The Elder Scrolls Onlineis one of the most casual-friendly MMORPGs around. Whether you’re questing, diving into dungeons with a few friends, or taking part in massive PvP battles in Cyrodiil, anyone can instantly jump into the action and contribute.
However, players looking to become one of the deadliest competitors on the field will need to optimize their ESO build. This means constantly checking DPS outputs, sustaining your resources, and living to fight another day. Whether you’re looking to become a PvE expert or solo adventurer or climb to the top of the PvP charts, here are some of the best ESO builds in 2021.
Further reading
Best solo builds in ESO
The Elder Scrolls Onlineis incredibly friendly to solo players — especially with the recently introduced Companion System. However, if you’re looking to optimize your playstyle without relying on others, there are a few things to keep in mind with your build.
With those two core concepts in mind, here are a few of the best solo builds for both PvP and PvE inThe Elder Scrolls Online. Keep in mind that there are literally thousands of ways to customize your character, and there’s really no such thing as a “best” build. Whatever works for your playstyle is the best, and we highly recommend tweaking these guidelines to accommodate your needs.
Best PvP solo build
Dual Wield Mainbar skills
Bow Backup bar skills
Best PvE solo build
Destruction Staff Mainbar skills
Destruction Staff Backup bar skills
Best PvP builds in ESO
While the above build works well for solo PvP, you might want to change things up if you’re running with a group. Damage should ideally be dealt in large bursts, denying your target the chance to heal or escape before being dealt a killing blow. It’s also possible to run several DoTs on them at once, although skilled players might be able to keep their healing up long enough to outlive your assault.
Depending on the exact PvP situation, your team might not need you to deal damage — instead, you might be called upon to be a Tank or Healer. No matter what your task, here are some great builds to play around with in PvP.
Keep in mind that even the best builds will fail without a well-coordinated attack. Chat with your team, establish a battle plan, and figure out the best way to surprise and overwhelm your opponents. Fail to do that, and it won’t matter how perfect your build is — the team with the better strategy will likely be the victor.
Sword and Shield Backup bar skills
Tank build
Sword and Shield Mainbar skills
Two-Handed Greatsword Backup bar skills
Healer build
Restoration Staff Mainbar skills
Restoration Staff Backup bar skills
Best PvE builds in ESO
Building out a good character for Dungeons and Trials is radically different from building a character for PvP. Instead of a couple of hard-hitting enemies, you’ll be going up against dozens of weaker opponents. Eventually, you’ll come face to face with some high-level bosses, although careful positioning and timing will help you avoid their powerful, telegraphed attacks.
Here are three ESO builds for the “Holy Trinity” that will help you through PvE inThe Elder Scrolls Online.
Best beginner builds in ESO
If you’re just getting started withThe Elder Scrolls Online, don’t bog yourself down trying to craft the perfect character. Not only is that a recipe for disaster — there are a lot of moving pieces to watch out for — but there’s no guarantee you’ll like the playstyle you’re building toward. Because of this, there really isn’t the best beginner build inESO.
Instead, it’s best to spend some time picking up skills you enjoy and homing in on which role you prefer in combat. To this end, you should roll a few different characters and test out healing, tanking, and dealing out damage. You’ll also need to dive into all the PvE and PvP contentESOhas to offer — some experienced players love PvP and can’t get into Dungeons or Trials, and vice versa.
The Elder Scrolls Onlineis incredibly forgiving to new players, and it even gives you the option to respect your skills and attributes down the line. Because of this incredible feature, there’s truly no need to worry about the best beginner build as a newcomer. Pick a class that looks cool and jump into the action — it’s hard to go wrong with any choice. However, keep these general tips in mind when chasing after your personal ESO build:
