Leveling tips 1-50

Replies: 38

Since we are seeing a lot of the same questions about starting out and leveling characters let me just lay out some general tips for people who are new to the game.  This is redundant info from @FrancisCrawford‘s thread below, but  people tend to not search and read before asking (go there and read for great info!):

http://tamrielfoundry.com/topic/general-tips-for-new-or-returning-players/

So!  When you start a character, especially your first character you are taking to 50 as a new player, this is what you need to be successful:

1) grinding your first character to 50 is a waste. This is an mmoRPG… rpg… Play through the game. I promise you, endgame is fun but if you dont know how to play you are just going to suck and struggle in endgame pvp and group pve content… Plus if you just grind you still have to go all the way back through every zone gathering skyshards, lorebooks and completing the core quests that reward skill points so that you have enough skill points to spend to have all the necessary morphs and passives… Dont screw yourself by grinding. You are just making it boring to catch up later. Also, once you have completed all the endgame content you will just get bored – the only thing left is grinding out the best gear and repetitive pvp. Not everyone has the mentality of wanting to have/be the best… And as such will just quit after a couple months of repetitive endgame dungeons, trials, etc. just play the game and enjoy it your first play through… Then worry about endgame.

2) use your skill points to unlock the first skill of each class skill line and weapon skill line for the spec you are playing (by spec i mean magicka or stamina… Those are usually defined by race choice based on the racial passive strengths).

3) you have 5 skill slots and an ultimate.  Slot one skill from each class line and two weapon skills.  For stamina specs, your first weapons should really be 2h and bow; for magicka obviously resto and destro.  I will discuss later why.  Killing enemies and completing quests will give the slotted skills and their skill lines xp to rank them up.  The same goes for the weapon and armor you are actively using when you gain xp.

4) at first wear head, chest, legs heavy armor, feet and shoulders medium, belt and hands light.  Ideally these should all be training traits as well… But as long as you have a couple pieces of each armor type you are in good shape to level all 3 quickly.  Having more defense with heavy armor is fine at first because you have no passives unlocked for any of the 3 armor lines… So just gear to survive.  Once you hit level 20-30 or so you will have reached a significant level for each of these armor skill lines to choose 5 pieces of the type that suits your spec best; continue to wear 1 of each of the other 2 types until they reach rank 50.

5) try to utilize a crowd control (cc) skill to assist you in survivability… These are stuns, knockdowns, knockbacks, petrify… When you apply one of these status effects to an enemy, when the duration ends they have a short period of time of immunity to all CC skills.  Pairing a “hard” CC like those above with soft CC (immobilize, also called “root,” and snare) allows you to lock most foes up or at least limit their ability to attack you by keeping them away while you stay mobile.  The first destro staff skill used with a flame staff and morphed to “clench” is a great knockback/stun; wrecking blow from 2h is another skill that will do the same; the “bombard” morph of arrow spray from bow skill line is a great area immobilize that you can virtually spam to keep enemies away from you (even many delve and world bosses!); many classes have CC skills as well that you can take advantage of… DK, for example, early on has the first skill of earthen heart line that will have a similar effect as flame clench.  Use CC to your advantage especially against multiple enemies.

6) always get the first strike of any combat.. And make it a fully charged heavy attack! Then CC… Dont open with CC if you can manage because it will buy you 2-3 seconds of free attacking.  Heavy attack then CC.  And against multiple enemies, after you use CC always kill the ranged enemies first.. Archers and mages are very dangerous since they can be difficult to get close to as combat starts and immediately start damaging you… Stun or knock them down, close the gap and kill them… Then move on to the melee enemies.

7) you should unlock some healing skill as soon as possible… For stamina specs you are kind of limited to momentum (rally) from 2h, blood craze and bloodthirst from dw, vigor from pvp assault skill line and whatever class heals you may have access to + potions.  DK have dragon blood that does not scale its heal based on your max magicka; it scales on your health – more specifically how much health you are down from max.  Stamina nightblades have killers blade and mark target that also heal you when an enemy dies, which is useful.  Potions that heal you are essential for low level characters as well.  for magicka specs, resto is an obvious advantage for healing… Regeneration is pretty awesome for soloing and either morph works nicely.  Templars also have heals in class; nightblades have siphoning skills that heal as well.

