OK, I'm a silver surfer, and I'm not much good at combat. What can I BE in this game?

Mancombe_Nosehair · January 2021

As someone who is also not very good at combat, I would suggest giving tanking a go.

One skill I have found very useful in pve when surrounded by mobs is the Pulsar skill in the destruction staff skill line (it's the last one). Spamming that a few times slaughters most mobs, and made a real difference for me. There are likely better skills, but this one is easy to use for those of us who struggle with rotations.

Nestor · January 2021

Ilkuul wrote: »

RashosMedaresh wrote: »

Ilkuul wrote: »

From your reply I'm guessing you don't see a solo role for a not-very-good fighter?!

Hack the Minotaur has some very good 1 bar builds for soloing that you might find useful.

Thanks—for me, one bar is good! I'll definitely look into that.

A 2 or 3 skill rotation can get you through any solo content in the game outside of the Solo Trial. Without weaving. And you can do almost any Group Dungeon in Normal.

The key is to know when to block and when to move around when doing delve and quest bosses. Get that figured out and 98% of the game is yours. Note i am leaving PVP out of that percentage.

Ilkuul · January 2021

Minyassa wrote: »

I second the Hack The Minotaur reference and those one-bar builds are fantastic for saving wear and tear on wrists and hand joints (I am no spring chicken myself!). I'm not the best at combat either but one-bar builds can be very helpful in learning rotations with simple ones first, and then you can expand later when you feel more comfortable with them and more familiar with skills.

I would definitely go to the "vanilla" zone first. People are right, Vvardenfell content is harder. If I were you I would go to your alliance's starting zone (Stros M'kai if you're DC, Bleakrock for EP, Khenarthi's Roost for AD) and do the main storyline and follow it in order all the way through the zones, and then do the other two when you are presented with the prompt to do so. You will pick up a lot of skill points that way and have more than enough practice at normal stuff before you jump into the DLC content.

And definitely join a guild! If you can find a social guild that does group content runs, that should be friendly people who will be more than happy to help you with a build or anything else.

Thanks, Minyassa. I'm glad you can confirm that Vvardenfell is more difficult! I simply couldn’t complete the main Vvardenfell quest line on my own. So I'll take your advice and follow the quests at Khenarthi's Roost, since I'm AD.

I've been looking for a guild, but have hit problems, since one that looked promising turned out to have a Draconian participation rule whereby you get bounced if you don't take part for a week. I'm not sure how many other guilds are like that, but I can't guarantee that frequent a degree of participation. Anyway, I'll keep looking!

Nestor · January 2021

Are you PC NA? i can send you an invite to a guild who only wants you to be nice and have fun.

Ilkuul · January 2021

validifyedneb18_ESO wrote: »

House decoration, crafting, you already have the massive amount of exploration and completionist content well under way but even if you ignore the more challenging stuff you will have barely scratched the surface in terms of things to do.

There are good low effort builds out there too, you won't find them on the most prominent build websites for the most part as they are less effective. But builds that don't need weapon swapping, use pets to do most of the work, or proc sets to chain aoe stuff down with minimal effort. Definitely good enough for normal mode dungeons, maybe you won't be able to manage some of the trickier dlc dungeons or trials but it will allow you to see most of it.

The vast majority of the player base is - frankly - *** at the game. But that's OK, they find plenty of stuff to do to occupy their time and enjoy the game (including making me suffer when they queue to do their random daily, lol)

I would add that my now long defunct veteran trials guild had a 70 year old member that was if anything one of our better players. Never say never.

If your aim is to be useful to others, guilds need crafters, for the endless supply of potions and food they need for members, training gear and gear for newly capped characters etc.

Thanks for the encouragement! Glad to hear of yet another septuagenarian who did well at ESO. I'm starting to believe there's hope for me yet!

TwinLamps · January 2021

pvp large scale healer

Ilkuul · January 2021

Noggin_the_Nog wrote: »

Welcome to ESO. It's a great game and entirely suitable for those in the best years of their life. I'm 70 and having lots of fun in all aspects of ESO.

But look, you are level 29. There's so much to learn about the game, and to be honest there's so much the game does not tell you about effective play. Sets, food, crafting, potions, buffs and de-buffs, etc. A Guild can help - I'm in one specifically for older players, but having a few friends to join in small group play will be helpful.

The best idea for level 29 is to follow through the Main Quest and zone quests. Not Vvardenfell as its content is harder. So as a Wood Elf - AD, go to Khenarthi's Roost and then Auridon. You will learn alot about your skills on the way. I play a few Templars (all are High Elves) and it's a very forgiving class well suited for solo play.

