ESO Class Guide
This ESO Class Guide will help you discover the Classes of The Elder Scrolls Online and pick the right Class for your preferred role and play style. Picking the right Class for your character is one of the most important decisions you can make in The Elder Scrolls Online! Every Class in ESO can fulfill every role with success but some are better than other!
Each Class comes with its own unique Skills and Identity that will allow you to perform specific roles better or simply easier than the others. If you are looking for the right Race for your character, you can take a look at my ESO Race Guide. For Solo Gameplay you can take a look at my ESO Best Solo Class Guide! If you are a new player you can take a look at my ESO New Player Beginner Guide.
Table of Contents
ESO Classes
In total there are seven Classes in ESO, four available with the base game and three available for purchase/unlock. The ESO Classes are:
Base Game
Available to Unlock
Every Class can fulfill the role of Stamina Damage Dealer, Magicka Damage Dealer, Tank or Healer. Hybrid Builds are also quite popular now. The role you can play with each class depends on the allocation of your Attribute points and the Skills you choose.
Going all Magicka or Stamina is the best option for Damage Dealers and Healers while Tanks can benefit from a mixed setup. Hybrid Builds will also benefit more from one strong attribute setup(Magicka or Stamina). Some Classes are better as Stamina Damage Dealers, other are better as Tanks or Magicka Damage Dealers. They may not be the best in every role but they can fulfill them all to a certain degree.
In terms of difficulty Sorcerer, Warden, Dragonknight and Templar are easier for new players. Arcanist, Nightblade and Necromancer are harder to master. Here is a quick rundown of what to expect from the different classes in each role.
| Class | Magicka DD | Stamina DD | Tank | Healer | Hybrid DD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcanist | Good | Great | Great | Excellent | Great |
| Sorcerer | Good | Great | Mediocre | Mediocre | Great |
| Nightblade | Excellent | Good | Mediocre | Mediocre | Great |
| Dragonknight | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Mediocre | Great |
| Templar | Mediocre | Mediocre | Mediocre | Great | Good |
| Warden | Good | Great | Great | Excellent | Good |
| Necromancer | Mediocre | Good | Great | Great | Good |
Excellent>Great>Good>Mediocre
Changes to skills, passives and new updates can affect this balance.
ESO What Class to Play? Classes Pros & Cons – ESO Class Guide
Each ESO Class has its own Pros and Cons that make it special and able to fulfill certain roles.
Arcanist – ESO Class Guide
The Class of Eldritch Horror and Magic Damage! The Arcanist is a flexible Class with its own unique feature, the Crux System! Certain Arcanist Skills generate Crux while other can consume it to strengthen their effects. Utilizing Crux is vital for an effective Arcanist Build but also makes the Class dependent on this system. Several strong Arcanist skills use your primary resource, which makes them great for both Stamina or Magicka based Builds!
The Class relies a lot on Magic Damage based abilities and can make strong Damage Dealers, Stamina, Magicka or Hybrid. The Arcanist though shines as a support Class thanks to its many buffs and debuffs. Tank and Healer Arcanists have several tools to assist their group and can be an asset in harder content. For a better understanding of the Arcanist Class you can take a look at my Arcanist Beginner Guide.
Arcanist Skill-Lines
The Arcanist Skill lines are:
- Herald of the Tome, focusing on offense
- Soldier of Apocrypha, focusing on defense
- Curative Runeforms, focusing on healing
Arcanist Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Skills that use the primary resource
- Great Combos thanks to the Crux System
- Strong Magic Damage
- Good Support Class with Buffs and debuffs
Cons:
- Dependent on the Crux generation-consumption circle
- Magicka Arcanist has sustain issues and lacks Self Healing options for harder Solo Gameplay
Sorcerer – ESO Class Guide
The Class of Lightning, Shock AOE Damage and Daedric Pets. Sorcerers make great Magicka and strong Stamina Damage Dealers. They can deal Shock Damage and have the ability to summon Pets to do their bidding. Sorcerers can play with or without their Pets and in general are easy to learn. When using its Pets, the Magicka Sorcerer can be very Beginner Friendly and one of the easiest Classes to start playing ESO with. Magicka Sorcerers are great for Solo PVE Gameplay as well.
