The Elder Scrolls Online » Discussions


Favorite ESO Race

Tags: #ESO  #race  #racial not racist 
  • Member
    May 3, 2018

    Patriarch said:

    Rogue said:

    Also, nice hashtags. 

     

     

    Of all people, I knew you'd pick up on that. lol. 

    You know me well

  • Member
    May 3, 2018

    Interesting stuff, Patriarch, especially as I'm not entirely certain I have an answer. My first "main" to get me to CP levels and do my crafting is always a Khajiit stam DK, a decision I always come to regret. I like Khajiit, I really do, but I find sustain to be a bit of a bear with these guys in a tanky role - I'll probably pick your brains on that at some point. My current character hits quite hard, can solo world bosses and dolmens with relative ease, but in a group situation when doing a tank and spank I find at a certain point I need to pop an ultimate to regain my stamina no matter whether I actually need that ultimate running or not. Nevertheless, I enjoy my turtle cats and, like you, really soak up the quests in Reaper's March.

    I really like Dunmer, although if I'm honest I'm not sure what the meta is for them. Like, I really want to do a Dark Elf Templar like a paladin playthrough and really soak up the Almalexia, Vivec, and Sotha Sil quests, but I don't think many of the Templar's damage output counts as fire so I wouldn't be able to take advantage of the bonus they have to spell damage. Regardless, because of the various backgrounds and stories we can give characters thanks to their Great Houses and Ashlander tribes, it's never hard to get inspired by the Dunmer and explore the incredible depth of their culture.

    Rogue nailed it with the Bosmer. I've never taken them seriously in any previous TES game because they have always been a bit of a joke, with male wood elves having the most number of annoying NPCs. ESO changed a lot of that, gave the race a balance that I really appreciate. The ladies are all a bit feisty and passionate, the males a bit more passive or thoughtful, and the harmony of the Silvenar and Green Lady really demonstrate in a microcosm the gender roles and culture of these guys. I like how the Greenpact is explained and the nuance of that, how in Valenwood Hircine = Y'ffre before the Greenpact, and the Wilder King quest remains one of my all-time favourite quests in the game. But could I imagine ever playing a Bosmer? Lol, nope!

  • Member
    May 4, 2018

    Stuck between Argonian and Breton. Argonian, because I just love Argonians. Breton, because it helps me replicate the old Obsidian Sentinel build by Mason.

  • Member
    May 4, 2018
    To tell the truth, I haven’t given it much thought. Being new to ESO, I am still trying to get my bearings. I put over 3000 hours into Morrowind, but never played a Dunmer. It was Redguard all the way. I have always enjoyed playing the outsider/outcast. After 2200 hours of Skyrim, I came to enjoy the Orc’s “We stand alone” and “Code of Malacath” atmospheres. Although I never took them to endgame. Again I fell back on my Redguard ways. After so much time in the game, the Nords started to sound really bitchy, and it felt like they needed someone else to handle their problems. ESO has been a culture shock. It seems that everything I thought I knew about Redguards was wrong (or I just misinterpreted them). Of course I tried them first, but it just felt like playing a pirate, at least early game. I always felt them to be more honorable. So I spead my wings and try all the others. After all the time in Morrowind, and Skyrim, I get tired of those atmospheres. I am leveling a Dunmer, and it has been decent, but I always end up leaving their lands for small vacations in other lands. I am also play an Orc in Orsinium, so I will let you know how that works out. All in all, I tend to ignore some of the more notable racial powers and play what I want. Meta be damned. I still have not picked a “favorite” race, but I’m sure there will be one that stands out as I progress through the game.
  • Member
    May 4, 2018

    Paws said:

    Interesting stuff, Patriarch, especially as I'm not entirely certain I have an answer. My first "main" to get me to CP levels and do my crafting is always a Khajiit stam DK, a decision I always come to regret. I like Khajiit, I really do, but I find sustain to be a bit of a bear with these guys in a tanky role - I'll probably pick your brains on that at some point. My current character hits quite hard, can solo world bosses and dolmens with relative ease, but in a group situation when doing a tank and spank I find at a certain point I need to pop an ultimate to regain my stamina no matter whether I actually need that ultimate running or not. Nevertheless, I enjoy my turtle cats and, like you, really soak up the quests in Reaper's March.

    I really like Dunmer, although if I'm honest I'm not sure what the meta is for them. Like, I really want to do a Dark Elf Templar like a paladin playthrough and really soak up the Almalexia, Vivec, and Sotha Sil quests, but I don't think many of the Templar's damage output counts as fire so I wouldn't be able to take advantage of the bonus they have to spell damage. Regardless, because of the various backgrounds and stories we can give characters thanks to their Great Houses and Ashlander tribes, it's never hard to get inspired by the Dunmer and explore the incredible depth of their culture.

    Rogue nailed it with the Bosmer. I've never taken them seriously in any previous TES game because they have always been a bit of a joke, with male wood elves having the most number of annoying NPCs. ESO changed a lot of that, gave the race a balance that I really appreciate. The ladies are all a bit feisty and passionate, the males a bit more passive or thoughtful, and the harmony of the Silvenar and Green Lady really demonstrate in a microcosm the gender roles and culture of these guys. I like how the Greenpact is explained and the nuance of that, how in Valenwood Hircine = Y'ffre before the Greenpact, and the Wilder King quest remains one of my all-time favourite quests in the game. But could I imagine ever playing a Bosmer? Lol, nope!

