Finally at V1 and it's 2am and its time you heard my story.

zhaguarrwb17_ESO · August 2014

I have been playing from alpha, essentially. It's been a slow crawl, slog through to V1.

I chose to play this game the way I play every elder scrolls game:

I pick the dextrous Khajiit or Wood Elf race, pick up a sword, pick up a bow, pick up some damaging spells, utilize all the possible skills like a jack of all trades. In Elderscrolls world they would call this a "Nightblade" Though in your world the Nightblade doesn't use magic in the school of destruction, it uses illusion and alteration...But I digress......

So I chose the Sorcerer. I chose the Sorcerer so I could be a leather wearing, Dual-wielding, Bow wielding, Auto attacks amplified and supplemented by magic.

I have now played to v1.9, have re-re-re-re-re-respecced; used every single ability and passive in almost every tree. I have extensively researched and trialed many different builds.

I have come to the brittle conclusion that my decisions have put this game in nightmare mode.

Can't say it wasn't a fun struggle. But if I could do it again, which I don't want to, I would chose Two handed, heavy armor, literally any other class, or perhaps just cloth wearing resto staff mage that seems to be popular....

There is not a single post or forum page that would say the decisions I made were any good.

So firstly: if the game isn't meant to be played like this -where any stupid choice should work or at least get you across the bar in solo boss battles- then limit the choices.

Secondly, I think every page seems to agree, the passives and abilities of Dual Wielding PALES in comparison to that of Two Hander. Dual Wielding needs passives that aren't just stamina buffs or attack speeds. It needs offbalances, stuns, dodge chances, bleeds, evasions(shields) like every OTHER WEAPON SKILL HAS.....Also bow is pretty boring and lackluster as well. The damage is OK but not everything can be SNARED (hello 40% of the mobs are flying or immune to snare in this game)

Now I haven't done any PvP, I've been too embarrassed.....

Now I would like to change completely to Two Hander, Resto Staff, Heavy Armor build. Whats the quickest way to completely change your character in trees you have no levels in? lol.

Zemmy

suelothvar · August 2014

pick up your duel wield weapon, put the ae skill on bar.. fill rest of bar with skills from tree you want to level (as you get them) go coldharbour Lab area, ae zombies... you will max skill very fast.

Or as I did, do some quests in vr1 area with a skill on bar of set you want to exo, the skill levels very fast.

think my restro staff on my nb got to 39 in one exp session in vet area, simply because my bow was bugged out, so used a staff for day.

Nestor · August 2014

zhaguarrwb17_ESO wrote: »

Now I would like to change completely to Two Hander, Resto Staff, Heavy Armor build. Whats the quickest way to completely change your character in trees you have no levels in? lol.

Zemmy

As posted above, the Coldharbor lab area Zombies are perfect for your level. I took a destruction staff from 10 to 35 in just about 4 hours there.

Tremulous · August 2014

Just to tell you DW sorc is the only viable DW spec atm

at least if you want over 800 dps.

Nihili · August 2014

There was a page with a poll dedicated to Two hand vs Dual wielding, and Two hand came up as the weaker between the two, which doesn't seem to add up with your statement that DW is weak... Further, it's practically common knowledge in the community that light armor is the better option between light and heavy in this game, which again doesn't add up with what your saying...

I don't know what your choices were, but you seem to have had an odd experience. Granted I personally don't find DW that powerful, but again that's not the view of the majority of the community, and again, the majority of the community doesn't view Sorcerers as weak either. Maybe go watch some youtube videos on other Sorc builds, might be you'll figure out where you're going wrong.

zhaguarrwb17_ESO · August 2014

Those posts are talking about damage over time in raids, im talking general survivability soloing these slightly elite or above bosses. I write this now because i've played two hander now to 30 and Ive had a much easier time....The grief i think is two hander skills cost a lot, so its not a consistent damage compared to dual weapons, but thats just pure numbers at late game. Im talking the experience solo. If thats the case maybe ill start trying to raid to see what my damage is. A lot of these videos also use the critical surge and my experiences have found that it just doesnt augment enough and seemed weak again when you are alone. Ill try something new again. What these polls were missing was my input!

AoEnwyr · August 2014

Hmm I guess it's a matter of opinion. I play an Orc Heavy Armour Resto/Two Handed Templar and everyone says what a crap build that would be. The forums seem to say Heavy Armour is significantly inferor to other armour classes with poor passives and any weapon choice other than Destro/Resto staff is rubbish.

Personally I love my build. I don't rely on build guids or other peoples views. I choose my character's weapons/armour based on the personal back story I give them.

My female Orc Templar protects her more seedy NB husband (played by my real life partner). I have a Dual Weilding NB Khajiit "married" to his aged crazy cat lady sorcerer.

I have a male Dunmer Sorcerer fashionista in Heavy Armour who dual wields swords...

Some builds have certain advantages over others, sure, but at the end of the day what do you enjoy? I don't sell myself out for dps, I enjoy the characters I create

poodlemasterb16_ESO · August 2014

I have a level 49 Vampire Witch Sorcerer and she just dominates the game. She used a bow once and apart from that one time has never touched a weapon. All fire staffs, all the way. Not that she uses them, they are just a thing in her hands as she burns down the opposition. In a long fight where she runs out of stamina and magic, momentarily, she will put a few staff blasts in but really, in full power mode, there is no time for weapon attacks.

I have a level 38 Dunmer Tough Sorcerer and he has quite a bit harder time. He is much tougher but can never approach her sheer firepower and is more fragile in several ways. He has a big axe and is fun to play but when there is serious opposition he struggles.

There are non obvious reasons for this. First nearly all the damage dealt by bosses and high level enemies is spell damage and armor does little against this. Spell Damage mitigation is often softcapped on my witch, along with magic regen. The Dunmer is harder to do this to. Heavy armor and softcapped Armor is far less effective than good armor and softcapped Spell resist in any situation out side of pure brawler environments which are rare. It's a caster usually put him down, never happens to my witch, well almost never, she is a Vampire.

Kcttocs · August 2014

zhaguarrwb17_ESO wrote: »

Whats the quickest way to completely change your character in trees you have no levels in? lol.
Zemmy

If you have not figured it out yet, before you turn in a quest, (you know when they give you and item and money) make sure your bar is filled with the skills you want to level. The more skills of a certain tree IE two handed, the more that tree line will level too. I was able to completely level my destro staff from zero to 50 by questing the first big vr1 zone. I used my tried and true skills that I used up to VR1, slowing mixing in the Destro as it leveled to help stay alive. Remember it does you no good to have a skill on your bar that is already maxed out when you turn in a quest.

zhaguarrwb17_ESO · August 2014

I was just giving my experience. My experience has been difficult with my choices. Alternatively, my friend playing a Sorc in light armor with resto/dest staff and full magic is having a ball and blasted through the game. My nightblade friend in leather armor with duelwield focused on magic damage has has a harder time then my nightblade friend dualwield focused on stamina attacks...My dragonknight friend in full armor focused on two handed stamina attacks as blasted through. Games just coocoo,

I haven't gotten to the point of metagaming yet and min maxing for my class, im trying to get through all the solo gameplay, but every now and then when I die repeatedly on an elite solo quest mob I just feel im being punished. Especially on V1 where everything is now much harder. I can't beat the Crows Nest in the first pact city!