ESO PVP Tier List
Table of Contents
Overview
Picking the right Class for your character is one of the most important decisions you can make in The Elder Scrolls Online! Each Class has its own identity and unique skills, that affect its gameplay in PVE but also PVP Gameplay.
Choosing the Class that suits your play style the most can make all the difference. Especially when fighting against other players. Every Class in ESO has its pros and cons and will help you survive and dominate in PVP, as long as you take advantage of everything it has to offer.
In total there are six Classes in The Elder Scrolls Online, four available with the base game and two available for purchase/unlock. These Classes are:
Available with Base Game
Available to Purchase/Unlock
If you would like to learn more about every Class in The Elder Scrolls Online, you can read my ESO Class Guide.
For the basics of Creating a Build for PVP, you can take a look at my ESO PVP Build Beginner Guide.
To understand how each Class performs as a DPS in PVE, take a look at my ESO DPS Tier List Guide.
For the best Class in Solo PVE, you can also read my ESO Best Solo Class Guide.
With this ESO PVP Tier List guide, we will take a look at the six Classes of ESO and how they perform in PVP, focusing on no-CP PVP gameplay in Battlegrounds and Open World.
Magicka vs Stamina
Each Class has three unique skill lines that determine how it performs in PVP. These skills are the core of every PVP Build and will help you dominate and survive. Its those skills that make one Class better than the other in a specific type of gameplay and what determines their identity.
But playing a Class as Magicka or Stamina is also quite different. Whether a character is Magicka or Stamina based, you will also use other skills from Weapon, Guild and other lines. Everything matters but Class skills are more important for determining the capabilities of every class. In general, Sets used, Skills from other lines and Rotation can all affect your PVP gameplay.
With the ongoing Hybridization process a Class can now use skills of different attributes easier. Hybrid PVP Builds are more common than before but focusing on one attribute, Magicka or Stamina is still important.
ESO Classes
Each Class has its own Pros and Cons, that determine how well it can perform in PVP gameplay. Understanding the Class Skills they have, will make it easy to understand their potential.
Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is a very strong Class in PVP, that can utilize its Pets or even play without them. A combination of hard hitting abilities, sustain skills and a great skill to escape, make Sorcerer one of the best and easiest Classes for PVP Gameplay, for New and Veteran players.
The Magicka Sorcerer is one of the most new player friendly classes to play and learn PVP with. Pets like Summon Twilight Matriarch and Summon Storm Atronach and Morphs, can assist with heals, stuns and damage, making your life easier.
Crystal Fragments is a core skill of every Magicka Sorcerer PVP Build that deals insane burst damage and assists with sustain. When combined with the execution-like ability, Mages’ Fury and its morphs, can kill anything.
Finally Hardened Ward, Boundless Storm and Surge, provide extra protection and heals while Streak is an amazing escape skill, that will save your life often.
Access to Restoration Staff abilities can also help you create DPS/Support hybrid Builds and expand your play style.
Stamina Sorcerer on the other hand can be strong as well but relies a lot on Weapon abilities. There are a few Class abilities that can help you in PVP of course. Skills like Streak, Hurricane, Surge and Summon Storm Atronach and morphs will always have a place in a Stamina Sorcerer PVP Build.
In general the Stamina Sorcerer is a sturdy PVP Class, that utilizes more Weapon abilities to destroy enemies and can escape tough situations with ease. Thanks to the Hybrid changes it can now use more Class skills than before.
Nemesis – Magicka Sorcerer PVP Build (no Pet)
Reaper – Stamina Sorcerer PVP Build
Nightblade
The Nightblade is the master of Stealth in ESO! The best class for assassin-like, gank PVP gameplay. Staying hidden and striking the right time is the core of every Nightblade’s play style in PVP.
The Stamina Nightblade makes an excellent Bow or Melee ganker for open World PVP fun. A Stamina Nightblade can turn into a strong brawler as well but stealth will always be very important to survive and defeat enemies.
