Which Class Has the Highest Skill Ceiling?

LeifErickson

I have been really getting into pvp lately, but have pretty much only played one class (my main). I love playing my main and doubt I will ever get bored of it, but just wanted to know from others who are more experienced than me and have played more classes, which class do you think has the highest skill ceiling? I am mostly a solo player with some small group play as well, so base your opinions more off of solo/small scale over large groups. Also, for example, if you think it's magicka sorc that has the highest skill ceiling, but only a heavy armor sorc wearing x gear with y weapons, then definitely say that as well unless you want to keep it a secret.

Skill ceiling in this case means the point at which a player cannot get any better. In this case, not because of the player itself (himself/herself?), but because of the class the player chose.

Damianos

In my opinion, because this game has so many options, and every class can wear every armor type and use every weapon type the choice is not so simple as which is the best. Each player excels in their playstyle in a unique way. This game, unlike many other games out there, does not cater to 'one class, one spec, one armor, one weapon' cookie cutter molds. Given that the Champion System and the open armor/weapon system, it really boils down to what do you, the player, enjoy the most? Do you enjoy tanking or healing or straight up damage? In past games do you do best in supporting your fellow group and raid mates, or is there another role you enjoy the most as a player?

Having played all the currently available classes at their max level, I can say that the arsenal of options is endles and it really comes down to.. what do you, the player, want out of the game?

I ask this because, it comes down to your playstyle. Every class has the potential to be the best, what works best for you is going to be based on how you play.

zyk

What is skill? We throw that word around like it's something specific, but it's actually a very general term. Especially in a game like this with so much variety.

I tend to think the execution of strategies and tactics is more important in ESO than raw reaction times, aim and movement/camera control.

I do not believe any class requires more or less than any other. There are easy, well-known playstyles for each. There are also creative and challenging playstyles for each.

Calboy

Stam sorc/ magicka dk

ColoursYouHave

I've only spent enough time playing Magicka NB, Stamina NB, Magicka Templar, and Stamina Templar to make any statements about skill ceiling, but in my experience with those 4 classes, I'd say Stam Templar probably requires the most skill to play, with Magicka Templar not far behind.

If I had to wager a guess based on what I've seen and heard and my limited experience with other classes, I'd say Magicka DK and Stam Sorc probably have the highest skill ceiling, with Stam Sorc ultimately being more effective than Magicka DK. I'd imagine that with the changes made in DB, the skill ceiling for Magicka Sorc has gotten higher as well. But anything outside of NB and Templar is mere speculation from me, so take it for what it is.

LeifErickson

zyk wrote: »

What is skill? We throw that word around like it's something specific, but it's actually a very general term. Especially in a game like this with so much variety.

I tend to think the execution of strategies and tactics is more important in ESO than raw reaction times, aim and movement/camera control.

I do not believe any class requires more or less than any other. There are easy, well-known playstyles for each. There are also creative and challenging playstyles for each.

I use to watch this one console fps youtuber a lot. He was really good and I always was very impressed with his aim. One day he made a video of himself playing the same game, but on the PC. I'm guessing he played many rounds and only uploaded the best one, but even so, he still was almost as effective as he was on console even though his aim was much worse. It made me realize that while good aim can get you through a lot, the greatest skill is the actual execution of tactics and map and game knowledge that allows someone to truly be very good at the game.

I think that both the execution of strategies and reaction time can be considered part of what makes someone skilled in this game.

LeifErickson

ColoursYouHave wrote: »

I've only spent enough time playing Magicka NB, Stamina NB, Magicka Templar, and Stamina Templar to make any statements about skill ceiling, but in my experience with those 4 classes, I'd say Stam Templar probably requires the most skill to play, with Magicka Templar not far behind.

If I had to wager a guess based on what I've seen and heard and my limited experience with other classes, I'd say Magicka DK and Stam Sorc probably have the highest skill ceiling, with Stam Sorc ultimately being more effective than Magicka DK. I'd imagine that with the changes made in DB, the skill ceiling for Magicka Sorc has gotten higher as well. But anything outside of NB and Templar is mere speculation from me, so take it for what it is.

I might have misunderstood you, but I'm not talking about amount of skill required to play a class, I'm talking about how far a player's skill can get them in each class. So let's say you are the best player in the game. You hop on stam NB and do pretty well. But then you hop on stam DK and do even better because your skill allows you to achieve much greater results on a stam DK because the skill ceiling is higher on a stam DK (hypothetically).

Karamis_Vimardon

Templars with mansions, some rooms contain 20ft high ceilings

driosketch

LeifErickson wrote: »

ColoursYouHave wrote: »

I've only spent enough time playing Magicka NB, Stamina NB, Magicka Templar, and Stamina Templar to make any statements about skill ceiling, but in my experience with those 4 classes, I'd say Stam Templar probably requires the most skill to play, with Magicka Templar not far behind.

