Are all skills viable?

mikejezz · April 2017

So I just started on this game again, I really like it, but it really leaves to alot of choices, only being able to use five different skills (10 when you switch weapons), and there's just so many skills in the game that you can choose between.

I understand that there are some skills that are better than others, but is it possible to make a weak character, instead of picking some synergy between skills you like? Do I need to use the popular builds everyone else are using to be competitive, or can I be it by choosing the skills I really do like?

LMar · April 2017

You generally want to have some form of self buff, damage over time skills, area damage and single target damage. If you focus on only buff skills you won't be able to dish out damage. But then ofc it depends on what you want to do, eg heal people. In that case buff skills and heals would be your choice. Similarly there you would prefer to have a few group buffs, heal over times and direct heals for emergencies.

Synergies between skills are generally skills which you cast and tick in the background doing either damage or heals and direct attacks that you do while your over time effects do their thing

Spaghettiknight · April 2017

You can find some pretty unique ideas amd builds on YouTube.

For your question it really depends on what content you're doing, but ideally you'll have some sort of buff, damage over time, and a spammable skill.

If you're only questing and doing public dungeons you can probably just use whatever you like, but group dungeons you may need more viable skills.

It would also help if you can tell us the skills you want to use and I can try to come up with suggestions. Using certain skills will eat up resources though, like using Shadowy Disguise to guarantee a crit (though it is super fun)

zaria · April 2017

Then you get experienced you will typically use the back bar weapon for long term buff and damage over time.
then the front bar for spamable skills and thing you might need like an shield.

mikejezz · April 2017

So if I don't use a shield in one of my bars I will suck in pvp/pve? It is mandatory?

Spaghettiknight · April 2017

mikejezz wrote: »

So if I don't use a shield in one of my bars I will suck in pvp/pve? It is mandatory?

You don't really need a damage shield for PvE (unless you're a tank, even then it's not 100% mandatory). You should have buffs, DoTs (including single target and AoE), and a spammable though. Shields help a lot in PvP because people can't crit you while your shield is up.

mikejezz · April 2017

But don't you do weaker damage yourself with 1h and shield than with a 2h or Dw?

So you nuke in dw and then witch to shield when you need to charge magicka again or?

mikejezz · April 2017

I really like the freedom in this game, as you can design your character in many different ways...

But it seems to be wasted if you are forced to use a certain type of setup anyway.

But maybe it's because I really dont understand the PvP in this game yet.

What makes sense to me is, you probably go dw for nuking, and when you are out of magicka or low on health, you go 1h and shield for getting life and magicka back? Or am I completely wrong?