New'ish to the game. Any class (or stam/mag variant) I should avoid?

Pr0jectseph · March 2018

I will eventually play whatever suits me, however, I feel it is a tad foolhardy to jump in without some research .

That being said, am I incorrect in assuming that the Magic variant of most classes are preferred over the Stamina variants?
From what I have read:
- people criticize DKs and Templars a fair bit.
- magicka is better than stamina generally. (more power for abilities, can use stamina for running/dodge)
- people say NB's and Sorcs are OP
- people say race doesn't matter (just like rlf

)

What say you fellow travelers? Could anyone shed some light toward these points?

I was aiming for an Orc, who would be either a Templar or a DK, and I had Stamina in mind. I feel I have been persuaded a little from my original "going to do what i want" attitude..

those damn 'internets' ...

Appreciate the help.

Vapirko · March 2018

I’d say that’s a lot of subjectiveness. It really depends what you want. For PvP I’d avoid stamina DK and for PvE dps avoid magicka warden. Beyond that it’s a pretty open field especially if you’re not going for end game progression. Orcs make the best offensive PvP race for stamina (I think), they’re not BiS for PvE but they still work just fine. I think they make a good cross over race for PvE dps and PvP.

madchuska83 · March 2018

Honestly, BiS classes change pretty often in ESO. If you want an easy, fun class that can solo pretty much anything Magicka Sorcerer is great. However, as of this last patch they are lacking in DPS for a lot of DLC vet content. What exactly are your plans for end game? PvE, PvP, trials? Healer, DPS, or Tank? Also not sure where you got your info on stam builds because they are top notch right now.

Morgul667 · March 2018

Everything is fine and can be played at high level. Only limitation I see is warden DPS for end game

The rest is fine. Dont know if you want to PVE or PVP mainly ?

I would go stamina with an orc.

People complain saying some classes are OP and some are not but the difference is actually small and it changes every now and then. What is "OP" today maybe "useless" tomorrow for the same people

Just play what you like is fine provided you accept that some times for the same effort you will pull a little less or a little more DPS than other classes.

If you want to tank DK or Warden are the best. If you want to heal Templar or Warden are the bests.

Magicka is more beginner friendly I think due to heals and shields. But stamina is very good too.

Seriously though you can play pretty much anything

Waffennacht · March 2018

Argonian master race

Princess_Ciri · March 2018

Just make whatever you like for your first character.

By the time you reach the level where race/class/etc matters the meta will have moved on and any advice people give you now will likely not be very helpful.

Anything that is OP now will likely be nerfed eventually so you might as well just make a class and race combo you enjoy, and if you want to worry about min-maxing later you can make a new character for that.

Also Templars are awesome, anyone who says otherwise can have a jesus beam up the butt.

Stamina Orc DK sounds fine, why not go with that?

CompM4s · March 2018

Any stam or mag version of a class will work. Only thing to make sure and pick a stam race for a stam class etc...

Pr0jectseph · March 2018

Yeah, Thanks for the quick input guys/gals.
I shall stick with my initial plan of doing a Stamina Orc of either Templar or DK.

As for PvE/PvP, I don't know what I'd prefer. Though I imagine I'd be correct in assuming that I can just easily re-spec my character from a PvE build to a PvP should I ever change my wants/needs?

IZZEFlameLash · March 2018

Just avoid anything DK in general unless you wanna do pve dps. Then stamDK is better than mDK with near 0 sustain issues in pve. MDK is generally ill advised on both pve and pvp unless you like banging your head against the rocks. Nightblade is the best atm with both stam and magicka in both pve and pvp lands.

AcadianPaladin · March 2018

Magicka characters generally provide a bit better area dps while stam characters do better dps vs a single target.

Bow/bow is a tough path to go ( I run a bow/bow stamsorc) and can be discouraging to a new player coming from a game (like Skyrim) that is pretty friendly to that kind of build. Would not recommend for a first build. With plenty of experience you can better evaluate and work with it. I love mine but she is a handful to play well.