If I had to wager a guess based on what I've seen and heard and my limited experience with other classes, I'd say Magicka DK and Stam Sorc probably have the highest skill ceiling, with Stam Sorc ultimately being more effective than Magicka DK. I'd imagine that with the changes made in DB, the skill ceiling for Magicka Sorc has gotten higher as well. But anything outside of NB and Templar is mere speculation from me, so take it for what it is.

I might have misunderstood you, but I'm not talking about amount of skill required to play a class, I'm talking about how far a player's skill can get them in each class. So let's say you are the best player in the game. You hop on stam NB and do pretty well. But then you hop on stam DK and do even better because your skill allows you to achieve much greater results on a stam DK because the skill ceiling is higher on a stam DK (hypothetically).

I would argue that might be because that particular class and build better suited the player's particular play style, and not because the class inherently had more head room to unleashed more skill power.

arkansas_ESO

The class with the highest skill ceiling is the whatever class is weakest at the time, IMO, as you have less room for error and have to rely on outplaying your opponent instead of just having a better class than them.

DKsUnite

magicka DK is by far the hardest class to play in pvp.

SanTii.92

LeifErickson wrote: »

ColoursYouHave wrote: »

I've only spent enough time playing Magicka NB, Stamina NB, Magicka Templar, and Stamina Templar to make any statements about skill ceiling, but in my experience with those 4 classes, I'd say Stam Templar probably requires the most skill to play, with Magicka Templar not far behind.

If I had to wager a guess based on what I've seen and heard and my limited experience with other classes, I'd say Magicka DK and Stam Sorc probably have the highest skill ceiling, with Stam Sorc ultimately being more effective than Magicka DK. I'd imagine that with the changes made in DB, the skill ceiling for Magicka Sorc has gotten higher as well. But anything outside of NB and Templar is mere speculation from me, so take it for what it is.

I might have misunderstood you, but I'm not talking about amount of skill required to play a class, I'm talking about how far a player's skill can get them in each class. So let's say you are the best player in the game. You hop on stam NB and do pretty well. But then you hop on stam DK and do even better because your skill allows you to achieve much greater results on a stam DK because the skill ceiling is higher on a stam DK (hypothetically).

That's not a skill ceiling but the class raw power which changes with patches, metas. A skill ceiling would be which class / combination is the hardest to play at it's full potential. As for example, stam nbs have a rather low skill floor, where you can get decent results without much effort, but quite a high skill ceiling to unleash it's real strength.

Sharee

In terms of how many balls you have to juggle to be effective in a fight - magicka DK.

leepalmer95

Magicka dk by far.

Wollust

Magicka DK is the hardest to play and excel at.

WillhelmBlack

Magicka DK. Magicka Templar in 5 light was a very reactive playstyle before recent buffs.

Rylana

Whatever class I am playing at the moment. Whatever class you are playing right now is clearly the meta/fotm, and ill parrot that like other tryhards for the next six months until youre nerfed, im buffed (even though i dont need it), and the meta shifts wildly again making you reroll.

Armitas

If by skill ceiling you mean how far you can take a class when you insert skill into it I would say NB, it has so much versatility and options.

If by skill ceiling you mean how much skill you have to insert into a class to make it somewhat decent I would say mDK. We currently have one of the most complex dps rotation in PvE consisting of 6 skills rotated regularly, as well as a complex system of healing and dps in pvp. There is no roflstomping or relying on stats, rotations, and mechanics, you will have to fight for every kill manually.

Kas

i think all classes have very high skill ceilings. you can watch even the best duellers and find tiny stuff that could be improved (even if it's as little as that two skills otu of a series of hundreds would have been better in the other order, a missed light attack due to movement, or a missed opportunity out outmove an enemy attack). the more targets there are, the more complex things get. to make every single decision 100% perfectly with millisecond and millimetre precision is really hard on every class and probably impossible for a human in a 1vX. Further, every class will benefit from getting closer to perfect play.

Of course, lag etc often makes this pointless and it's another question how much each class can achieve. however, in my opinion it makes more sense to talk about a skill floor in eso. there are builds where even spamming la+one-ability while keeping buffs up and dodging occasionally will bring you fairly high in terms of output. and there are others, where that does not work at all.

driosketch

sAnn92 wrote: »

LeifErickson wrote: »

ColoursYouHave wrote: »

I've only spent enough time playing Magicka NB, Stamina NB, Magicka Templar, and Stamina Templar to make any statements about skill ceiling, but in my experience with those 4 classes, I'd say Stam Templar probably requires the most skill to play, with Magicka Templar not far behind.