I'd be happy to help in-game if you wish?

Have fun and stay safe out there.

Yet another golden oldie! You guys are certainly boosting my confidence. Which server are you on? Just wondering if I could join your guild for older players—but I'm on EU, which won't help if you’re on NA.

Yes, as I said in reply to another post, I'll definitely take up the quests in Khenarthi's Roost and Auridon. And thanks, if you're on the EU server I'll be glad of your help in-game.

Jeremy · January 2021

Ilkuul wrote: »

Confession time! I'm a golden oldie trying to play a young person's game. I've done my best, but I've had to accept I'm never going to be much good at combat (that's in PVE, never mind PVP!). I enjoy the crafting system, but would like to do a bit more than "just" crafting. I like the quests, and collecting skyshards and applying skill points (with advice from a friend), and I LOVE exploring Tamriel (in areas where the mobs aren't too overpowering). With help from the friend I mentioned I've reached lev. 29. (We started at the same time, and he's already above CP160!)

So my question is, from you highly-experienced long-timers, what can I 'BE' in this game? Are there areas of involvement where someone like me could play a truly useful role, say in supporting others? Or some kind of solo endeavour I could pursue that would give satisfying rewards?

I really like this game, and would hate to give it up. I'd just be very grateful for ideas on what kind of realistic goals, within my slightly limited capabilities, I could pursue?

Thanks for your input!

Just stick to normal content and avoid veteran level difficulty and you should be fine.

Ilkuul · January 2021

Grandchamp1989 wrote: »

I would also love to promote the Youtuber Hack the Minotaur yet again for being a genuinely nice guy.

about a year ago I couldn't parse my way out of a wet paper bag. My parse was maybe 10-12k.

Made a video of my horrible parse and asked around for help.

Hack was the only youtuber who took the time to help me.

While I'm still not amazing my 60k+ is enough for 4 man content and a lot of none HM trials.

He seems genuinely interested in helping people so they can have access to all content in ESO. his one-bar setups are well known and will help anyone get through most content in ESO wether you're disabled, can't get rotations down or are very new at the game.

Can't say enough good things about him.

Hack is just awesome.

OK, well, not knowing what parsing is (oops), I couldn’t follow most of that, but I get the message again that Hack the Minotaur is the guy to go to! And I definitely like the one-bar idea. I have two right now, but I hardly ever use the back bar unless I end up on it by accident!

Ilkuul · January 2021

Davor wrote: »

Ilkuul wrote: »

[The three of us could link up, if you like: I have a Mac, my son's got a PC, and we play on the EU PC/Mac server. Could be a problem if you’re in the States… Let me know if it would be possible.

I forgot to say I am on the NA server. I live in Canada. I am 51. I don't really know how to use the social functions here very well. Next time I go on, I guess I have to choose the EU server, correct? I believe, I will have to start over again there, since I never played. Will make a character and see how it goes.

The name I use is HsojVvad. I hope you know how to add me. I do have a head set. Can we use that on PC to chat? I know on Xbox it can be done, never did for PC.

If you have the patience for me till I get up to speed on how to use the social functions, I will gladly try out the EU servers and see how it goes.

Davor

Oh wow. I appreciate your willingness to switch to the EU server! It will mean a new character, as you say, and that will take time to level up. Tell you what, I'll speak to my son (who's 34—we'll have a nice age spread!), and maybe your new character could join a pair of level 5's we have that we're building up into a mutually supportive pair—with mine more on the healing side, his the main fighter. I'm sure he'll have some good ideas about how the roles could be divided with a trio. We'd also need to be creative about the time zones, since he's in the UK (GMT) and I'm in South Africa (GMT+2)…

But there wouldn't be any problem adding you. We'll have to work out the best way of doing voice chat (which I absolutely rely on! I can't handle the in-game chat box!). We're both on Steam, so we've been using their voice chat. But if you’re not, my son's pretty tech-savvy so I'm sure he'll work something out.

Let me know how it goes getting set up on the EU server! My game name is Ilkuul (same as here on the forums).

SpiritofESO · January 2021

Ilkuul · January 2021

Nestor wrote: »

Are you PC NA? i can send you an invite to a guild who only wants you to be nice and have fun.

Sorry, no—I'm on PC/Mac EU. But thanks for the thought!

Ilkuul · January 2021

Mancombe_Nosehair wrote: »

As someone who is also not very good at combat, I would suggest giving tanking a go.