If you want to tank I recommend using a DK for your first tank. Once you are solid at tanking feel free to try tanking on other classes. Similarly, if you want a healer, I'd recommend templar for your first attempt.

Race does matter but how much is the relevant question. It matters less on healer/tank than on dps. It can make your character easier to play but is not critical unless you want to run end game content at the most elite levels.

I run a Bosmer magplar healer. She can cast nonstop and crank out very potent heals/support. Using appropriate gear (not necessarily 'best in slot', slotting effective skills, practicing/training a lot and having a nurturing heart for healing are much more important than her race.

slicksteezin · March 2018

I think Ciri summed it up well - it’s always good to put in some prior research to gauge what type of class/specs work best, but as a new player I wouldn’t be too concerned as things change often. My advice would be to first get familiar with the game by playing the class build you think you’d enjoy the most. Orc Stam DK would be a good option as they are relatively easy to play - certainly easy to level, and they fair well in both pvp and pve.
As for the magic vs stam debate, while the general notion that magic>stam was accurate in the earlier times of ESO, it isn’t really the case anymore. It is much less one sided now and you could even make the case that it has been reversed as some of the highest single target dps and AOE stems from stam builds. Though generally speaking magic builds tend to have an easier time with sustain and survivability. In my opinion, the biggest deterrent to magic dps builds nowadays as they are all relatively the same in terms of rotation and style of play, with some exceptions of course. Hope this helps and welcome to the game!

beetleklee · March 2018

Stamina builds of all classes are really good right now, PVE wise, with Stamina Warden at the bottom. Stam Wardens, however, are very good in PVP, if not the best spec at the moment.

Stamina Dragonknight is still one of the best PVE specs and has great sustain due to heavy attacks in their rotation. Stamina Nightblade right now can pull higher single target DPS but they are hard to play and have a more difficult rotation, while the DK has an easy rotation. Stam DK though is hard to play in PVP. Mag DK has been a bad spot for a year. A melee magicka class with bad sustain in PVE. A bit better in PVP but also hard to play and they keep getting nerfed.

Templars still make the best healers. Stam Templar is strong. Mag Templar (as a DPS) was in a bad spot for a while, I think it's in a better spot now but it's still mostly a melee magicka spec and doesn't do enough damage to warrant taking a stamina melee spot, who pull higher DPS.

Best Magicka classes are Nightblade at the top, then Sorcerer. Both are ranged, rather than melee. Sorc was top dog for a while now but suffered a DPS loss from the recent off balance changes. It's one of the easiest classes to play and has high survivability, especially if you go the pet route. MagNB has a harder rotation but also has high heals and survivability. Mag Warden has been in a bad spot for a while, same with MagDK and Magplar.

If you're going Orc, definitely go Stamina. They're great in PVP, but Redguard is best for PVE. That being said Orc can still be great in PVE, the damage difference will be small, mostly Redguard has the best sustain. If you're going for StamDK, sustain won't be much of an issue.

ParaNostram · March 2018

My biggest piece of advice is avoid what you don't personally have fun playing and play what you personally find fun. If you keep chasing a meta you could burn yourself out. This game can be great fun if you let it be.

KingYogi415 · March 2018

As a new player I would suggest magic Templar. Breton, High Elf ad Lizard all work great.

Most well rounded easy to learn class in the game IMO.

raj72616a · March 2018

imo templar is one of the best choice for your first character (your second and following characters will benefit from the champion points you gathered on your first character, so they will be too powerful for early game regardless of your choice!)

the first 3 skills you get as a templar is:
- a spammable attack that does AOE damage, deals decent damage even on single-target enemy, snare enemies, and heal you based on the damage dealt. it's the best skill that you will continue to use even in end game. and it's available to you right at the beginning
- a ranged attack that will hit 3 targets after you morph it, and buff your critical hit chance as a side bonus
- the bestest instant burst heal in the game

melee, ranged, AOE, single target, healing, you get everything covered right at the beginning
if you go stamina like i did, your healing amount will be significantly smaller, but it will still be viable due to level-scaling buff
after you get Restoring Aura and morph it into Repentance, you have a zero cost skill that heal you and restore stamina based on number of enemies killed. for the single player main quests you'll be running around slaughtering mobs non-stop and hardly run out of stamina.

