Looking for advice for end-game

WyldfireWyrm · May 2015

So I just came back to ESO not too long ago and I'll be making the trip over to the Xbox One version in a week or so when it launches. I'm trying to kind of map out some class builds for future use so I can lock down names along with rough ideas for builds. My two favorite classes are Templar and Dragonknight. I prefer healer/support type roles best and I definitely want at least one of my end-game characters to be a healer. I'd like to keep up with just 1-2 characters (not counting a crafting character) that I can switch back and forth with so I don't get burnt out on either.

1) Crafting character. This one is already to level 20. I'm torn on whether to max this character out so I can get to any area I need for crafting or if I should stop once I have the 120ish skill points I need to get all the crafting skills I need to make anything and everything. Is it better/easier to have a single crafting character or spread crafting skills out between a couple different characters?

2) Healer. I have a level 24 Altmer Templar in 5l/1m/1h armor that I'm having a blast with. I also have a level 3 Imperial DK that I'm thinking of making into a support/healer centered around Obsidian shield and Resto staff skills.

3) Tank. This is something I'm nervous about getting into since it seems to require good multitasking ability and I'm not sure I've got it.

4) DPS. I'm only a little more comfortable doing DPS than tanking because I have issues keeping track of DoTs and rotations. Also, DPS are a dime a dozen in any MMO with tanks and healers being more in demand. However, if I do go this route, I am definitely rolling as a DK fire mage (which I can also use to heal with since it will obviously be magicka based).

So here are my main questions:
- Should I have a crafting character? If so, should I level it to max or just far enough to max out the crafting skills?
- Is it redundant to have 2 end-game healers, even if it's the role I enjoy most?
- How hard is it to be a good tank? Which class tanks the best?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

MissBizz · May 2015

I personally have an all-in-one crafting character. You cannot reach the 8-set crafted sets unless you finish the guild (mages/fighters) quests, as well, I believe you must be VR to get to the 9 trait crafting station. I found it tough to level her with the lack of skillpoints, but she is sitting at VR2 and is quite happy now.

As for tanking... use that Imperial Dragonknight. Perfect pick for a tank

WyldfireWyrm · May 2015

Well I guess that begs a new question. If I make an all in one crafting character, how limited will I be if I continue to use that character to do PVE content? For example, could I build an effective healer out with said character workout jeopardizing its performance?

likewow777 · May 2015

WyldfireWyrm wrote: »

So here are my main questions:
- Should I have a crafting character? If so, should I level it to max or just far enough to max out the crafting skills?

Yes, definitely. It's a pretty passive thing, if you're looking at metal/wood/cloth working, because you can research and then walk away until it's time to research more. My main is the one who crafts these three, with almost every trait researched, and it works great. For Alchemy, Provisioning, and Enchanting, I've split them among 3 other characters, simply because I like that idea. Enchanting was a bit of a pain to level, but Provisioning is super easy and fast to do. Alchemy, I'm still working on it. I could have just as easily had one char do the latter three crafts, but I'm impatient and want to also quest and level (there are only so many skill points you get at a time).

The only thing you might consider is, you can't access the Silver and Gold areas, or Craglorn, unless your character has done quests and completed things. Granted, to simply gain access to all areas, you needn't level your character to max. Just doing the bare minimum quests will do it, and you'll likely be around VR3 or VR4 once you get there, maybe even lower.

WyldfireWyrm wrote: »

- Is it redundant to have 2 end-game healers, even if it's the role I enjoy most?

I don't think so, no. Templars heal in a different way than the other classes, and even among the other three, things will be different and interesting. I have a DK 2H DPS and a Templar 2H DPS and I like that the play-styles differ, even though each uses the same weapon.

WyldfireWyrm wrote: »

- How hard is it to be a good tank? Which class tanks the best?

The best tanks are usually DKs or Templars. DKs edge out Templars slightly because their skillset aligns more easily with what's required for tanking. Templars have the same sort of buffs and skills, but they need to be used differently. To note, my main VR14 is a Templar tank, and I've done every pledge and DSA with no issues. I'll also mention that Nightblades actually do make good tanks as well. I haven't built one myself, but I've played with several, and they can have great sustain.

I hope that helps some

EDIT: Spelling/grammar

WyldfireWyrm · May 2015

likewow777 wrote: »

WyldfireWyrm wrote: »

So here are my main questions:
- Should I have a crafting character? If so, should I level it to max or just far enough to max out the crafting skills?

Yes, definitely. It's a pretty passive thing, if you're looking at metal/wood/cloth working, because you can research and then walk away until it's time to research more. My main is the one who crafts these three, with almost every trait researched, and it works great. For Alchemy, Provisioning, and Enchanting, I've split them among 3 other characters, simply because I like that idea. Enchanting was a bit of a pain to level, but Provisioning is super easy and fast to do. Alchemy, I'm still working on it. I could have just as easily had one char do the latter three crafts, but I'm impatient and want to also quest and level (there are only so many skill points you get at a time).