Stamina Sorcerers are slightly more difficult to master and rely too much on Weapon abilities but they can be very strong. Their Class Skills have been improved which makes it easier to rely on them. For a better understanding of the Sorcerer Class you can take a look at my Sorcerer Beginner Guide.
Sorcerer Skill-Lines
- Dark Magic, protection, defense and sustain spells mostly
- Daedric Summoning, Pets to summon to attack, draw attention and heal
- Storm Calling, shock damage based skills and support spells
Sorcerer Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Beginner Friendly
- Summon (permanent)Pets to help
- Shock AOE Damage
- Strong Damage Dealers in PVE and PVP(great Hybrid potential)
- Powerful for Solo Gameplay (Magicka Sorcerer)
Cons:
- Mediocre Healers and Tanks
- Need Shields to survive harder content (Magicka Sorcerer)
Nightblade – ESO Class Guide
The Class of Stealth and Shadow. Nightblade is the rogue/assassin-like Class of ESO. The only Class with an ability to cloak in-game. Nightblades make great Magicka and Stamina Damage Dealers as well as decent Tanks and Healers. One of the hardest classes to learn and the least Beginner friendly. Playing a Nightblade can be very rewarding though for experienced players.
Because of their ability to cloak they are also the best Thieves in-game. Playing as a Thief is the closest to a Pacifist play style in The Elder Scrolls Online. Thanks to their Stealth capabilities they are also perfect for “Gank” (surprise attack) PVP Builds. A popular Class because of their stealth and rogue-like elements that is not very Beginner Friendly for Solo/ Group PVE or PVP. For a better understanding of the Nightblade Class you can take a look at my Nightblade Beginner Guide.
Nightblade Skill-Lines
- Assassination, a mix of offensive and support skills
- Shadow, dedicated to stealth, shadow and fear skills
- Siphoning, a mix of support and health-absorbing spells
Nightblade Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Stealth Skills, Easy to escape fights
- Great Damage Dealers
- Hard-hitting single target abilities and execute
- Strong Gank PVP Builds
- Excellent Thieves – Pacifist Gameplay
Cons:
- Hard to Master, Not Beginner Friendly
- Rely on proc skills/Light attack weaving a lot
- Need Stealth to survive in PVP
- Not the best Tanks or Healers
- Kind of limited to Gank PVP play style
Dragonknight – ESO Class Guide
The Class of Fire, Poison and Earth. Dragonknights make excellent Tanks, very strong Magicka and Stamina Damage Dealers but poor Healers. A quite sturdy and Beginner friendly Class, especially if you are into Tanking. The Class has access to Fire, Earth and Poison Damage based skills. Each element suits a specific role better and help you create appropriate Builds. Fire for Magicka Damage Dealers, Poison for Stamina Damage Dealers and Earth for Tanks.
Dragonknight can also be a great choice for Damage over Time abilities based Builds. Magicka Dragonknight is the closest to a pure Fire Mage in ESO. For a better understanding of the Dragonknight Class you can take a look at my Dragonknight Beginner Guide.
Dragonknight Skill-Lines
- Ardent Flame, Fire and Poison Damage based offensive skills
- Draconic Power, Tank oriented skills
- Earthen Heart, Group and Healer support
Dragonknight Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Excellent Tank
- Very Strong Magicka and Stamina Damage Dealer for PVE and PVP
- Sturdy and Beginner Friendly
- Fire, Poison, Earth based skills to choose from
- Great for Damage Over Time based Builds
- Good for Solo PVE gameplay, thanks to their skills
Cons:
- Mediocre Healer
- Sustain issues, requires clever use of Ultimate Skills to sustain properly
- Magicka Damage Dealers need to be in melee range to perform well
Templar – ESO Class Guide
The Class of Light and Healing. Templars make excellent Healers, strong Magicka and Stamina Damage Dealers but mediocre Tanks. Templar has access to mostly Magic damage based spells and several support skills to assist you and your group. Very good class for Solo PVE Gameplay and quite beginner friendly, especially if you are into Healing.
Even though Templar is not the best Class for Tanking, it is still the closest to a Paladin-like Class in ESO, thanks to all its healing and support spells. Both Stamina and Magicka Damage Dealers rely too much on Puncturing Strikes and its morphs for damage. For a better understanding of the Templar Class you can take a look at my Templar Beginner Guide.