If I had to wager a guess based on what I've seen and heard and my limited experience with other classes, I'd say Magicka DK and Stam Sorc probably have the highest skill ceiling, with Stam Sorc ultimately being more effective than Magicka DK. I'd imagine that with the changes made in DB, the skill ceiling for Magicka Sorc has gotten higher as well. But anything outside of NB and Templar is mere speculation from me, so take it for what it is.

I might have misunderstood you, but I'm not talking about amount of skill required to play a class, I'm talking about how far a player's skill can get them in each class. So let's say you are the best player in the game. You hop on stam NB and do pretty well. But then you hop on stam DK and do even better because your skill allows you to achieve much greater results on a stam DK because the skill ceiling is higher on a stam DK (hypothetically).

That's not a skill ceiling but the class raw power which changes with patches, metas. A skill ceiling would be which class / combination is the hardest to play at it's full potential. As for example, stam nbs have a rather low skill floor, where you can get decent results without much effort, but quite a high skill ceiling to unleash it's real strength.

I remember taking a lvl 10 stam NB into PvP with half impenetrable, half training green gear and getting good results. Low skill floor is absolutely true.

SneaK

Uh... Okay. The Industrial Revolution to me is just like a story I know called "The Puppy Who Lost His Way." The world was changing, and the puppy was getting... bigger.

---

So, you see, the puppy was like industry. In that, they were both lost in the woods. And nobody, especially the little boy - "society" - knew where to find 'em. Except that the puppy was a dog. But the industry, my friends, that was a revolution.

---

Knibb High football rules!

hammayolettuce

Magicka DK

LeifErickson

Armitas wrote: »

If by skill ceiling you mean how far you can take a class when you insert skill into it I would say NB, it has so much versatility and options.

If by skill ceiling you mean how much skill you have to insert into a class to make it somewhat decent I would say mDK. We currently have one of the most complex dps rotation in PvE consisting of 6 skills rotated regularly, as well as a complex system of healing and dps in pvp. There is no roflstomping or relying on stats, rotations, and mechanics, you will have to fight for every kill manually.

I mean the first example you said.

KenaPKK

DKsUnite wrote: »

magicka DK is by far the hardest class to play in pvp.

Stamina sorc and magicka DK have the highest skill floors because the classes lack so much compared to others, making them inherently more difficult to play.

I believe that all classes have nearly equal skill ceilings in a vacuum. I want to say that mageblade and magicka sorc have the highest -- mageblade because it can take on any play style or role in the game as competently as any other class, and magicka sorc because it has a mechanically intricate kit with the strongest burst, mobility, and defensive mechanics of the classes. However, a good snare or debuff stack shuts them both down.

In the reality of the current state of the game, I would argue that magicka templar and stamina templar are the most capable classes. Their kits are simple compared to others, but they contain crucial purges to the heavy snares and debuffs that the game produces these days, and they have access to Major Mending, which does wonders for one's individual survivability.

Jules

I've played every class both magicka and stamina, except stam sorc, that one I'm leveling.

I can honestly say that magicka dk is probably the hardest class to play in this current high burst low TTK meta. The cost of their skills, their lack of burst damage, their lack of heals and movement all combined make for an incredibly frustrating class.

In addition to this, magicka dk's need all three resource pools to be high more than any other class. Being in melee range, they need high health to deal with high melee damage and to have dragons blood heal for any measly amount. They need high magicka, of course, as their main damage pool. And they need high stamina to be able to block dodge and break cc more than any other class due to being unable to get distance between their attackers and themselves. The skill level required to play a magicka dk that is more than just a tank is extremely high. Mistform and harness magicka this patch make life easier, but still, the class lacks true validity in Cyrodiil.

Of course, great players will be great players and can manage on a magicka dk. However, they would be better off on other classes. Just my opinion. Thanks for this thought provoking post.

LeifErickson

Thanks for all the responses guys, but I feel like people have misunderstood what I am trying to say. Maybe I was just not very clear with my post. Lots of people have said magicka DK, but the reasoning of that was they are really hard to play. To me, that doesn't really have anything to do with skill ceiling. I think @KenaPKK nailed it with what he said in relation to the OP. Maybe magicka DK does have the highest skill ceiling, but I feel like that wouldn't relate at all to how difficult they are to play. I think I am just not being very clear with what I'm trying to say. Maybe someone else could put my thoughts better into words.

Aenlir

LeifErickson wrote: »

Thanks for all the responses guys, but I feel like people have misunderstood what I am trying to say. Maybe I was just not very clear with my post. Lots of people have said magicka DK, but the reasoning of that was they are really hard to play. To me, that doesn't really have anything to do with skill ceiling. I think @KenaPKK nailed it with what he said in relation to the OP. Maybe magicka DK does have the highest skill ceiling, but I feel like that wouldn't relate at all to how difficult they are to play. I think I am just not being very clear with what I'm trying to say. Maybe someone else could put my thoughts better into words.

