Getting extremely irritated

Electroflux · March 2015

I've restarted characters on this game over and over and I seriously just cannot get past the beginning portions of the game. I can't decide on what I really want to do.

I've tried making a stealthed, dual wield dagger build, however, everytime I try, I just downright am awful. My damage is meh and my survivability is just atrocious. I consistently die on nearly any combat based quest and struggle to get through the game. I also hate the stealth mechanic. It apparently doesn't drop aggro even though I completely disappear and it doesn't last nearly long enough. I can barely appropriately stealth in and engage combat with veiled strike because it's so short.

I seriously don't know what to do. I'm so fed up with restarting over and over that it's actually killing the game for me. I've made hardly any progression.

I didn't mind playing a bow based build but nightblade appears to not have too many skills that seem entertaining enough to blend in with bow abilities. I don't want to play strange classes like templar to use a bow, just doesn't appeal to me at all and it doesn't seem realistic. I just want a pure bow build, no freaking two hander offsets or nothing. Just pure bow damage where I just don't suck miserably.

I played dragonknight 2 hander in beta and i was really good...I didn't mind that, however, just not particularly enjoyable. Some of the skills are super boring. Sorcerer, I think would also be fun to play...I might try that.

All in all, what I'm trying to say is, I just don't understand how to get past the frustrations of quests in the beginning especially with a stealth/bow based build. either choice i made, the outcomes were pretty much the same. just wayyy low survivability and getting owned constantly.

Flynch · March 2015

Well true stealth is when you use 'ctrl' to sneak around and come up behind opponents - the NB stealth skill is an escape skill, not an engaging spell.

Damage-wise, you should keep both your weapons at your level if possible (with enchants would be ideal) and go for heavy attacks to keep your stamina up.

You'll have to elaborate a bit more on what skills you currently use, what armour you use, what level you are at and what level the environment is though.

A DW NB in pretty much ANY armour can solo-destroy every single encounter in PvE (even boss mobs and anchors) since they have nerfed the difficulty since launch (for good or bad).

In short - more info from your side would make aiding you easier! How do you start a fight, what rotations are you using, what stats have you increased etc etc

liquid_wolf · March 2015

I'm not entirely certain how to reply as I can't tell if you just don't like the abilities, or are not using them effectively.

If I recall correctly, the beginning zones are pretty standard aim and hit it. Don't pull too many creatures, and focus on the objective.

!!!

Perhaps you are in the wrong area? You can go back to the "starting/introduction" zones to get a few levels and skyshards. Those quests should be ridiculously easy.

I wouldn't expect to be the master of stealth and assassination you are describing until you start hitting level 20-30... and even then most players barely ever get it at all even when they start hitting max rank.

For those beginning areas, it is pretty much hit it, dodge, move, and use your abilities to help you out. Equip any new and better armor you find.

More information is needed... everyone can "stealth" by pushing CTRL, but it depends on line of sight of the enemies/monsters.

Electroflux · March 2015

Well, right now I'm a khajiit in Crow's Wood (level 5) and most of the mobs here just destroy me unless I take them 1 on 1, which is impossible.

I'm just using two standard iron daggers (180 damage). Some random gear I found lying around, mostly medium armor. Some of it is enchanted.

I have killers blade, teleport strike, shadow cloaked, veiled strike and one point into dex for medium armor.

Teleport strike seems extremely useless to me right now. I have absolutely no idea when I should use this.

Also, I don't seem to do hardly any damage unless I keep spamming heavy attacks...even then, it's meh. Otherwise, regular attacks is just atrocious. I barely see their health bar move.

I guess I haven't even been starting fights in sneak. I've just been popping stealth before they get aggro'd and opening with veiled strike. Then I just spam left click with some heavy attacks until he's lower and use killer blade. This is implying if I'm not already close to dead from the enemies partner (very rarely just 1 guy). Teleport strike useless. Never use it.

3 points in health, 1 in stamina.

Flynch · March 2015

Electroflux wrote: »

Well, right now I'm a khajiit in Crow's Wood (level 5) and most of the mobs here just destroy me unless I take them 1 on 1, which is impossible.

