Returning player, last played before Craglorn dropped. What to play? (loving magNb atm!!)

Joxer61

Ok, as the funky title says I have returned after getting enough of that pretty-fest called GW2 and what they call raids, sheesh. So I have missed sooo much, where do I start? I have lvl 50 DK and Sorc, stam and mag respectively but really want to know what is the fav at the moment? Or is there such a beast? I rolled anew toon, Nightblade, and based on what I read and could find I went magic with him. SO far it rocks! But kinda at a loss as to where to go. Also builds....they all seem so outdated but a few are fairly new. Does that mean game is stale of just hasn't changed all that much? I am doing the good old start areas to level up but is there newer places to do that or must I wait til 50? Have pre-ordered and now have Morrowwind and such but is all that higher level?
Yea, so many questions and may not be the place to ask but reckon I could start here? Oh, and I am a PVE player for sure. May....may get into pvp, we shall see. But yea, looking forward to getting back into it, if its worth it! Cheers!

And to just quickly ask....should I maybe look at making my DK magic as that might be a thing? Or NB still strong?

jypcy

Hey @Joxer61 ! Good to hear you’re getting back into the game. I’ve taken a few breaks myself here and there but every time I come back I find the game has improved even more.
If you’re looking at a damage role, stamdk and magsorc are both good rn, and magblade is in a really good spot (but can have a tricky rotation to figure out to be most effective at it). If you’re looking for builds, try googling “[resource focus] [name of class] dps pve dragon bones” or searching in youtube for the same. Either one should give you advice relevant to the current patch.
As far as leveling, I recommend following quest lines to level. Not only are many well done, but it also gives you more of a chance to experience what’s changed since last you played (if you stopped before craglorn, I can tell you— it’s a lot!) which simply grinding an xp spot won’t really do for you.
Also, everything is battle leveled to you nowadays, so you could be on khenathi’s roost or over in Morrowind and the overland mobs will have the same level of difficulty. This is true regardless of zone, the exception being craglorn mobs still have slight health buffs and often come in larger packs, along with the zone being dotted with “group areas.” It’s overall a lot easier than when it was first released if you got to experience that at all, but is more challenging than any other zone.
Hope this helps!

Edit: and just saw your edit about magdk. They’re not doing great compared to other builds right now, but still perfectly viable. Next patch they might be strong again, but atm you might get some funny looks for playing one. Hasn’t stopped me from enjoying it though

Joxer61

jypcy wrote: »

Hey @Joxer61 ! Good to hear you’re getting back into the game. I’ve taken a few breaks myself here and there but every time I come back I find the game has improved even more.
If you’re looking at a damage role, stamdk and magsorc are both good rn, and magblade is in a really good spot (but can have a tricky rotation to figure out to be most effective at it). If you’re looking for builds, try googling “[resource focus] [name of class] dps pve dragon bones” or searching in youtube for the same. Either one should give you advice relevant to the current patch.
As far as leveling, I recommend following quest lines to level. Not only are many well done, but it also gives you more of a chance to experience what’s changed since last you played (if you stopped before craglorn, I can tell you— it’s a lot!) which simply grinding an xp spot won’t really do for you.
Also, everything is battle leveled to you nowadays, so you could be on khenathi’s roost or over in Morrowind and the overland mobs will have the same level of difficulty. This is true regardless of zone, the exception being craglorn mobs still have slight health buffs and often come in larger packs, along with the zone being dotted with “group areas.” It’s overall a lot easier than when it was first released if you got to experience that at all, but is more challenging than any other zone.
Hope this helps!

Edit: and just saw your edit about magdk. They’re not doing great compared to other builds right now, but still perfectly viable. Next patch they might be strong again, but atm you might get some funny looks for playing one. Hasn’t stopped me from enjoying it though

Thanks for that! helps heaps!!!

King_Thelon

Joxer61 wrote: »

Also builds....they all seem so outdated but a few are fairly new. Does that mean game is stale of just hasn't changed all that much?

Most of the good theorycrafters who published builds regularly have left this dumpster fire of a game. The devs care far more about selling DLC's disguised as Chapters than they do about balance, itemization, performance, etc.

driosketch

If you were here before Craglorn, you've missed quite a lot. I will try and summarize.

Levels: Max level went from VR 10 to VR 16 over a few updates. Champion Points were introduced. A chunk of attributes were pulled to progress through CP instead of leveling. CP eventually replaced VR, gear cap is 160 CP, has not raised in years. (Which would be irrelevant, more on that later.) Total CP, for stats and bonuses is capped at 720 currently, goes up 30 each quarterly update.

Progression: the whole world is leveled now like only Cyrodiil used to be. Characters of all levels and alliances can roam freely through PvE. Stats are adjusted and effected by relative gear level and you progress up to gear cap. (This is why gear cap raises are no longer relavent, would just make endgame character feel relatively 2 levels weaker before grinding but to the same strength.) After 50 you earn CP account wide. Every new character leveled to 50 has the same CP rank on your account. All levels used the bonuses.