One skill I have found very useful in pve when surrounded by mobs is the Pulsar skill in the destruction staff skill line (it's the last one). Spamming that a few times slaughters most mobs, and made a real difference for me. There are likely better skills, but this one is easy to use for those of us who struggle with rotations.

That's good to know! Thanks for the tip. I'm not that far yet in the skill line, but I'm be ready to snatch it up when it comes!

Ilkuul · January 2021

Again, thanks so much to you all for your encouragement and helpful tips: they've been coming so thick & fast I haven't been able to keep up, but I do appreciate all the useful advice that's been given.

Ilkuul · January 2021

SpiritofESO wrote: »

Ilkuul wrote: »

Confession time! I'm a golden oldie....

We "Silver Dragons" generally hide our age, but I have been a dedicated gamer since 1999 with EverQuest and Asheron's Call (and I was not "young" even then ). Some practical thoughts:

At this point, I have an excellent (for PS4 use) "master chair" with a leg lift but an upright back. Mug of tea is ALWAYS feeding my mind and coordination a needed boost via caffeine. "No caffeine, no life."

Joints get old, so at a certain point we realize we are in the Aspirin Age. Hand stretching and MILD hand exercises are helpful.

Also, these games are mentally stimulating as well as fun. Yes, video games are THERAPEUTIC!

I also recommend Healer to be helpful and NEEDED. This also applies to Tank who, with a shield and heavy armor, stands there and taunts the Bosses so that the damage dealers can take them down as the healer heals.

I love my Nightblade the most since she is very powerful, stealthy and fast, but my Templar healer is more "serene" and my Dragonknight more "solid." These are my trio of characters with the Nightblade Main the one "who does everything" and the two Alts -- Templar and Dragonknight -- are fully skilled and geared and I play each every day. Excellent variety and helpful to earn extra Transmute Crystals (Random Dungeon reward) and Crafting Writs.

Good to hear of your long experience as a 'Silver Dragon'! I couldn’t agree more that video games are therapeutic at this stage of life—as well as just being great fun!

Yes, I'm already following up the Healer route with one of my characters; it was the other solo character I was more concerned about. Maybe as you suggest he can be a tank. Thanks for sharing your experience and encouragement!

Pauwer · January 2021

I used to play in a pvp guild where most of the active members were 60-70 years old. Just as long as you talk and play with the group, pvp can be done at any age. Older players are more fun to play with, as in they are fun and not taking the game too seriously, like some do

FrancisCrawford · January 2021

Ilkuul wrote: »

emilyhyoyeon wrote: »

Based on what you describe, in terms of what combat content you could do, you would probably manage perfectly fine with normal dungeons, any role. Regular normal dungeons don't demand a lot from the DDs, tank, or healer, at least once you get a bit more familiar with the game and its combat.

There's also a lot of overland content with various difficulties. Playing solo, delves are the best starting point. Public dungeons are more difficult than delves. World bosses (skull & swords map icon) can be quite difficult to solo but are a nice solo challenge if you ever get to that point. All of these things can be done with groups of people too.

Thanks for those suggestions. Again, it's good to know that you feel people of moderate combat ability can manage normal dungeons. I've been avoding them so far, but I have managed several delves.

I've heard from others, though, that the dungeons/delves/bosses in Vvardenfell (where I started) are actually significantly more difficult than in other parts of Tamriel—would you agree? In which case I might be better off learning how to tackle them in other zones first?

That is definitely true. Base-game delves are much simpler than those in Vvardenfell. And public dungeon group events are notably easier. World bosses are much easier too, although their difficulty does vary quite a bit.

SpiritofESO · January 2021

Anotherone773 · January 2021

Personally i think you are selling your self short. Combat isn't physical so it's not like you have to be athletic in real life. The only person holding you back is you. Level 29 is still a baby in this game. Your not even a teenager until you hit level 50. When you start racking up CP you will find the game gets significant easier especially when you stop being penalized for wearing armor that is below your level.

You don't need to be a healer to feel useful or feel like you are doing something. You can play any role you want. Just take it in small steps and build up as you learn the game. Your learning experience is no different than anyone else everyone started where you were. If you see people your level running around owning it, that is because they are experienced players on new characters and even though they say level 23 when you hover over them, those players probably have hundreds of CP put into that new character( its account wide and you can apply it to new characters at level 1) that you cant see. So don't feel like they are outperforming you because your "old". They are outperforming you because THEY'RE old...at least in the game. For solo activities you can also do housing, antiquities, and trading( farming for high value items included in this),stealing.

