New Victim Here! Necro Noob Questions

[Warspawn]

Ok, going to ask for some general advice here from the vets. First off, I tried ESO awhile ago and never got into it. But then, I wanted to give it another shot, and the free QuakeCon trial offer made that available. Played a Warden Stamina Bow build for a bit, then a Nightblade Magika DW. Got hooked, and decided to jump in with both feet and get the Blackwood CE while it's on sale. And that got me the Necromancer class....

What I'm reading and watching is literally drinking through a fire hose! Much like Elite Dangerous, this is no simple game, and I understand that much of what I'll learn will come from experience. But, for general game play, for someone starting off, how would you build your Necromancer for fun and success? The game's been out for quite some time, so I expect to have to solo much of the first several levels until groups are more common. So, we'll need to have offense, defense and be able to sustain extended fights while alone.

I'm leaning towards a stamina based build, with a 2H offensive setup, then going either bow or DW secondary when things get tricky and I need to survive by going on defense How did you find these to work out? Would it have been better to go Magika with the typical staff build you see in other MMO's? What armor type would you aim for initially, between the light/medium/heavy classes?

Thanks so much!!

o7

~War~

Animam Edere, Dark Elf Necromancer

[Sirius]

The thing is... like you already noticed, there is lots of information.

How you would make playing your Necromancer fun to play is entirely subjective.

As with all classes, you can go full damage mage, full stamina weapon damage, full "I will facetank most dungeon and world bosses" tank and full healer.

And also, you can pretty much mix and match the above if you do not plan on doing very high-end veteran dungeons and trials - most overworld and quest stuff, you can get by with pretty much anything.

Hell, I'm currently experimenting with 'classless' builds, meaning apart form leveling them, I ignore class skills for the most part and focus solely on guild / world skill lines.

Have a Psiijc / Mages guild wizard that comes along nicely, for example.

The point is, find out what feels like fun for you and start sweating the details like actual end game builds when the time has come for you to want those.

Edit: And it's not like you are locked into what you decide either, because I'm sure you know you can (for gold) respec champion points, attributes and skill lines as much as you want (and have the coins for).
So if you feel it's time to go meta, you should have easily enough gold to fully respec your choices.

[Warspawn]

Originally posted by |x|SiriuS|x|:

Edit: And it's not like you are locked into what you decide either, because I'm sure you know you can (for gold) respec champion points, attributes and skill lines as much as you want (and have the coins for).
So if you feel it's time to go meta, you should have easily enough gold top fully respec your choices.

Aye, saw that option down the road. Also, as you said...there's really no wrong choices since it's more about having fun than going right for the meta builds. So much to learn, lol! That's a good thing!

o7

~War~

Animam Edere

[Ze]

For challenging PvE content (that is veteran DLC dungeons and vet trials), if you decide to play a DD role, then you will have to specialize, that is have a template so that your character's output damage is the highest as possible.
However if you just want to stick to normal/veteran non-DLC dungeons, normal DLC dungeons, normal trials, questing etc. then you don't have to follow the meta.

For PvP content, characters are usually more balanced, and you have much more freedom imho about how to build your characters.

[siransan]

Anything is fine, really, but as a beginner you might find it easier to stay alive as a magicka char. You just use your scythe and that's it.
Magicka Chars wear light armour, because of the passive abilities from light armour.
If you go stam, use dualwhield and any attack that restores health or use two handend and Cleave, the shield will protect you.
Stam DD wear medium armour because of the passive abilities from medium armour.
Otherwise I recommend to just learn and try every skill available and see if you like it. That way you really learn your char.
And then on CP 160 you can optimize and change to your "final form".

