New player - Class choice

Rild · January 20

Hey everyone

New player here, though I've been playing TES over the years (a lot of years) from Morrowind to Skyrim.

I've been curious about ESO for some time, and finally decided to give it a try. I'm kinda lost (like many newcomers I guess) about which class to choose.

As I understand it, the choice is mostly about class identity instead of role, because you can basically fill any role with every class, which I find very cool. I like both tanking and DPSing (healing not so much though), so I'm glad this flexibility exists.

About playstyle, I do like a very agile and versatile class : quick on its feets, quick with its mind, a fast fighter and thinker, for a fast-paced combat (preferably melee). Not that I don't like prolonged fights (against bosses or in PVP), but I do like my mind and fingers being busy all the time. More than magic, stealth, or whatever, this agilty and versatility is what I'm mainly looking for in a class.

In more traditional class-based games (TES or other), I generally go towards the hybrid types : spellswords or lightly armored melee fighters, that can quickly adapt to different situations and be everywhere on the battelfield.

My first choice would be NB, but I've seen vids about StamSorcerers that could also fit that playing style. And that's why I'm asking for advice to you experienced players !

In conclusion, with that description of my preferences, which class would you advise me to play ? Maybe you will say "any" because those preferences are a bit too generic and could be satisfied with any class... well, if that's so, it won't help me much for my choice, but I'll thank you anyway for your answer

valenwood_vegan · January 20

EDIT to add: Almost forgot to say, welcome to ESO!

So I think NB would be a good choice for what you're looking for... they have invisibility, a gap closer, and a teleport among their abilities, and tend to favor a "strike quickly and escape" playstyle.

DK might also be worth a look, but they tend to favor more of a melee brawler style... getting right up in their enemies' faces and having the tankiness to stay there. (I mention this mainly because melee and tank were among the things you brought up).

Stam sorc is a setup I'm less familiar with, so can't give any good insights there.

But also these are just my opinions, I imagine you'll get a lot more of those from folks who perhaps have more experience than I do :P

The distinction between "stam vs. mag" has faded a bit as they've moved toward hybridization, where skills will always scale off of your best stats. You would still generally want to pick one or the other to focus on (for melee and quick movement, stam is a better bet), but this will not prevent you from including some mag skills in your build for example, as they will still scale off of your stam and weapon damage, if those are higher than your mag stats.

In the end though, you will be mixing and matching class skills with weapon skills - so you can pick weapons that match your playstyle and use those skills to kind of bend the class into what you're looking for.

I think it would also be helpful to tell us whether you're more interested in pve vs. pvp (or both), as they are quite different games and a class that is strong in one is not always as good of a choice for the other.

Khysage · January 20

Welcome to ESO!

You're looking for a Stamina Sorcerer if you're looking for a specific class to play. Stamina Sorcerer is the fastest class in the game and excels in high burst damage, evasiveness, and has good group utility. Regarding your hybrid comment ESO as of the last 2 years or so is almost exclusively hybrid based for PvP. Stamina characters will use a lot of magic abilities and vice versa.

As a new player should make both classes and try them out to see what you like better. In ESO you want to have multiple characters.

Hope this helps.

Rild · January 21

Thanks a lot for both your answers

And yes, this helps a lot !

I like the idea of not having to choose between stam and mag builds, but having a little bit of both, leaning more or less towards one or the other.

And I guess I'll just have to try the 3 classes then : NB, Sorcerer (with a stam/melee approach) and DK. Indeed, I also like tanking, and DoTs, so it might be a good fit as well... I'll see if I find them nimble enough for my taste.

One last question : since I'll play the same race (Breton all the way since Oblivion... don't judge me

), can I try different starting zones (I'm not sure I wanna do Stros M' Kai 3 times) ? I know I can technically start anywhere, but is it advised or should I stick to the Daggerfall Covenant starting zone ? For story, character progression or whatever reason...

Rild · January 21

valenwood_vegan wrote: »

EDIT to add: Almost forgot to say, welcome to ESO!

I think it would also be helpful to tell us whether you're more interested in pve vs. pvp (or both), as they are quite different games and a class that is strong in one is not always as good of a choice for the other.

I forgot to answer that, my bad.