The only thing you might consider is, you can't access the Silver and Gold areas, or Craglorn, unless your character has done quests and completed things. Granted, to simply gain access to all areas, you needn't level your character to max. Just doing the bare minimum quests will do it, and you'll likely be around VR3 or VR4 once you get there, maybe even lower.

WyldfireWyrm wrote: »

- Is it redundant to have 2 end-game healers, even if it's the role I enjoy most?

I don't think so, no. Templars heal in a different way than the other classes, and even among the other three, things will be different and interesting. I have a DK 2H DPS and a Templar 2H DPS and I like that the play-styles differ, even though each uses the same weapon.

WyldfireWyrm wrote: »

- How hard is it to be a good tank? Which class tanks the best?

The best tanks are usually DKs or Templars. DKs edge out Templars slightly because their skillset aligns more easily with what's required for tanking. Templars have the same sort of buffs and skills, but they need to be used differently. To note, my main VR14 is a Templar tank, and I've done every pledge and DSA with no issues. I'll also mention that Nightblades actually do make good tanks as well. I haven't built one myself, but I've played with several, and they can have great sustain.

I hope that helps some

EDIT: Spelling/grammar

Thanks for the input. It was quite helpful. I like the idea of having a healer that is "outside the box" as well as my awesome Templar healer.

My crafting character already has a lot of motifs (only lacking the rare ones plus Orc), level 50 provisioning and level 15+ in all other crafts, so I'd rather not try to split anything off except maybe Enchanting and Alchemy since that won't set me back too far. I definitely want to keep the 3 equipment crafts and Provisioning on my crafting character though.

Any thoughts on if I can make my crafting character a viable DK healer if I invest in all 6 crafting skills? Or will I have spent too many skill points in crafting for that to be possible?

MissBizz · May 2015

Its possible, you just may feel the squeeze early VR. But once you take your character to max there is plenty of skill points!

likewow777 · May 2015

MissBizz wrote: »

Its possible, you just may feel the squeeze early VR. But once you take your character to max there is plenty of skill points!

Yeah, exactly. I did have my main do metal/wood/cloth and enchant for a while. It took also unlocking all of WW and medium armor for me to run out of skill points, and that's after getting every skill point possible. Of course, she's a tank and healer, and I have to unlock full skill trees for both those roles (1H+S and Resto, Light and Heavy armor, etc). With my DK enchanter, though, she only does a single role, DPS, so I could easily also unlock provisioning and alchemy if my other chars weren't already doing those crafts.

Like I said, though, I'm impatient and want to be free to have skill points for my role as well as crafting, so I split it up.

WyldfireWyrm · May 2015

Thanks all. I think I will keep my Imperial DK crafting character as a healer and crafter, my Altmer Templar healer and I'll use the other Imperial DK to try out tanking.

WyldfireWyrm · May 2015

Sooooo.....I did something complete moronic. LOL I wanted to keep just 2 characters, so I decided to delete the level 3 Imperial DK I have and just reset attribute and skill points on my crafting DK to make it a tank. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and deleted my crafting character instead. I wanted to cry for a little while after that. I sent a message to Customer Service to see if they could bring it back, but with my account about to be copied in 3 days for the Xbox, I'm doubtful.

So that kind of changes things around for my plans. I still have my Altmer Templar healer and I'm going to use the Imperial DK I meant to delete to try out tanking. If I don't like it, I will change it to a healer.

But now with all my crafting levels and motifs gone, I think I will split Smithing, Clothing, and Woodworking to the DK, then give Enchanting, Provisioning and Alchemy to the Templar.

I do have a few questions about tanking though.

How do tanks get a return on their magicka and stamina if they are more focused on health? The DK doesn't seem to have much in the way of regeneration, especially magicka.

What are some good skills that are essential to a DK tank (either DK abilities or abilities that any class can access)?

Of topic question: If I don't like to tank, I'll be getting rid of my Imperial DK and making a Khajiit. I really want to make a Khajiit because I love the race. How important are racial passives to tanks and healers without soft caps? Does it make it much more difficult to play a healer or tank role without the resource passives?

likewow777 · May 2015

WyldfireWyrm wrote: »

Sooooo.....I did something complete moronic. LOL I wanted to keep just 2 characters, so I decided to delete the level 3 Imperial DK I have and just reset attribute and skill points on my crafting DK to make it a tank. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and deleted my crafting character instead. I wanted to cry for a little while after that. I sent a message to Customer Service to see if they could bring it back, but with my account about to be copied in 3 days for the Xbox, I'm doubtful.

So that kind of changes things around for my plans. I still have my Altmer Templar healer and I'm going to use the Imperial DK I meant to delete to try out tanking. If I don't like it, I will change it to a healer.

