nathanthehawkerb16_ESO wrote: »

Hi, I used to play ESO but I took a short break after reaching lvl 50 when I found out I had to level through the two other factions' zones and never returned. I'm planning on starting a new character this time around and I have some questions.

If it helps, One Tamriel has really opened things up. You can still level through the other zones if you want to, but if you don't, you can walk away from Cadwell and do just about anything else you want.

nathanthehawkerb16_ESO wrote: »

Is the destro-staff light-armour build still as OP as it was? I was hearing about people not getting into groups unless they respecced to this. I also vividly remember a PvP scenario when we (EP) were sieging an AD castle and suddenly a guild of light-armour destro-staff DC's come along and roflstomp us both. Has anything new taken place of this?

I think the current meta is stamsorc? But that's going to change in the upcoming balance patch, so... Honestly, I don't bother to keep up with the build-of-the-month.

The bottom line is that you're not going to get kicked for not being the current OP build... and if you do, it's because the people kicking you are dumb. Gather some friends and good guilds, and you won't have to worry about being kicked because you're not running whatever that quarter's OP build is.

nathanthehawkerb16_ESO wrote: »

Secondly, are bows viable now? For a long time I'm sure bows (and stam builds in general I think) just weren't viable. I'm not sure whether I want to spec into bows but it'd be nice if the option is there. I'm considering taking a bow spec of sorts.

Not so much. See this thread, if you haven't already. Stam builds are fine (don't mind the moaning that the upcoming balance patch is going to "kill" them... this happens every patch where the classes are tweaked). Bows, in particular, are pretty weak as a primary weapon. If getting kicked from groups is one of your concerns, don't use bow as a primary weapon.

nathanthehawkerb16_ESO wrote: »

Finally regarding money making, what are the advantages or disadvantages of taking generic crafting abilities like cooking + alchemy for a first character as opposed to take class - appropriate abilities that will help you get gear (such as smithing + enchanting for heavy armour characters)? Does the thieving skill (can't remember the name) bring in a decent amount of cash or have any benefit (other than being fun)? And do you have any money making tips?

Honestly, there are so many great dropped sets now that you shouldn't need to craft armor and weapons while leveling your character. Provisioning, meanwhile, is a very handy skill to have.

That said, research is a pain-in-the-butt time-sink, so if you intend to eventually craft armor or weapons on that character, might as well start researching now.

As for thieving? Yes, it gets you a decent amount of cash. It's not as lucrative as guild trading, but it's pretty easy and, as you said, fun. My thief pulls in 12k gold in about two hours' worth of work. (Though you'll start at a lower rate, since lower legerdemain means less impressive drops, and you won't have as many slots at the fence). Definitely worth the time.