Shadowy Disguise is important for Both Stamina and Magicka Nightblades. A must have skill for every PVP Build that requires a good magicka management to use. This adds an extra difficulty to Stamina Nightblades, since they will have to learn how to manage their Magicka well.
Incapacitating Strike is a powerful Ultimate that can destroy enemies, while other skills like Ambush, Relentless Focus and its Spectral Arrow and Killer’s Blade can assist with damage and get you kills faster. Aspect of Terror and morphs will fear and crowd control enemies while Shadow Image offers an escape method.
Leeching Strikes can assist with sustain and heals.
With the right setup, a Stamina Nightblade can be quite sturdy as well.
Magicka Nightblades share several Class skills with Stamina Nightblades for PVP. Shadowy Disguise, Aspect of Terror and Shadow Image can be very helpful for both types of gameplay. Crippling Grasp deals damage and immobilizes enemies. Additionally a Magblade can also use Soul Harvest, Impale, Lotus Fan, Merciless Resolve and its Spectral Arrow, Siphoning Attacks to achieve its goals.
Overall the Class’ gameplay revolves around stealth and surprise attacks. Both Magicka and Stamina Nightblades are strong but also a bit fragile in PVP and will require a lot of practice to use them properly. A powerful Class at the right hands but not the best starter option.
Shadowstrike – Magicka Nightblade Gank Build
Elusive Warrior – Stamina Nightblade PVP Build
Dragonknight
A sturdy Class that can take a lot of beating in a fight. Both Magicka and Stamina Dragonknights can rely on several Class skills to survive, heal themselves and deal damage. Their biggest advantage over other classes is the fact that they can restore resources when using their Ultimates! They actually depend on this to survive, since they are quite resources hungry to begin with.
Magicka Dragonknight is a potent Fire based mage with a few strong close combat abilities. Lava Whip and morphs is a powerful tool in PVP that when combined with Burning Embers and Engulfing Flames can melt enemies fast. Cauterize is a great self heal ability that also Stamina Dragonknights can use. The Dragon Leap Ultimate and its morphs is the best option for both Dragonknights. A skill that deals Fire or Physical damage, stuns enemies and restores resources often thanks to its low cost.
Spiked Armor, Dragon Blood, Protective Scale and their morphs, offer additional protection to Dragonknights. Fossilize is an amazing stun skill and Molten Weapon and morphs can boost your and your group’s damage.
One major drawback of Magicka Dragonknights is that they have in melee range to deal significant damage to enemies.
Stamina Dragonknights can deal potent Poison damage with skills like Venomous Claw and Noxious Breath but also rely a lot on Weapon Abilities, like most other Stamina Classes. They are sturdier than their Magicka equivalent and easier to use as a new player. Stamina Dragonknight can now use fire based skills with success as well.
Infernum – Magicka Dragonknight PVP Build
Unbroken – Stamina Dragonknight PVP Build
Templar
The Templar Class has access to several support skills that can heal, buff and debuff enemies, making your life easier. Both Magicka and Stamina Templars however rely a lot on one skill and its morphs to deal significant damage, Puncturing Strikes.
The Magicka Templar can be an asset to every group because of the support it provides and the higher magicka pool that allows it to cast those skills often. A Magicka Templar can be strong as damage dealer but also assist with heals. Purifying Light, Rushed Ceremony and morphs, Cleansing Ritual and morphs can all assist your group and help win the fight.
Toppling Charge is an amazing gap closer skill that Stamina Templars can use as well. Eclipse and its morphs also assist Magicka and Stamina Templars with additional heals or damage.
Stamina Templars can be powerful as well but are a lot more fragile and hard to recover if you lose your momentum. Magicka Templars in general have more Magicka that allows them to use the Class’ support skills more often and with ease and their PVP gameplay feels more strategic.
They are both easy to use however and can assist new players in PVP.
