In this larger than lifeElder Scrolls OnlineGuide we are going to cover all the important information for new Players entering the world ofTamrielfor the first time. When starting out there is a lot to know, so beginners may feel overwhelmed, which is natural. Here we are going to explain pretty much every facet of ESO and provide tips as well.
ESO Business Model
Before we get started with gameplay tips, it is important to know what business modelElder Scrolls Onlineuses. ESO can be played after purchasing it, and afterwards no monthly subscription is necessary and it can be played infinitely.ESO Plus, the monthly subscription, brings a lot of benefits that can impact speed of progression significantly, but it is not required.Hereyou can read all the differences when playing with and without this subscription.
In addition to that there is aCrown Storewhere you can spendCrowns, a premium currency bought with real-world money. Crowns are also given on a monthly basis by havingESO Plus. With Crowns you can purchaseDLCs, as well as Houses and other goodies like Mounts or Costumes. Conversely, you gain access to all DLCs if you have an active ESO Plus membership, but access is revoked upon its expiration.
Is ESO Plus worth it then? That really depends on the time you plan on investing into the game. If you are an infrequent player then it may not be worth it since ESO Plus’s benefits would not be used to their maximum. If you play almost every day then ESO Plus is recommended until at least enough monthly Crowns are collected from subscription to purchase all available DLCs.
Probably the biggest benefit of ESO Plus is theCrafting Bag. It is essentially a bag of infinite space for ALL crafting materials. Without the Crafting Bag it is hard to manage these materials and most likely crafting materials will be juggled between alternate characters, due to inventory space limitations. Be sure to purchase this item if it is ever placed into the Crown Store.
Choosing Race Alliances in ESO
Racesin Elder Scrolls Online are restricted to theAlliancethat contains them, but this can be bypassed if you purchase the Any Race, Any Alliance upgrade from the Crown Store. Choosing an Alliance determines the starting area you are transported to after the tutorial section in Coldharbour. Players of any Alliance can PvE together on the landscape and in Dungeons if they wish, but players from different Alliances CANNOT PvP together in Cyrodiil. Note that theImperial Racecan be played only if purchased via the Crown Store and can play any Alliance.
Races have special innate abilities that work better with some roles. For example,Nordsreceive bonuses such as increased experience gain withTwo Handed Skills, reduced damage taken, and increased Health and Stamina. This makes them more suitable for Tank Roles but they can be effective at other Roles as well. Be sure to keep this in mind when creating your character, because some bonuses are better than others for what you may be trying to do. However, players can also change their Race after creation by purchasing a Race Change Token from the Crown Store, but it isn’t cheap.
The Templar
The Templaruses the power of the Aedra to smite enemies and assist allies. This class is close to the classic Paladin. The Templar skill lines consist ofAedric Spear,Dawn’s WrathandRestoring Light. Aedric Spear is focused around damage and survivability. Dawn’s Wrath focuses on Damage over Time and control, while Restoring Light focuses solely on healing yourself and allies. Because of the Restoring Light skill tree, the Templarmakes the best healerin the game, especially paired with theRestoration Staff skill tree. Tanking is a little harder as a Templar because of a lack of crowd control and mobility, but it is still very capable of fulfilling the role. As a DPS, a Templar does very well holding its own against other classes.
The Dragonknight
TheDragonknighthas the blood of a dragon, and uses skills that would befit a dragon.Ardent Flamefocuses mostly on DPS,Draconic Poweradds survivability andEarthen Heartconcentrates on damage mitigation and crowd control. Dragonknightsmake the best tanksin the game, mostly because of the large amounts of crowd control and damage mitigation skills they have access to. As a DPS, Dragonknights are on par with all the other classes, and can be capable healers when using the Restoration Staff skill line and the class’ damage mitigation skills.
The Nightblade
TheNightbladeis the stealthy assassin type, creeping through the shadows and stabbing from the darkness. They have theAssassination,ShadowandSiphoningskill trees. Assasination deals with debuffs, damage and mobility. Shadow focuses on crowd control and escape mechanisms. And Siphoning steals health, magicka and stamina from enemies and gives it to the Nightblade and their allies. The Nightblade can make for a decent healer, especially with the Siphoning skill tree and the Restoration Staff skill tree, while tanking is a little more difficult than the other classes. TheOne-handed and Shieldskill line is a must have if you want to tank as a Nightblade. A Nightblade is afearsome DPS character, and is one of the more dreaded opponents in PvP.
The Sorcerer
TheSorcereris the spellcaster and summoner class, but is by no means a stereotypical mage that hides behind allies and deals massive damage from a distance. Sorcerers have theStorm Calling,Dark Magic, andDaedric Summoningskill lines. Storm Calling focuses on DPS, Dark Magic on crowd control and area of effect damage, and Daedric Summoning focuses on summoning Daedra to assist you and your allies. Sorcerers can make good healers when paired with the Restoration Staff skill tree. They can also tank, but are among the most difficult to gear up for the role.Sorcerers excel at DPS, and are some of the most deadly opponents around.
