What class/build did you want to play when the game launched?

Covyn · June 2014

This discussion came up fairly often with many guildmates and I am curious as to how many people actually achieved their vision of the character that got them excited about the game early on. Zenimax had created so much hype around "play the way you want" and so many combinations that ideas ran rampant. We know many combinations are just not viable in today's game, and it may have forced you to change your entire path just to achieve certain numbers, but what builds would you like to visit again and try to regain that excitement of your "perfect" character.

Couple of mine were the Heavy Armor/2handed DK: Leaping into the fray, hacking and slashing or using chains to drag enemies into the whirling fire at my feet. It's not completely unplayable, but notably weaker than other builds.

The Warlock: Closest I could figure to a necromancer was a nightblade. Life stealing attacks, dipping into the shadows, summoning shades to attack my enemies. This one was pulled off fairly easily due to the Light Armor surrounding the build..."casters" just work well right now.

Any others that you really wanted to play, or actually are playing and just "surviving" through the hard times?

Ser Lobo · June 2014

An imperial templar tank. Sword and board, diamond shield, stabbing strikes. Despite playtesting in beta, I found the templar build didn't feel very 'militant', and felt more magick oriented for my tastes. Fighting in melee felt clunky (Neverwinter carried a small auto-aim that I'd grown accustomed to) and underpowered. And the iron Imperial heavy armor was horrid.

I've since learned that Imperial Heavy at VR is some of the best looking armor in the game, and I've grown more comfortable with using stamina/magicka builds. Melee is still something I don't find terribly comfortable. But in that time, my alt Ruze Aulus became my main ... a bow-using nightblade.

At level 40 I almost abandoned my archer NB entirely, as the mobs were getting increasingly more difficult and I was dying alot. Didn't even know what I was doing wrong. It wasn't until I'd pushed through VR1, though, that I had a grasp of what to do and what not to do. Now my NB is capable of anything except group content.

I've since tried a lot of other alts, including a sorcerer sword and board tank that I enjoy playing. My templar, Brecken, sits quietly unused. My next favorite character is a nightblade barbarian orc named Gral, sporting two-handers and staying completely away from the siphon and shadow skill lines (the ones I use the most on Ruze). I'd done so much research into NB's for my main, that it was simply easier to pick and choose for my alt from the same class, and I love making a character that is outside the norms.

I'll go back to my Templar one day, but I won't do so as a dedicated or even secondary healer. I'll have to find a way to make the tanking work.

MrDenimChicken · June 2014

I wanted to play an assassin nightblade that ONLY used daggers. But in this game you only get to use 5 freaking abilities + 1 ultimate with one weapon set, and if you want to just be a melee assassin you would have to use 2 dagger sets so that you feel like your class actually has utility. And the abilities were just trash. You would think as you level up you would use new and better skills or something...but nope! You get some DoT's on an assassin class......so you end up just using the same abilities like veiled strike till 50! The few direct dmg abilities I was using were so freaking bland too. weeeeeeee.

I didn't want to use a bow, or a healing staff. *** me, right? (insert Jonah Hill Meme)

So I switched to a DK with heavy armor, which is more fun I guess, but heavy armor just feels useless. This game just doesn't make sense lol.

Lynx7386 · June 2014

Really wanted to play your typical paladin-style templar at the start: medium armor, 2handed mace/sword, melee focused support build.

That didnt work out so great, primarily because of how crappy melee and stamina focused builds are right now. I ended up deleting my templar shortly into early access and rerolling as a nightblade (because at least their class abilities 'look' like melee abilities), that character is on hold now because of the massive amount of bugs that are making the class a pain to play.

So now I'm back to a templar, only this time I'm light armor/resto staff caster/healer, doing much better but I guess that's because this is magicka online and you cant get by if you arent a mage.

badmojo · June 2014

Wanted to play a medium armor duel dagger wielding nightblade, it's been fun and I have no intention of changing it to increase my numbers.

Noswell · June 2014

I also wanted to be a 2H Heavy armor Templar. I also wanted to heal groups though, and my first look at the skill lines made it obvious I had to be light armor/resto staff, at least during leveling.

Wintersage · June 2014

When first I heard of ESO, I wanted to be destruction mage all the way. I wanted to burn all the things with fire. Much as I had in previous ES (and quite a few other) games.