I'm just using two standard iron daggers (180 damage). Some random gear I found lying around, mostly medium armor. Some of it is enchanted.

I have killers blade, teleport strike, shadow cloaked, veiled strike and one point into dex for medium armor.

Teleport strike seems extremely useless to me right now. I have absolutely no idea when I should use this.

Also, I don't seem to do hardly any damage unless I keep spamming heavy attacks...even then, it's meh. Otherwise, regular attacks is just atrocious. I barely see their health bar move.

I guess I haven't even been starting fights in sneak. I've just been popping stealth before they get aggro'd and opening with veiled strike. Then I just spam left click with some heavy attacks until he's lower and use killer blade. This is implying if I'm not already close to dead from the enemies partner (very rarely just 1 guy). Teleport strike useless. Never use it.

3 points in health, 1 in stamina.

Oh well Crow's Wood is sort of a public group dungeon - you really should not be in there at L5 - i think the mobs are L8 in there anyway - anyone would get wrecked in a group dungeon 3 levels under it

Head to Bleakrock Isle and level there - it's the starter island and things will be much easier for you until you've gotten to L8-9 and can solo challenging content like Crow's Wood.

A good rotation i found was to use a swallow soul (siphoning tree)from range, then teleport strike (ambush is a nice morph as it increases the damage of the next hit and it uses stam) to cover ground, then go for a heavy hit or a veiled strike (surprise attack is the stam morph)

By this time, most on-level enemies will be dead or close to it - hit them with a killer's blade and get that health back up as well as finishing them off

Stick with mostly med armour, 1 light and 1 heavy (to level them up) and go all stam to increase damage and block/dodges. A bit of health is fine too.

But yeah - in short again - Crow's Wood is a face-wrecking dungeon. You should probably have a quest in your journal that will take you to Bleakrock Isle - go there and you woes will vanish

Artemiisia · March 2015

on every map there is a public dungeon, look at the icon on map, its the same as Crows Wood, those dungeon needs if you doing it at lvl 5 like crows wood a full party to be able to do.

my advice is to do it later on, not more then lvl 10 though, still with a couple of friends, that way you will still get xp from killing the monsters.

heres a few tips for beginner fighting that will help you stay alive:

block casting, some skills work even while holding block, though your stamina will run out fast, so keep an eye out for that
find some recipes to make food to gain extra health/mana/stamina what ever you feel you mostly need.
everytime you level up if you havent found out that yet, press C, and put in those attribute points to gain even more health/mana/stamina
if you are a melee fighter like duel wield, dont stand still while you fight, move around, kite the attacks.

Cuyler · March 2015

@Electroflux it appears that you may of skipped the beginning islands which is why you feel you're getting your ass handed to you. The game (for whatever reason I don't understand) drops you into a lvl5 zone from the start, then requires you to find a boatswain (easy to overlook) to take you to the starter islands. The mobs are lvl3-5 on these islands and if cleared completely, should take your character to around lvl7-8 which is where you want to be before attempting the first zone where the game starts you. @ZOS really screwed up here.

As stated above there are a couple of battle mechanics that are not presented in the tutorials they are:

Block casting - you can actually block and cast at the same time, go figure. try this out when your in the middle of an AoE burn.

Animation Canceling (aka "weaving") - spamming one skill over and over is not very efficient. this is because of the animation time it takes to execute the spell. The computer engages the spell immediately upon release of the button and then the animation follows through, however the server has already determined the "strike" before the animation ends. Because of this it is beneficial to use a light (LA) or medium attack (MA) in between each skill used to cancel the animation while still executing the skill. This will eliminate the animation time of most of your spells. For example if using a:

Bow- Lethal arrow, LA, Lethal arrow, LA, Lethal arrow, LA
or
DW- Flurry, LA, Flurry, LA, etc.

This actually increases your dps because you can essentially do two attacks in the time it would of taken one spell. Although this will take some time to get used to and every spell has a different amount of cast time.

In addition you want to always be wearing 2pc of heavy armor to take advantage of the passives in that skill line no matter what your armor of choice is.