ESO: A Noobs Tale Part 4, The Final Verdict

This last week of my journey as a noob in Elder Scrolls Online was perhaps the most eye-opening of all. The fourth and final class in ESO- a class that perhaps more than any other appeals to me on a personal level- was the Templar, and it truly shed light on this niche role of healer/fighter for me. However the play-style and sub-class of a straight supporting role has given me some of my best gaming experiences of all time, and this was my goal for my Templar.

Now I defined myself as a “support” because my plan was to build my Templar as a healer, rather than a damage dealer or frontline tank. Elder Scrolls Online gives you great scope here to design your character as you wish and all these three options are open to you as a Templar. The use of the term “support” is perhaps more informed by my experience of MOBAs, but the supporting role is a constant (if comparatively unpopular) presence in all manner of games.

The first challenges I thought I might face starting down this supporting road were that in the early levels I might not have enough damage or resilience to kill monsters, quest and progress quickly and smoothly. However as I chose to take all three level one spells (one from each skill set), I found that I had plenty of damage to kill monsters extremely fast and thus not slow down my rapid movement through the game. Historically the supporting role has depended on the damage-dealing roles such as warriors, mages and assassins to engage head on with mobs, and they generally stood at the back giving teammates buffs and healing them. However in recent years a shift has been seen in many supporting roles across a multitude of games to them doubling as damage-dealers, tanks and applying crowd-control or other debuffs to enemies. This is seen most evidently in roles like the Templar, which are essentially amalgams of various roles.

However far from feeling disjointed and fractured, the Templar I played felt fluid, powerful and useful from the early levels, both in solo questing and when I decided to lend a healing hand to some other players I encountered. In fact out of all the classes available to play in Elder Scrolls Online, the Templar felt the most clearly defined. The concept of a “light-wielding healer/fighter” was portrayed in the Templar beautifully, whereas the other classes (with the possible exception of the Nightblade) had some discrepancies in their design. Despite all this worthy praise for the Templar I would give a word of warning to any with dreams of playing a supporting role in ESO.

It’s going to be slow. General questing as a Templar shouldn’t be problem, as I have already explained- the game has given you sufficient tools to take down monsters and complete quests in order to gain experience. However it will be a while before you feel that your vision of supporting a team is being fulfilled. ESO supports every play-style imaginable- if you want to go it completely solo, be an outlaw, be a team-player; it all works and is acceptable within the game. But some of these options simply won’t be available to you from the outset, unless you employ some friends to quest alongside you.

This brings me on my real message of this week. Cooperation, communication and team-play are vital parts of ESO, and to experience this (or any MMORPG) to its full they can’t be overlooked. If you are the kind of player (and I know a few) that prefers the “lone wolf” style of play I understand the appeal- but in all honesty you will not experience ESO as it is really at its best until you find yourself some friends to adventure with. For me, as a noob in the area, my only frame of reference is my brief spell playing World of Warcraft. The first levels for me were somewhat tedious at times- although I did get a kick from seeing my character develop. The stage that I really found myself enjoying World of Warcraft most when I discovered dungeons. The dungeon finder became my go-to button in the game, and my best memories were formed from those cooperative times.

As I said, with the supporting role it will take a while until you get to the stage that you feel the unique pleasure of being a huge part of a team’s success from behind the scenes. If you are impatient in this I highly suggest you get out there and find someone to team up with, however temporarily, and do quests together. Trust me it will make the experience far more fulfilling and you will both benefit hugely from having someone else helping you along.

So now to the final question; is Elder Scrolls Online a big, scary, MMORPG that will be confusing and hard to get into? Well I think I would have to answer yes. To a point. Elder Scrolls Online has a million and one different crafts, guilds, skills, quests, zones, storylines, items and paths to explore. If you are an MMORPG noob like me you will feel overwhelmed at times, and the feeling of not understanding what is going on or what half of the buttons in your menu do can be extremely frustrating. There are countless ways of approaching the way you play the game, and limitless quests for you to do, as well as a plethora of crafts and skills for you to hone and shape your character with. The absence of any guidance in what to do at any one time can be confusing for gamers who are used to linear plotlines and hand-holding. If you’re like me you may find yourself asking yourself the question “am I playing this the wrong way?” several times over the course of your playing the game.

None of these facts make Elder Scrolls Online an unapproachable game for noobs. If you are interested in gaming of any kind you will find joy in this game, I guarantee it. You may just need to search for it harder than in other games. Nothing will be handed to you for free in this game. Everything you have you will need to earn (or steal) and everything you know you will need to learn through time invested. Elder Scrolls Online is about investment after all, like any MMORPG. You will get out what you put in- if you want that Izad’s Treasure you’re going to have to go and find it yourself!

Elder Scrolls Online is a game that will reward you for persevering, give you more to explore just when you thought you knew it all, and present you with almost total freedom to make it what you will. If you’re a scared noob trust me; I understand. Elder Scrolls Online will not be a cake-walk. However once you learn the tricks of the trade and find your feet as a Nightblade, Warrior, Sorcerer or Templar; the world of Tamriel will become your oyster.