Choosing Your Path: A Guide to ESO Online Classes in 2024

The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) offers a vast and immersive world, and at the heart of your adventure lies your chosen class. With seven distinct Eso Online Classes available, each boasting unique skill lines, thematic identities, and playstyles, selecting the right one can significantly impact your gameplay experience. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of each class, empowering you to make an informed decision and embark on your Tamrielic journey with confidence. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a fresh-faced adventurer, understanding the nuances of each ESO class is the first step towards mastering the game.

The seven ESO classes currently shaping the landscape of Tamriel are:

1. Arcanist
2. Necromancer
3. Warden
4. Dragonknight
5. Nightblade
6. Sorcerer
7. Templar

While every class brings a unique flavor and skillset to the table, some might resonate more with your preferred playstyle than others. Let’s delve into each class to uncover their strengths, weaknesses, and suitability for various roles and content within ESO.

Arcanist Class: Master of Forbidden Knowledge

Harnessing the enigmatic powers of Apocrypha and the forbidden secrets guarded by Hermaeus Mora, the Arcanist stands as ESO’s seventh and most recently introduced class. Arcanists are versatile magic wielders, capable of unleashing devastating attacks, providing potent healing, and erecting formidable defenses. They channel arcane energies, ancient runes, and forgotten tomes to manipulate reality, making them a force to be reckoned with in any situation.

Currently hailed as one of the strongest ESO online classes, the Arcanist excels across all facets of the game. Whether you’re venturing into solo quests, tackling challenging group dungeons, or engaging in large-scale PvP battles, the Arcanist provides exceptional damage output, robust self-healing, sturdy damage shields, and valuable group utility. This adaptability makes the Arcanist a top-tier choice for any role imaginable – tank, healer, DPS, or hybrid builds – solidifying its position as a meta-defining class.

A distinguishing feature of the Arcanist is the innovative Crux mechanic. Certain Arcanist abilities generate Crux, a unique resource, while others consume it. Managing Crux effectively amplifies the potency of your skills, adding a layer of strategic depth to the class. While this system might seem intricate at first glance, the Arcanist remains accessible to newcomers, offering a relatively smooth learning curve. Simultaneously, the Crux system and the class’s vast toolkit provide ample opportunities for experienced theory-crafters to optimize their builds and push the Arcanist to its limits. For a deeper dive into this class, explore our comprehensive ESO Arcanist Class Guide.

Arcanist Skill Lines: Pathways to Arcane Mastery

The Arcanist class offers three distinct skill lines, each focusing on a different aspect of arcane manipulation:

• Herald Of The Tome: This skill line emphasizes offensive capabilities, allowing Arcanists to unleash potent damage spells and control the battlefield with arcane projectiles and area-of-effect attacks. Herald Of The Tome Skill Line Guide
• Soldier Of Apocrypha: Focusing on defensive and utility skills, this line empowers Arcanists to protect themselves and their allies with damage shields, buffs, and strategic positioning abilities. Soldier Of Apocrypha Skill Line Guide
• Curative Runeforms: Dedicated to healing and support, this skill line equips Arcanists with powerful restorative spells, allowing them to mend wounds, bolster defenses, and sustain their group through challenging encounters. Curative Runeforms Skill Line Guide

Arcanist Pros and Cons: Weighing the Arcane Scales

Pros:

• Versatility: Excels in all roles (DPS, Tank, Healer).
• High Damage Output: Possesses strong damage skills across all skill lines.
• Excellent Self-Sustain: Access to potent self-healing and damage shields.
• Strong Group Utility: Provides valuable buffs and support abilities for groups.
• Unique Crux Mechanic: Adds strategic depth and customization.
• Beginner-Friendly: Relatively easy to learn and play.
• Expert-Ceiling: Offers high potential for optimization and mastery.

Cons:

• Unique Playstyle: May feel different from traditional classes, which might not appeal to all players.
• Crux Management: Requires understanding and managing the Crux mechanic to maximize effectiveness.

Necromancer Class: Master of the Undead

Commanding the chilling power of death itself, the Necromancer class in ESO allows players to raise undead minions and manipulate the very essence of life and death. Necromancers are masters of dark arts, summoning skeletons, ghosts, and other spectral entities to serve their will and overwhelm their enemies.

