10 New Player Tips

Last Updated: 5/20/2024

Are you a new Elder Scrolls Online player? Here are 10 helpful tips for new players from the ESO development team.

1. Slot many different Abilities and Skill Lines

When starting out in Tamriel, slot as many different abilities from your different Skill Lines as you can in your action / shortcut bar. Even if you don't use the abilities in question, as you gain XP, they will still gain levels for themselves and their associated Skill Lines.


2. Pick up and try everything

While exploring, be sure to pick up and try every type of weapon and armour you find. By equipping and using a weapon, you unlock its Skill Line for future use.

When you have equipped three pieces of armour of any one type (Light, Medium, or Heavy) you also unlock its Skill Line. If you'd like to earn levels for a weapon Skill Line, slot one of its abilities in your action bar. Even if you're not using the weapon in question, it will still earn XP and level up!


3. Seek out additional Skill Points

You will gain Skill Points as you level, allowing you to unlock new abilities, but there are other ways you can acquire points:

  • From Skyshards – You can find Skyshards glowing blue in the wild. Activate them to absorb their power. Activate three of them and you'll receive a new Skill Point!
  • From unique quests – Some quests grant Skill Points as rewards. Check to see if a quest has an achievement associated with it. If it does, there's a good chance it'll reward you with a Skill Point.
  • From public dungeon group events.
  • Improving your Alliance Rank – By ranking up in PvP, such as Battlegrounds and the Alliance War, you also earn Skill Points.


4. Find (and eat) food!

Food can provide you with a much-needed buff to your basic attributes or stats. If you're a sneaky sort, you can steal food from tavern kitchens and such, but if you learn the Provisioning Skill Line, you can make your own food. Head to a capital city to learn how to unlock Provisioning and use a fire to cook up something good!



5. Craft low-level gear to fill gaps

When playing with a new character, you might not have found enough armor pieces to ensure you are completely covered. Armor pieces between levels 1-14 can be crafted immediately and require no Skill Points be spent.

To get started, harvest some resources in the wild and find a crafting station. As you craft, you'll even improve your skills!


6. Hit them hard to gain resources

If you're having trouble maintaining resources (Magicka or Stamina), try and make use of Heavy Attacks as part of your regular combat rotation. Not only will you do a large amount of damage, you'll also regenerate some of your resources (Magicka if attacking with a staff, or Stamina if attacking with a bow, sword, axe, dagger, or mace.)


7. Upgrade your Bank and Inventory space

You will find a lot of items during your adventures in Tamriel, so your Bank and Inventory space might be at a premium. To ensure you have enough space for all of your hard-earned loot, talk to a Banker to upgrade your Bank space and a Pack Merchant to upgrade your Inventory. Upgrading Bank and Inventory space will cost gold.



8. Catch a ride!

Tamriel is a huge place, so it's a good idea to make the most out of the world's many travel options. Most major settlements will have Wayshines, and some will have boatswains, carts, and Silt Striders, too. Don't forget that even as you explore, you'll gain XP!

9. Deconstruct unwanted items

If you have an inventory full of junk, your first instinct might be to simply sell it all. However, if you'd like a quick-and-easy way to improve your crafting Skill Lines, you should deconstruct your unwanted items at Crafting Stations instead. Not only will you improve your crafting skills, but you'll gain some materials, too.

10. Don't attack the innocent!

If you keep accidentally attacking innocent NPCs while testing out your abilities, navigate to your Gameplay settings menu and turn on the Prevent Attacking Innocents option. This will ensure you do not accidentally rack up a hefty bounty with the local guards.

That's it! Now get out there and explore a world without limits!

Don't forget that if you ever have additional gameplay questions, you should navigate to the in-game Help menu for more information on the game's features and mechanics. In addition, you can visit the Players Helping Players section in the official ESO forums to talk to the ESO community or check out any of the player-made guides right here.

Guides

Guides

Community Guides—Gold Road and Update 42

Avoid mishap on the Gold Road by using these player-made guides!

Community Guides—Scribing

Get started on your Scribing journey with these player-made guides!

Learn About Gold Road’s Upcoming Scribing System in this 101-Style Video Guide

Learn how to customize new skills via the upcoming Scribing system with this new video guide.

Community Guides—Update 41 and Scions of Ithelia

Emerge victorious in your battles with the Scions of Ithelia thanks to these player-made guides.

Community Guides—Whitestrake’s Mayhem and PvP

Survive the Whitestrake’s Mayhem PvP event with the aid of these player-made guides!

Community Guides—New Player Guides 2024

Jump into ESO in 2024 with these community-made guides.

Community Guides—December 2023

Discover even more community tips and builds as you continue to explore the infinite libraries of the Infinite Archive and beyond.

Community Guides—Infinite Archive & Update 40

Learn the secrets of the Infinite Archive and Update 40 with these informative Community Guides.

Begin Your Journey into the Infinite Archive with this Overview

Watch the new Infinite Archive overview video and learn more about what to expect in this new base-game activity.

5 Quick Developer Tips for the Infinite Archive

Get a running start into the new Infinite Archive PvE activity with these quick tips from our Dungeon Team Product Owner, Shane Slama.

Getting Started

The Basics

Character Management

Activities

Advanced Guides

Community Guides

Support