Don't worry about failing. If you run into a boss you can't defeat, then just try again. Chances are, the boss won't be there the next time.

If you just want to complete the quest, then you can potentially complete it in about 30 minutes. If you want to go until you run out of lives, that can take a significant amount of time to complete.

Learn how to complete the mini games in the portals to the unknown, they allow you to unlock some powerful upgrades.

Have fun and don’t be discouraged! Try another approach, seek help if you’re having difficulty with something, you’ll get better and the eventual victory will be all the sweeter. Going with a friend is also much easier and a lot of fun!

DragonRacer wrote: »

What is this “Arc 1” and “Arc 3” etc that you folks are mentioning?

one arc is a series of trash and boss fights, culminating at you facing a thot republican. each arc is progressively more difficult.

if you just want sets and only have an hour, run arc 1 then quit. rerun arc 1 for more loot.

if you have hours on end to waste and want to play with impervious tanky build that can survive long enough for stuff attacking you to die from status effects, then go for higher arcs.

Understand what your skills do and how visions/verses affect them, sometimes things don't work the way you think they should.

Also, don't be afraid to buy a verse for a boss fight from the fliers to make it easier, if you win you'll always at least break even. Those mysterious verses can be lifesavers.

Also, read the verse descriptions when you choose, you just might skip something really good if you just skim over it like I did with the Guardian of Pestilence and it's insane utility.

The minigames may seem daunting/difficult, but with a bit of practice they're all beatable.

And finally, just have fun, it's a game.

Don’t go near the marauders. 😶

Caligamy_ESO wrote: »

adamsmith42 wrote: »

Don't bother taking a Sorc... unlike any other group PVE content, pets get killed in EA, and from Arc 3 boss forward that death is pretty much instant, so Sorc tanks have no reliable self heal, and Sorc dps is going to underperform since so much of their damage is loaded into their pets.

I agree somewhat with this except they do have critical surge for healing which is substantial if you build for it. Though if I am being honest I have never been a fan of pet heals on my sorcs.

My advice however is ignore the rules you've learned about PvP and PvE builds and build specifically for Endless Archives and synergizing with the vision/verse buffs found in it.

Crit surge is pretty useless on a tank w/ 13% crit rate... I bring it up b/c one of the people I play with a lot is really frustrated with EA... he *only* plays the sorc (but has gotten every DLC dungeon trifecta as dps, heal and tank on it) He mostly tanks now, but unlike any other group PvE content, it's just not very viable without being able to rely on that clanfear heal.

adamsmith42 wrote: »

Don't bother taking a Sorc... unlike any other group PVE content, pets get killed in EA, and from Arc 3 boss forward that death is pretty much instant, so Sorc tanks have no reliable self heal, and Sorc dps is going to underperform since so much of their damage is loaded into their pets.

For sorc tanks the clanfear dispawning easily is a problem they have to work around for sure, but I disagree about dps. I went in super casually on my stamsorc to take a break from my NB, and I don't use any pets on that character, and even without any build preparation, I still made it to arc 4. Not saying they shouldn't fix the pet issue, only that it's not dramatic (and if you check the leaderboards, sorc have some of the highest scores and more number of players past arc 6).

Elvenheart wrote: »

I randomly picked one called Eye Catching which every 30 seconds summons an Eye that draws mobs to attack it for a 15 seconds, and reduces their damage dealt by 40% for 15 seconds.

I second that verse, it's really handy and can be a life saver during trash fights in the later arcs. The only thing I find tricky is the synergy, it takes a bit to activate. Maybe it's a gamepad UI issue or maybe it's because the animation of it is clanky. This is the reason why I don't use the ''postulent globules'' verse, even though it's good, the synergy is a bit clanky so it's risky to try and activate in the later arcs where there's a lot of incoming damage. ''Shackled resolve'' is another good one, it gives you a shield and helps a lot with mitigation. From the offensive ones, I like ''flame aura'', it's a permanent fire AoE around your character, a bit like the proc from Grothdar, and it does nice damage. The ''fire orbs'' also do damage but you have to position optimally to make use of them and it takes some micromanagement. Another great defensive one is ''rebirth'' because it's like a temporary extra thread, so if you die your character instead becomes immune to damage and then gets healed, it's a bit like some older sets like Phoenix and one of the Yokedas used to work.

For the visions, it depends on one's build but the transformation ones are really strong. You get to transform into an ice or iron atronach, or a werewolf, and have all sorts of crazy skills and stats, but to get them you need to stack three of the same vision, and then you need to get a verse that activates the transformation for that round. So there's multiple RNG steps involved and you're more likely to get them the further you go along, though personally I haven't had good RNG with them.

• The first time you run into the marauders, they will instakill you. Don't worry, by the time you learn their mechanics you can kill them reliably (although 4 swords dude can be dicey).
• If you're experienced and have a decent build, your first run with probably make it to main boss (Tho'at) Arc 2, where, you'll die to rapid and multiple 20K hits. What is hitting you are the little green blobs.
• Also, don;t damage Tho'at when she's in her bubble (you get more glass shards thrown at you).
• Your 22K health no resistance DPS build will start getting hit repeatedly and hard by Arc 3. If you are competitive and want to push yourself, having 25K resistances and/or defensive gear/skills help.
• Penetration will most likely be your best choice for DPS options.
• Some verses can carry any build through the content: Eye Catcher, Bleed from direct damage, Pestilent Guardian are particularly strong. Swift Gale is also really good though not quite at the level of the previous three.
• If you are competitive, it is worth adopting your build with the Visions you get from killing bosses. Warden + Ice Furnace + Status Effect vision + Cold Damage boost = win.
• What matters here is more about how comfortable you are with a class than what does the most DPS.
• The content is a lot easier with a partner. It's a good opportunity to socialize with your in game friends.

