New player worry - this seems way too complicated!

Aberfluff

Hi all,

Please forgive the noob question if this is way out of place - I've only been a member for a few days, only been playing the game for a couple of weeks, but just wanted some advice.

Basically, I started a character - Breton, Nightblade - and have just started playing it like I do on my single player Skyrim game - I like Sneak, and Archery, so I play like that. I don't get much time to game, so I'm only level 9 so far, but when I read all the threads here I'm getting so lost in all the terminology I start to think I need to more thoroughly research how I'm going to play before I actually play - does that make sense?

Ultimately, I just want to enjoy pottering around, doing some fishing, chopping some trees down, making a few daggers and improving them, maybe the odd quest. If I go up against anyone else, I'll get hammered and will lose interest, so is it still worth investing time in the game knowing I'm never going to be great at it?

Again, apologies if this is a stupid question - I'm just getting bogged down in all the talk of builds and CPs and Ultimates and...all that!

Puzzlenuts

My advice would be just play as you want to do you what you want in the game. Don't let all these things discourage you. You'll learn as you go. You don't have to be great at it you just have to enjoy logging on and playing. You'll figure things out we did and still do.

Aberfluff

Thanks Puzzlenuts, I appreciate your comments. Will keep chopping down tree for now!

DaveMoeDee

No need to be great. I'm definitely not great, but I've been enjoying the game for years.

Aberfluff

DaveMoeDee wrote: »

No need to be great. I'm definitely not great, but I've been enjoying the game for years.

Do you find that you can just keep playing the game your own way and still enjoy it whilst not being 'competitive'? I really want this game to be something that I can play after work, spend an hour getting materials, creating stuff, learning new things - kind of a shop-keeper type thing, with the occasional wander into an easy quest here I can shoot stuff with my maple bow :-)

cmetzger93

It's definitely daunting at first but with the upcoming changes everyone will soon be on the same playing field for the most part. Don't even worry about builds and stuff until you hit level 50 and want to start messing around with endgame

Aberfluff

cmetzger93 wrote: »

It's definitely daunting at first but with the upcoming changes everyone will soon be on the same playing field for the most part. Don't even worry about builds and stuff until you hit level 50 and want to start messing around with endgame

Stupid question, but what is the 'endgame' that I'm reading about?

I know there are people really mad about the update coming up, but I don't fully understand why - It seems like characters that people have spent ages on will be nurfed - I don't need to worry about that yet then?

Aberfluff

cmetzger93 wrote: »

It's definitely daunting at first but with the upcoming changes everyone will soon be on the same playing field for the most part. Don't even worry about builds and stuff until you hit level 50 and want to start messing around with endgame

Thank you by the way - I appreciate your reassurance.

Jadednatas

You can totally do whatever you want forever in this game. I like to do daily crafting writs every morning and then refill sold items in guild stores.. then whatever strikes me as fun at the moment, from fishing to questing to running dungeons or even checkin stores for housing recipes I haven't been lucky enough to find myself (khajit skooma bubbler, high elf bed winged double). But there is literally always something (or nothing if that's what ya want) to do.. that really doesnt matter your character level or ability. Make the game your own.

Commonly used terms-
Endgame- the content you'll wanna be fully leveled an have good gear for.. like trials (12 man group quests)

Dps- damage per second
Dd- damage dealer
Dot- damage over time
Hot- heal over time

Cp- champion points (you get them after level 50, currently the best gear is cp160 but your character can get to cp600-- up to 630 next update)-- you can have much more. I have 810 cp but it only lets you use 600 at the moment

Ultimates are a skill that you unlock at level 12 from what i recall.. a powerful attack or defense move that your character builds up power to use


Build mostly talks of someones set way to make a character.. like what skills, passives, armor

I know i missed stuff but hope this helps

FlyLionel

Aberfluff wrote: »

cmetzger93 wrote: »

It's definitely daunting at first but with the upcoming changes everyone will soon be on the same playing field for the most part. Don't even worry about builds and stuff until you hit level 50 and want to start messing around with endgame

Thank you by the way - I appreciate your reassurance.