The Necromancer is a highly sought-after class for group content due to its exceptional debuffs and unique utility. Staying true to its theme, the Necromancer embodies the archetypal summoner, wielding skeletal pets and other macabre creatures to do their bidding. However, mastering the Necromancer requires skillful corpse management, strategic pet usage, and understanding the nuances of tethering abilities. This complexity makes the Necromancer a more challenging class to pilot, especially for newer players.

Despite its higher skill ceiling, the Necromancer shines in both PvE and PvP scenarios. Their strong single-target damage makes them effective damage dealers, while their impactful Ultimates can turn the tide of battles in Cyrodiil or contribute significantly to boss burns in PvE trials. In PvP, Necromancers boast remarkable survivability thanks to their potent passive skills, and their ability to synchronize burst damage abilities can lead to devastating offensive spikes. If you are drawn to a summoner playstyle with a blend of healing, defensive prowess, and offensive capabilities that are effective in almost any area of ESO, the Necromancer is definitely worth exploring.

Necromancer Skill Lines: Embracing the Dark Arts

The Necromancer class skill lines delve into different facets of manipulating life and death:

• Grave Lord: This line focuses on summoning and empowering undead minions, granting Necromancers a legion of loyal servants to fight alongside them. Grave Lord Skill Line Guide
• Bone Tyrant: Emphasizing defensive and control abilities, this line allows Necromancers to manipulate bone and spirit to fortify themselves, debuff enemies, and control the flow of combat. Bone Tyrant Skill Line Guide
• Living Death: This skill line is dedicated to healing and manipulating life force, enabling Necromancers to mend wounds, drain enemy vitality, and even cheat death itself. Living Death Skill Line Guide

Necromancer Pros and Cons: Death’s Double-Edged Sword

Pros:

• High Single-Target Damage: Excels at focusing down individual targets.
• Strong Debuffs: Provides valuable debuffs for group content.
• Summoner Playstyle: Unique and thematic gameplay experience.
• Excellent Survivability: Potent passive skills enhance durability.
• Powerful Ultimates: Game-changing abilities for both PvE and PvP.
• Versatile Roles: Can perform well as DPS, Healer, and Tank.

Cons:

• Complex Gameplay: Requires skill and buff management to maximize potential.
• Short Duration Skills: Many skills have short durations, demanding constant attention.
• Forbidden Skills: Some abilities are illegal in towns, leading to bounty increases if used publicly.
• Corpse Management: Effective play often relies on managing corpses for ability synergy.
• Steeper Learning Curve: May be challenging for new players to master initially.

Warden Class: Guardian of Nature

Drawing power from the natural world and forging bonds with animal companions, the Warden class in ESO embodies the spirit of nature’s protectors. Wardens call upon the wilds to defeat their foes and heal their allies, summoning creatures of the forest and wielding frost magic to control the battlefield.

Wardens are an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced players alike, offering a balanced and versatile skillset. As defenders of nature, Wardens summon animal companions and cast frost-based abilities that debuff enemies or empower themselves and their group with potent healing. Their strong healing capabilities and burst damage potential make them well-suited for PvP and even solo PvE content.

The Warden is designed with traditional MMO roles in mind, featuring dedicated skill lines for Tanking, Healing, and DPS. This inherent balance allows Wardens to seamlessly fit into any group composition and fulfill various roles. However, this “Jack of All Trades” nature also means that Wardens might not be the absolute best in any single role compared to more specialized classes.