Valkyrie – Magicka Templar PVP Build
Divine Wrath – Stamina Templar PVP Build
Warden
Warden is a powerful class in PVP both as a Stamina and Magicka Build. This is because it has access to a balanced set of offensive, defensive and support abilities. Abilities that can deal damage, heal and buff you and your group or debuff the enemy.
The Stamina Warden utilizes several Weapon abilities, like other Stamina Classes but its core skills are Class abilities. Subterranean Assault is an amazing offensive skill, Growing Swarm/Fetcher Infection deals damage and debuffs enemies, Bird of Prey boosts damage. Combined with the passives of the Animal Companions Skill line, they can destroy most enemies easily.
Sleet Storm and morphs, Ice Fortress and Arctic Blast can also provide additional support, heals and damage.
A very sturdy Class with superb damage and defense, that can fight multiple enemies with ease. Quite flexible as well, since it can use different weapons for its attack with success.
Magicka Warden on the other hand is not only strong as a damage dealer but also an amazing support PVP Class. With access to Heals, Buffs, debuffs and crowd control abilities, the Magicka Warden is an asset to any PVP group. Deep Fissure, Fetcher Infection/Growing Swarm, Fungal Growth and morphs, Secluded Grove and morphs, Lotus Blossom, Sleet Storm and morphs, Ice Fortress, Arctic Blast and Shimmering Shield are all important abilities for a PVP Magicka Warden.
Add Winter’s Revenge to the mix and you get some serious Crowd Control capabilities.
If support is your favorite role in PVP, then the Magicka Warden should be your number one option! The class requires some practice to learn but is overall quite easy to use with a straightforward skills rotation/combo. Which makes it a good choice for new players.
Destroyer – Stamina Warden PVP Build
Frozen – Magicka Warden PVP Build
Necromancer
Necromancer is another well balanced Class like the Warden, with access to several offensive, defensive and support abilities. Its dependence to minions to deal damage and survive however, increase its difficulty and make it a harder class to use effectively, especially for new players.
Stamina Necromancer is a sturdy Class with strong attacks and great survivability. It relies on Weapon abilities to deal damage but can use a few Class skills as well. Pestilent Colossus or Bone Goliath Transformation and morphs can be deadly Ultimates when used at the right moment.
Blighted Blastbones is a core skill of every Stamina Necromancer in PVP while Ruinous Scythe is a decent alternative to your Weapon spammable. Bone Armor and morphs, Deaden Pain and Expunge and morphs offer protection and utility. Spirit Guardian is an important skill for survival, for both Stamina and Magicka Necromancers.
The Magicka Necromancer on the other hand is a force to be reckoned with when played properly! A deadly mix of offense, Minions, Heals and Crowd Control abilities that can disable an entire enemy group and destroy them. Glacial Colossus or Bone Goliath Transformation and morphs can be deadly here as well while Stalking Blastbones is your primary source of damage.
Mystic Siphon can assist with sustain and extra damage while Bone Armor and morphs, Deaden Pain and Expunge and morphs offer protection and utility. Bone Totem, Grave Grasp and their morphs with their Crowd Control and debuffs, is what makes a Magicka Necromancer fearsome. Spirit Guardian is again very important for survival.
The Magicka Necromancer can also provide heals with Render Flesh and morphs but also revive fallen allies instantly with its Reanimate Ultimate and its morphs.
In general the Necromancer is a harder class to use and not very beginner friendly but can be powerful with the right setup and mindset in Solo or Group gameplay.
Undertaker – Magicka Necromancer PVP Build
Plaguecaller – Stamina Necromancer PVP Build
Final PVP Tier List
This is the final verdict for all Classes, Magicka and Stamina in PVP.
S Rank
- Stamina Necromancer
- Stamina Warden
- Magicka Sorcerer
- Magicka Necromancer
- Magicka Dragonknight
A Rank
- Stamina Nightblade(S Rank Potential)
- Magicka Templar
- Stamina Sorcerer
- Stamina Dragonknight
B Rank
- Magicka Nightblade
- Stamina Templar
- Magicka Warden
C Rank
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