Are Dolmens the Most Efficient Way to Level Up?

bhagwad

As a new player, I found the leveling process extremely slow. I'd gain maybe 1 or 2 levels per day. I've read some leveling guides, but there are two problems:

1. I'm playing solo. No guilds or friends
2. No access to potions or specific armor. Just what drops from enemies.

Because of this, leveling was a big problem.

Until I found Dolmens. Completing a Dolmen awards me a huge amount of XP even if the XP from actually killing the mobs is insignificant.

I found that if I run the 3 Dolmens in either Auridon or Alik'r, I can level up once in 10-15 minutes!. That's at least 20 times faster than questing, or killing random mobs. So I wanted to ask you guys if I'm right. If this is indeed the best way to level up for a newbie playing alone.

Or is there another, more efficient way that I haven't found yet?

ShedsHisTail

If you're playing a tank/healer, I've had a lot of luck running dungeons to level quickly. I say tank or healer because otherwise you'll sit in the queue for a long time.

There are other ways to grind out levels which are probably faster, but running dungeons gives a little more variety and decent loot along the way.

Tasear

No but it might work well for you.

Dracofyre

get tons of lockpicks, they help level up faster. it is one of the alternative xp instead from combat xp.

Caligamy_ESO

Go to Alik'r Desert, and type "X" into zone chat, follow the train. You'll be 50 in 2-3 days.

TerraDewBerry

Caligamy_ESO wrote: »

Go to Alik'r Desert, and type "X" into zone chat, follow the train. You'll be 50 in 2-3 days.

^This.. rinse and repeat as needed. If you get bored, go do something else for awhile... then go back. You'll be 50 in no time.

zyk

You might get to 50 faster this way, but you will lack skill points and probably won't learn how to play at all.

As a new player, I'd focus on obtaining skill points. Overland/delve content is very easy even with no armor at all, so no special sets or potions are required. Just learn the mechanics and you'll cruise to 50 without any grinding at all.

bhagwad

ShedsHisTail wrote: »

If you're playing a tank/healer, I've had a lot of luck running dungeons to level quickly. I say tank or healer because otherwise you'll sit in the queue for a long time.

There are other ways to grind out levels which are probably faster, but running dungeons gives a little more variety and decent loot along the way.

I'll try that, thanks!

bhagwad

zyk wrote: »

You might get to 50 faster this way, but you will lack skill points and probably won't learn how to play at all.

As a new player, I'd focus on obtaining skill points. Overland/delve content is very easy even with no armor at all, so no special sets or potions are required. Just learn the mechanics and you'll cruise to 50 without any grinding at all.

Actually at the moment, I have more skill points than I know what to do with. All the skills that I have my eye on are unlocked at higher levels, so I'm just holding on to them till I get a chance to spend them. I've put some points into crafting passives to help me use better materials, research traits, and spot materials more easily.

So right now, I want to level up my lines so I can actually use my skill points!

SydneyGrey

zyk wrote: »

You might get to 50 faster this way, but you will lack skill points and probably won't learn how to play at all.

Leveling fast doesn't mean they're sitting at the computer drunk, unable to think clearly. They're still learning how to play that character.
I'll never understand why people think that you can't learn to play a class just because you're leveling faster than average. It makes no sense.

Brrrofski

No, using a grind spot is best.

But, that alik'r dolmens grind is good easy on before you have the right skills to grind solo. Also you can stick whatever on your bar and just light attack stuff.

It's ok, but there's numerous grind spots that give you a lot more xp.

Emothic

Do the daily undaunted every day. If your aren't worried about keys do them on normal difficulty. It's always usually faster on normal and you get the same amount of exp when you turn in the quests.

Enslaved

Best way to lvl fast solo

• equip full training gear (all but weapons, these should be sharpened)
• go to Vivec's Antlers in dead hours, so almost no competition will be there
• use AOE and execute skills to farm dreugs and dc invaders at the same time
• ?????
• profit

BTW, for all future leveling, farm some of the starter islands for trainee set jewelry, lvl 10, 20,30 and 40. While doing so, you will find a ton of other trainee gear that you could combine as you please. This way, all your future leveling will be smooth(moist if you picked Saxhleel), since extra stats that trainee set provides are great for any leveling. Sets to combine trainee with depend on type of char you use, for stamina go with hundings and for magicka julianos. Also, don't be cheap as emeric, invest in some psyjic ambrosia for even faster leveling.

Beardimus

Just play the game as intended, clear zones, do the dolmens once yes as first time is a big xp boost, but also do main quest, alliance quests gather skyshards, don't grind its dull. Enjoy the content rather than rushing past it.

Levelling is rediculously fast now. Most of my guild took 4-5 months to hit L50 on console launch, there's no rush. If there is think about training gear, ambrosia or scrolls etc. But there's no need

phileunderx2

May not be the best way to level up but it is extremely easy. All you have to do is show up and jump in. No begging for carries in skyreach or fighting over mobs elsewhere.

zaria

The Alkir dolmen zerg give little xp because its so many players, doing dolmens with a few other players give good xp, better than solo as you get more enemies.
Public dungeons might be faster.

One way to do it might be to do quests with skill points in each zone, this is main quest, the faction main quest and the guild quests in, for AD the faction quest is one long quest chain, for EP its more fractured.
While in zone run around do dolmens, delves and public dungeons, also pick up mage books, then move on, ignore all misc quests, you can always do them later, but the delve quests tend to only be delivering something so well wort the detour.
This takes longer but you will get lots of skill points and level mage guild.

