If you’re one of the many players looking to play Elder Scrolls Online Solo, you’ll need to pick the best class. Determining which class to select can be challenging, with six to choose from. Knowing which route to take is even more difficult — Magicka or Stamina. This guide will examine all six classes in Elder Scrolls Online and which is best for solo play.
All Elder Scroll Online Classes Ranked for Solo Players
First, you must know that any class can do a decent job as a solo player in Elder Scrolls Online. It is, though, without a fact that some provide better skills and abilities for crowd control and defense — perfect for solo players. Here are the best classes for solo players in Elder Scrolls Online.
6. Dragonknight
There’s no terrible class for solo players and the same goes for Dragonknight. Being hard to master, it ranks lower than other options in this guide but can still pack a punch.
If you do choose this as a solo player, I recommend going the Magicka route — mainly because of its Burning Embers ability. Burning Embers deal high damage and restore the same number of damage dealt converted into health. It’s one of the best skills in the game that keeps a solo player alive.
As for Stamina Dragonknight, you will have some trouble playing solo — mainly due to poor self-healing and sustaining abilities. Resolving Vigor and Echoing Vigor can help with this fact, which gives a significant boost in health — but only for a short time. The Stamina Dragonknight succeeds more in group play, but feel free to try it out solo!
5. The Warden
The Warden is a fun class, although I don’t recommend it as the best choice for solo players. Still, it’s possible to create a powerful build that solo players might thrive in — depending on skill level.
Let’s look at a few skills that can make The Warden an excellent solo class — specifically, ones that make this class great with AOE damage. First, for the Magicka Warden, the Deep Fissure ability will allow the Warden to stir a group of Shalk, dealing 1145 Magic damage to all enemies in the area. This also reduces enemy physical and spell resistance, making them easier to kill.
A Stamina Warden also has potential, especially in the Subterranean Assault skill. This skill provides one of the highest AOE in the game, similar to Deep Fissure — except it lowers physical resistance for the enemy even further and applies poison damage. This is a great way to make groups of enemies die slowly but surely — helping with crowd control for a solo player.
Related: The Three Best Tips for New and Returning Players in The Elder Scrolls Online
4. Necromancer
The Necromancer has excellent potential for solo players but is not number one on this list due to its complexity and difficulty for beginners. Corpse creation allows solo players to deal with enemies without paying them full attention.
There are great ways to maximize Necromancer potential with the Magicka route — mainly through range combat. This class playstyle stems from having the best corpses summoned: Stalking Blastbones and Skeletal Arcanist. Summoning these two corpses has the potential to distract a lot of enemies, giving solo players a reasonably easy time.
As for the Stamina Necromancer, players should focus on Stalking Blastbones while equipping the Spirit Guardian to summon. The Spirit Guardian will provide health benefits and stick by your side, making crowd control more manageable — especially for a solo player.
3. Templar
The Templar class is number three on the list of best classes for solo players. With the perfect combination of defense and offense, solo players can find themselves highly overpowered — even in the early parts of the game. Choosing whether to go the Magicka or Stamina route doesn’t make a difference considering each route provides excellent benefits in its own right.
Two abilities are popular among players that have created a Magicka Templar: Puncturing Sweep and Radiant Glory. The former is great for spamming enemies with attacks as it lunges a spear in front of the player, dealing heavy damage while slowing the enemy’s movement speed down. Meanwhile, Radiant Glory will burn all enemies in the area while providing health back to the player. Combining these two abilities is a surefire way to maximize damage output while staying alive longer.
As for Stamina Templars — I highly recommend choosing Restoring Focus and Repentance skills. Restoring Focus focuses on increasing physical and spell resistance. Not only that but the player will also get rewarded with 240 Stamina every second. Repentance, on the other hand, draws stamina and health from corpses in the corresponding area — replenishing both stats quickly.
2. Nightblade
Nightblade is a solid choice for solo play, mainly due to its mobility and life-absorbing skills specialization. Unlock and equip the skills mentioned below for a powerful solo build.
The fact that players will get one specific skill from the start of a Magicka build — level 1 — makes this an excellent choice for solo players. This skill, called Swallow Soul, will steal the enemy’s life force that deals magic damage and heals the player for 35% of the damage inflicted. Better yet, solo players will find pleasure in the ability called Siphoning Attacks that imbue the Nightblade’s weapon with soul-stealing power, which causes both light and heavy attacks to restore health and Magicka. Spamming this attack will allow Nightblade to stay healthy, improving its mobility overall.
As for the Stamina style for Nightblade, you have some great options to make this class stand out for solo players. Stamina Nightblade can have the gameplay of an assassin — with quick light attacks that deal devastating damage. For example, Leeching Attacks is similar to Siphoning Attacks, where it imbues the Nightblades sword with soul-stealing power — bringing health to the player and refilling stamina. Meanwhile, focusing on the Relentless focus ability will turn light and heavy attacks into Assassins Scourge — firing an arrow that deals disease damage.
1. Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is unanimously agreed upon as the best class for solo players. With powerful abilities that conquer range and have high damage output — Sorcerers also get access to many passives that can help with healing and buffs. Whether you decide to go the Magicka or Stamina route, you will end up on the other side happy with your decision. Let’s examine why this is the best solo class by explaining some of its abilities and passives.
Found in the Daedric Summoning Skill line, a Magicka Sorcer can activate the Hardened Ward skill, creating a forcefield surrounding the player and their pets that absorb upwards of 3396 damage for 6 seconds. This damage-absorbing shield makes the Sorcerer an absolute powerhouse against waves of enemies.
As for the Stamina Sorcerer, players can unlock the Critical Surge rank in the Storm Calling Skill line. This skill will increase weapon and skill damage by 20% for 33 seconds while healing the player every time they land a critical hit. Combining the high damage output and the return for health makes this one of the best solo classes in Elder Scrolls Online.
Additionally, the Sorcerer class has access to many skills focusing on range and keeping a distance, making the game easy for solo players.
Hopefully, this guide has nudged you in the right direction for picking a character for your solo playthrough! Try them all out if you can’t conclude, as you may find the ones ranked lower better for your solo playstyle.