The Warden
Wardens are defenders of the Green, master storytellers whose nature tales become magical reality. They wield frost spells against enemies and summon animals to aid them. Wardens haveWinter’s Embrace(tank),Green Balance(healer) andAnimal Companions(dps). They are excellent DPS and Healers, and decent tanks. TheWarden Classcan be played only if purchased via the Crown Store or if you purchase the Morrowind expansion.
The game is designed so that every Class can fulfill all 3 Roles:Tank,Damage DealerandHealer. Some classes are better suited for specific roles, however.
ESO Leveling: Questing,Skill Pointsand Gear
Leveling, Skill Points and Champion Ranks
Leveling in ESO is done by completingQuests, killing Enemies, doingDungeonsand even by participating inPvP. By progressing from level to level you will receiveAttribute Pointsthat can be spent onMagicka,HealthandStaminaand alsoSkill Pointsthat can be spent on variousSkill Lines.
Skill Points can also be obtained by completing 4-man Dungeons for the first time, collectingSkyshardsand doing zone story quests. They are essential for any character because you cannot gain all the Skills you need without them and there are MANY passives you will wish to take, in addition to Crafting Skills.
The maximum level is 50 but that is not the end of your progression. After reaching level 50,Champion Ranksare unlocked. Here you’re able to upgrade your character further with new passives, that are essential forVeteran Content(Hard Mode) andTrials(Raids). One notable thing about Champion Ranks is that they are account-based, meaning each Champion Point you earn on one character becomes available to all your other characters (regardless of their level). Currently you can obtain a total of 780 Champion Points to spend, but this amount increases 30 points with every major Update which are usually quarterly (spring, summer, fall, and winter).
Equipment and Gear
Do not get attached to gear that you get during the leveling process. Everything belowChampion Point 160(CP 160) will be deconstructed at the corresponding Crafting Station forInspiration(Crafting XP) eventually. Deconstructing gear obtained from other players or enemies yields the most Inspiration, and is the fastest way to level many of the Crafting vocations. The only equipment that matters is max level gear and that is CP 160. Equipment that drops from enemies and in Dungeons corresponds to your level, so for enemies to start dropping CP 160 equipment your character needs to be level 50 and CP 160 at least. Sets are the most powerful gear you can get as they offer wide variety of powerful bonuses and are crucial for creating powerful end game Builds.
ESO Crafting
Crafting is an important aspect of Elder Scrolls Online because everything crafted for the highest levels is powerful and needed for Veteran Content. Crafting consists of 7 Vocations:
To craft anything you first need the appropriate Materials. Materials can be obtained from nodes around Tamriel, Guild Traders,NPC Vendors, Crates, Barrels, Urns and by killing Animals.
To start the crafting process access any Crafting Station. Crafting Stations offer a wide variety of options. For Clothing, Jewelry, Woodworking and Blacksmithing refinement of Raw Materials is required to craft any item. Enchanting, Alchemy and Provisioning can start crafting immediately, as long as recipes and proper combinations are known.
Writsare Daily Quests that can be obtained by visiting notice boards.
Writs are unlocked after becoming certified in a chosen vocation. To become certified visitDanel Tellenoat the Mages Guild for Alchemist, Enchanter & Provisioner Certification,Millenithat the Fighters Guild for Blacksmithing, Woodworking & Clothing andFelarianin Alinor for Jewelry. Jewelry Crafting is only available if you have theSummerset Expansion.
After completing Writs you will receive bags, coffers or satchels that need to be opened to receive the rewards inside. These can vary from rare improvement materials to equipment that can be sold for increased price or deconstructed for increased Inspiration.
By leveling any crafting vocation newCrafting Skillsare unlocked that need to be upgraded with Skill Points. Upgrading these Skills will provide means to level crafting more efficiently, craft far more powerful items and other special bonuses.
Depending on your Vocation, some options at Crafting Stations are more useful while leveling while others not so much until CP 160 has been reached. For example, ResearchingTraitsis recommended to do whenever possible because there is a lot of them and they are required for craftingspecial Setscrafted only at Special Crafting Stations located in the world (usually Caves or Camps, not in Cities).
The improvement option, on the other hand should not be used until CP 160 has been reached since improvement materials are rare and everything below CP 160 will be deconstructed at some point.
Dungeons&Trials
DungeonsandTrialsare PvE content you will be doing often, especially after you have reached end game. There are 3 types of dungeons:
Every day there is 1 Random Group Dungeon available in the Activity Finder Tab that gives rewards and much more XP per completion. It is highly recommended to do these every day because it helps tremendously in gaining levels fast. Group Dungeons also give1 Skill Pointupon completing the quest received inside the dungeon. These quests can only be done once per dungeon.