But now with all my crafting levels and motifs gone, I think I will split Smithing, Clothing, and Woodworking to the DK, then give Enchanting, Provisioning and Alchemy to the Templar.

I do have a few questions about tanking though.

How do tanks get a return on their magicka and stamina if they are more focused on health? The DK doesn't seem to have much in the way of regeneration, especially magicka.

What are some good skills that are essential to a DK tank (either DK abilities or abilities that any class can access)?

Of topic question: If I don't like to tank, I'll be getting rid of my Imperial DK and making a Khajiit. I really want to make a Khajiit because I love the race. How important are racial passives to tanks and healers without soft caps? Does it make it much more difficult to play a healer or tank role without the resource passives?

First, I'm sorry about the deleting character mistake. That really sucks

Second, DKs actually do have quite good resource regeneration, even magicka. Mainly, take a look at the Battle Roar passive, in Earthen Heart. That is what will contribute hugely to your ability to stay alive. As you've probably noticed, Green Dragon Blood gives you health and stamina regen, both of which are essential for a tank. Generally speaking, you will want to have at least 25k health, then dump everything else into stamina, or some into magicka if you wish.

The bread and butter of DK tanking is essentially: Spiked Armor (adds armor and spell resistance), Dark Talons (AoE CC), Green Dragon Blood (heal and regen boost). You'll want a taunt on each bar, so that's a 4th skill, and finally you have the 5th one, which you can choose depending on situation. Extended Chains is a good one to have for further CC, Searing Strike and Fiery Breath are good DoTs for extra damage (especially if you're soloing around), Obsidian Shield is a good prebattle buff for the group, etc. You can play with other abilities too, like Ash Cloud or Molten Armaments as an execute.

Third, on your question about racial passives, they are important enough to consider and do make a difference to your character. Tanking is really dependent on damage mitigation more so than a super high stamina pool or regen. I say this because I do have an Altmer Templar tank, which sounds like it would never work, but I can guarantee it does. I've tanked almost everything in the game, and I never have any issues. Armor/weapon set's, like Footman's and Hist Bark, go a long way in making this sort of thing possible, as well as Champion Points. Having an Altmer also means magicka and magicka regen are naturally high, so when I swap to healing I've got the stats to do it well.

Wordy answer, I know, but in essence, the most important thing you need for any given role is not necessarily dependent on racial passives. However, having the correct racial passive will make a noticeable, and positive, impact to your character.

RavenSworn · May 2015

The earthen heart passives are mainly the passives that you need for resources. Focus on generating ultimate and keep using it for maximum benefits.

WyldfireWyrm · May 2015

So I've been looking at the various skills that might be useful for a tank. Here is the list with morphs that I created. Obviously I can't use all of these, so which ones are the best?

1H/Shield abilities
- Puncture -> Pierce armor
- Low slash -> Deep slash
- Defensive posture -> Absorb magic
- Shield charge -> Shield assault

Dragonknight abilities
- Fiery grip -> Extended chains
- Spiked armor -> Volatile armor
- Dark talons -> Choking talons
- Dragon blood -> Green dragon blood
- Reflective scales -> Reflective plate
- Inhale -> Draw essence
- Obsidian shield -> Igneous shield
- Ash cloud -> Eruption

Fighters Guild
- Circle of Protection -> Ring of Preservation

Undaunted
- Bone shield -> Bone surge
- Inner Fire -> Inner rage

Mages Guild
- Entropy -> Structured Entropy

Assault Alliance Wars
- Rapid maneuvers -> Retreating maneuvers

Support Alliance Wars
- Purge -> Cleanse
- Guard -> Mystic guard

Ultimates
- Dragonknight standard -> Standard of Might
- Dragon Leap -> Ferocious Leap
- Magma Armor -> Magma Shell
- War Horn -> Sturdy Horn
- Barrier -> Replenishing Barrier
- Meteor -> Shooting Star

So I've noticed a lot of abilities that basically do the same things with either difference resources and/or different minor benefits (buffs/debuffs). My goal is to have a slightly higher number of magicka skills to stamina skills because I can't block without stamina.

My personal preference on setup would look something like this:
Bar 1:
- Pierce Armor (taunt)
- Shield Assault (gap closer)
- Deep Slash or Choking talons (I like both, but only need one) (both AOE & CC)
- Volatile Armor (AOE & mitigation)
- Eruption (AOE & CC)
- Ultimate: Ferocious Leap (bubble that I can use often) or Shooting Star (Ultimate return & high fire DPS)

Bar 2:
- Absorb Magic (heal & mitigation)
- Green dragon blood (heal)
- Draw Essence (dps, heal and magicka return all in one)
- Igneous shield (group bubble & boosts all healing abilities)
- Unknown (thinking Mystic Guard, Retreating maneuvers, Structured Entropy or Ring of Preservation)
- Ultimate : Replenishing Barrier (group bubble with an Ultimate and magicka return)

Thoughts on a good setup? Or tweaks to my preferred setup?