@Aberfluff You remind me of myself when I first played. There will be a time where you have done every faction, every quest and get every skyshard(pve/pvp). When you figure out you're max level and have nothing to do casually; endgame awaits. Once that happens I urge you to come back on the forums and place a thread under 'players helping players' and a whole other aspect of the game will open up. Until then friend; just enjoy it. The base game is worth every CENT.

TheNuminous1

Honestly this game is amazing for all types of players.

Some hardcore and dedicated that want the max available and to strive to be the best. And others that want to enjoy the game causally and at whatever pace suits them

And both ways of playing are totally fine you could spend all day collecting wood and ore and silk and all the crafting material and you would have been productive heck spend all day fishing and you might get lucky and be really productive!

There are so many aspects to this game and a lot to learn. Always strive to learn something new each time you play even if its something as simple as the name of a town you liked. Any route you choose to play as long as your having fun then your doing good.

Another aspect is this game is really social. And you would do a lot better to find a guild and people to play with then asking these forums for advice.

Go to different popular zones. Grahtwood rawlkha mournhold. Post in zone chat and explain your plight. That your a new player looking for advice and to learn.maybe someone writes back and offers assistance. Making a connection with another player is the first start to getting better and really finding the reason to log in everyday.

Cause this is an mmo. And that means you get to make friends along the way

QuebraRegra

Puzzlenuts wrote: »

My advice would be just play as you want to do you what you want in the game. Don't let all these things discourage you. You'll learn as you go. You don't have to be great at it you just have to enjoy logging on and playing. You'll figure things out we did and still do.

I luv this!!!

exactly what this gentle sentient said... don't get wrapped up in the meta garbage, just enjoy the game and explore.

LadyHeloise

If you are playing solo than do it how ever you like and learn as you go. There's no pressure to do things a certain way at all, and you can take your time learning about the best and worst ways to do stuff. It's only when you start playing in groups that you might need to worry about your build, roles etc as then other people will have expectations of you. Joining a nice guild is a good idea then as they will be able to help you. I have been playing for nigh on two years and have only recently begun doing group dungeons for example as I found peole who were kind enough to be patient and gave me some great tips on how to improve. But you never have to play in groups at all if you don't want as there is so much to do anyway.

You might find it helpful to read through the following and bookmark it https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/136290/the-eso-slang-and-abbreviation-dictionary

Elsonso

Aberfluff wrote: »

Ultimately, I just want to enjoy pottering around, doing some fishing, chopping some trees down, making a few daggers and improving them, maybe the odd quest. If I go up against anyone else, I'll get hammered and will lose interest, so is it still worth investing time in the game knowing I'm never going to be great at it?

Go for it.

I have been playing the game since PC early launch (March 2014) and have just been doing whatever I want in the game. Major quest lines, when I feel like doing quests, farming/fishing when I feel like doing that, daily quests when I feel like doing that. Mainly, I hang out in the game, chat a bit, and do whatever I feel like doing.

My main character, which is a Dragonknight that was created on the very first day, reached max level after two years in the game. At the time, this was Level 50, Veteran Rank 16. That is, in today's terms, 160 Champion Points. That involved playing from March 30, 2014 to April 8, 2016, with 43 days and 20 hours on the character.

I'm in no hurry.

Wolfenbelle

This is the first MMO and online game I've ever played. Three years ago I was exactly where you are today. I didn't know anything, including common terms such as delve, endgame, build, nerfs, etc. I blindly started with an Imperial Templar using a greatsword and bow starting at level 11. I have never been the best at anything, played at my own pace, and figured stuff out by a combination of just playing, watching videos and getting some advice from other players.

This game has so much to do, everyone can find something that they enjoy. Just relax, play in whatever way you enjoy, and don't worry about anything else. It really isn't complicated if you do that. Above all, don't let anyone bully you or attempt to force you to play in a way that is uncomfortable for you.

If you are on PC, North American server, look me up in game. @Wolfenbelle I will be happy to help you in any way I can. I am in the Eastern time Zone and am online most days after about 6:30 or 7:00 pm.