    Dunmer actually work well with magicka Templars. Reflective light does fire damage as does the apt-named, Blockade of Fire (fire staff). Blockade of Fire is one of the hardest hitting abilities for any magicka dealer and is a staple of any good build.

     

  • Member
    May 4, 2018

    KingsOfOld said: To tell the truth, I haven’t given it much thought. Being new to ESO, I am still trying to get my bearings. I put over 3000 hours into Morrowind, but never played a Dunmer. It was Redguard all the way. I have always enjoyed playing the outsider/outcast. After 2200 hours of Skyrim, I came to enjoy the Orc’s “We stand alone” and “Code of Malacath” atmospheres. Although I never took them to endgame. Again I fell back on my Redguard ways. After so much time in the game, the Nords started to sound really bitchy, and it felt like they needed someone else to handle their problems. ESO has been a culture shock. It seems that everything I thought I knew about Redguards was wrong (or I just misinterpreted them). Of course I tried them first, but it just felt like playing a pirate, at least early game. I always felt them to be more honorable. So I spead my wings and try all the others. After all the time in Morrowind, and Skyrim, I get tired of those atmospheres. I am leveling a Dunmer, and it has been decent, but I always end up leaving their lands for small vacations in other lands. I am also play an Orc in Orsinium, so I will let you know how that works out. All in all, I tend to ignore some of the more notable racial powers and play what I want. Meta be damned. I still have not picked a “favorite” race, but I’m sure there will be one that stands out as I progress through the game.

    You know, I don't think I've played a Redguard in ESO yet. I don't think you're wrong about the honor thing, meeting Sai Sahan in the Main Quest will really let you explore a lot of that honour stuff. It's just ESO is better than other games at showing the cultures of Tamriel's diversity and breaking the mould, as it were. 

    Patriarch said:

    Dunmer actually work well with magicka Templars. Reflective light does fire damage as does the apt-named, Blockade of Fire (fire staff). Blockade of Fire is one of the hardest hitting abilities for any magicka dealer and is a staple of any good build.

    Hmm. Magplar with Destro and Resto... Light armour, not a paladin but more of a priest. Riding that magnificent Lustrous Nix-Ox like Llothis and Olms. An idea forms in my mind :D 

  • Member
    May 16, 2018

    Patriarch, a quick question on races and meta. You do a lot of end-game content like vet trials. From what I read, those things almost require an optimised build, such as a High Elf MagSorc etc. But is that a necessity? If you took your Altmer mage build and made a Wood Elf in exactly the same way, how much dps would you lose just from that race change? Is it possible to do the hardest content in the game with a whole group of non-meta builds?

  • Member
    May 16, 2018

    @Paws, I'll try to answer your question in parts. 

    Paws said:

    From what I read, those things almost require an optimised build, such as a High Elf MagSorc etc. But is that a necessity? 

    You mentioned vet trials, so let's start there. In comparison to a normal trial, a vet trial is at least 10x more difficult. There are special mechanics that cannot be avoided, some of which must be followed by each member of the team. Example: Maw of Lorkhaj. In the Twins boss fight, if just one player fails to rotate to the opposite side of the room at the right time, or attacks the wrong boss at the wrong time, the entire team wipes. In addition to mechanics, certain fights are "DPS checks," meaning that the team must put out a certain level of DPS. If the DPS output is not met, the fight lasts longer, and either the boss enrages (gets stronger) or a detrimental enviromental effect continues to stack until the team is dead. Finally, vet trials are VERY taxing on sustain. There's only so much magic, stamina, or health to go around. Couple this with certain trials that contain sustain-draining mechanics.

    Now to builds...

    A vet trial does not require a fully, totally optimized build. But, here's the caveat: a non-optimized build cannot stray too far from the meta. Due to the aforementioned issues, a damage dealer must be able to put out enough DPS while sustaining its primary resource. 

    Paws said: If you took your Altmer mage build and made a Wood Elf in exactly the same way, how much dps would you lose just from that race change?

    Good example. A fully, totally optimized sorcerer build would be an Altmer (wearing Necropotence, Moondancer or Mechanical Acuity, and a Maelstrom staff). However, you could get away with a Dunmer Sorcerer without sacrificing too much. You might lose a little dps and a tiny bit of sustain but nothing you could not overcome. You might be able roll with a Breton sorc, but your dps would start to noticably suffer. So, as you can see, the farther you stray from the meta, the harder it becomes--even with magicka-based races. Your Bosmer, on the other hand, would suffer a lot. Your DPS would be hit very hard (because spell damage scales on your total magicka pool, among other things. A Bosmer has no bonus to magicka. A Bosmer would suffer even more with magicka sustain.

    PawsIs it possible to do the hardest content in the game with a whole group of non-meta builds?