Trials: 3 in Craglorn: AA, HRC, & SO, one mini trial in Clockwork City DLC: AS, one from Thieves Guild DLC: MoL, and HoF from the Morrowind Chapter. I listed those from easiest to hardest.

Builds: These are largley described around class, role, major attribute, and the sets you equip. Every update, ZoS regularly nerfs or adjusts something. If you want relavent build guides you need to limit your searches to results from the last three months. Understandably, not everyone who designs guides has the stamina to keep up with that.

Hope that helps.

DosPanchos

Joxer61 wrote: »

Ok, as the funky title says I have returned after getting enough of that pretty-fest called GW2 and what they call raids, sheesh. So I have missed sooo much, where do I start? I have lvl 50 DK and Sorc, stam and mag respectively but really want to know what is the fav at the moment? Or is there such a beast? I rolled anew toon, Nightblade, and based on what I read and could find I went magic with him. SO far it rocks! But kinda at a loss as to where to go. Also builds....they all seem so outdated but a few are fairly new. Does that mean game is stale of just hasn't changed all that much? I am doing the good old start areas to level up but is there newer places to do that or must I wait til 50? Have pre-ordered and now have Morrowwind and such but is all that higher level?
Yea, so many questions and may not be the place to ask but reckon I could start here? Oh, and I am a PVE player for sure. May....may get into pvp, we shall see. But yea, looking forward to getting back into it, if its worth it! Cheers!

And to just quickly ask....should I maybe look at making my DK magic as that might be a thing? Or NB still strong?

Magicka DK is currently underpowered in PVE but in a good tanky place in PVP. The Summerset update in May should enable healing DK builds as well. I believe the PVE side will be addressed relatively soon as ZOS is making huge strides to include its dedicated player base into the development process. Mag sorcs excel in getting executions in battlegrounds (something you've gotta check out if you enjoy pvp) and they currently rely heavily on damage shields for their defense though changes are apparently coming with shields this update.

Here's my current understanding of classes:
Warden- a ton of fun and very strong in PVP; weak in PVE
DK- magicka is very tanky and good in PVP - lackluster in PVE. Stamina is best in PVE, but weak in PVP
Templar - Stamina is decent in both. I play stamina in PVP and with the right build and tons of practice I can reck shop. Magicka is stil best for healing in PVE and, in general, seems underwhelming in PVP unless healing (my opinion).
NB - both mag and stam good in PVE and PVP. Built and played correctly, mag nb are crazy to fight against in PVP. Stamblades are most popular in PVP right now it seems.

Having said all of that, the kind of imbalance that existed before you left doesn't exist anymore. ZOS did an excellent job responding to severe disadvantages in stam classes and I believe with enough practice you can make a very effective PVE (excluding wardens?) and PVP build with any class right now. So my ultimate advice is to pick what is the most fun and stick with it until you master it!

Bhaal5

Joxer61 wrote: »

Ok, as the funky title says I have returned after getting enough of that pretty-fest called GW2 and what they call raids, sheesh. So I have missed sooo much, where do I start? I have lvl 50 DK and Sorc, stam and mag respectively but really want to know what is the fav at the moment? Or is there such a beast? I rolled anew toon, Nightblade, and based on what I read and could find I went magic with him. SO far it rocks! But kinda at a loss as to where to go. Also builds....they all seem so outdated but a few are fairly new. Does that mean game is stale of just hasn't changed all that much? I am doing the good old start areas to level up but is there newer places to do that or must I wait til 50? Have pre-ordered and now have Morrowwind and such but is all that higher level?
Yea, so many questions and may not be the place to ask but reckon I could start here? Oh, and I am a PVE player for sure. May....may get into pvp, we shall see. But yea, looking forward to getting back into it, if its worth it! Cheers!

And to just quickly ask....should I maybe look at making my DK magic as that might be a thing? Or NB still strong?

You maybe disappointed after returning from gw2. May have a few more dungeons but still
-no guild halls
-no guild missions
-no fractals
-no global trader
-cyrodill is more stale and untouched than ever
-servers still pretty unstable

But to answer you last questionb magNB id very much a thing atm... But always subject to change, summerset may bring mag dks back to life

Tasear

They are move progressively play as you want. Although players always find things broken. Stamblades are the lastest.

Few things
Pet sorcs are a real thing now
Orbs give Magicka or stamina when using them.
Storm annotwch gives major beserk so use it as dps.

Rawkla is still best area to buy and sell in the zone.

Joxer61

Thanks for all the replys guys! Loving the magNB but rolled a magDK cuz it was my first....gonna keep my 50 stamDK for now and try to re-learn the game on a new toon. Hopefully the rumors are true and DK's shine soon!