I actually like both PvE and PvP. I'm probably more inclined towards end-game raiding (PvE then), but it wildly depends on the game itself, and how PvP works. So I'll most likely play PvE and get a taste of PvP, or play a lot of PvP if I find the system interesting !

Kallykat · January 21

Rild wrote: »

Thanks a lot for both your answers And yes, this helps a lot !
One last question : since I'll play the same race (Breton all the way since Oblivion... don't judge me ), can I try different starting zones (I'm not sure I wanna do Stros M' Kai 3 times) ? I know I can technically start anywhere, but is it advised or should I stick to the Daggerfall Covenant starting zone ? For story, character progression or whatever reason...

At the end of the current tutorial, you will find yourself in a room filled with many portals, so you can choose to start in a variety of zones (provided you have purchased all the chapters, have ESO Plus, or are playing during a free period like now). The base game has good stories, but the graphics in the zones aren't quite as impressive as the later chapters. I do recommend taking a character through there though, just to get an understanding of the main story, but its up to you. You absolutely do not need to start all your characters in a base game zone.

Morrowind and Summerset have connected stories (with the Clockwork City DLC in between). The upcoming chapter will be connected to Necrom. They are still playable out of order, however. The other chapters (Elsweyr, Greymoor, Blackwood, and High Isle) stand alone for the most part, although they have dungeons with small prequels and some recurring characters from previous zones. It really is up to you.

Rild · January 21

Thanks for your answer ! I don't have all the DLCs or ESO plus yet (waiting to see if I really stick to the game), but I have indeed seen the room at the end of the tutorial. And that I could start in any place (as long as I have the required DLC).

I was actually wondering if it was a good thing, as a Breton/Redguard/Orc, to start somewhere else than Stros M'Kai, like Khenarthi’s Roost or Bleakrock Isle. I know I CAN do it, but is it wise or would it make me miss out on stuff (story, character progression, etc.) ?

Djennku · January 27

Rild wrote: »

Thanks for your answer ! I don't have all the DLCs or ESO plus yet (waiting to see if I really stick to the game), but I have indeed seen the room at the end of the tutorial. And that I could start in any place (as long as I have the required DLC).

I was actually wondering if it was a good thing, as a Breton/Redguard/Orc, to start somewhere else than Stros M'Kai, like Khenarthi’s Roost or Bleakrock Isle. I know I CAN do it, but is it wise or would it make me miss out on stuff (story, character progression, etc.) ?

If you are going for the full story, I recommend playing the game in order of release. Start by taking the quest from the hooded figure who meets you in any town, starting the base game's Main Quest. It'll put you in your alliance's starting zone, and the diamond quest markers will show you the path through the story. After that, you want to play through the other alliances and off to craglorn. There's a good thread I will go find and link below for following all ESO stories in order.

Djennku · January 27

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/525351/a-clear-step-by-step-guide-to-playing-eso-in-chronological-order#latest

ALSO, any class can perform in any role depending entirely on how you build it. I would look at the class abilities and see what magical effects you like most as a character theme. I would also recommend this for learning about the classes. (link below)

https://xynodegaming.com/elder-scrolls-online-builds/

There are over 7 billion different possible ways you can build your character with an effective "viable" setup. This game has so many choices it'll melt your brain trying to envision them all. XD

I'd go with your first class as one you like the effects/skills of first, as you can easily make one of each class and see what you like playing with the most. I'd recommend doing this.

For race, pick what you personally like playing. The racial passives are extremely minor bonuses, and you might like playing with the passives of one race that others don't, or you might find you like a race you've never thought of playing.

If you have access to the PC PTS server (optional in the launcher), you can test and try stuff out without it being permanent on your account.

I would wait until you are max level (CP 160) before looking into any particular builds, and instead just explore the game, try out stuff, and learn what you can. ESO is HUGE, and there's a lot to learn.

And lastly DONT POWERLEVEL. Unlike other MMOs, you can play anything at any level. It's skill that makes you good, not your gear or your level.

With that said, have fun, enjoy the game, and welcome to ESO!

Rild · January 27

Thanks for your very detailed answers ! I've actually found out on my own a few of the things you mentionned, but also learnt quite a few other

That testing server is DEFINITELY something I'm gonna take a look at.

And I totally agree about the non-power-levelling part. I never did it in the decade+ I've spent playing MMOs (or any game really), or at least not for a first character/playthrough. I generally like taking the long, more scenic road ^^