It seems you want the most op class to play. Try any stam class but sorc, or magicka templar imo. It honestly mostly comes down to your play style and whatever fits you best. The skill cap in general in this game is kinda low, so most good players will perform similar on most strong specs.

LeifErickson

Aenlir wrote: »

LeifErickson wrote: »

Thanks for all the responses guys, but I feel like people have misunderstood what I am trying to say. Maybe I was just not very clear with my post. Lots of people have said magicka DK, but the reasoning of that was they are really hard to play. To me, that doesn't really have anything to do with skill ceiling. I think @KenaPKK nailed it with what he said in relation to the OP. Maybe magicka DK does have the highest skill ceiling, but I feel like that wouldn't relate at all to how difficult they are to play. I think I am just not being very clear with what I'm trying to say. Maybe someone else could put my thoughts better into words.

It seems you want the most op class to play. Try any stam class but sorc, or magicka templar imo. It honestly mostly comes down to your play style and whatever fits you best. The skill cap in general in this game is kinda low, so most good players will perform similar on most strong specs.

But is it really op if it requires a lot of skill to play it? I guess if you think the skill cap is low then it is. But it's not that I want "the most op class to play," it's that I want to know what others think it is.

Aenlir

LeifErickson wrote: »

Aenlir wrote: »

LeifErickson wrote: »

Thanks for all the responses guys, but I feel like people have misunderstood what I am trying to say. Maybe I was just not very clear with my post. Lots of people have said magicka DK, but the reasoning of that was they are really hard to play. To me, that doesn't really have anything to do with skill ceiling. I think @KenaPKK nailed it with what he said in relation to the OP. Maybe magicka DK does have the highest skill ceiling, but I feel like that wouldn't relate at all to how difficult they are to play. I think I am just not being very clear with what I'm trying to say. Maybe someone else could put my thoughts better into words.

It seems you want the most op class to play. Try any stam class but sorc, or magicka templar imo. It honestly mostly comes down to your play style and whatever fits you best. The skill cap in general in this game is kinda low, so most good players will perform similar on most strong specs.

But is it really op if it requires a lot of skill to play it? I guess if you think the skill cap is low then it is. But it's not that I want "the most op class to play," it's that I want to know what others think it is.

The only thing that would require "a lot of skill to play" would be a gimped class such as magicka dk or stam sorc. It's just my opinion, but there isn't really a build is good because of skill, but instead simply the class itself is stronger. Once you hit the skill cap, I feel there is not all that much variance in how people perform. Where skill does kind of shows through is usually on stam classes because you can weave and do little things pretty effectively, however stam is pretty op right now anyway which kind of negates the skill factor at times in certain match ups.

Just my opinion and players will always be better than others of course, but I dont think a specific class really gives that opportunity better than others.

DKsUnite

i agree with aenlir in that there is a skill level you reach as a player and that translates to all classes. Doing the basics right. Then it just comes down to how familiar you are with the class, gearing and how good your class is compared to the others on paper. Most people who are good at one class are good at them all after a little adjustment period of familiarizing yourself and the right skills/gear.

Play what you want to play, its more about the player then the class of choice (partly)

ToRelax

LeifErickson wrote: »

Aenlir wrote: »

LeifErickson wrote: »

Thanks for all the responses guys, but I feel like people have misunderstood what I am trying to say. Maybe I was just not very clear with my post. Lots of people have said magicka DK, but the reasoning of that was they are really hard to play. To me, that doesn't really have anything to do with skill ceiling. I think @KenaPKK nailed it with what he said in relation to the OP. Maybe magicka DK does have the highest skill ceiling, but I feel like that wouldn't relate at all to how difficult they are to play. I think I am just not being very clear with what I'm trying to say. Maybe someone else could put my thoughts better into words.

It seems you want the most op class to play. Try any stam class but sorc, or magicka templar imo. It honestly mostly comes down to your play style and whatever fits you best. The skill cap in general in this game is kinda low, so most good players will perform similar on most strong specs.

But is it really op if it requires a lot of skill to play it? I guess if you think the skill cap is low then it is. But it's not that I want "the most op class to play," it's that I want to know what others think it is.

It's not balanced when every good player performs best with the same class. It's boring for those who play it, and frustrating for those who don't. If it requires a lot of skill to play effectively, those who don't manage to play on that level are still getting killed by a certain class over and over again. And then flood the chats and forums with complaints. Luckily, at the moment I think there is no such class with a higher potential than all the others.