ESO Solo Class Tier List
Magicka Sorcerer? Stamina Necromancer? Have you ever wondered which class is BEST for Soloing in The Elder Scrolls Online? While all classes can Solo in ESO to an extent, some class are definitely better than others. Often this comes down to self-healing, damage mitigation and resource sustain. Keep on reading to review my Solo PVE Class Tier List for ESO!
C TIER
These classes are currently the hardest to play Solo in The Elder Scrolls Online. These classes lack both consistent burst healing and healing over time skills and can suffer from resource sustain issues. However, if you are an experienced player you can definitely overcome these challenges!
Stamina Dragonknight
Strong Damage Over Time - Good Debuffs
While the Stamina DK is a great choice for Group Play, it can struggle a bit when soloing. This mostly has to do with poor self-healing and sustain. Players should pick up either Resolving Vigor or Echoing Vigor as soon as possible to help with this. The class does well with DOTS, and these are some of the strongest in the game, including Venomous Claw and Noxious Breath, which also debuffs armor! They also have one of the most fun ultimate abilities in the game with Take Flight, though Standard Of Might is often better for soloing due to the damage reduction and longer duration.
Some great examples of powerful Stamina Dragonknight Builds are below.
Stamina Nightblade
Strong Burst Damage - Good Debuffs
Stamina Nightblade is one of the most popular classes to play in ESO, but it’s also one of the most challenging to play well, and especially to play solo. While you can cloak up to assassinate single enemies, they will struggle fighting against groups. To help with this, consider using AOE skills like Steel Tornado if using Dual Wield or Brawler if using Two-Handed. Stamina Nightblades also have a great class-based AOE skill in Power Extraction, which does great damage and also debuffs enemies. A burst heal such as Rally will be very helpful. Also, make sure to use the Dark Shade ability to summon a shadow companion which will make surrounding enemies do less damage! Finally, start working on light attack weaving with every ability as soon as possible because some of your best skills including Leeching Strikes and Relentless Focus must be powered by those light attacks.
Some great examples of powerful Stamina Nightblade Builds are below.
B TIER
These classes are above average but still not amazing or very easy to play. As usual though, if you put in the work to truly understand your class inside and out you can still excel.
Magicka Dragonknight
Strong Damage Over Time - Above Average Healing
The Magicka Dragonknight class places just above its Stamina counterpart, mostly due to the increased healing potential it receives from Burning Embers and the ability to sustain Cauterize. Magicka Dragonknights also synergize well with fire-focused, damage over time builds due to the fire debuff provided by Engulfing Flames. Finally, the ultimate abilities of the DK are some of the best for soloing in ESO, including Ferocious Leap and Standard Of Might.
Some great examples of powerful Magicka Dragonknight Builds are below.
Magicka Nightblade
Average damage - Above Average Healing and Utility
The Magicka focused Nightblade excels in Soloing within The Elder Scrolls Online above it’s Stamina counterpart due to more easily accessible healing. For example, the Swallow Soul skill is unlocked at Rank 1 gives a massive heal over time buff that scales up as you do more damage. Also, unlike the Stamina Nightblade, the Mag NB’s main AOE skill Sap Essence also provides healing, with even greater heals based on facing more enemies. The ultimate skill Soul Harvest is generally preferable on your front bar due to the extra ultimate back it can provide. And just like Stamina Nightblade, Magicka Nightblades are heavily dependent on light attacks to benefit from Siphoning Attacks and Merciless Resolve, so make sure to light attack consistently between every skill!
Some great examples of powerful Magicka Nightblade Builds are below.
A TIER
These classes are fantastic when it comes to Solo gameplay in The Elder Scrolls Online and you simply cannot go wrong with any of these class choices. If I were to fault them anywhere it would be that they are slightly more challenging to play than their S Tier counterparts. An experienced player can easily move these builds higher on the list, but new players may struggle managing buff timers and more complex rotations.
Stamina Templar
Strong damage - Above Average Sustain and Utility
The Stamina Templar is a great Melee class with strong buffs and utility thrown in. For example, Stamplars can get easy healing over time that also scales with weapon damage through the Extended Ritual skill. They also have great sustain and defense provided through Restoring Focus, and even more potential sustain through Repentance. Of course, Biting Jabs is one of the best stamina spammable skills in the game, providing passive critical chance and minor protection as well. Finally, Power Of The Light is a great, unique ability that debuffs the enemy while also hitting for big damage.
Some great examples of powerful Stamina Templar Builds are below.
Stamina Warden
Great AOE Damage - Great Buffs & Debuffs
The Stamina Warden is an amazing Solo class in The Elder Scrolls Online, with especially strong AOE Damage, Solid Healing and Great Buffs and Debuffs. For example, Subterranean Assault is one of the best AOE skills in the game that also debuffs enemies with Major Fracture AND generates healing and ultimate for you at the same time! A Solo build combining Sub Assault with Two-Handed AOE skills like Brawler and Reverse Slice will be very powerful! Stamina Wardens also have great sustain through Bull Netch and awesome defense via the Ice Fortress skill. For Ultimates, Permafrost is a great choice for AOE encounters while the Wild Guardian bear pet ultimate can be very strong for single target fights (and fun to have with you).
Some great examples of powerful Stamina Warden Builds are below.
