ESO: Best class for a novice player ESO guide, tips

Last update: 27 May 2020

On this page of our guide you can find basic information about available character classes in The Elder Scrolls Online, as well as about their unique features and specializations (that is, tank, healer, support, DPS). In addition, we suggest which classes can be considered as best for novice players in TESO.

• Basic information
• Character class - can I change the one I've chosen before?
• Active skills of your chosen class - how to use?
• Best class for a novice player - which one?
• Recommended group roles for each class
• Dragonknight Class
• Nightblade Class
• Sorcerer Class
• Templar Class
• Warden Class
• Necromancer Class

Basic information

1. The choice of class is made when you create a new character. By default, 4 of the 6 classes are available in the game - Dragonknight, Nightblade, Sorcerer and Templar.
2. The standard 2020 version of TESO also features the Warden class, which was added in the Morrowind expansion set. If you have an old version of the game without access to the Morrowind add-on, you will have to unlock this DLC first.
3. The Necromancer class was added in the Elsweyr expansion set. If you want to choose it, you need to purchase the add-on or have an active (paid) ESO Plus subscription.
4. In TESO, all character classes can be versatile despite having top-down specializations . For example, when choosing a Sorcerer class, you don't have to bet that the created character will be 100 percent focused on casting spells. The distinguishing elements of each class are the active and passive skills reserved for them - they are not available to the other classes.
5. Regardless of the chosen class, your character can use all types of weapons and all types of armor, such as light, medium or heavy armor. This makes it easier to create interesting builds. For example, a mage, apart from casting spells, is also able to attack an enemy with a melee weapon.

Character class - can I change the one I've chosen before?

1. Unfortunately, the game does not allow you to change the previously selected character class. The only solution is to create a new hero who will become a representative of the class you are interested in.
2. TESO allows you to reset Attributes, Skills and so-called Morphs. To do so, you must visit a location with Shrines. Shrines can be found in Grahtwood (Valenwood region), Mournhold (Deshaan region), Rimmen (Elsweyr region), Vivec City (Vvanderfell region) and Wayrest (Stormhaven region).
3. To reset Attributes (Rededication), Skills or Morphs you must pay with coins by making "voluntary" donations. In order to reset each Attribute or Skill point, 50 gold pieces must be spent. The further you advance in the game, the more this process will cost you.
4. Alternatively, you can use Crown Store to reset the character stats - by paying with Crowns. You can purchase the Attribute Respecification Scroll to reset attributes and Skill Respecification Scroll to reset skills. Each of these scrolls costs 700 Crowns and you can use them at any level of experience.

Active skills of your chosen class - how to use?

The game does not grant you any skills related to the class of your choice for free. All abilities must be purchased by using the Skill Points.

All abilities get unlocked for development points and the active skills you are interested in must be placed on the quick selection bar. You can then turn them on by pressing the appropriate key / button, but the game will only allow you to do so if you don't have to wait for a skill to renew and only if you have the required amount of magicka / stamina.

Passive abilities do not need to be manually activated. They automatically work" in the background " and you don't have to use or trigger them in any way.

Best class for a novice player - which one?

If you are playing The Elder Scrolls Online for the first time, you should consider choosing a class that will be easy to play and that can provide great versatility in case you want to change your existing style of play without having to create a new character from a scratch.

We advise taking particular interest in the following classes:

1. Dragonknight - by choosing this class, you will be able to create a good warrior, although you can also acquire magical skills and spells. Dragonknight works best as a tank, but it can also become a decent dps. It is worth adding that his damage per second may be concern stamina or magicka, not only health points.
2. Templar - this is the most versatile class in the game. You can create a Templar who will inflict heavy damage with melee weapons or use powerful spells. However, Templar works best as a Healer, that is, as a character who can heal and increase the defensive capabilities of himself and his companions. It's worth considering developing specialization class if you want to die less often.

Recommended group roles for each class

Below you will find a list of recommended roles in the team depending on the character class you choose. Remember that the choice of a class does not determine who your character may become at the end. This is particularly noticeable in case of versatile classes such as Templar, which can be successfully developed for almost any role.

1. Dragonknight - Tank / DPS
2. Nightblade - DPS (stamina)
3. Sorcerer - DPS (magicka) / Healer
4. Templar - all roles with special emphasis on a Healer
5. Warden - all roles
6. Necromancer - DPS / Healer

Dragonknight Class

1. Dragonknight resembles a typical warrior or a fighter, which tends to inflict injuries in hand-to-hand combat or in short-distance combat.
2. Dragonknight is perfectly suited to the role of a tank, a character who draws the attention and aggro of all opponents. This can be especially helpful when you travel in a group including players with other specializations, so there is a smaller chance that they may be attacked by enemies. A character of this class can also focus on developing a DPS role, which consists in inflicting as much damage as possible. Depending on the selected skill trees, Dragonknight can inflict heavy damage by using melee combat or by casting spells.
3. Dragonknight cannot become a healer, that is, a character whose job is to support and heal other team members. However, Dragonknight can use abilities that allow him to effectively heal himself.
4. Ardent Flame's skills focus on the ability to inflict fire damage on opponents. You can also impose negative effects on them that will persist for some time.
5. Draconic Power tree skills are primarily defensive and allow, among others, gain a large bonus for armor. It is also possible to use offensive area of effect capabilities.
6. Earthen Heart tree skills contain some Crowd Control abilities, skills that reduce received injuries (by the hero and optionally also the rest of the team) or stun and slow down monsters.
7. Dragonknight's priority is to develop a high amount of health points, although magicka and stamina can also be useful to him. Recommended choices for this class are heavy armor and sword and shield combat.

