Summary
The Elder Scrolls Online is a massive game with nearly a decade of content, and starting fresh can feel overwhelming. This guide covers the essential systems every new player needs to understand, from character creation and race selection to crafting, combat, and endgame progression. By the end, you will have a clear roadmap for navigating Tamriel with confidence. To jumpstart your journey, buy The Elder Scrolls Online Items and get the gear you need without the early grind.
Character Creation and Races
Choosing Your Alliance
When you create a character, you must choose one of three alliances: the Daggerfall Covenant (Breton, Orc, Redguard), the Aldmeri Dominion (High Elf, Wood Elf, Khajiit), or the Ebonheart Pact (Argonian, Dark Elf, Nord). These alliances only matter for PvP in Cyrodiil and the Imperial City. If you and your friends plan to PvP together, pick the same alliance. Otherwise, your choice does not affect PvE content. If you change your mind later, you can buy an Alliance Change Token from the Crown Store. The "Any Race, Any Alliance" DLC allows you to mix and match races and alliances freely, which is one of the first purchases many players make.
Race Selection
Your race determines your passive abilities, which can influence your effectiveness in different roles. Race changes are also available in the Crown Store, so your initial choice is not permanent. If you want to be min-max effective, here is the general breakdown:
Stamina DPS: Khajiit, Orc, Dark Elf, and Redguard are top choices. Redguard and Wood Elf provide better sustain, which is useful for newer players or solo builds where you do not have group support for resource management.
Magicka DPS: High Elf is best in slot, followed by Dark Elf and Breton. Breton is the sustain race for magicka builds and is excellent for solo play.
Healer: Breton is the strongest choice due to superior sustain. Argonian, High Elf, and Khajiit are also viable options.
Tank: Nord is widely considered the best tank race due to its free resistances and ultimate generation. Imperial and Argonian are also strong options.
Classes
There are seven classes in ESO. All classes can fill any role. The best class this patch will not be the best next patch, so choose what excites you. With subclassing now available, you can technically drop all but one skill line later on and mix-match with other classes.
Dragonknight: Fire and poison magic, ideal for tanking and melee DPS.
Sorcerer: Lightning and wind magic, strong for ranged DPS.
Nightblade: Shadow and blood magic, excels at stealth and burst damage.
Templar: Light magic, strong for healing and melee DPS.
Warden: Nature magic and animal summons, versatile for all roles.
Necromancer: Undead magic, strong for DPS and tanking.
Arcanist: Abyssal magic and runes, strong for ranged DPS.
Core Game Systems
Leveling and Champion Points
The world levels with you and allows you to play alongside all other players at various levels. You are not constrained to a single starter zone, unlike many other MMOs. Leveling to 50 is the first goal. After that, you earn Champion Points, which are account-wide. The gear cap is CP 160, so do not invest in endgame gear before reaching that level. CP 160 gear is the max level and will never become obsolete. You earn Champion Points three times faster than in the past, so your levels will fly by.
Skills and Passives
You unlock skills by leveling class skill lines, weapon skill lines, and guild skill lines. At the beginning of the game, put one point into each skill line of your class and equip a weapon to unlock its corresponding skill line. Level up these skill lines by keeping their skills on your active bar. Each skill has two morphs that alter its effects. Passives are just as important as active skills. Prioritize passives for your equipped weapons, armor, and class. Every skill line has passives that can significantly improve your character's performance.
Attributes
You receive 64 attribute points by level 50. Magicka DPS and healers put all points into Magicka. Stamina DPS put all points into Stamina. Tanks put points into Health. Your damage scales with your primary resource pool, so stacking one attribute is optimal.
Mundus Stones
Mundus Stones provide free buffs. Grab the first one you find, then consult a build guide for the best one for your role. You can change your Mundus at any time by visiting another stone. There are many Mundus Stones scattered throughout the world, and you can also find them in player houses.
Respeccing
You can respec your skills and attributes at shrines in any major city. Respeccing morphs is cheap. Full respecs cost more but are still affordable. You can also cleanse yourself of vampirism or lycanthropy at a priest standing next to the shrines.
