What is the defining skill of each class (not including ultimates)?

BackLotBasher

After getting a chance to play a number of classes, post-CP, I came to realize that quite a few skills often seem to be slight variations of each other (i.e. such as Templar's Shards being so similar to Sorc's Surge, or the Templar rune being similar to the Necro bone totem, that sort of thing). With this in mind I started to wonder which skills each class have which make them unique, skills that are the reason you might play them and that others might expect you to bring to the table in group activities.

Do some classes lack any truly unique skills? I play a lot as a Templar, and feel like the most distinctive skill I have (as a healer) is the Cleansing Ritual, morphed into Extended Ritual (though I haven't played all the classes, so maybe this skill has a clone on some other class).

Is the ability to interchange skills for similar purposes a way to keep the game balanced, for PvP, or to help people get boxed into corners when making a build?

ESO_Nightingale

for warden it's probably sub assault

OWLTHEMAD

Alot of these skills are very different in function then you might think even if on the surface they seem like stylised reskins of eachother. Every class has an aoe dot for example such as shards or sorc surge, but shards actually is unique in function and at least used to be the biggest reason for templar healers.
That being said. . . My opinion is as follows:

Nightblades: cloak, funnel health, impale, in pve used to be THE damage drivers, not so much anymore but impale is still considered among the very best executes.

Templar: shards, breath of life, and ritual. They are the premier healers in all content for a reason.

DK: wings and passives. Probably more but my least familiar class. Wings isnt nearly so special anymore but used to be oppressive to ranged players in pvp.

Warden: im not sure any individual skill is super special compared to other classes, but the whole package provides lots of utility for a group and were once THE pvp class. Also not super familiar with this class

SORC: pets, shields, and streak

Necro: lots of tools available to them, but really its their ultis. Boneyard has an aoe resistance debuff or a self synergy.

Others who main the other classes can elaborats more im sure.

luen79rwb17_ESO

The ones that appear on eso logs reports! Taaa Daaa!

Tommy_The_Gun

NB: Cloak, Ambush, Fear
Only one left...

Iskiab

I’d say...

NB - cloak and merciless
Sorc - streak, pets, frag and curse
Templar - ritual and sweeps
Warden - shimmering and bugs
Necro - blastbones
DK - wings and leap

JumpmanLane

MagDk: Whip AND Leap even though we’re not counting ultimates.

saf227_ESO

Iskiab wrote: »

I’d say...
...
Templar - ritual and sweeps
...

Sweeps? Nobody calls 'em sweeps. Stabbity-stab-stab.

BackLotBasher

OWLTHEMAD wrote: »

Alot of these skills are very different in function then you might think even if on the surface they seem like stylised reskins of eachother. Every class has an aoe dot for example such as shards or sorc surge, but shards actually is unique in function and at least used to be the biggest reason for templar healers.
That being said. . . My opinion is as follows:

Nightblades: cloak, funnel health, impale, in pve used to be THE damage drivers, not so much anymore but impale is still considered among the very best executes.

Templar: shards, breath of life, and ritual. They are the premier healers in all content for a reason.

I've tried morphing other classes into healers, and just never seem to have as much luck as I do with the Templar.

I kind of get the sense that all the patches keep this question open-ended, since you never know when they're going to trample on your favorite skill.

Tryxus

DK: Whip & Wings
NB: Cloak & Grim Focus
Sorc: Streak & Crystal Frags
Templar: BoL & Jabs
Warden: Seeds & Scorch (was gonna say Bear since it's our symbol, but OP said no Ultis so...)
Necro: Blastbones & Skeletal Mage/Archer