Narvuntien · March 2018

Magicka Warden is the only thing you should avoid.
But all I have done was avoided whatever was meta and done my own thing anyway and i do fine.

Most of the class and races are all very close as far as dps goes, 5K or so different all.

I'd avoid both Stam and Magicka nightblades if you are new because they are the hardest to play, OP maybe but only if you are good.

Mag Sorc, Mag or Stam Templar and Stamina Dragonknight are the best places to start. Templars have a little less damage but a lot of utility. Mag Sorc and stam dragonknights can be easy to get large dps numbers.

Orcs make good Stamplars and Stam Dragonknights. And the best thing about orcs is you'll level your crafting fast.

swippy · March 2018

forgive me for saying what i always say for this game, but go ahead and make whatever strikes your fancy. in a couple months you'll start a new character and employ all the starter knowledge you've picked up.

as for the Templars and DK thing, this is always temporary. with every new update there is clamor to fix adjustments that were or weren't made. each class has their own history in the meta (though it seems it's been a long time since sorcerors were considered a poor class).

i don't want to sound all haughty, but while you seem to have a great base of knowledge you're gonna be learning a lot by playing. have fun and keep poking! there are 5 guild slots ("clubs" of players you can join) so don't get too attached before you find one with helpful people ranging from noobs to leaderboarders.

welcome to the game!
(there's a lot less negativity among players in-game than you'll find on the forums)

WakeYourGhost · March 2018

NB can be tricky for some new players - And they can be a bit fragile if you go for pure DPS above all else.

Sorc is good for starters, the pets help for overland, a well-spec'ed build can do massive damage quick.

Dragon Knight and Templar in both in states of transition - Recent balance changes have been focused on them. Expect mixed results.

Warden is complex. Just complex.

Maryal · March 2018

Bottom line, when in Cyrodiil, it's best to avoid the classes/class-variants that kill you or kill you the most. But then again, if you're looking to make a build, then perhaps you could create a build from the 'hair of the dog that bit you' the most. And believe me, no matter where you look, you will see a lot of dog hairs in Cyrodiil.

Lynx7386 · March 2018

Here's what you need to know:

1. Wardens and Dragonknights are tanks
2. Templars and Wardens are healers
3. Anything outside of the above is not going to fill those two roles as well as they should
4. Magicka vs Stamina builds, and which one is better, flips back and forth CONSTANTLY, so dont try to settle on one because it happens to be good at the moment. This game is literally bipolar when it comes to balance and swings back and forth between the magicka and stamina extremes
5. Dont make a hybrid unless you're a tank

Nemesis7884 · March 2018

you should define more what you want to be....pve what role, pvp, self sustainability..... if you want pve i think an orc dk stamina is fine as you can tank or dps...for pvp i think most people would prefer a stamina templar out of the two.

in my view magica classes just have a lot more versatility....if you want a class that most consider strong in stam and magicka probably sorc

Tasear · March 2018

Sorcs - are generally fun and flashy

Nightblades - have high learning curve

Dragon Knight are strong like bosses.

Templars are boring

Wardens- are interesting for defensive gameplay

Above is my biased feelings

*Gameplay is pretty much play as you want, but you often hear fights on who is best.

newtinmpls · March 2018

Princess_Ciri wrote: »

Anything that is OP now will likely be nerfed eventually so you might as well just make a class and race combo you enjoy, and if you want to worry about min-maxing later you can make a new character for that.

Very true ^^^

In general, play around with different builds/skills/races and have fun.

I started with mag sorcs mostly, had (and have) a lot of fun and for clueless me (never did an MMO prior to this) it was a pretty okay learning curve.

Then mag Templars, same fun (though I miss combat pets).

Now playing around with a few weird tank builds. As long as I'm not going for super vet of death content (by which I mean no problems with most of the starting Undaunted Vet) just about any reasonable tank build seems to do okay.