Magicka Warden
Great AOE Damage - Great Buffs, Debuffs & Healing
The Magicka Warden is another great Solo option for the Elder Scrolls Online and obviously fairly similar to the Stamina Warden class. Just like their Stamina counterpart they have amazing AOE potential through the Deep Fissure skill which also debuffs enemies with Major Breach. They have great sustain as well through the Blue Betty skill and great defense with built in minor protection through the Ice Fortress buff. The Magicka morph of the ultimate skill Northern Storm is actually amazing for Solo builds as it increases your magicka by a whopping 15% while also still giving you the major protection.
Some great examples of powerful Magicka Warden Builds are below.
Stamina Necromancer
Great Passives, Healing and Damage Mitigation
Stamina Necromancers are extremely versatile fighters in The Elder Scrolls Online, though the buff management definitely takes practice. Some skills are also dependent on having corpses on the ground, so this adds an additional management component that favors experienced players. For creating corpses, Blighted Blastbones is the most consistent option - make sure to cast this ability every 3 seconds or so. Once you have corpses on the ground you can then use the Necro tether skills - Mortal Coil for healing and stamina and Detonating Siphon for AOE damage over time. For healing, Stamina Necros can make use of Spirit Guardian which also absorbs 10% of incoming damage. They also have one of my favorite solo armor buffs in Beckoning Armor that draws attacking enemies to you! Of course, Stamina Necromancers have one of the best class Ultimates in the game, the huge AOE smashing Pestilent Collosus!
Some great examples of powerful Stamina Necromancer Builds are below.
Magicka Necromancer
Great Passives, Healing and Damage Mitigation
The Magicka Necromancer class is similar in power and style to the Stamina Necromancer, though you will most likely be using a staff at range. Like the Stam Necro, Mag Necros are also dependent on having corpses on the ground, adding an extra layer of complexity and buff management to the class. For corpse creation, Magicka Necromancer has many great options including Stalking Blastbones and Skeletal Arcanist which will allow you to cast the free tether abilities Mystic Siphon and Mortal Coil. Don’t forget also that both Necromancer build styles have access to amazing Ultimate generation through the Necrotic Potency skill. And of course, Magicka Necromancers have access to the magicka morph of one of the most powerful ultimates in the game Glacial Colossus.
Some great examples of powerful Magicka Necromancer Builds are below.
S TIER
THESE ARE THE ULTIMATE Solo Classes In ESO! Not only do these classes have amazing abilities, but their passive healing, offensive and defensive capabilities make them straight-up EASY MODE! These classes will be great choices for all players in the game from beginner to advanced.
Stamina Sorcerer
Amazing AOE Damage and Speed - BEST HEAL
Our first S TIER build is the only Stamina set up that’s made it this far and that’s the Stamina Sorcerer. Stam Sorc is fairly unique in that it has amazing self-healing for a Stamina build thanks to the Critical Surge skill. As long as you are doing critical damage you are also getting massive, free healing every second! This skill alone makes them a strong choice for Soloing in The Elder Scrolls Online, but they also have great AOE damage, defense and speed through the Hurricane skill. Crystal Weapon and Bound Armaments are unique damage abilities that are fun to use and the Greater Storm Atronach ultimate is fantastic for Soloing.
Some great examples of powerful Stamina Sorcerer Builds are below.
Magicka Sorcerer
PETS - BEST HEAL - SHIELDS
Next, we have the Magicka Sorcerer - an absolute BEAST when it comes to Soloing in The Elder Scrolls Online. The primary reason Magicka Sorcerer ranks so high on this list is due to it’s easy accessibility for players of any skill level. Pets like the Volatile Familiar and Greater Storm Atronach literally do the damage for you so you can focus on survivability! Mag Sorc of course also has the best passive heal in the game which Stam Sorcs also have in Critical Surge AND they have the strongest Damage Shield in the game via Hardened Ward! If you are looking for an easy to pick up build that can solo the most challenging content in the game then look no further than the Magicka Sorcerer!
Some great examples of powerful Magicka Sorcerer Builds are below.
Magicka Templar
Amazing Sustain and Damage Mitigation - BEST SPAMMABLE SKILL - BEST EXECUTE
The Magicka Templar class is one of my all-time favorite builds for Solo play in ESO and have a great mix of offense, defense and sustain. For offensive capability, Magicka Templar has arguably the best spammable in the game in Puncturing Sweep and the best execute ability in Radiant Glory - keep in mind both of these skills do amazing damage AND heal you at the same time. Combined with this, Magicka Templar has great defense and sustain thanks to Channeled Focus and additional passive healing through Extended Ritual. Finally, Magicka Templar has a great defensive ultimate ability that reduces all enemies outgoing damage in Solar Disturbance.
Some great examples of powerful Magicka Templar Builds are below.
Hack The Minotaur (HTM) is a professional Gaming Blogger and Youtube Creator with decades of experience in Gaming. Hack is the owner of HackTheMinotaur.com - an Elder Scrolls focused site for character builds and guides, and now RPGDOJO.com - your source for News, Builds And Guides for the latest and greatest Role Playing Games in the Universe.
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Solo Stamina Nightblade One Bar PVE Build - Strong Single Target Damage and MASSIVE Shield Potential! Never Die Again with this build!