Quick Guide
- The Elder Scrolls Online features seven distinct classes, each with three unique skill lines.
- Classes range from base game access (Warden, Dragonknight, Sorcerer, Nightblade, Templar) to DLC chapters (Arcanist, Necromancer).
- Each class offers flexibility to specialize in damage, healing, or tanking roles.
- Consider your preferred combat style and role when choosing your Elder Scrolls Steam class.
Embarking on an adventure in Tamriel through The Elder Scrolls Online offers immense freedom, and one of the most crucial early decisions you'll make is choosing your character's class. Whether you're a seasoned MMO veteran or new to the world of Nirn, understanding the unique identities and capabilities of the Elder Scrolls Steam classes is key to crafting a character that truly fits your playstyle. Each class comes with its own set of three distinct skill lines, offering a diverse array of active abilities, passive buffs, and powerful ultimate attacks that shape your role in combat and exploration.
This guide will walk you through each of the seven powerful classes available in The Elder Scrolls Online, helping you understand their core mechanics and skill sets before you commit to your build.
Discovering Your Path: An Overview of The Elder Scrolls Online Classes
In The Elder Scrolls Online, classes are more than just a label; they define your character's fundamental magical or martial aptitudes. While the game's flexible "play your way" philosophy allows for significant build customization within each class, their unique skill lines provide a strong thematic foundation. You can adapt any class to fill various roles—damage dealer (DPS), tank, or healer—but their innate abilities often lend themselves more naturally to certain specializations. Understanding these distinctions is vital for both new and returning players looking to optimize their experience.
Meet the Seven Classes of Tamriel
Currently, The Elder Scrolls Online boasts seven formidable classes, each with a distinct flavor and combat style. Some are available with the base game, while others require specific Chapter expansions.
Arcanist: Master of Forbidden Knowledge
Introduced with the Necrom Chapter, the Arcanist is a master of forbidden knowledge, manipulating arcane energies and lost tomes. This class draws power "not intended for mortal use," weaving destructive, restorative, or defensive magics empowered by a unique "Crux" system. Arcanists excel at harnessing raw, eldritch power.
- Herald of the Tome: Focuses on offensive spells, blasting foes with eldritch rays and ichor-infused tentacles.
- Curative Runeforms: Specializes in healing, summoning words of power to restore allies and even traveling between worlds.
- Soldier of Apocrypha: Offers defensive capabilities, enchanting enemies and protecting the Arcanist with arcane runes and tentacled shields.
Necromancer: Wielding the Power of the Undead
The Necromancer, available with the Elsweyr Chapter or as a Crown Store upgrade, is a master of death and undeath. This class exploits the dead of Tamriel, summoning undead thralls and weaving ghastly spells to harm enemies and heal allies. Necromancers bring a unique, corpse-centric playstyle to the battlefield.
- Grave Lord: Imbues the dead with frost, fire, and lightning to unleash ruin, raising relentless undead to intensify assaults.
- Bone Tyrant: Bends the dead to their will, using remains to create impenetrable barriers and extend their own life.
- Living Death: Draws from life and death to replenish and restore allies, even resurrecting fallen comrades.
Warden: Defender of the Green
Available with The Elder Scrolls Online base game, the Warden is a versatile class that draws power from nature. As defenders of the Green, Wardens manipulate the wilds and summon powerful beasts, embodying the balance of nature in combat.
- Animal Companions: Calls forth beasts like cliff racers, bears, and fetcherflies to strike enemies and empower attacks.
- Green Balance: Maintains battlefield balance by shrouding allies in soothing vines, sprouting healing flowers, and summoning enchanted forests.
- Winter's Embrace: Wields powerful frost magic to bolster defenses and enfeeble enemies with relentless cold.
Dragonknight: Raging Fire Unleashed
The Dragonknight, also a base game class, is a skillful master-at-arms who uses ancient Akaviri martial arts and fearsome magic. These fiery, unrelenting warriors thrive in the heart of battle, burning foes and withstanding almost any assault.
- Ardent Flame: Unleashes fury with relentless Fire and Poison abilities that deal devastating damage over time.
- Draconic Power: Harnesses the power of ancient Dragons to strengthen defenses, surround themselves in protective scales, and charge into battle.
- Earthen Heart: Draws from the earth to empower allies, stun foes, and encase themselves in damaging molten lava.
