I have to admit that my gaming time has been severely lacking lately. I’m interviewing for a new job (my current contract expires end of April), getting outdoors to spend time with my horse, and generally enjoying the non-gaming life. However, when I *have* been playing, it’s been Elder Scrolls Online.
I think I really did myself a favor by going in ‘blind’. I didn’t read many reviews, I barely played the beta after encountering a progress-halting bug. All the comments I’ve read stated that the PvP was really enjoyable but the PvE is the same-ol-same-ol and I was slightly jaded by that feedback. I even heard several times that it feels nothing like an Elder Scrolls world. I honestly, truly, don’t understand what game these people were playing or how they were playing it. I guess that’s the beauty of games — we all experience them differently. But so far, I feel like questing in TESO has been the most engaging and interesting experience of any MMO in a LONG time. The stories are varied, interesting, and interconnected. There isn’t some linear path to take — exploring feels meaningful and valuable. I feel rewarded. Leveling is slow, which is refreshing and gives the game that kind of enormous feeling scope that I felt in Skyrim. The lore is familiar and everything about my play experience is reminiscent of Skyrim or Oblivion, and I think it’s quite a good game.
My biggest hangups so far are around the skill-based classes. I am terribly bad at building classes in this fashion, and I tried to make a healing Templar but ended up hobbling myself a bit because I can’t really complete some level-appropriate quests. I have been using a Restoration staff, but apparently that’s not great for damage output? I don’t really know what I’m doing wrong but I am almost tempted to reroll except I know I’m only level 8 and I have a ton of skill points to receive in the future that will help make my Templar stronger. But if anyone has Templar tips, feel free to lay them in the comments. =)
Here’s some screenshots. It’s really a beautiful game.
CuppyVille 
This game is a lot about ensuring you have balance. Healing as a templar will be great in groups, but solo you might find yourself lacking the tools for certain fights. Fighters Guild and Mage Guild come to mind. I would recommend investing points in Sun Fire, Solar Flare, and Piercing Javelin. These skills will give you a huge leg up on early game content, especially if you are a lightly armored healer. Open fights with Solar Flare -> Sun Fire, then heavy attack. If the enemy uses a power attack or spell, interrupt them with Javelin.
Also, you get a massive power boost by eating food. If you aren’t making food, be sure to check the guild bank for some, or ask one of the chefs in guild for some snacks. Especially at lower levels, we would love to convert some of that Capon meat in the bank into usable foodstuffs.
Thank you for the tips! I can’t believe I’ve been forgetting to eat food. I’ve been making it, too!
I’ll double check my skills and try to pick up some of the abilities you suggested that I’m missing.
Replied on Twitter, but more breathing room!
I was in the same boat with my Templar. I had tried taking a nice, rounded compliment of abilities with my points, thinking I could solo stuff, but also have group support skills.
Then I met Gutstripper, and the Corrupted Nature Spirit in the Wyrd Tree in Glenumbra and got steamrolled many, many times. Other people said they did it without issue, but I also went in blind and had NO Idea how the TESO system worked.
So I respec’d my Templar by dumping the class melee abilities. I kept the range because everyone said that having some ranged was good. I found that it was true because I also went 2H and Shield, and pumped up my snaring/imobilization and armor/dmg debuff abilities to slow them down and allow me to to get to range before they closed. Once I did that, I was able to plow through Gutstripper and the Wyrd tree without issue.
Now I’m finding that world mobs are easier than they were, although the dynamics means that adds can overpower me. I’ve got extra ability points to spend, but since I’ve respec’d once, I’m paranoid about “wasting” them, so I’m taking it very, very slow, keeping them reserved until I discover what I need to unlock going forward.
My templar is spec’d for “full damage” right now. Just barely completed my 1st zone at level 17. I do have 1 healing skill on my bar, but I rarely use it since it’s so mana intensive. I really just have it there so that my healing line levels up with everything else.
For skills I’m using Solar Flare, but morphed to Solar Barrage. This turned it into an instant casting PBAE skill. I morphed Sun Fire into Reflective Light to turn it into an AE skill also. I also am using the Biting Jabs morph of the Puncturing Strikes skill. I’m using a Fire Staff for my weapon, and this gives me access to the Fire Clench skill, which does a knockback and stun, so not only does it interrupt the mobs, but it gives me time to toss a couple of heavy attacks at it before it gets back up. My Ultimate that I use is the Radial Sweep (morphed to Empowering Sweep). It only requires 75 ultimate, and you get most of that in a single Biting Jabs use, so I’ve got it available for most any fight. The armor buff is nice for when you run into a pack of mobs.
And the last skill is the healing one. Eventually I’ll be high enough to get the Restoring Aura, then morph it to Repentance, which will let me run into a pack of mobs, kill 1, then heal myself using the body as the power source rather than my own mana. Very much looking forward to that. . . . .
I have a 2nd weapon bar for swaps, but frankly, the single bar is enough for me so far. I am considering swapping to a restoration staff, though. I’ll lose the Fire Clench stun (but can replace it with the Piercing Javelin, so it’s all good) and then I can get the passive that increases all damage done by my class skills by 10% while I have that staff equipped, plus get 10% magicka back on each heavy attack. Since most of my damage is coming from my class skills anyway. . . . it sounds like a good idea to me. Those passives are also why sorcerers like to carry restoration staves as well, actually.
I’ve got a few posts up, so if you care to click through and read them, they may give you some other ideas also: http://nomadicgamer.wordpress.com/tag/elder-scrolls-online/