ESO Guide: Efficient Leveling

Hey, hey, hey. It’s been a wild ride in Tamriel so far. Just hit level 20 over the weekend and wanted to share some of the strategies that I use to make questing in ESO more efifcient. These tips can help you get the most out of every hour of gameplay and level faster.

Effective Use of Consumables

Consumables give you an edge and help you stay alive!

Don’t stockpile your consumables. If you have a stack of 20 potions, you are doing something wrong—unless, of course you just bought them! When you see the specter of death, quaff a potion so you have a chance to avoid using a Soulstone—you should also have a stack of those handy so you can avoid that walk back to the questing zone.

Food and beverages are also a great way to keep yourself alive. Keep an eye out for traveling vendors who sell potions and hit up the inn keeps for food and drinks; or, craft them yourself! A food buff can provide around 10% to 20% more health, which can be the difference between a life and death on tough pulls. It may be expensive up front, but it pays for itself in savings on repair costs.

Get the Skyshards mod, so you never miss a Skyshard!

Putting every available point in your abilities helps ensure you are killing mobs quickly. Next to leveling, the best way to get skillpoints—the only other way, in fact—is to get Skyshards. Skyshards is an awesome mod that can help you find Skyshards on your map so you don’t miss anything while leveling. It is an absolute must-have.  

The Skyshards addon helps you max out your skills

Grind

Sometimes it is tempting to try to skirt mobs in an effort to complete quests faster. But, doing this will only slow your advancement as you miss out on valuable experience from grinding mobs. In ESO, you slay your way to your next quest objective. It is also tempting to run group dungeons repeatedly as you level. While this can be fun and exciting, you don’t get much experience from running them. They are good for gearing, however, so you should run each one once as you level to gear out your character, but avoid getting too caught up in them.

 

Speed reading

The joy of grinding!

There are some wonderful stories in ESO, but quest text and books tend to bog you down and consume valuable grinding time. One of the few complaints I have about ESO is that it can sometimes feel like you are studying for a final exam instead of playing an MMO. But, that does not change the fact that quest text and books are a critical part of the game. Ignore them at your own peril.

Skimming the quest text can save time. I have found that they usually put the quest objectives in the last line of each paragraph. Additionally, they also hide tantalizing secrets in books.  For instance, I read one book where they discussed performing a ritual at a specific site on the full moon to summon a wolf god! Who knows where that information can lead?

"Discretion is the better part of valor"

We all get that feeling when we die.  “What did I do wrong? I’m a better gamer than this.” It’s good when it pushes you forward, but if you let your pride get in the way of your questing then shame on you! If you die more than two times within a five-minute span (especially if you die in the same way) then you should probably go do lower level quests for awhile.  Try to avoid mobs that are more than one level higher than you and you’ll probably be ok.  On the other hand, certain mobs, especially platies can be tough on you even if they are the same level.  Use your discretion, and know when to run!



Take screenshots of books for later reading.

ESO is not about the destination, it’s about the journey

ESO is a game, not a full time job. Make sure that whatever you’re doing you’re enjoying it. Want to run a dungeon 10 times with your buddies? Do it! Feel like spending 10 hours at the guild store picking items? Enjoy. Sick of grinding? Run and sneak past mobs. It’s not all about getting it done fast, it’s about having a good time! Ignore all the rules. Just make sure you are getting the most out of your ESO experience!

See you in Tamriel!