Classes in Elder Scrolls Online
Most MMO games require you to choose a class for your character. This choice is always very important because it sets a lot of restrictions for your future experience. Elder Scrolls Online also has a class system, but it is not so strict. Classes in ESO determine your basic skills. Does not matter what class you choose, you can use all weapons and armour types anyway. It is your choice what type of armour to use: heavy, light or medium leather. The same applies to weapons, you can wield any weapon and fight as you wish. So classes in ESO do not restrict you to only using a limited set of gear. They just set the general direction of your future development.
Why it’s important to select a proper class? Because this choice determines your Class Skills and this choice is permanent. Templar, Nightblade, Sorcerer and Dragon Knight have different abilities and you will not be able to jump from Nightblade to Sorcerer.
What about archetypes? You can be Tank, Damage Dealer or Healer with any class! It’s one of the most important features of ESO. That’s because there are a lot of other skill lines: Weapon and Armor skills, Werewolf, Vampire and so on. Every player can use any weapon type and any armor. If you want to be a Tank you need to take Sword and Shield. This skill line has special abilities for increasing defense and survivability.
Don’t forget that there are also Champion Points for making your character ever more focused. For example Champion Points allow to increase defense, survivability and resistance even more and you will become much better tank.
Roles
Any Class in ESO is great for any role! That’s because there are a lot of other skill lines: Weapon and Armor skills, Werewolf, Vampire and so on. But each Class has its abilities and these abilities also have specialization. The list below demonstrates best classes for different archetypes if we don’t take into account weapon skills, armor skills and so on.
- Melee Damage Dealer – Dragonknight, Nightblade, Templar
- Ranged Damage Dealer – Nightblade (with bow) or Sorcerer (with staff)
- Tank – Dragonknight or Templar
- Healer – Templar
- Rogue – Nightblade
- Summoner – Sorcerer
Once again: any class can play any role! Recommendations above can make your gameplay easier and probably more enjoyable in the beginning. But these variants are not the only possible!
The tradition of all TES games is to allow the player to level up weapon mastery for any weapon type. ESO has the same system. As you level your weapon you will get new skills that will increase their efficiency. These skills will level independently from your normal class skills, and will change depending on the weapon you are currently using.
Health, Magicka and Stamina trees can also be found in ESO. All these pools depend on how you spend your attribute points. You can choose to Max out one attribute or balance several attributes. You are free to develop your own “build”. Such a system allows you to create a truly personal character with unique point distribution depending on your will and playing experience. Imagine the ability to create an axe wielding healer or stealth based mage. ESO opens up some interesting possibilities.
Your gameplay will most likely be affected by the way in which you spend your skill points. For example if you spend most of your points to increase Health you are developing your protagonist as a warrior or tank. If you prefer Stamina you will be a damage dealer. But the distribution is not strict and you can decide how to develop your character. For instance, if you are an avid PvP player you may wish to invest a lot of points in Health.
Is it possible to change your character’s class?
It isn't possible. You can't change the class. Your race, class and faction choices are permanent.
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Building a class in ESO is definitely going to be a long term deck-building style because of the limited number of skill points we will have access to. It will take time to earn access to higher ranked skills. Of course the faster way to earn XP in that line will be to use more skills from that line, in turn using more of your precious skill points. By my last count, I only added around 150 points for all your active, passive, armor, morphs, racial, crafting, etc. So while it might SOUND like a lot, they will disappear quickly.
Any class in ESO can sneak, but Nighblade can also use temproary invisibility. Nightblade has a lot of great melee abilities. If you are planning to fight in the center of battle – this may help. But if you are planning to kite a lot then you need probably focus on Bow skills.
Your question is very difficult to answer because only you know your playing style and strategy. We are going to launch forums soon where you'll be able to discus your potential build in details.
Someone starts the game, and choose to be a Sorcerer. Then he chooses the Dark Magic path and start building it, to understand later that omg..i don't like that, can i re-locate my points for Storm Calling?
That's the question, and i assume many will want to change that, or the only option is: start again?
I would also like to use two handed weapons but not sure weather its a dagger or a sword or mace. But really I want to do range with abilites to help at close range any ideas?
If I want to create such build I would probably look at Nightblade class. But that's because I like Nightblades :)
So say i go nightblade what race would be best and what skills would i level into
Read description of races and their racial abilities and make decision yourself. It’s your character and you will be playing it. I can just advice: if you are going to rely on magicka choose a race with good magicka regeneration. If you are going to spend mostly stamina – choose race with stamina regen passive. Racial Skills
I've done that build during the beta and I'm all pleased with it. However, I went Heavy Armor and all three class-trees. The strength with this was that I could deal some real ranged damage by first casting Crystal Fragments and knock-down the foe, casting it another time while it's down. Then when back on its feet and running towards me usually, one Endless Fury was enough. Otherwise it's a sweet thing with that skill — once the foe is low in health it explodes dealing good damage to additional foes. This weekends beta I unlocked the dual-wield skill Flurry. Really cool! If the foe actually survived all of the above and continued charging it was met by a quick pow-pow-pow x 5 stabbing by the twin daggers.
I'll definitely go for this build in the final as well!
Another really lingering thought is to go for some AoE snare and Summon Storm Atronach, whilst chugging away Dark Magic and Storm Calling.
Yep, I'm in for the early access as well :)
For example if you are wearing a bow and rely on weapon skills a lot you may want to have extra stamina regeneration and increased critical strike chance. Medium armor will give you this (if you master all the passives in medium armor skill tree).
Heavy armor will give you more passive defense. It increases armor and spell resistance, health regeneration, healing received and so on.
I recommend you to launch the game and to read the description of each armor skill. Everything is written there and you will be able to make a decision.
Don’t forget that you can combine different pieces of armor: for example 2 heavy and 5 medium.
I'm a Wood Elf, and I have been playing around with a few ideas, what do you think of going:
Wood Elf Sorceror, Bow primary Weapon, magic is a back up when stamina runs dry?
Wood elfs have great racial bonuses to stealth, so does medium armor
Thoughts people?