Pollixx75

I appreciate this post a lot. I've been searching around trying to figure out the fastest way to get ready for end game. But it sounds to me in my opinion that the end game just keeps going on. I've stopped playing this game several times never making it past level 20. I just started over a few days ago and I'm at level 22 on a Sorc. My goal now is getting to 50. I've been used to WoW leveling.. and this game is no where near WoW leveling.

I do have a couple questions. When I get to 50, I see a lot around the internet about crafted gear and other gear for the "end game." Is this gear from patterns I need to learn? Do I spam Dungeons to get better gear? I'm used to WoW. So to gear up you would generally craft low ilvl gear, then spam normal dungeons--> Heroic Dungeons-->Mythic Dungeons. Is this the same concept?

Thanks for your help!

Kram8ion

Just keep playing the way you enjoy it and things will come clear after a while
I did nothing but main story for months at the start then discovered crafting thieving and so much more, after realising how much more and how long things would take it does give you a little bit of "oh god why didn't I start this earlier but coming to appreciate your decisions and make smarter ones without overwhelming yourself

RavenSworn

Pollixx75 wrote: »

I appreciate this post a lot. I've been searching around trying to figure out the fastest way to get ready for end game. But it sounds to me in my opinion that the end game just keeps going on. I've stopped playing this game several times never making it past level 20. I just started over a few days ago and I'm at level 22 on a Sorc. My goal now is getting to 50. I've been used to WoW leveling.. and this game is no where near WoW leveling.

I do have a couple questions. When I get to 50, I see a lot around the internet about crafted gear and other gear for the "end game." Is this gear from patterns I need to learn? Do I spam Dungeons to get better gear? I'm used to WoW. So to gear up you would generally craft low ilvl gear, then spam normal dungeons--> Heroic Dungeons-->Mythic Dungeons. Is this the same concept?

Thanks for your help!

Hey there!

Just as a general rule of thumb, you can always do crafted gear at any level, even at 'endgame'. You'll find these crafting spots all over the zones (usually 3 per zone) and each of them has different set bonuses. The set bonuses work much like Diablo3, where the more items you have on yourself, the more bonus stats you get, up to a maximum of five items.

Overland bosses, for eg the Delve bosses, the public dungeon bosses and also the world bosses in each zone has a 100% chance to drop a set item related to its specific zone its in. These are different sets from your crafting sets and will also help you out during your questing or levelling process.

However IMHO, you don't really need all these sets to be good at your class while levelling. It's much better, for you in the long run to learn your class, it's mechanics, what it has and what its good at. While all classes can do all roles, certain classes will be much better in certain roles, for eg dragon knights are inherently better for tanking, Templar for healing etc.

The gearing process in my mind is to craft gear + overland sets to get you in dungeons. Then mix those two with dungeon sets to have a more well rounded approach. Hope this will help out!

And to all those above who do have problems starting out in the game and are in pc / NA server, <of Wolf and Raven> is a guild that focuses on helping out the new players and returning vets to the game. Come give us a try and join us!

craftycarper73

The only thing i can say is this really, this game is not skyrim in any sense of the word, the 2 games play differently, the crafting is different in the way it works, for example, the crafting in skyrim goes to your character level as with all the other perk tree's, in ESO it doesnt, do your crafting training in your starter town to see how that works.

TamrielSaviour215

I bought the game when it came out (PS4) because I loved Skyrim and always wanted to try an MMO. I loved the game and got to level 40 something. However none of my friends played the game. I sold my collectors edition and left for years. I just repurchased in January and I have loved it. This time around I joined guilds, used the dungeon finder, and set goals for myself and my character. Some days I will farm for a few hours, other days I'll do 5 dungeons. Some days I will work on a new character, some days I will try to get all the quests for my Main Character. As everyone has stated, there is so much to do and the fact that you can create multiple characters and toy with a new one everyday allows you the freedom to do what you want on any given day. I STILL don't know all the terms and things but just playing with other players will go a long way. MOST people are close to endgame anyway and will be willing to help out new players anyway.

DeadlyRecluse

Do your thing.

One of the neat things about this game is it totally allows for 100s if not 1000s of hours of solo, play how you want stuff, but if you ever want to get more in depth, that's available too!