Trials areRaidsdesigned for 12 people. Trials have repeatable quests once per week that give coffers with great rewards. Trials are recommended only to those who have reached CP 160 and above.
Every Dungeon and Trial has their Veteran counterpart. These are much more challenging then normal and it is not recommended to attempt them until you get solid gear and achieve higher levels (160 CP is recommended).
Mounts& Transportation
Fast Travel using Wayshrines is the fastest form of traveling, but it can cost gold if you are not currently at one. It can become extremely expensive if Fast Travel is used in quick succession because the cost goes up almost tenfold. To avoid such high costs you need to wait a bit before Fast Traveling again, if not at a Wayshrine, or simply ride to the nearest one and then port.
There is an alternative solution, which is to simply go to theFriendsorGuildtab, right click on any name whose location suits you and chooseTravel to Player. This costs nothing and can often save you a lot of time!
Mountsare also present in the game. By visitingStablesin any Major City you are given an option to purchase a horse. More exotic mounts can be bought from theCrown Storeor acquired viaCrown Crates. Mounts acquired are added toCollectionsand can be changed from there.
Each Mount has a certain amount of storage space, stamina and speed. These are calledRiding Skills. Riding Skills are character-based skills affectingSpeed,StaminaandCapacityof the mount. To upgrade Riding Skills, visit any Stables and choose an upgrade. After every upgrade you need to wait for 20h before purchasing another upgrade. These Skill work universally across all Mounts on the same character.
Inventory Space & Banks
Inventory Space is very limited in the beginning but can be upgraded by visitingPack Merchantslocated in every Major City. Every subsequent upgrade costs more in game gold. Managing Inventory can be a chore so creating alternate characters is a good way to store some materials or other stuff you do not need at that moment. Knowing what to do with all these items can go a long way to having enough space. Here are couple of tips that can help with that:
Banksare present in every Major City. Here you’re able to store almost every item type. Banks are account bound, meaning you can take items from the bank with any character on that account. Use banks as much as possible to reduce the hassle of dealing with inventory space. Your bank space limit can be increased with in game gold or from the Crown Store.
Guilds& Guild Traders
Every character can be a member of 5Guildssimultaneously. Guilds can focus on different things. Here are the Guild types you may join:
Check Zone chat to see recruiting messages from Guilds and join the ones that suit your needs. By joining a Guild you unlockGuild BankandGuild Storesin Banks. Guild Banks are used to store items that you want to share with other Guild Members while Guild Stores work as “in guild only Auction Houses” where you put items up for sale. Guild Stores are best used with Trading Guilds since there will be many more members actively seeking to buy and sell.
Guild Tradersare the equivalent of an Auction House where a Guild Store is made public to anyone. Guild Traders can be located at many places in the world but mainly in Major Cities. To list items for sale at Guild Traders your Guild needs to have one available, which usually costs a significant chunk of Gold, as they must be bid on against other competing Guilds. This is often why many of these Guilds have a weekly dues.
NPC Guilds
There are 6NPC Guildsin ESO:
To join any of these guilds simply talk to the person in charge of their respective guilds. TheThieves GuildandDark Brotherhoodboth require DLC, purchased either through Crown Store or by having ESO Plus active.Psijic Orderrequires the Summerset Expansion to be purchased. To start playing these stories go to theCollectionsand switch toStoriesTab, accept quests and have at it.
Every NPC Guild comes with their own Skill Line, offering many additional Skills that can be extremely useful. To level up these Skill Lines, specific tasks need to be completed. These tasks vary from Guild to Guild. What every Guild shares in common though, are Story and repeatable quests. Other tasks can be something like killing Daedra for Fighter’s Guild, findingLorebooksfor Mages' Guild and killing people for Dark Brotherhood.
Undaunted Pledges
Upon reaching level 45,Pledgesbecome available at theUndaunted Guild. Pledges are repeatable daily quests which require of you to complete specific Dungeons. Rewards for completing these quests areUndaunted Keysthat can be used to open 3 different chests at the Undaunted Guild, each offering special rewards in terms of equipment. It is highly recommended to do pledges every day and save these keys until you hit CP 160 and then open chests.
Special Monster Setsthat can be acquired from Undaunted Pledges come in 2 pieces,HelmandShoulder Piece. Shoulder Pieces drop from Undaunted Chests and Helmets drop from Bosses in Veteran Dungeons. Each Boss drops a specific Helm, which can be farmed, but the Shoulder pieces are somewhat random. There are three different chests you can open with your keys, and each chest has a fixed pool of Shoulders that drop. Be sure to learn what these are so that you are using your keys on the correct chest for the Shoulder you wish to get!