Surviving Marauders and Arc 3-4 should be your goal, instead of faster DPS (there aren't many DPS races, but Arcs 6+ duo or 3+ solo become a slog even with good damage).

You seem to need about 30-35k health and ~28-30k armor to survive the marauders, even on arc 2 when damage is lower. I've seen people survive them this way even on Oakensoul builds with just 1-2 heals. Recovery can keep you alive, and penetration can speed you up.

Most reliable source I found for penetration cap:

Tho'at armor: 18200
All other enemies: 9100

I don't think I've seen anyone mention it yet, but you can Quick Slot the 1-time use Verses that you get after completing the Archive for the first time. You also earn them killing Marauders or by purchasing them from vendors. I like using the Quick Slotted consumable Verse when a Marauder appears, but you can only use one per Cycle, so you won't have a bonus Verse for Tho'at if you use one on the 5th Cycle. I like using a consumable Verse for Tho'at on Arc 3 and higher.

I believe they also don't explain it in game, but the UI for your position in the Archive: Arc, Cycle, Stage are in that order, and if you hover over them with a cursor it doesn't tell you which is which unfortunately.

There are permanent upgrades you can by from the vendor who is on the platform who's stall is only visibly accessible until you approach it. It's a cool animation as a bridge appears, but it can be hard to find. Those aforementioned permanent upgrades are really helpful but you have to complete the Doors to the Unknown enough times to unlock them. You might not have the opportunity to decide which to unlock first, by my partner and I prioritized an additional Vision selection and we don't regret it.

The alternative route in Doors to the Unknown have no risk or drawback, so you can freely attempt one if you have the time. You can also leave without having to attempt it by just returning to the portal without walking forward if you get one you don't like.

XSTRONG wrote: »

As a ps5 player I took out pen and paper for this thread but everyone is writing what is obvious, companions suck in ea and it gets harder the further you go

I'll write some stuff down which might most definetly come up as questions in your head once you get inside, but I'll try to write them down in a way to avoid spoilers but hopefully have you potentially remind these notes once you get "there".

Ok, here we go. Cryptic tips and tricks for the console player who doesn't want to struggle but also explore things themselves:

- Listen to the quest bosses voice lines she puts out when casting spells in order for you to guess how that spell will affect you negatively on time.

- Mirrors mirror things. Those things range from mere sight to actual damage. If you don't take the mirror seriously, you'll get hurt. A lot.

- If there are two staircases connected to the same platform, be a meanie and loop before he slaps you out of existence.

- The second spell is for marking every target in your range through walls, the third to give you a quick speed boost.

- You can not heal yourself when missing an eye and you'll be extremely squishy to EVERYTHING.

- Friends can pick you up by pressing X near you. But they most likely won't because you went separate ways in order to finish this whole thing quicker and now one of you is lying dead in a corner and the other one got trapped between a book tornado and a bad place.

- Remember that one time the game turned you into a goat? Yeah, do the EXACT same thing again you did back then and after the third time, press your ultimate key to 'Baaah'-nish the enemy.

- We first bash the bosmer, then kick the crystal. The tall guy is loud...but slow.

- Don't sweat yourself wondering in what order you have to press those buttons. Just be a quick and run for it.

- Take your first 10k archive points earned and head to the left vendor to purchase a speed buff you'll praise every single second you spend on trying to talk things out with a marauder.

- If you get to unlock a verse that let's you throw stuff, have a quick glance at the description and accept the fact that a dead skeever and a pile of wet goop deal more damage than whatever parse both you and I could ever pull off.
Throw it, don't blow it.

- You can take a break for 15 minutes max before the game logs you out.

- Verses are temporary, vision are forever. Stacks are great.

- A dragons greatest enemy is the block animation.

- Get used to looting containers first before spawning the first wave of adds. Why you'd do such a thing? Because nobody likes suprise visitors, that's why.

- You didn't miss any quest items on your way here, they really only spawn once every new moon.

- Red skin and four arms will ruin your evening.

- If you ever happen to change your form inside the endless archive, remember to requip your gear, CP and skills that come with a slotted-passive afterwards as there is currently a bug that may cause all these neat effects to disappear entirely until you do so.


...Yeah I think that's pretty much it.

Copy/paste of some build advice I gave in another thread. Works well if you're struggling on the early arcs, needs even more health/resistance if you want to clear the later ones (with damage coming from the visions you gather).

If you are going to solo this, you are the tank, dd and healer all in one. Some general advice that works for PvP builds works here as well:

• Armor: use 3 pieces heavy reinforced for the big body pieces (head/chest/legs). Combined with major/minor resolve this will give you a decent amount of resistance.
• Attributes: don't put everything in mag or stam. Aim to hit 30k health, more if you feel insecure.
• Weapons: run your offensive weapon of choice on the frontbar, use ice staff or 1h & shield on the backbar. Don't forget to switch to your backbar when needed, and to actually use block.
• Skills: depending on your class you'll need a shield and/or a burst heal.
• Mythics: if you have access to it, Ring of the Pale Order is your best friend for solo content.
• Champion points: Don't use 4 offensive blue CP skills, add in some defense as well. Focused Mending (+10% on single target heals) can be very good to boost your burst heal. Ironclad (-6% damage taken from direct damage attacks) is always strong.

Also keep in mind that a lot of heavy hitting boss mechanics are aoe, designed to take out a group of players. This makes minor/major evasion a very strong defensive buff.

I find the title weird. Console friends??
Not a part of the ESO Family?
Just those friends, over there, somewhere in the distance! Just a bit closer now than they were when the update dropped for PC.