Nestor

Aberfluff wrote: »

DaveMoeDee wrote: »

No need to be great. I'm definitely not great, but I've been enjoying the game for years.

Do you find that you can just keep playing the game your own way and still enjoy it whilst not being 'competitive'? I really want this game to be something that I can play after work, spend an hour getting materials, creating stuff, learning new things - kind of a shop-keeper type thing, with the occasional wander into an easy quest here I can shoot stuff with my maple bow :-)

You don't have to compete against anyone in this game. I avoided any and all players for the first 6 months I played. Then I joined a couple of guilds and ignored them for another 6 months. Then I got all involved in the Social Aspects, and now I am an officer in most of the guilds I am in. I run Group Dungeons, and Trials and even dip my toe into PvP every once in a while. Guess what, I still don't compete.

Nestor

Thoughts and musings on Leveling in One Tamriel.

I am including the following as optional advice. Before I give it, just understand there is nothing wrong with loading the game up, talking to an NPC and going to do a quest with nary a plan or care in the world. You can spend hundreds of hours in this game doing that.

That being said, the following is a guide to get your character to CP160 without spoiling much of the game content, and what you do spoil are side quests. It also gives you a flexible character that can obtain and use any end game gear, crafted or dropped, as you see fit. My advice is level the character to CP160, then go questing or whatever you want to do. Note this is different than the first year or so the game was out, when it was focus on your alliance zone quests and the game's main quests.

General Leveling Advice and Where to spend your skill points as you go along:

One thing to remember, a lot of guides are written with idea to maximize production to the Nth Degree, which can make sense when your leveling your 8th character. But it can really suck the fun out of the game on your first character worrying about it.

Here is a better approach:

The beauty of the game now is each zone drops a Magic Set, a Stamina Set and a Health (Tanky) Set. You can do the content in the zone and get the gear you need with some nice bonuses to help your characters. It drops in at least Green and Blue is common once you get around the 30;s. A lot of times it drops in the Training trait, but you really don't need to have every single item in Training. Just prefer it as a trait, but wear what you get. When you are done in that zone move on to the next and start replacing the gear with the stuff from that zone. You can usually go about 10 levels over the gear before it starts to get noticeable as needing to be replaced. If you get something that is higher level than your wearing, just swap it out as you go along. Again, don't worry about the traits while leveling. The game is buffing you anyway.

As for leveling crafting, you should do that, but don't be in a hurry to invest all the skill points you need for it. You need those points for combat and defense. Just decon all the loot you have left over after selling to cover any repairs you do. Research Traits on items you think you are going to use. Then do the other traits later on.

Let me give you an example of what I did with my last two leveling characters.

1. I collected all the Skyshards in the zone. I avoided any and all quests other than those that show up in the delves that have skyshards. These quests do not give set items for rewards so no loss there. Use an Addon or a Skyshard map online to find them. This gets you around the zones, but does not spoil any content
2. I would farm the dolmens a few times to get set jewelry that helped my character. There are usually groups of people doing this, get with the group and follow them around.
3. I would do the Public Dungeons including all the bosses.
4. Then I would move to the next zone.

In doing this, I could fully gear up my character with level appropriate stuff, and it was helpful gear. May not have been the best, but you don't need the best while leveling. Any gear I farmed from Dolmens or PD's is repeatable, so I can get it at CP160 by just repeating. Then, I had all the content quests left for me once I reached CP160 as those can give you sweet Set Drops in good traits you want. And, Quest Experience is huge for gaining CPs once your past CP160. Kind of a waste before that.

In about 8 zones, I would be fully leveled in Mages, Fighters, Class, 3 Armors and Weapon Skills. Leaving only Undaunted to level, although I would get to almost 3 in that from Dungeon Achievements.

Once you do the above, the entire game is opened up to you, and you have a good idea on how to play your character. Plus, any Alts you level are at max rank as soon as you hit L50. Nice because you can get there in 20 hours with my method above.

Pollixx75

I really appreciate all of the feedback! It has helped give me a better insight into the game for leveling.