[Turtleswatter]

Here's a level 1 to 50 beginner guide. By the time you follow this, you should
a) know enough about the game to choose your own build
b) have a fully unlocked, versatile character to achieve it.

https://alcasthq.com/eso-stamina-necromancer-beginner-guide/

Edit: In case you decide magicka:

https://alcasthq.com/eso-magicka-necromancer-beginner-guide/

[Warspawn]

Originally posted by Turtleswatter:

Here's a level 1 to 50 beginner guide. By the time you follow this, you should
a) know enough about the game to choose your own build
b) have a fully unlocked, versatile character to achieve it.

https://alcasthq.com/eso-stamina-necromancer-beginner-guide/

Edit: In case you decide magicka:

https://alcasthq.com/eso-magicka-necromancer-beginner-guide/

Roger that, thanks! This helps a bunch!

o7

~War~

[Willow]

Omg, I so wanted to try Necromancer, but it was frankly intimidating to me starting off. Props for going with that! I may need to read up on it because for long term, the more involved I am with a character's abilities and using them, the more I stay interested in it (definitely a 'shiny object' girl here, lol!).

What's confusing me starting off (well, one of them) is that ESO is quite different from traditional paths you get used to. What I mean is...this is my first character, so I picked Sorcerer, and because it sounds like it's a magic/caster type of class, I went with light armor, a staff and started with putting all my points into Magika.

Now this is throwing me...why would you want to make a stamina based Necromancer? Aren't their spells draining that when they cast? I have to read more and watch more class builds.

Anyways, I look forward to updates on how you're doing with it!

[Savrola-Games]

Originally posted by willow:

Now this is throwing me...why would you want to make a stamina based Necromancer? Aren't their spells draining that when they cast.

You will be able to level up all your skills. At level 4, skills can be morphed into a new skill. You get a choice of two options to morph it into.

The majority of your class based skills will be able to be morphed between a stamina based skill or a magicka one. A StamNecro (or StamSorcerer for that matter) is simply choosing the stamina resource morph for their skills. A MagNecro would do the opposite.

So the majority of your skills drain the resource you have put your points into.

For examples, you can see the difference between stam and mag builds in this website (one of many): https://alcasthq.com/eso-solo-stamina-nightblade-build-pve/

[Willow]

Ah, ok...so when you 'morph' the skill, it switches to drain stamina if it originally used magika to cast. That makes sense, and does open up options. The weapons skills though for things like swords and bows, those just use stamina for their special attacks?

(edit) Ok, morphing does much more I see than what I originally thought. Sorry for all the rookie questions! So much to learn, very exciting!

[Danny Fluke]

Originally posted by willow:

Ah, ok...so when you 'morph' the skill, it switches to drain stamina if it originally used magika to cast. That makes sense, and does open up options. The weapons skills though for things like swords and bows, those just use stamina for their special attacks?

Martial weapons will use stamina, amd the staves use magicka (barring some no-cost options). These are the skill lines that won't change between the 2 resources when morphing.

[Willow]

Originally posted by Danny Fluke:

Martial weapons will use stamina, amd the staves use magicka (barring some no-cost options). These are the skill lines that won't change between the 2 resources when morphing.

Gotcha! So it is more along traditional lines...so if you're going for a magika-based character, then using a staff would be logical...and light armor I would assume. AH! So that's where all the people using sort of 'hybrid' builds are going with 'stamina caster' types...they can use martial weapons and more armor protection, as well as morphing some of their class spells to use that stamina stat they've invested in as well. Awesome!

[Danny Fluke]

Originally posted by willow:

Gotcha! So it is more along traditional lines...so if you're going for a magika-based character, then using a staff would be logical...and light armor I would assume. AH! So that's where all the people using sort of 'hybrid' builds are going with 'stamina caster' types...they can use martial weapons and more armor protection, as well as morphing some of their class spells to use that stamina stat they've invested in as well. Awesome!

Well, in the game, people lean mostly towards a resource and skill accordingly. A MagPlar (magicka Templar) might deck out in Light armour, wield staves, put points into his magicka pool and use skills that cost magicka, whereas a StamPlar might wield medium armour and martial weapons, use stamina costing skills and put his points into his stamina pool, and also choose his skills and morphs to use stamina.