For beginner group activities:
1) Dolemans( Most base game zones)
2) Dragons( Both Elsweyr zones)
3) Harrowstorms( Western Skyrim and The Reach)
4) Battlegrounds
5) Normal beginner dungeons( you can try at any role just actually try to do that role)

1-3 are group activities but don't require you to be in a group. Just show up ( when other players are there) and start killing stuff). 4 and 5 you are auto placed in a group from the dungeon finder queue. In beginner non DLC dungeons people have low expectations of the players. Its a good place to learn to dungeons and then work your way up.

There are people that play this game that are your age( probably, the oldest person ive met that plays is 74. i met a few in 70s, quite a few in 60s, and a lot in 50s) and some have crippling issues when it comes to using a keyboard/mouse/controller. Don't ever think you can't do something because of your age. My mother is 80 years old and still does a physical labor job 30 hrs a week because she likes working

FrancisCrawford · January 2021

madman65 wrote: »

I`ll throw in my thoughts, I have an Argonian Necro Healer that just keeps on impressing me. Okay on Tanking, Good on DPS and Great as a healer.

Tanking: I only use very rare because it`s not optimal, Medusa/Jorvuld`s/Bogdan. I use when I have gamers that have not researched the mechanics.

DPS: Mother`s Sorrow/Perfected False God`s/Slimecraw

Healer: Jorvuld`s/Winter`s Respite/Bogdan

I know some gamers will say that`s not the best but it`s how you play and what`s comfortable.
Many times in a pledge me and the tank get things started, i`ll go in and set my Bone totem to stun mobs and the tank will start taunting and pulling.
I have beaten WB`s on solo with the necro so it`s a very fun build. Please be nice gamers, I know it`s not an OPTIMAL build. Just trying to help.

Perfected False God only drops from the veteran version of a trial. I don't think recommending it is very helpful to this particular poster at this particular time.

FrancisCrawford · January 2021

Anyhow: I'm a grandfather, and my reflexes weren't great when I was young. Health limits my equipment set up a little bit; for example, my legs are always up and my keyboard lies loosely on my lap, leading me to mishit keys distressingly often. Similar things are true of my wife @DarcyMardin.

Still, she and I can can duo the game's easier 26 or so group dungeons in normal mode, and the easiest ones in vet. I've done regular Maestrom Arena on 15 of my 18 characters so far. I'd be comfortable healing (in a Groupfinder PUG) any normal dungeon in the game, and the vet versions of at least the ones my wife and I can duo on normal.

I have much less trouble with bar-swapping than some people, because I use a mouse with extra buttons, and have programmed the most comfortably accessible button for swap. You can do similar things for dodge, crouch, grab-synergy, and so on. The Logitech G300 series is cheap and good for that approach.

What I can NOT do well is fight and move simultaneously. That's a horrible lack in PvP, and limits me in tougher PvE content as well. Perhaps a new mouse with more buttons will help, but that remains to be seen. I actually did well enough in Cyrodiil during some double AP events to unlock skills, stock up on transmute crystals, etc., but that was before recent changes designed to make things harder for casual PvPers.

RunForTheHills · January 2021

If you are on PC, I would recommend getting an MMO mouse with extra buttons. They can cost anywhere from $40 - $150. I have The Razer Naga Pro wireless mouse and use the six button plate. I have the buttons mapped to the numbers 1-5 and one button for the bar swap. It made using skills a lot easier for me. I started with a Logitech G600, which is inexpensive, but it actually had too many buttons for me. You could also get a game keypad like the Razer Tartarus.

Ilkuul · January 2021

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

… I use a mouse with extra buttons, and have programmed the most comfortably accessible button for swap. You can do similar things for dodge, crouch, grab-synergy, and so on. The Logitech G300 series is cheap and good for that approach.

What I can NOT do well is fight and move simultaneously. That's a horrible lack in PvP, and limits me in tougher PvE content as well. Perhaps a new mouse with more buttons will help, but that remains to be seen.

Yes, my son has a multi-buttoned mouse and swears by it. Maybe I need to try that. I also struggle with bar-swapping, as well as fighting and moving at the same time—so I would also need a mouse with lots of buttons! Thanks for that suggestion.

Ilkuul · January 2021

RunForTheHills wrote: »

If you are on PC, I would recommend getting an MMO mouse with extra buttons. They can cost anywhere from $40 - $150. I have The Razer Naga Pro wireless mouse and use the six button plate. I have the buttons mapped to the numbers 1-5 and one button for the bar swap. It made using skills a lot easier for me. I started with a Logitech G600, which is inexpensive, but it actually had too many buttons for me. You could also get a game keypad like the Razer Tartarus.