Heh. That didn't really work out so well, due to the way this game is designed.

So, apart from toying about with other classes a little, I've been almost exclusively a fire staff wielding light armor wearing Templar. I guess people are calling it a sun mage now? Dunno.

Been doing it since July, and it's what works for me in ES. It's pretty much the only fun I have. (Aside from swapping occasionally to a restoration staff when there's actually any kind've group to heal. Which isn't often)

indytims_ESO · June 2014

I wanted to play a Nightblade sniper, wielding a bow and doing it well. Right now in the game as-is, I feel like I can do that... when targeting torchbugs and mudcrabs.

Ok, so maybe the bow builds aren't "high end DPS"... that's ok, I am still enjoying it.

Ragekniv · June 2014

Templar. 2H or Sword and board / Bow.

I'd still like to play that class any way I want as ESO marketing hype promised before I purchased Imperial edition, played beta and paid three months subscription fees.

Instead, after Beta and three months player base subscription revenue we still have no evidence of game stability, workable solution to bots or class balance.

SharranAes · June 2014

I originally planned to play as a sorcerer tank, but at the last minute, I changed my mind, and decided on a destruction staff templar (The idea being a fire mage, since Sorcs had no fire line)
However, I didn't realize at the start that most of the Dawn's Wrath abilities were magic damage, and not fire damage

After I neared 50, I re-specced into a restoration staff templar, since I barely used the destruction staff spells

Still kinda wish I made that sorcerer, but by no means was this Zenimax's fault;
I made the choice, and I'm sticking to it!

JosephChip · June 2014

I wanted to play what i usually play. An heavy armour warrior with a two-hander and/or sword and shield. I had to ditch the heavy armour part, but I am still using sword and shield.

stabbykitteh · June 2014

Templar; main weapon bow, secondary two-handed, medium armor.

I'm actually still playing her at VR4 -though admittedly with a bit of difficulty and some adjustments (bow/resto staff & 5/2 light & med armor).

cortechsnub18_ESO · June 2014

indytims_ESO wrote: »

I wanted to play a Nightblade sniper, wielding a bow and doing it well. Right now in the game as-is, I feel like I can do that... when targeting torchbugs and mudcrabs. Ok, so maybe the bow builds aren't "high end DPS"... that's ok, I am still enjoying it.

Same here. I'm having my doubts that it will survive vet levels though. It is fun to play, and rarely dull.

Covyn · June 2014

IT is my sincere hope that ZoS gives some love to the Weapons other than the staves, and boosts up Heavy armor soon. I like these concepts and they would be fun to see players executing them within the world. Diversity is what keeps my attention and would make every group so unique

Keep it going!! Great Stuff!

ForTheRealm · June 2014

The first two alts I made were Templar and DK heavy armor melee archetypes, but nowadays they wearing dresses and use staffs as this is the most effective set-up...
I am waiting for times when heavy armor and stamina will be as good as light armor and magicka.

Ranrach · June 2014

I made an entire analysis of the DK skill lines in combination with sword and board so I could play a dedicated tank, able to get into late game and be very valuable for group play.
This worked fine in beta's and in the beginning month (april). Because of all the hard DK nerfs by now I stopped playing a DK. I also stopped because on our leaderboard is a group who finished the Trials in 14 minutes. So there is your late game. A Trial of 14 minutes. Well, I didn't plan on ending up there with a dedicated tank. With all the bugs and glitches I have unsubbed 2 weeks ago.

It's good to know I was very busy with this game pre launch. I followed all the updates from Shoddycast (ESO Weekly) and I made well thought analysis of my perfect build. A lot of promises that had been made have just been lies (good marketing: play however you want to play). I think The Secret World does a very good job on the statement play however you want to play, ESO doesn't. Build a meta build and you can play this game.

Back on topic: My DK dedicated tank is dead. I am sad

Jogi1 · June 2014

stabbykitteh wrote: »

Templar; main weapon bow, secondary two-handed, medium armor.

I'm actually still playing her at VR4 -though admittedly with a bit of difficulty and some adjustments (bow/resto staff & 5/2 light & med armor).

I got mine to V1. Then in one boss fight noticed that I survived with a green resto staff and not with the main weapon, my purple bow with all passives opened. After the fight she got new contract, a slave crafter.