Warden Skill Lines: Embracing the Wilds

The Warden class skill lines tap into different aspects of nature’s power:

• Animal Companions: This line focuses on summoning and commanding various animal companions to fight alongside the Warden, providing diverse combat utility and damage. Animal Companions Skill Line Guide
• Green Balance: Dedicated to healing and support, this line allows Wardens to harness the restorative power of nature to mend wounds, provide buffs, and sustain their allies in combat. Green Balance Skill Line Guide
• Winter’s Embrace: Emphasizing defensive and control abilities, this line equips Wardens with frost magic to encase themselves in protective ice, debuff enemies, and control enemy movement. Winter’s Embrace Skill Line Guide

Warden Pros and Cons: Nature’s Balance

Pros:

• Versatile Roles: Can effectively perform as Tank, Healer, and DPS.
• Beginner-Friendly: Relatively easy to learn and play.
• Strong Healing: Excellent healing capabilities, especially in group content.
• Good Burst Damage: Capable of delivering significant burst damage.
• Animal Companion Theme: Unique and engaging thematic identity.
• Well-Rounded Class: Balanced skillset suitable for various content types.

Cons:

• Jack of All Trades: May not be the absolute best in any specific role compared to specialized classes.
• Solo Sustain Issues: Can struggle with sustain in solo content, potentially requiring reliance on weapon skills or external sources.
• Support-Oriented: Often excels more in support roles within group content.

Dragonknight Class: Wielder of Dragonfire

Channeling the ancient power of dragons, the Dragonknight class in ESO embodies fiery might and martial prowess. Dragonknights summon flames and poison to sear and claw their foes, engaging in melee combat with a blend of magic and brute force. These Dragonknight builds are effective for beginners and veterans alike, excelling in solo, group, PvE, and PvP content.

The Dragonknight is a melee-focused magical bruiser class, thriving in close-quarters combat and offering robust strengths across various playstyles. Thematically, the Dragonknight truly embodies the dragon archetype, with abilities evoking dragon wings, talons, and fiery breath, dealing fire and poison damage.

Dragonknights are potent in both solo and group content. For solo play, they can specialize in Magicka or Stamina Damage Over Time (DoT) builds, leveraging their ultimate abilities and resource generation for excellent sustain. In group settings, Dragonknights have long been the go-to Tank class in ESO, renowned for their strong healing and defensive passives. They can also be built for strong DPS roles or even a unique flame-based healer if desired. While the Dragonknight might have a steeper initial learning curve, mastering its skills unlocks immense power in diverse situations.

Dragonknight Skill Lines: Forging Draconic Might

The Dragonknight class skill lines reflect the fiery and earthen power of dragons:

• Ardent Flame: This line focuses on fire-based damage abilities, allowing Dragonknights to incinerate enemies with flames and molten earth. Ardent Flame Skill Line Guide
• Draconic Power: Emphasizing defensive and self-buffing skills, this line allows Dragonknights to draw upon draconic resilience to enhance their defenses, control the battlefield, and sustain themselves in combat. Draconic Power Skill Line Guide
• Earthen Heart: This line focuses on earth and poison-based abilities, granting Dragonknights control over the ground beneath their feet, hindering enemies, and dealing poison damage over time. Earthen Heart Skill Line Guide

Dragonknight Pros and Cons: The Dragon’s Roar

Pros:

• Excellent Tank Class: Top-tier Tank for both PvE and PvP.
• Strong Damage Over Time (DoT): Excels at dealing sustained damage over time.
• Robust Defenses: High survivability thanks to defensive skills and passives.
• Good Resource Generation: Efficient resource management for sustained combat.
• Melee Focus: Appeals to players who enjoy close-quarters combat.
• Versatile Roles: Can be built for Tank, DPS, and even Healer roles.

Cons:

• Weaker Healing: Comparatively weaker healing capabilities compared to dedicated healing classes.
• Steeper Learning Curve: May require time and practice to master effectively.
• Melee Range Focus: Less effective at long-range combat.

Nightblade Class: Master of Shadows

Embracing stealth, speed, and deadly precision, the Nightblade class in ESO thrives in the shadows, striking from concealment and vanishing without a trace. Nightblades rely on sharp blades and cunning tactics to survive and dominate in combat.

Since ESO’s launch, the Nightblade has remained a popular choice, embodying the classic rogue or assassin archetype. Nightblades specialize in direct damage abilities and escape tools like invisibility and teleportation. However, their diverse skillset allows them to excel in a variety of content and roles beyond just stealthy damage dealing.

