What is ESO

Unlike other Elder Scrolls games, ESO is the first MMORPG set in the world of Tamriel. Even if you have played Skyrim, ESO has a lot of changes which can make it unfamiliar even to the most veteran Skyrim player.

To help to start out in the game of Elder Scrolls Online the most fun can be had with other players because it’s the first game in the franchise which has multiplayer but on a massive scale never seen before in any Scrolls game (ever).

Unlike other MMOs, Elder Scrolls Online does not force you to a certain playstyle even with six main classes, the game has very little restrictions and you can wear any armour and wield any weapon.

At the core of the game, it’s a beautiful world filled with stuff to do and balances traditional MMO gameplay with the more action-orientated which you’ll see with Guild Wars 2 or Blade & Soul.

Where to Begin

The most obvious is the character creation screen which will let you choose your allegiance to a faction, race, gender, class and appearance. You can make your playable character as detail as you like or you can use one of the presets which can be randomized to alter it up a little bit.

Your class will determine what skills you can learn and has an impact on the sort of playstyle you’d like to some extent. While there is nothing stopping you from being a mage who likes to wield a sword on the frontlines, there are some skills which build you out to play a certain way. For example, the mage would be better suited from distant conjuring spells which deal devastating amounts of damage.

How you spec out your character will have an impact on the end-game content when you get there and start partying up for dungeons and raids. The stop any disappointment you’ll need to have some sort of idea of the kind of player you want to be and how combat is shaped for you.

• High DPS – Sorcerer or Assassins – Deals lots of damage but usually lacks HP so can’t take on many enemies at once. Sorcerer is targeted more for multiple enemies, while Assassins concentrate on one enemy at a time.
• Mid DPS / Mid Def – usually a melee class like the Dragon Knight in Elder Scrolls which does not have as much DPS as a Sorcerer or Assassin but is able to be on the front lines more with the Tank.
• Tank (High Def) – The shield of the party, takes a massive amount of damage and is able to be right up on the front line. Usually has less attack power than other classes but is able to control aggro (aggression from enemies) to keep the target on themselves.
• Support – usually a buffer class who is able to cast support skills on their party to increase to stats or help survivability. Can also diverge into a healer that focuses on reviving or replenishing ally HP or crowd control to help the tank keep mobs away from other players in the part.

These are just the very basic guide to different roles within an MMO and you’ll get a feel for what sort of character you like as you try them out. With up to a max of 9 character slots there is enough for you to try out each and see which is most enjoyable.

Can I Play ESO Solo?

You sure can! Just like other TES games, Elder Scrolls Online has a beautiful, vast and unexplored world for you to set out into. Feel free to jump into the Main Quests to follow your own story or go off the beaten path and take on some side quests.

If you do decide that you wish to party up than you might want to join a guild at some stage or start a small party but all the different races offer a new starting location, allied locations and various quest arc lines. So you’ll have a lot to do up until the point you wish to start playing with some people, that might never happen though as the choice is entirely up to you.

Once you feel up to it you could dip your toe into play vs player (PvP) or face off against the other alliances for the throne and become the Emporer or Empress if you become the winner of the siege style combat. The character that takes the Imperial Throne is then honoured with special skills and perks.

Is there more than just fighting, looting, dungeons and questing?

There’s a lot more in ESO than meets the eye, you could settle down and get married. Play alone or travel across Tamerial with friends or buy your own house and kit it out with all the latest styles across the continent. If you just want to take in the sights you could just mount your horse and explore the various lands and even pick up a spot of fishing now and then.

There’s some grind like any MMO (a term used for levelling your character) but there’s plenty to do along the way between the main storylines and the side missions up until you want to do the end-game content.

There are multiple paths to the max level but the journey you take it up to you.

Elder Scrolls Online Starting Tips

• Always use your skill points (you can always respec later)
• On the same tone, make sure your skill bar is as full as possible with skills.
• Pick up everything; weapons or armour and eat things. get used to how the game plays with different weapons etc
• Look out for Sky Shards as they allow you to gain additional skills points when you collect three of them.
  • Some quests also offer skills points as a reward.
• Food and drink can provide you with different buffs so make sure you stock up and eat up. Usually, they last about 30 minutes and can help in combat to regen Magika, Health or Stamina.
• Craft low-level gear to make sure you are fully covered.
  • Level 1 – 14 gear can be made on any character straight away you just need to collect the right materials.
• Upgrade your inventory space
  • Talk to a banker in any city or settlement to be able to upgrade your bank.
  • Talk to a pack merchant to upgrade your bag.
• Heavy attacks regen your primary stat.
  • It does extra damage but will also give you a tiny bit of Magika or Stamina depending on the weapon your hit with.
• Travel using the locals
  • Look out for Wayshines, Silt Striders or Caravans that can take you to different places in an instant (might charge a fee)
• Don’t kill chickens…
  • Like the other games do not attack anyone innocent even the livestock as you will be seen as hostile from the locals.