Early Progression Roadmap (Levels 1–10)
Complete the Starter Zone Story
Follow the zone story quest marked on your compass. If you lose track of it, use the "Zone Guide" feature to locate it. These quests often reward skill points at the end of major sections and lead you through locations with skyshards and dungeons.
Unlock Essential Skill Lines
Place one skill point in the first ability of each of your three class skill lines. Equip these abilities on your action bar so they level up as you progress. Equip a weapon of your choice (staff, sword, bow) and kill an enemy to unlock its corresponding skill line. Keep using that weapon type to level it up.
Unlock Armor Skill Lines
Equip at least three pieces of light, medium, or heavy armor to unlock the corresponding armor skill line. The more pieces of a specific armor type you wear, the faster that skill line will level up.
Grab a Companion Early
If you have access to expansions like Blackwood, High Isle, or Necrom, unlock a companion as soon as possible. Companions level alongside you and can equip gear found in chests. Popular choices include Ember from High Isle for her friendly personality and ease of rapport-building. They can help tank, heal, or DPS depending on how you set them up.
Level 10 Milestones and Beyond
Unlock the Psijic Order
Highly recommended for its powerful skills, especially for magic users. Even non-magic players should unlock at least level one for access to Psijic Troves. To unlock, travel to Summerset and complete the initial quest.
Join PvE Guilds
Visit major cities in base game zones to join key guilds that unlock important skill lines:
Fighter's Guild: Level this by killing Daedra and destroying Dark Anchors.
Mage's Guild: Level this by collecting lore books scattered across Tamriel.
Undaunted Guild: Level this by completing dungeons and pledges (available after level 45).
Unlock PvP Skills in Cyrodiil
Even if you are not interested in PvP, completing the beginner PvE quest in Cyrodiil is crucial. This unlocks the Assault skill line, which includes powerful passives like Continuous Attack (grants a 30% increase in mount speed) and Resolving Vigor, an essential self-heal for stamina-based characters.
Daily Random Dungeons
Use the Dungeon Finder tool to queue for a random normal dungeon. Completing this grants significant experience points and valuable rewards like transmute crystals.
Mount and Inventory Upgrades
At level 10, you will receive your first mount. Visit a stable master daily to upgrade your mount's speed, carry capacity, or stamina. Also, visit pack merchants in major cities to expand your bag space.
Crafting and Economy
Do Not Vendor Crafting Materials
The amount of gold you get from selling crafting materials on guild trade posts is far more valuable than vendoring them. Simply join a trading guild, list them, and profit.
How to Level Crafting Fast
Look for gear with the "Intricate" trait—these items are great for disassembling for crafting experience in that item's respective skill line. The higher the item's level and quality, the more experience you gain. If you have excess upgrade materials, you can upgrade these pieces before disassembling them for rapid experience gains.
Gear Sets
Gear sets are the foundation of every build. Most builds use two five-piece sets, a two-piece monster set, and sometimes a one-piece mythic item. You can reconstruct sets you have collected at a transmute station, so always bind gear you want to keep. Monster set helmets drop from veteran dungeon final bosses, and shoulders come from Undaunted chests.
Antiquities
If you have the Greymoor chapter, unlock the Antiquities skill line early. Scrying and excavating can yield valuable loot, unique furnishings, mounts, and mythic items. It is also a way to make gold—players make many hundreds of thousands of gold just from treasure dug up and sold to merchants.
ESO Plus
ESO Plus is the optional subscription. It provides unlimited crafting material storage, access to all DLC, and monthly crowns. If you enjoy the game, it is highly recommended. Without ESO Plus, managing crafting materials is significantly more difficult.
Summary
Elder Scrolls Online offers deep customization and endless content. Choose your race and class based on what excites you, not what is meta. Unlock companions early, join the key guilds, and complete the Cyrodiil intro quest for the mount speed passive. Do not vendor crafting materials—sell them on guild traders instead. Focus on reaching CP 160 before farming endgame gear. The game rewards curiosity and exploration, so do not be afraid to try different builds and playstyles. To accelerate your progress, The Elder Scrolls Online Items can help you secure the gear and materials you need.