The concept seems like a "hybrid stamina caster", but the typical perspective is to see it in terms of a "magicka build" vs a "stamina build". You can be a Sorceror building on stamina and wielding martial weapons, and it would be considered a StamSorc instead of being a "hybrid". So you will see guides and in game players talking in terms of "MagXXX" and "StamXXX" rather than "Hybrid Stam XXX).

"Hybrids" in the game, would be those who try to build a balance between magicka and stamina or similar combination.

[Willow]

Originally posted by Danny Fluke:

The concept seems like a "hybrid stamina caster", but the typical perspective is to see it in terms of a "magicka build" vs a "stamina build". You can be a Sorceror building on stamina and wielding martial weapons, and it would be considered a StamSorc instead of being a "hybrid". So you will see guides and in game players talking in terms of "MagXXX" and "StamXXX" rather than "Hybrid Stam XXX).

"Hybrids" in the game, would be those who try to build a balance between magicka and stamina or similar combination.

Ok, now I'm seeing what people are meaning. Asking if I was a MagSorc...which I am, using a staff and light armor.

The 'hybrid' you mentioned above would seem like a sort of attempt at being good at everything, but not succeeding very well.

Luckily the levels seem to come fairly quickly, and I ran into a place that takes gold to reset characters (everything it looked like, can be reset if paid for ). That helps!

[Danny Fluke]

Originally posted by willow:

Ok, now I'm seeing what people are meaning. Asking if I was a MagSorc...which I am, using a staff and light armor.

The 'hybrid' you mentioned above would seem like a sort of attempt at being good at everything, but not succeeding very well.

Luckily the levels seem to come fairly quickly, and I ran into a place that takes gold to reset characters (everything it looked like, can be reset if paid for ). That helps!

Yes, you can respec at shrines located in the 3 faction capital cities (Mournhold, Wayrest and Elden Root), as well as the major cities of Chapters (Summerset, Solitude, etc). You can respec Champion Points whenever, in the CP menu.

Once you hit level 50, you would have earned all your stat points, so the gold cost will cap out. However, because you can get more skill points from dungeons and skyshards, the cost needed to respec skills will increase for your total amount of skill points.

Being a hybrid isn't necessarily bad; for the longest time I ran a hybrid WW / healer and had the time of my life in the game. However, it just isn't optimised as opposed to a focused magicka or stamina build. You'll realise your damage isn't up to par, and run out of resources more easily. At higher level play every little bit counts, but this early on in the game you can afford to be a little adventurous.

[Warspawn]

Some really helpful info here, this is great! Ok...so now I'm loving the Necro, although you seem to be as busy cycling through your initial 5 abilities in your hot bar as a one-armed paper hanger

Currently I have medium armor equipped, everything going into stamina, with a 2H lightning axe, using uppercut morphed into dizzying swing. I like the off-balance status effect with the +damage and stamina restore from a follow-up heavy hit. I got Flame Skull to use as my ranged spammable in the rotation; about ready to morph that into either Ricochet or Venom. Could use some advice there (Venom uses stamina, but Ricochet can bounce to other enemies). Also got blastbones as suggested.

And here's where I may have messed up a bit. Help here is needed for sure. I passed on Render Flesh for the moment because I felt that using Death Scythe could do damage and heal for me here at the beginning. I really wanted to morph that into Ruinous Scythe because I had read that it would prevent healing...which I had just started seeing some of the NPCs do during combat.

Guess what? I should have read the dates, because evidently that's changed now? In the description, if I had read it...says that the third strike causes 'off-balance' like uppercut from my 2H weapon. It uses stamina...ALOT of stamina. Should I have gone with Hungry Scythe instead to use Magika and gain the heal over time? Or should I keep Ruinous and use that to apply off-balance as well? Maybe I should switch to Dual Wield and follow up that third Ruinous Scythe attack with a heavy attack with my daggers for the stun. What are your thoughts there?

I really, really appreciate the help!

o7

~War~

o7

~War~