    No, to put it bluntly. Well, no, as far as vet trials (the hardest content) are concerned. A team can get away with one or two, maybe even three, non meta builds. But, certainly not the entire team. I take that back. I suppose an entire team might be able to do it, but only a highly experienced team who has beaten this kind of content many times in the past, knows the mechanics, and has an intimate knowledge of their respective class in order to overcome any challenges. Even then, it would not be very fun, if it were possible at all.

    Disclaimer:

    You can have a full-tilt meta build and still suck. A skilled player is one who not only has a proper build, but one who has practiced a proper rotation of skills to maximize DPS and sustain. Some of the best players I have had the pleasure of running trials with have spent hours practicing in front of a target dummy, shooting for high DPS scores. Literally, hours.

    A vet trial requires a damage-dealer to put out a bare minimum of 30k dps at a dummy (but even that is a bit low. most raid guilds require 35k) .

  • May 16, 2018

    Before I answer with, well my response, this has been featured on the Tamriel Vault Twitter Acccount.

     

    So I have to more or less go with either the Argonians or Dunmer. I think all of my major (anything that gets passed level 20 is major for me :P) characters have been Dunmer but the way that the Argonians have been enhanced and focused upon with ESO was just really quite fascinating to me. I think they got a tonne of Lore that just absolutely fascinated me. From a gameplay perspective...I have no clue what's good at what because I don't care, just sorta play what I want to. 

  • Member
    May 16, 2018

    Patriarch said:

    @Paws, I'll try to answer your question in parts. 

    Paws said:

    From what I read, those things almost require an optimised build, such as a High Elf MagSorc etc. But is that a necessity? 

    You mentioned vet trials, so let's start there. In comparison to a normal trial, a vet trial is at least 10x more difficult. There are special mechanics that cannot be avoided, some of which must be followed by each member of the team. Example: Maw of Lorkhaj. In the Twins boss fight, if just one player fails to rotate to the opposite side of the room at the right time, or attacks the wrong boss at the wrong time, the entire team wipes. In addition to mechanics, certain fights are "DPS checks," meaning that the team must put out a certain level of DPS. If the DPS output is not met, the fight lasts longer, and either the boss enrages (gets stronger) or a detrimental enviromental effect continues to stack until the team is dead. Finally, vet trials are VERY taxing on sustain. There's only so much magic, stamina, or health to go around. Couple this with certain trials that contain sustain-draining mechanics.

    Now to builds...

    A vet trial does not require a fully, totally optimized build. But, here's the caveat: a non-optimized build cannot stray too far from the meta. Due to the aforementioned issues, a damage dealer must be able to put out enough DPS while sustaining its primary resource. 

    Paws said: If you took your Altmer mage build and made a Wood Elf in exactly the same way, how much dps would you lose just from that race change?

    Good example. A fully, totally optimized sorcerer build would be an Altmer (wearing Necropotence, Moondancer or Mechanical Acuity, and a Maelstrom staff). However, you could get away with a Dunmer Sorcerer without sacrificing too much. You might lose a little dps and a tiny bit of sustain but nothing you could not overcome. You might be able roll with a Breton sorc, but your dps would start to noticably suffer. So, as you can see, the farther you stray from the meta, the harder it becomes--even with magicka-based races. Your Bosmer, on the other hand, would suffer a lot. Your DPS would be hit very hard (because spell damage scales on your total magicka pool, among other things. A Bosmer has no bonus to magicka. A Bosmer would suffer even more with magicka sustain.

    PawsIs it possible to do the hardest content in the game with a whole group of non-meta builds?

    No, to put it bluntly. Well, no, as far as vet trials (the hardest content) are concerned. A team can get away with one or two, maybe even three, non meta builds. But, certainly not the entire team. I take that back. I suppose an entire team might be able to do it, but only a highly experienced team who has beaten this kind of content many times in the past, knows the mechanics, and has an intimate knowledge of their respective class in order to overcome any challenges. Even then, it would not be very fun, if it were possible at all.

    Disclaimer:

    You can have a full-tilt meta build and still suck. A skilled player is one who not only has a proper build, but one who has practiced a proper rotation of skills to maximize DPS and sustain. Some of the best players I have had the pleasure of running trials with have spent hours practicing in front of a target dummy, shooting for high DPS scores. Literally, hours.

    A vet trial requires a damage-dealer to put out a bare minimum of 30k dps at a dummy (but even that is a bit low. most raid guilds require 35k) .

    Great info, thank you Patriarch :) Don't get me wrong, I have no plans to roll a Bosmer Sorcerer :D I've been thinking about the question of Favourite Race since being unable to answer it as it applies to ESO. I've noticed that I don't tend to stray too far from what would be acceptable for end-game content. I don't think that's because I have any intent to get that far, but more because I don't want to lock myself off from the possibility.

    I can't imagine spending a long time practicing rotations and filming my parses in front of a dummy, yet there exists a possibility that a good run in Maelstrom or other content would make me curious as to what numbers I'm pulling, and the desire to see those figures and tighten them up may evolve organically from that experience: There are a lot of really nice things rewarded to those who do that.

    So I'm still no closer to answering the OP question but it has made me more aware of my own habits and approach to character creation in ESO.