Templar Skill-Lines
- Aedric Spear, a mix of offensive and support skills
- Dawn’s Wrath, mostly Magic based offensive spells
- Restoring Light, dedicated to Healing
Templar Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Excellent Healer
- Decent Magicka and Stamina Damage Dealer
- Magic Damage based skills and Support Spells
- Good for Area of Effect Damage based Builds
- Paladin-like Style and Gameplay
- Great for Solo PVE Gameplay(Magicka DD mostly)
Cons:
- Mediocre Tank
- Depends too much on one offensive skill (Puncturing Strikes)
Warden – ESO Class Guide
The Class of Nature and Ice. Wardens make decent Stamina and Magicka Damage Dealers as well as great Tanks and Healers. An easy Class to learn with access to several, helpful Heals, Buffs and Debuffs. The Class’ Frost based abilities can help you create fun Frost Mage and Frost Tank Builds. Warden needs a Frost Staff to achieve its best damage.
Overall a good Class for every role in PVE or PVP gameplay. Very good Solo PVE Class as well. Beginner friendly thanks to their several support skills. Their Bear Ultimate is great for damage but can act weird some times! They can mix and match Stamina and Magicka based skills with success, which makes them perfect for Hybrid Builds. For a better understanding of the Warden Class you can take a look at my Warden Beginner Guide.
Warden Skill-Lines
- Animal Companions, offensive skills based on Morrowind animals
- Green Balance, healing focused skill-line
- Winter’s Embrace, Frost based offensive and support skills
Warden Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Excellent Healers, Great Tanks and Good Damage Dealers
- Frost Mage and Frost Tank Builds
- Ice Damage
- Very Strong in PVP and PVE
- Good Solo PVE Class
- Easy to learn with access to several Buffs and Debuffs
- Magicka Warden is a great Crowd Control Class in Group PVP
Cons:
- Rely too much on the Bear Ultimate for good damage in PVE
- Need to use a Frost Staff to deal great damage
Necromancer – ESO Class Guide
The Class of Death and Elemental Damage. Necromancer has access to every Elemental Damage type in-game, Fire, Shock and Ice as well as to Poison and Disease Damage based Skills. It can also summon Minions (Pets), like the Sorcerer, to assist in combat. Necromancer’s Minions are not permanent though, they only last for a few seconds which requires significant micromanagement and makes the Class harder to learn.
Necromancers make great Tanks, Healers and decent Stamina and Magicka Damage Dealers. The Class has access to several support skills to help you fulfill every role successfully. They do rely a lot on the Blastbones skill and its morphs to deal damage however. A skill that can be unreliable at times. Necromancer is a powerhouse in group PVP. Decent for Solo PVE Gameplay as well. For a better understanding of the Necromancer Class you can take a look at my Necromancer Beginner Guide.
Necromancer Skill-Lines
- Grave Lord, offensive skills and minions for Magicka and Stamina Builds
- Bone Tyrant, Tank oriented skills
- Living Death, Healing focused skill-line
Necromancer Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Good Damage Dealer(requires practice)
- Good Tank and Healer
- Access to Elemental, Poison and Disease Damage based skills
- Can summon Minions (Pets) to attack and heal
- Flexible Gameplay
Cons:
- No permanent Pets
- Too much micromanagement because of Minions
- Hard Class to master
- Rely too much on Blastbones skill and its morphs for damage
FAQ – ESO Class Guide
The Strongest Class in ESO depends on several factors! Magicka Nightblade and Stamina Sorcerer are quite powerful right now. To better understand how Classes work in ESO, you should read this ESO Class Guide!
The Best Class for Beginners in ESO is the Magicka Sorcerer. A potent Class with several helpful tools that allow you to experience everything ESO has to offer! To learn more about Beginner Classes in ESO, you can read this ESO Best Beginner Class Guide!
More Guides to Read
- Best Solo Class Guide
- Best Beginner Class Guide
- Race Guide
- ESO PVP Build Guide
- New Player Beginner Guide
- ESO How to Make Gold
- ESO Leveling Guide
- Undaunted Pledges Guide
- ESO PVE Build Guide
- Transmute Crystals Guide
- Champion Points Guide
- ESO Daily Routine
- Best Addons Guide
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