8) key skills should offer CC, area damage, single target damage and healing… Early on all you really need is the ability to hit a target with a heavy attack + 1-2 single target damage skills to kill it, and you can lean on potions for healing.  The rest of your skill slots are for ranking up skills and skill lines… As you progress you will need more useful skills in terms of utility and variety of effect.

9) rank up everything in class and weapon skill lines… Magicka characters also rank up mages guild by collecting lorebooks… If you have issues finding lorebooks, google it.  There are tons of maps out there that show you where all the books are – being on console with no addon to show you in game isnt an excuse.  Fighters guild is easy to rank up for all characters; just kill daedra and undead.  By 50 you should have at least rank 6-7 of each… Mages guild you can finish by halfway through cadwell’s silver zones; fighters just takes time grinding zombies or skeletons somewhere once you hit 50.

10) join guilds.  You can have 5 – a good trader, social and endgame guilds are nice to have and keep you busy working with others to complete content.  Asking for help is easy in your guilds, and with 5 to ask in, you can bet you will have people that want to help you when you need it.

11) there is no such thing as a leveling build… Feel free to follow deltia and syphers leveling guides if you really want, but the reality is they are just suggestions on how to successfully survive while doing all of the things i have stated above.  There are dozens of approaches you can use… Just find what works for you.  And if you continue to struggle after trial and error… Come here and post to this thread and ask for help!  That is what we are here for!

12) dont bother pvping until 15+ when you have a second bar…. And even then i wouldnt bother until 30+ when you actually have more skill points and ranks to be able to use all class, guild and armor skills and passives that would make you competitive.

13) expand your inventory and bank!  Dont keep running back and forth to town every 10 minutes with a full inventory.  Also keep uograding your horse!  Do bag space first, then speed, then stamina.  You dont really need speed or stamina until you go to cyrodill and have to ride around that huge map.  The larger your bag the less time you have to keep going back to town to empty it…

14) inventory management tips:  research every trait, every craft… Sell all white items you dont need to research…  Deconstruct everything else.  Refine all raw materials.  Only store refined materials, alchemy and provisioning ingredients and weapons/armor that have traits you need to research… And store them in your bank as much as possible.  If you are above the level of the refined materials you have saved up, just sell them to NPCs or guild stores if you have a trader; dont store low level materials you will never need.  Keep your inventory clear!

15) how to deal damage efficiently… Your skills scale from the attributes that power them – magicka skills scale from max magicka, spell damage and spell crit… Stamina skills scale from max stamina, weapon damage and weapon crit.  If you are using magicka skills you should really be using a staff; stamina users should have dw, 2h, 1hs or bow.  Gear accordingly.  Do not try to use both or you WILL SUCK.  We call characters with stats evenly distributed and trying to be jack of all trades “hybrids” – and we know from over 2 years of play in an mmo with evolving game mehanics that hybrids are garbage.  Pick 1 attribute to focus on and use that stat for damage and healing; the other attribute is for utility and buffs that do not scale up with the attribute.  I should probably move his to #2 on the list because it is probably the singular most important and most basic mechanics knowledge… But i dont feel like renumbering this on my phone  hope you read this far!  if not… you are lazy and are doomed to failure!  muahahahahaha!  half kidding…  hope you read this far though

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if i think of something else i will update this later… You have more wuestions beyond what i have probided above please POST THEM HERE AND NOT IN YOUR OWN THREAD!!  Otherwise i will just keep merging them in here to keep our forums clean, which makes my thumbs tired on my iphone… Save my thumbs!  And if you didnt read this far because WORDS… I am not sure anyone can truly help you.  Lazy!  /slap!

may the odds be ever in your favor.

• This topic was modified 1 year ago by  mrowmrif2. Reason: added a few more!