Haha, I've just responded to FrancisCrawford along the exact same lines! My main problem with getting a fancy mouse, though, is that I live in South Africa and the range of gaming hardware available out here is pretty small. But there are ways of getting items from overseas that might not toally break the bank…

Davor · January 2021

Dang. I got nothing. I guess I am really starting over. So before I do, I am wondering, does alliance matter? I always chose Aldmeri Dominion. So if you are not in that alliance, what are you in so I know what race to look at and see what class to be.

mairwen85 · January 2021

Hey, OP. I'm also a silver surfer (kind of). I'm in my late 50s, and I play dps and healer mainly--I have a tank, but she's mostly collecting dust unless I really feel the urge or friends are at a loss and don't mind having a crap one. I've cleared most content with my healer and dps(es); I don't think age limits me at all (apart from a few social situations). Truth is it all depends on you and how deep you want to get into the game, and there will always be players on a similar level happy to play with you if you know where to look. So scope out guilds, and get a feel for others and what they expect.

RunForTheHills · January 2021

Ilkuul wrote: »

Haha, I've just responded to FrancisCrawford along the exact same lines! My main problem with getting a fancy mouse, though, is that I live in South Africa and the range of gaming hardware available out here is pretty small. But there are ways of getting items from overseas that might not toally break the bank…

Yes, I see I was late with my recommendation. The problem I had with the G600 was that with twelve buttons on the side, I couldn't remember what button was mapped to what action during the heat of battle. I suppose I would have eventually committed it to muscle memory. While it is possible to walk into a Best Buy and buy a gaming mouse here, I usually order those things online. I live in the mountains and it is a two hour round trip drive to go to Best Buy. I am sure there are online resellers for Logitech in South Africa, but it probably costs more than here. It might be worth it if it makes the game more enjoyable for you though.

Ilkuul · January 2021

Davor wrote: »

Dang. I got nothing. I guess I am really starting over. So before I do, I am wondering, does alliance matter? I always chose Aldmeri Dominion. So if you are not in that alliance, what are you in so I know what race to look at and see what class to be.

Ah, sorry. So nothing carries over from one server to the other. Well, fortunately the two characters of ours that I mentioned are only level 5, so it wouldn't take too long for a new character to catch up.

My character's a Wood Elf with the Aldmeri Dominion (a Templar), and my son has a Breton with the Daggerfall Covenant (also a Templar). So we're not too worried about mixing alliances. If we're looking to help and support one another, though, it might help if you also had a Templar. We've looked quite extensively into Templar stuff (especially my son), but we don't know much about the other classes.

Let me know when you’re set up, and we can get connected. It might not be today unless it's within the next hour—it's just gone 11 pm out here.

Ilkuul · January 2021

mairwen85 wrote: »

Hey, OP. I'm also a silver surfer (kind of). I'm in my late 50s, and I play dps and healer mainly--I have a tank, but she's mostly collecting dust unless I really feel the urge or friends are at a loss and don't mind having a crap one. I've cleared most content with my healer and dps(es); I don't think age limits me at all (apart from a few social situations). Truth is it all depends on you and how deep you want to get into the game, and there will always be players on a similar level happy to play with you if you know where to look. So scope out guilds, and get a feel for others and what they expect.

Thanks Mairwen85, I hear you! As others have also recommended, I'll certainly check out the guilds. And I've been given a lot of good ideas about how to continue as a solo player, so this forum has already provided sterling support!

Ilkuul · January 2021

RunForTheHills wrote: »

Ilkuul wrote: »

Haha, I've just responded to FrancisCrawford along the exact same lines! My main problem with getting a fancy mouse, though, is that I live in South Africa and the range of gaming hardware available out here is pretty small. But there are ways of getting items from overseas that might not toally break the bank…

Yes, I see I was late with my recommendation. The problem I had with the G600 was that with twelve buttons on the side, I couldn't remember what button was mapped to what action during the heat of battle. I suppose I would have eventually committed it to muscle memory. While it is possible to walk into a Best Buy and buy a gaming mouse here, I usually order those things online. I live in the mountains and it is a two hour round trip drive to go to Best Buy. I am sure there are online resellers for Logitech in South Africa, but it probably costs more than here. It might be worth it if it makes the game more enjoyable for you though.

Thanks for the extra details. Yes, we do most of our shopping for computer stuff online, too—but the online stores only stock the most popular items, for obvious reasons. There are direct import places, where we can order from the States or Britain and they handle the shipping, customs formalities, etc.; but with flights severely reduced due to Covid, I don't know whether they're still operating or what sort of fees they're charging. Anyway, it's something I can certainly try!