In solo gameplay, the Nightblade’s ability to cloak with invisibility and teleport across the battlefield provides unmatched survivability and tactical advantage in PvP. Invisibility also proves invaluable in PvE dungeons, allowing players to bypass enemies, scout locations, and locate hidden treasures. In group settings, Nightblades can fulfill any role – DPS, Tank, or Healer – with unique and powerful builds. Their ability to enhance critical damage further amplifies their offensive potential, making them a formidable force in both PvE and PvP. Tank and Healer Nightblades, in particular, offer distinct and engaging playstyles. For a deeper understanding, explore our Full Nightblade Class Guide.

Nightblade Skill Lines: Blades in the Dark

The Nightblade class skill lines embody the essence of stealth and deadly strikes:

• Assassination: This line focuses on direct damage abilities, empowering Nightblades to deliver swift and lethal strikes, maximizing critical damage and single-target burst. Assassination Skill Line Guide
• Shadow: Emphasizing stealth, crowd control, and escape abilities, this line allows Nightblades to manipulate shadows, become invisible, teleport, and control enemy positioning. Shadow Skill Line Guide
• Siphoning: This line focuses on healing and resource management, enabling Nightblades to drain enemy health, restore their own resources, and provide sustain for themselves and their allies. Siphoning Skill Line Guide

Nightblade Pros and Cons: The Shadow’s Edge

Pros:

• High Burst Damage: Excels at delivering massive direct damage quickly.
• Stealth and Mobility: Invisibility and teleportation for survivability and tactical advantage.
• Versatile Roles: Can be built for DPS, Tank, and Healer roles.
• Strong in PvP: Excellent for stealth-based and burst damage PvP builds.
• Solo-Friendly: Invisibility enhances solo exploration and questing.
• Unique Playstyles: Offers distinct playstyles for Tank and Healer roles.

Cons:

• Light Attack Dependency: Many skills rely on light attacks for increased damage and resource regeneration.
• Lower Sustain Damage: May struggle with sustained damage output compared to DoT-focused classes.
• Glass Cannon Potential: Can be vulnerable if caught out of position or without stealth.

Sorcerer Class: Master of Storms and Summons

Wielding the raw power of Oblivion and the fury of lightning, the Sorcerer class in ESO embodies the classic mage archetype with an Elder Scrolls twist. Sorcerers command conjuration and destruction spells, wielding lightning bolts, dark magic, and Daedric pets to damage foes and heal allies.

Sorcerers are a fantastic class choice in ESO, representing the quintessential caster or mage but with unique Elder Scrolls flair. They are intrinsically linked to elemental damage, particularly lightning, but also wield darker magic and Daedric summoning. Sorcerers are renowned for their battlefield mobility, multiple damage sources, and ease of self-healing. Like all ESO classes, Sorcerers offer Stamina-based variants of their skills, allowing for diverse builds like sword-and-shield Sorcerer Tanks or two-handed weapon-wielding DPS Sorcerers. Stamina Sorcerers are particularly effective in organized trials and less coordinated dungeon runs, providing significant group buffs and damage.

Sorcerer Skill Lines: Unleashing Unbound Power

The Sorcerer class skill lines tap into the chaotic energies of Oblivion and elemental storms:

• Daedric Summoning: This line focuses on summoning and controlling Daedric creatures to fight alongside the Sorcerer, providing persistent damage and utility. Daedric Summoning Skill Line Guide
• Dark Magic: Emphasizing crowd control, debuffs, and utility, this line allows Sorcerers to manipulate dark energies to hinder enemies, protect allies, and control the battlefield. Dark Magic Skill Line Guide
• Storm Calling: This line focuses on lightning-based damage abilities, empowering Sorcerers to unleash devastating electrical attacks, control enemies with shock effects, and harness the power of storms. Storm Calling Skill Line Guide

Sorcerer Pros and Cons: Stormbringer’s Might

Pros:

• High Shock Damage: Excels at dealing massive lightning damage.
• Daedric Pets: Summons persistent and powerful combat pets.
• Easy Self-Healing: Passive healing from Critical Surge and strong damage shields provide excellent survivability.
• High Mobility: Skills enhance movement speed and battlefield positioning.
• Beginner-Friendly: Relatively easy to learn and play, especially for DPS roles.
• Strong Solo Builds: Excellent for solo content due to self-sustain and damage.