Sorcerer: Conjurer of the Arcane
Another base game class, the Sorcerer is a conjurer of the arcane, wielding destructive and dark magic. They hurl lightning bolts, snare and stun enemies, and summon Daedric combat followers from Oblivion, embodying raw magical power.
- Daedric Summoning: Summons terrors from Oblivion to assault enemies and conjures potent armor and shields.
- Dark Magic: (Details not fully provided in source, but typically involves crowd control, debuffs, and resource management).
- Storm Calling: Hurls lightning strikes for massive shock damage, thundering across the battlefield and wreaking havoc from afar.
Nightblade: The Knife in the Dark
The Nightblade, a base game class, relies on stealth, blades, and speed. These cunning warriors thrive on conflict, attacking from the shadows, draining foes' health, and vanishing into the void, making them masters of unseen strikes.
- Assassination: Strikes with terrible lethality, dealing massive damage and debilitating foes for a final blow.
- Shadow: Embraces shadows to find the perfect moment to strike or escape, terrifying enemies with fearsome spirits.
- Siphoning: Weakens foes, draining their life while simultaneously healing the Nightblade and their allies.
Templar: Lighting the Way
The Templar, a base game class, calls upon the powers of light and the burning sun. They deal massive damage to enemies while restoring health, magicka, and stamina to allies, acting as a beacon of justice in Tamriel.
- Aedric Spear: (Details not fully provided in source, but typically involves direct damage, crowd control, and defensive capabilities using light-based spears).
- Dawn's Wrath: Unleashes the unyielding power of the sun to bathe enemies in flame, dealing massive damage and empowering attacks.
- Restoring Light: Restores and protects allies with sacred light, consecrating the ground and cleansing the team from attacks.
While classes have specific strengths, The Elder Scrolls Online's flexible skill system allows for diverse builds. You can build a healing Dragonknight or a tanky Nightblade, but some combinations will naturally be more efficient due to class abilities.
How to Choose Your Elder Scrolls Steam Class
Choosing your perfect class involves considering your preferred playstyle and what role you enjoy most in group content.
- Consider Your Combat Preference: Do you like getting up close and personal (Dragonknight, Nightblade), slinging spells from a distance (Sorcerer, Arcanist), or supporting your allies (Templar, Warden, Necromancer)?
- Role Specialization: While all classes can adapt, some lean into certain roles. If you want to be a dedicated healer, Templar, Warden, and Arcanist have strong healing lines. For tanking, Dragonknight and Warden are excellent choices. For raw damage, any class can perform well, but Sorcerer, Nightblade, and Arcanist often excel.
- Availability: Remember that the Arcanist and Necromancer classes require their respective Chapter expansions (Necrom and Elsweyr), or can be purchased from the Crown Store. The other five classes are included with The Elder Scrolls Online base game.
- Experiment (if possible): If you're unsure, watch gameplay videos or, if you have access to multiple characters, try out a few different classes to see what clicks.
Starting Your Adventure on Steam
The Elder Scrolls Online is readily available on Steam, offering a seamless way to dive into Tamriel. When you purchase the game or its various Chapter expansions through Steam, all the classes mentioned above become accessible based on your purchases. Whether you choose a base game class or one from a newer Chapter, your journey through ESO starts with this fundamental decision. For more in-depth information on each class, you can always visit the official Elder Scrolls Online website.
Frequently Asked Questions About ESO Classes
How many Elder Scrolls Steam classes are there in The Elder Scrolls Online?
There are currently seven distinct classes available in The Elder Scrolls Online. These include Arcanist, Necromancer, Warden, Dragonknight, Sorcerer, Nightblade, and Templar.
Can I change my class after I've created my character?
No, once you select a class for your character in The Elder Scrolls Online, it is permanent. You cannot change your class later. If you wish to play a different Elder Scrolls Steam class, you will need to create a new character.
Which Elder Scrolls Steam class is best for beginners?
Many players find classes like the Sorcerer, Dragonknight, or Templar to be beginner-friendly due to their straightforward mechanics and strong ability to fulfill various roles. However, the "best" class ultimately depends on your personal playstyle preference.
Do I need to buy DLC to access all classes?
Some classes require specific Chapter expansions. The Arcanist requires the Necrom Chapter, and the Necromancer requires the Elsweyr Chapter (or can be purchased from the Crown Store). The Warden, Dragonknight, Sorcerer, Nightblade, and Templar are included with the base game.