Nightblade Class

1. Nightblade resembles a typical rogue character. The default operating pattern assumes the use of dual wielding (like two daggers) to launch quick attacks out of hiding. Alternatively, it is possible to create a build that also focuses on a bow.
2. Nightblade is an ideal candidate for the role of DPS, a character that inflicts as much damage as possible on enemies. Stealth attacks performed by a rogue can deprive enemies of many more health points. A character of this class can also become a Healer, a character who can effectively heal himself and other team members.
3. Nightblade shouldn't be played as a Tank. A role which main motivation is to invoke the attention of all surrounding opponents. The Nightblade class is the total opposite of this style of play. You can gain a lot by attacking your enemies by surprise and in such a way that they cannot defend themselves effectively against these attacks.
4. Skills of the Assassination skill tree are directly related to Nightblade DPS development. While playing as Nightblade, remember to use two fast weapons and try to inflict many powerful attacks.
5. The skills of the Shadow skill tree are primarily associated with sneaking abilities. Additionally, it is possible to rely on abilities that can weaken your enemies.
6. The Siphoning skill tree has a supportive character. They can you in restoring health, magicka, and stamina bars.
7. The priority for a Nightblade is to develop a high amount of stamina points, however to some extent you can also invest in magicka. It is advisable to use light armor or medium armor when playing this class.

Sorcerer Class

1. Sorcerer is a typical mage character, who is able to cast powerful spells that weaken opponents, but also summon minions to protect himself and other team members.
2. Sorcerer can be highly effective as a DPS character, that is, a role whose attacks are capable of dealing heavy damage to opponents. A representative of this class has a wide range of offensive spells. A Sorcerer can also be a healer and a support character.
3. Sorcerer is definitely not a tank and may die very quickly if he becomes a target of very strong enemies. A character of this class should definitely avoid direct confrontations with monsters and stay away at a safe distance from them.
4. Daedric Summoning skills, as the name suggests, primarily involve summoning various magical minions that can attack enemies. The summoned creatures can also be protected.
5. The Dark Magicskill tree contains abilities that are primarily protective and therefore useful for supporting other characters. There are also some useful healing powers here.
6. The Storm Calling skill tree abilities are offensive in nature and should therefore interest a sorcerer, who wants to increase his DPS. Spells allow you to attack and weaken individual enemies and groups of enemies in different ways.
7. The priority for Sorcerer is to develop a decent pool of magicka. The other 2 attributes are not important for this class. Sorcerer should use light armor and should also choose a good staff - depending on the preference of the staff it may have offensive or healing properties.

Templar Class

1. Templar resembles Paladins of other role-playing games to some extent, as it is the most versatile class of all available standard classes. This means that you can more easily create a character that meets your expectations. By choosing Templar it's also easier to create a hybrid, that is a hero who will combine different styles of play.
2. Templar is capable of performing any of the main roles, that is as a Tank (but it won't be as effective as Tank-Dragonknight), DPS (a character which inflicts as much damage as possible on enemies), Support (a character supporting other team members) or Healer (a character healing himself and other allies). It is worth paying particular attention to the latter group, as Templar can be an extremely effective healer and perform better in this role than characters from other available classes.
3. The skills of the Aedric Spear skill tree are associated with DPS specialization (inflict as much damage as possible on enemies). We're talking about magical damage, which are using magicka.
4. The abilities of Dawn's Wrath skill tree are primarily associated with Support role, but there are also spells with a typically offensive effect.
5. The abilities of Restoring Light skill tree include the most important healing abilities - use them to heal yourself and your allies.
6. The allocation of attribute points should depend on the preferred style of play. If you want to create a Templar as a healer, invest more points in magicka and health. In addition, we recommend to use light armor.

Warden Class

1. Warden, like Templar, can be a fairly versatile class. Representatives of this class are able to wield the forces of nature and summon minions which, unlike ordinary pets, can actively participate in battles.
2. The Warden may also become a Tank , Healer or a DPS character. Of course, it is also possible to partially combine different styles of play to play as a hybrid of different classes.
3. Abilities of Winter's Embrace skill tree primarily contain ice spells. Many of them are defensive and using them can also be a good idea if you decide to play Warden as a tank.
4. Skills of the Green Balance skill tree are mostly healing and as a result, using them is recommended if you plan to use Warden as a Healer.
5. The Animal Companions skill tree allows Wardens to summon minions and animals, which, in addition to dealing standard damage to enemies, are also able to poison them. This is the best ability category in terms of DPS.
6. The distribution of Skill Points should be similar to Templar class and it should depend on the selected gameplay style. Spend most points on stamina and magicka if you are creating a DPS / Healer character, or prioritise the pool of health points if you want to create Tank.

Necromancer Class

1. Necromancer according to its name allows you to play as a dark warlock, who is able to control the corpses of fallen enemies and resurrect undead minions so that they can fight on his side.
2. Necromancer can successfully perform in any of the available roles - he can become a Tank (protect the team and receive lots of damage), DPS (use different offensive elements), Healer (resurrect fallen allies and heal them) or Support character. .
3. Abilities of Grave Lord skill tree can allow you to weaken your enemies with strong attacks that use the elements of fire and ice, among other things, as well as summon undead creatures that can join battles on the Necromancer's side.
4. Skills of the Bone Tyrant skill tree enable Necromancer, among other things, to leech health points from enemies. The necromancer can also turn into the mighty Bone Goliath, which has a huge amount of hp and is able to regenerate through successful attacks.
5. Living Death skill tree allows Necromancer to resurrect fallen allies, heal himself or the team members or summon ghosts which can restore health points.
6. A Necromancer should get a lot of stamina points if your priority is to build a character to effectively weaken your opponents (DPS), and a lot of magicka points if you are trying to create a Necromancer as a Healer who uses various spells to heal himself and his allies.