fact, before now, I hadn't even thought of playing Templar again as an Archer. Most of the tips on the Forums direct you towards the "sneakier", thief type classes.

DGVish · March 2015

Bows are one of the safest weapon skills to choose. They also do insane amounts of damage. My Khajit NB uses a bow for his main weapon and a 2hander for a backup. The passive crit chance and damage done while sneaking can really add up with bow skills and passives like Snipe and Long Shots. Sneak>Snipe>Heavy Attack>Venom Arrow>Dead, and that's not counting a crit or Reaper's Mark. If Snipe crits at max range with Reaper's Mark up the target is one shot or damn near close to dead. Single target it's my preferred weapon of choice. While questing I switch between the two. Between Magnum Shot and Bombard mobs won't reach you before they're dead. For solo play the bow is one of the better choices, especially if you're new to the game.

I have another NB I made a while back focusing on Destro/Resto Staffs, but found the Bow to be very helpful. He's a Dunmer so he's got some decent passives to be an effective healer, and still dish out good damage. IMO, I wouldn't pick a Templar for using a Bow. While leveling you'll do fine but when you hit end game content your kit just won't be strong enough to be a DPS/Healer anyone would prefer.

Combat starts a bit slower with a bow. Generally, you want to be sneaking to do more initial damage+stun, and you need to be aware of your surroundings. Sucks when you're killing some mobs and walk right into another pack. Skyrim archers were the same way, but playing sneaky style in Skyrim was pretty broken. In ESO it's usually less forgiving than melee builds. As a Templar, you'd offset that with your healing ability, but like I said end game your kit wouldn't be as strong as say a Khajit NB. For PvP I imagine that build Valyndras posted works quite nicely: They wouldn't be the MVP persay, but they'd offer more to a group than your traditional NB or Sorc bow user.

I'd honestly suggest you play around with NBs as a bow user. Power Extraction, Merciless Resolve, and Summon Shade are just too good. Not to mention the slew of abilities that scale of stamina and weapon damage now. You could go Bow+Resto staff and do much better damage, and only lose out on the Templar healing abilities. Remember even Templar healers still do the brunt of their healing with a staff. In the end, play what you want and play how you want. If you want to be a Templar bow user go for it. Don't let the end game meta stop you from enjoying the game.

Khivas_Carrick · March 2015

Hey man, as a Templar with a Bow as my 2nd Weapon I can open up a can of whup ass whenever I need to. Don't let nobody else tell you Templar's are bad with a bow. That said, Bow's themselves could use some loving.

rosarose · March 2015

I love my bosmer nighblade archer, I usually start in stealth mode, and when the enemies get to close I stun them or poison them to make then run slower towards me. I can't say I have a perfect build, but I very rarely die, and enjoy the playstyle a lot

Malotrus · March 2015

I also have a bosmer archer which is one of my favorite characters.

It is certainly not as forgiving as my melee fighters when I do something wrong (running into a group of mobs, running into a boss which I did not identify as a boss but as a mere random mob - happens to me quite often - or messing up my skills). You often need to plan your tactics ahead, look around before rushing in, make sure you have some room to withdraw a bit if need be.

I usually start in stealth mode also, which is neither detrimental nor burdensome when wearing the NightSomething armor set (you move as quick as in normal mode). A nice Snipe skill shoot while in Stealth mode does a lot of damage. I also rely on AOE skills to earn some time and focus on my main target. A very useful skill (scatter shot) allows us to push the mob back a few meters away. You can usually kill it easily that way without giving it the opportunity to actually reach you. Poison arrow is a very good skill to spam as it has some interrupt abilities, extremely useful on casters and other range fighters. Arrow spray is also a cool skill to be spammed on even or lower level targets to kill grappes of mobs altogether.

My secondary hot bar is dedicated to a dual wielding combat mode. Admittedly, I believe you could rely on bows even in close combat situations, but I just don't like it, it feels awkward. If a mob manages to get in melee range, I often prefer to switch to that second hot bar and take benefit of the healing skills that one can find in that tree. But this is a matter of preference.

To sum it up, I find the archer play style very efficient, balanced and definitely solo sustainable in TESO. The skills are powerful enough to allow you to defeat mobs from distance if you focus on the skills' mechanics and take benefit of their combination. I find it very fun, especially after playing with my melee fighters for a while. It gives a different flavour to the game.

Timsierramist · March 2015

Great tips and info! I have another idea. Perhaps I can backtrack a bit and work on building my archer skill up to speed instead of starting the game all over again?

That way I can still keep what I have done so far at lvl 23 and still obtain my skills as an archer.

I think i'm going to try that and see how that goes. I'm a lvl 23 Templar so hopefully it works out.

Cody · March 2015

Bow is great for ganking and ranged combat.

be sure to have a melee weapon as a secondary; at some point you will be charged.

venom arrow and snipe is a must have. the class that goes best with archers is the nightblade; go full on stamina build with it, you do gigantic amounts of damage.

your survivalbility will just be very low.