Outfit System
To create anOutfit, visit anyOutfit Stationlocated near Crafting Stations in Major Cities. Here you can change the look and color of every Armor and Weapon Piece. When you are done with the changes, confirm by paying with in game Gold or Outfit Tokens that can be purchased in Crown Store. All changes are saved in Outfit Slot 1, but more slots can be purchased in Crown Store. Outfits are independent of gear equipped, meaning you can change gear all the time without your looks changing at all if Outfit 1 has been chosen on Character Screen.
To learn how to unlock all these Styles simply Mouse over any Style you want to use for Outfit and it will be explained. Usually unlocking a Style means acquiring Motifs that drop randomly from Crates, Barrels, Enemies etc, but can sometimes be from special events or from Dungeons.
Colors for dying are unlocked by completing various Achievements. Mousing over dyes at Outfit Stations will show you how to unlock them. However, dying Hats and Costumes can only be done if you have ESO Plus active.
In ESO you can have your ownHouse. A small one is given to the Player as a reward for completing the introductory Housing Quest. House sizes vary from Small to Manors and can beFurnishedorUnfurnished. They are also styled after the game’s 10 Playable Races and are account wide, meaning every character on that account can access them.
Homes can be purchased with Crowns from Crown Store and in game Gold by visiting any House from theCollectionsTab. Click on the Housing subtab and preview to travel to your chosen House. You can preview with or without decorations before you decide to purchase.
Houses can bedecoratedwith various items you find and craft, ranging from typical furnishings such as beds and chairs to extravagant ones like statues and thrones. Every Crafting Vocation has aFurnishing optionat Crafting Stations, and to craft any Furnishing item you need both the recipe and materials. Recipes can be looted from containers around Tamriel, with Styles usually matching the region, while materials are usually acquired by harvesting material nodes.
The benefits of having a House are that you may putCrafting Stations(Normal and Special) in it,Training DummiesandStorage Cheststhat can be purchased viaMaster Writ Vouchers,Tel Var Stonesor in theCrown Store. This is of course in addition to just the novelty of having a home…
PvP Information
Lastly we come to PvP, Cyrodiil, Imperial City and Battlegrounds. As of the time of this Guide there are really only a few ways you may PvP and I’ll explain them here. First up is Cyrodiil which boasts hundreds of players fighting in one giant map, where the game’s Alliances compete for dominance.
In Cyrodiil players can take part in two Campaigns of their choosing. One they will set as their “Home” Campaign and the other will be their “Guest” Campaign. These operate mostly the same, except you cannot become Emperor in your Guest Campaign. In order to become Emperor you must be playing in your Home Campaign and you must have the highest accumulated Alliance Points for that Campaign at the time your faction controls all 6 keeps around the Imperial City.
Players can earn Alliance Points by killing players, capturing and defending Keeps and Resources and by completing Quests in Cyrodiil. They can also earn Alliance Points from competing in Battlegrounds and by playing in the Imperial City as well, however, these do not count towards Emperor. Alliance Points can be used to acquire Siege, Motifs, Consumables and even Sets that can be worn by the player.
Players competing in a Cyrodiil Campaign cannot fight with players from a different Alliance, so keep this in mind when making a character because you may not be able to PvP in Cyrodiil with your friends or Guildmates if you are not the same.
Imperial City
The Imperial City can only be accessed by purchasing the Imperial City DLC or by having an active ESO Plus membership. you may get to the Imperial City inside Cyrodiil by traveling to one of the entrances there. The Imperial City is home to many Districts that you can travel to, and is a much smaller PvP experience, with some PvE elements mixed in.
Players gain Tel Var Stones from defeating enemies and players inside the Imperial City, however they lose half of them upon death if they do not make it back to the bank before depositing them. The more Tel Var you acquire the higher your bonus modifier will become and the more Tel Var you will acquire from each enemy and player. This can provide a bit more excitement than your typical PvP, as there is much more risk/reward to it, and players will have to decide how long to stay in the Imperial City before it becomes too risky. Players can spend their Tel Var on special vendors inside the Imperial City to by unique items and equipment.
Battlegrounds
Battlegrounds should be thought of as your more “traditional” PvP. Whereas sometimes in Cyrodiil you’ll have huge battles of hundreds of players at a time, in Battlegrounds you will play 4 vs. 4 vs. 4 in more familiar game types like “Deathmatch” and “Capture the Flag”. You can play alone or with friends, but Champion Points are not applied to this game type, making it more accessible to newer players.
Stay tuned for moreESO Guidesas we take on Crafting, Dungeons, PvP and of course, Builds! If you want to find out more about the upcoming changes with Update 19 read about them inElder Scrolls Online Wolfhunter Changes: The Age Of The Werewolf. You can also check out the upcoming dungeons inThe Elder Scrolls Online: Wolfhunter Dungeons Preview.