Cons:

• Limited Group Utility: Offers less direct group utility compared to some classes, primarily a Damage Synergy through the Atronach ultimate.
• Pet Dependency (Summoner Builds): Summoner builds rely on pet survivability and effectiveness.
• Less Versatile Roles: Primarily focused on DPS roles, less commonly seen in Tank or Healer roles in endgame content.

Templar Class: Knight of Holy Light

Harnessing the power of light and the burning sun, the Templar class in ESO embodies the holy warrior archetype. Templars channel celestial energies to deal massive damage to their enemies, heal allies, and bolster defenses.

Templars are a consistently powerful and popular class across all ESO playstyles. Thematically, they bring the power of the sun to the battlefield, often considered ESO’s version of a Paladin. Templars excel at self-healing and group healing, remaining one of the strongest classes since launch due to their robust defenses and passive healing potential. Their consistency and ease of play, especially when utilizing skills like Puncturing Sweep, make them an excellent choice for beginners venturing into ESO for the first time. Stamina Templar builds blend holy magic with martial prowess, making them valuable assets in high-level trials and dungeons.

Templar Skill Lines: Radiance and Justice

The Templar class skill lines embody the radiant power of holy light and unwavering justice:

• Aedric Spear: This line focuses on melee-range damage and utility, allowing Templars to wield spears of light, disrupt enemies, and control the battlefield with holy power. Aedric Spear Skill Line Guide
• Dawn’s Wrath: Emphasizing ranged damage and burst potential, this line allows Templars to call upon the sun’s wrath to unleash radiant beams of light, deal fire damage, and obliterate enemies from afar. Dawn’s Wrath Skill Line Guide
• Restoring Light: Dedicated to healing and support, this line equips Templars with powerful restorative spells, allowing them to mend wounds, provide buffs, and sustain their group with radiant healing energy.

Templar Pros and Cons: Beacon of Light

Pros:

• Excellent Healer: Top-tier Healer for both solo and group content.
• Strong Self-Healing: High survivability thanks to self-healing and defensive passives.
• Good AOE Damage: Excels at clearing groups of enemies with Area of Effect damage.
• Beginner-Friendly: Easy to learn and play, especially for healing roles.
• Versatile Roles: Can be built for Healer, DPS, and Tank roles.
• Consistent Performance: Reliable and consistently strong across various content types.

Cons:

• Stamina Healing Limitations: Stamina Templar healing can be less potent early on, potentially requiring specific gear or skill investment.
• Less Mobile: Generally less mobile compared to classes with teleportation or speed-enhancing skills.
• Holy Light Theme: The paladin/holy warrior theme might not appeal to all players.

Choosing the Right ESO Online Class for You

As you can see, each ESO class boasts its own unique style, thematic identity, strengths, and weaknesses. The beauty of ESO lies in its class balance – most classes are viable and capable of participating in all forms of content. For players primarily focused on damage dealing, selecting the best DPS class is crucial for excelling in challenging group content like endgame trials and dungeons.

However, the “best” class ultimately boils down to personal preference and playstyle. Consider these factors when making your decision:

• Playstyle Preference: Do you prefer melee or ranged combat? Stealth or direct engagement? Do you enjoy summoning pets, casting spells, or wielding weapons?
• Role Preference: Do you want to be a damage dealer (DPS), a healer, a tank, or a hybrid?
• Content Focus: Will you primarily focus on solo questing, group dungeons, PvP, or a mix of everything?
• Difficulty Level: Are you looking for a beginner-friendly class or one with a higher skill ceiling that offers more depth and complexity?

Experiment with different classes, try out their skill lines, and see which one resonates most with your personal preferences and playstyle. The most enjoyable class is often the most effective class in the long run.

Where to Go Next in ESO

Ready to further your Elder Scrolls Online journey and delve deeper into the intricacies of the game? We highly recommend exploring our comprehensive ESO Class Builds page for detailed build guides and optimized setups for each class and role. You can also find a wealth of additional helpful guides and resources on our website to enhance your ESO experience!