Waffennacht

Your character will be buffed​ at lower levels, this buff will decrease as you gain levels. If you do not keep your armor semi current you may feel like the content is getting so hard you can't complete it, while just yesterday you were Hercules. This is why.

This should help relieve some future stress

Nestor

Sorry, forgot to add the part about the skill points.

1. Have one class skill on your bar at all times, swapping them out once the skill reaches Morph stage. Worry about your Morphs later.
2. Have one weapon skill on your bar at all times, again until Morph stage
3. Wear a mix of all 3 armor types so they all level about equally
4. From L1 to L20, invest in attack skills and actives
5. From L20 to L35 start investing in Passives and Support Skills
6. From L35 to L50 start investing in Morphs (but only if all your class skills are at the Morph Stage), Passives and Crafting Skills
7 From CP10 to CP160 try out dropped sets to see which ones fit your playstyle, don't worry about traits right now, fill in passives and actives you may have missed
8. Grind on Dolmens to level your Fighters Guild, or find the Lore Books to level Mages Guild
9. Do some stealing to level Legerdemain, best source for money in the game
10. Decon every piece of gear you get that you are not going to use immediately to level equipment crafting, no need to invest skills points until Champ Ranks.

Merlin13KAGL

Will add couple things to @Nestor 's suggestions above.

Most of your class skills and primary weapon skills will be close to maxed and morphed by the time you approach L50, simply by playing the game. Once a skill line is maxed, it gains nothing more from XP's at that point. So:

• Once certain lines get to 50, you can 'catch up' the other lines by placing additional skills from those lines in your skill bar (even if the skill itself is already maxed and/or morphed.) I think you get about a 20% XP bonus for a skill line per skill from that line on your bar. So if you have all the skills from 2H on your skill bar, for instance, the 2H line will go up twice as fast.
• You can level skills, and by admission, skill lines, by having one or more of those skills on your bar - even if you can't use the skill currently. For instance, you can have a bow skill on your bar while you have a destro staff in your hand. While you won't be able to use the bow skill, you'll still have XP count towards it and the line.
• As mentioned before, as you max skills this way, swap them out accordingly - you'll be amazed how many XP's you get simply from discovering things as you're out and about.
• Eventually, you can get to a point where you have a 'quest turn in' setup - that is, gear and skills you are still leveling. You can have your functional setup while you roam, so you don't die, but swap out for the quest turn in gear/skills before turning in a major quest.
• Remember, when leveling armor lines, the level of the armor doesn't matter, only the type (Light, Medium, Heavy), so any level is good for quest turn in above.
• Don't be afraid to try different skills or morphs. There is no one right way.

Three last little tidbits, often overlooked:

• Buy a mount as soon as you can and start training it. The extra storage is beneficial, next speed, finally stamina.
• The very moment you hit level 10, you'll get an email inviting you to Cyrodiil. Follow the instructions and go there, using Blackwater Blade as your home campaign. Do the tutorial quest and get an easy skill point and some XP. More importantly, you'll unlock the Alliance War skill lines. Place your newly earned point in Rapid Maneuvers and your mount will now go much faster than before.
• Last thing - when you're looting everything, you'll run out of space often. Most of the out of the way backroads, you'll find an NPC strolling back and forth. This is usually a travelling merchant that will buy your goods and repair your gear without having to go all the way back to town each time.

Good luck and happy exploring!

P.S. Make it your game. The moment you worry solely on what other people think you should be doing is the moment it ceases to be fun for you. Fun is the one thing it should always be. (On that note, don't be afraid to take a break from it from time to time if you start feeling that way - you can always come back fresh!)

Glamdring

Didnt read through all replies so this advice might already been given. Stop reading this forum and just play the game.

OldGamerESO

Glamdring wrote: »

Didnt read through all replies so this advice might already been given. Stop reading this forum and just play the game.

This is so true. I wish I could configure the internet so that this forum didn't exist. Or that it was a moderated, curated forum where only threads about game knowledge was allowed.

I read a great quote once: "I used to love this game. Then I went to the forums and people explained why I should hate it. Now I hate it."

Aberfluff

Thank you all so much for your advice - you're a lovely bunch