The Alkir zerg is very nice for leveling skills you don't use grinding or questing, nice for level up tank and healer skills, the xp nerf in huge groups don't affect skill leveling I think

Qbiken

Best grind (if you´ve someone to grind with) is Spellscar (much more efficiant than Skyreach if no one else is around) in Craglorn but Dolmens are an ok way to level up if it weren´t for all the bot-trains farming all dolmens. When 50+ people are around I never even see any mobs around :P

MLGProPlayer

Grind spots are better.

Berenhir

The good thing about Alikr dolmen grind is the ability to level everything equally. There is no need for functional bar design, you can level 4 weapon lines, 3 armor lines and the three class lines simultaneously while hitting fighters guild max at lvl 28.

Level all morphs and all skills in every tree. One day you will need them and be glad to have levelled them already. There are no useless skills, even completely odd looking things like spell symmetry might turn out useful one day.

Olupajmibanan

Do daily random dungeon. You will find that in dungeon finder tool. The reward is a huge amount of xp (almost whole level) + soul gems + some gear.

Rinmaethodain

Dolmens are lazy way to lvl up.


Grinding is most efficent way to lvl up.


But dolmens dont require any preparation in effort if you run in zerg


Grinding requires some preparation, training gear and proper rotation.

Morgul667

bhagwad wrote: »

As a new player, I found the leveling process extremely slow. I'd gain maybe 1 or 2 levels per day. I've read some leveling guides, but there are two problems:

1. I'm playing solo. No guilds or friends
2. No access to potions or specific armor. Just what drops from enemies.

Because of this, leveling was a big problem.

Until I found Dolmens. Completing a Dolmen awards me a huge amount of XP even if the XP from actually killing the mobs is insignificant.

I found that if I run the 3 Dolmens in either Auridon or Alik'r, I can level up once in 10-15 minutes!. That's at least 20 times faster than questing, or killing random mobs. So I wanted to ask you guys if I'm right. If this is indeed the best way to level up for a newbie playing alone.

Or is there another, more efficient way that I haven't found yet?

Dolmen are efficient and easy

But they can kill the game for you, I wouldnt advise it unless you are doing yet another reroll

drakhan2002_ESO

Brrrofski wrote: »

No, using a grind spot is best.

But, that alik'r dolmens grind is good easy on before you have the right skills to grind solo. Also you can stick whatever on your bar and just light attack stuff.

It's ok, but there's numerous grind spots that give you a lot more xp.

I love when people say this stuff...yet they never provide the grinding spots. While I do know that "Google is my friend" and I've seen some videoes on Youtube, why not share these spots? Oh right...you don't want anyone else there.

Stick with Dolmen's OP...it's low risk and steady xp without the hassle of these kinds of open-ended statements.

Note: I am not disagreeing with the statement that grinding is faster than dolmens...

Megabear

Personally I haven't joined any dolmen groups before. I just go grab skyshards and I am 50 long before I can grab all of them. I also grab lores and uncover shrines and what not along the way. I need the skill points anyway, this is the most efficient way for me to level up.

Malamar1229

other benefit of dolmens is if you are stam build, it levels up your fighters guild as well. wish mages guild was that easy

Bouldercleave

Why on earth would a new player want to simply grind to 50?

You are missing out on the entire game.

Ulo

I really doubt it's the most efficient way but I level up all my characters by clearing all the dolmens and dungeons and collecting all the skyshards and picking up the odd easy quest in a zone.

I've already done nearly every quest in the game and I find by doing it this way I have a good amount of skill points for endgame and I've picked up plenty of resources for crafting as well. Personal bit of advice, grab every resource node you see on your adventures, you don't want to be looking for those extra materials end game when you could of just spent an extra 3 seconds to pick them up 20 levels ago

out51d3r

Here's my basic alt levelling plan:

1. Use the various navigators to go to every single zone. This will open up wayshrines in every zone.
2. Unlock all the overworld skyshards. There's around 190 of them(so around 65 skill points). I'm around level 14 after this. If the character is magicka based, I grab lorebooks on this step as well until Mage's guild is maxed.
3. Put on training gear.
4. Alikir dolmen grind until Fighter's Guild is maxed out. I'm around level 26 after this.
5. Put on new training gear appropriate to my new level.
6. Grind mobs. At around 26, you should be self sufficent enough to kill things efficiently. Which area you grind will depend on you. Better at aoe or single target? Got a high level friend helping you? Anything other than xp you want to be farming at the same time? You're looking for an area with high mob density, fast respawn, and low player density(this is exactly why people don't say "go grind X area").
7. Replace with new training armor around every 10 levels. Replace with new training weapons around every 4-6 levels.
8. Continue mob grinding til 50. When you need to take a break from mob grinding, level your Provisioning and Alchemy, they should take maybe an hour at most each.

Alikir is mostly useful to get you through non combat ready parts of your levelling. Low level, starting new weapon skills, etc. Once you can fend for yourself mob grinding is better.

If it's your first character, just quest. The game is fun at all levels, rushing to the end doesn't mean much.

michmbk

Alikr dolmens are great during an off peak time (I leveled up an alt from 5:30 am to 7:30 am a couple mornings), because you get really good xp and there's still others to carry the fight. Bring an AOE and make sure to hit every enemy you can.

Slightly less popular public dungeons like Crows Wood can be efficient leveling.

I like skyshard hunting and main quest line too. Good xp, skill points and learning mechanics.

Training gear, grouping w one other person can help too.

Astarana

SInce I leveled my NB by questing I don't know much about dolmen leveling. Why Alik'r is prefered? What is special about that dolmen?

Deadfinger6

Just curious Why are dolems in Alik'r and Audiron are so popular ? It's handy for group zergs but puzzling to me