What is the best solo class in ESO? Today we are going to answer exactly this question. In ESO you can play six different classes (Sorcerer, Nightblade, Templar, Dragonknight, Warden, Necromancer) and all of them also have different setups such as magicka, stamina, or hybrid setups.
In today’s guide, we are going to focus on the top 5 solo classes in ESO. If you are interested in a complete DPS Tier List which focuses on a more general approach for solo and group content, please visit the ESO DPS Tier List Guide. In this guide here we are specifically looking at the best solo class.
Important: Before we continue, I want you to understand that every class can create great solo builds, some are just harder to use than others. If you are looking for solo builds for every class, please visit the Solo Builds Overview Page.
Table of Contents
- Magicka Sorcerer
- Magicka Nightblade
- Magicka Templar
- Magicka Necromancer
- Stamina Nightblade
- The Most Overpowered Item for Solo
- Companions
1. Magicka Sorcerer
Magicka Sorcerer easily takes the first spot as the best solo class in ESO (Elder Scrolls Online). The Magicka Sorcerer is both very easy to learn for beginners and really excels at solo gameplay even with difficult content. You can play with the Solo Sorc Build that can do any content from normal overland to even clearing veteran dungeons alone (if you are up for the challenge). Or if you are a newer player or you like to play with 1 bar builds, then we can recommend the One Bar Sorc Build.
Let us take a look why the Magicka Sorcerer is so great for solo gameplay in ESO. The setup offers everything, huge shields, great healing, free damage, easy sustain and high mobility. The skill Hardened Ward protects your character from incoming damage, making it very hard for enemies to even touch your health. We have Critical Surge which is basically an auto heal and the Twilight Matriarch pet which when activated gives you one of the biggest burst heals in ESO.
In addition to that, the summoned pets Twilight Matriarch and Volatile Familiar both automatically attack and deal damage to enemies, giving you a lot of free damage. Dark Conversion is a great skill to make resource management easier, as you can trade stamina that you don’t need for magicka. High mobility can be achieved either through Boundless Storm or Streak. There are players in ESO that create a Sorcerer just for the Streak skill, because it is one of the best looking and useful skills in the game.
Dealing damage is also easy when you utilize skills like Crystal Fragments and Unstable Wall of Elements. As a Magicka Sorcerer you can also play at full range, making it difficult for enemies to even catch you.
Of course there is a lot more to it than these skills, I do recommend that you check out the very in depth build guides for further information:
Magicka Sorcerer Gameplay
To further showcase why Magicka Sorcerers are the best solo class in ESO you can watch a few gameplay videos here. You can also find more examples of gameplay of solo dungeons in the Sorcerer Gameplay section of the solo build.
And now a gameplay video of the One Bar Sorcerer Build in veteran Maelstrom Arena. You can also visit the One Bar Sorcerer gameplay section for more videos.
2. Magicka Nightblade
Magicka Nightblade comes in as a close second. Nightblades are a bit more difficult to learn but you can easily clear overland content solo, and if you are up for the challenge you can also solo veteran dungeons with the Solo Magicka Nightblade Build. Nightblades have great shielding, great healing, easy sustain and high mobility. They can also use cloak to skip most monsters in overland content, which is great.
Magicka Nightblades use Harness Magicka to shield themselves from enemy damage. The greatest thing about Nightblades is that many of their damage abilities also have a healing effect. Swallow Soul deals great single target damage and also heals you for a lot. Merciless Resolve buffs your character and also applies a huge burst heal when you activate the spectral bow. Sap Essence is an AoE (area of effect) ability which can heal more than most healers if enough enemies are getting drained while also dealing insane damage.
And Siphoning Attacks both provides extra sustain and also heals you on every light and heavy attack. Dark Shade both deals damage and also debuffs the enemy. The ultimate Death Stroke is one of the most powerful single target ultimates because it deals crazy upfront damage and boosts your following attacks by a lot. In addition, you can also use the ultimate Soul Tether, which acts as a crowd control ultimate, stunning all enemies close to you and also giving you a powerful healing effect.
I do recommend that you check out the very in depth build guide for further information:
Powerful Solo Magicka Nightblade Build
Magicka Nightblade Gameplay
To further showcase why Magicka Nightblades are one of the best solo classes in ESO you can watch a gameplay video here. You can also find more examples of gameplay of solo dungeons in the Nightblade Gameplay section of the solo build.
3. Magicka Templar
Magicka Templars are also one of the best solo classes in ESO (Elder Scrolls Online). You can solo any content with them, they have great shielding, great healing, easy sustain and good mobility. You will be playing in melee range though, for some that is a plus, for some a disadvantage.
Magicka Templars use Harness Magicka to shield themselves from enemy damage. They also get further protection from the Channeled Focus skill which both boosts their resistances and applies a big sustain buff.
The most famous Templar skill is Puncturing Sweeps, this skill both deals insane damage and heals for a certain percentage of damage done. The skill also procs the passive Burning Light, giving you even more damage. You could complete the whole story of the game by just spamming this skill because it is so strong and versatile. They also have access to one of the most powerful execute skill in the game called Radiant Oppression. Templars often use their low cost ultimate Crescent Sweep to help with AoE (area of effect) damage.
I do recommend that you check out the very in depth build guide for further information:
Powerful Solo Magicka Templar Build
Magicka Templar Gameplay
To further showcase why Magicka Templars are one of the better solo classes in ESO you can watch a gameplay video here. You can also find more examples of gameplay of solo dungeons in the Templar Gameplay section of the solo build.
4. Magicka Necromancer
Magicka Necromancers are also one of the better solo classes in ESO. They have great shielding, great healing, easy sustain and good mobility. Just be careful not to cast any necromancy skills in cities, otherwise the guards will attack you.
Magicka Necromancers use Harness Magicka to shield themselves from enemy damage. They have access to great healing skills such as the Spirit Guardian and Resistant Flesh. Resource management is done via the Mystic Siphon skill and the Undead Confederate passive. They also have a great ability called Necrotic Potency to drain dead bodies to increase ultimate regeneration.
Necromancers also have great damage abilities such as the Ricochet Skull which bounces to nearby enemies, the Skeletal Mage and the ultimate Glacial Colossus which obliterates everything in its area. Alternatively you could also turn into a huge skeletal goliath via the ultimate Bone Goliath Transformation, this will make you unkillable for a short duration.
I do recommend that you check out the very in depth build guide for further information:
Powerful Solo Magicka Necromancer Build
Magicka Necromancer Gameplay
To further showcase why Magicka Necromancers are one of the better solo classes in ESO you can watch a gameplay video here. You can also find more examples of gameplay of solo dungeons in the Necromancer Gameplay section of the solo build.
5. Stamina Nightblade
On the fifth place we have the very popular Stamina Nightblade. Stamina Nightblades are one of the better solo classes in ESO. Stamina builds are often at a disadvantage because they have to play in melee range and lack shielding compared to magicka builds. However, Stamina Nightblades can be very powerful in solo content they are just a bit harder to learn and you will need a faster reaction time.
Their main damage ability is Surprise Attack, it deals great direct damage to a single target. Relentless Focus provides you with extra buffs, healing and when you activate the spectral bow it also deals great single target damage. Stamina Nightblades also have one of the best execute abilities, the Killer’s Blade. For AoE (area of effect) damage they can use Power Extraction, the skill hits everything in a 8 meter radius around you and also debuffs them.
The ultimate Incapacitating Strike both deals insane direct damage and boosts all your other attacks by a huge amount for a short duration. As long as you have this ultimate slotted you also apply the Reave debuff on the enemy, restoring resources every time you hit them with a light or heavy attack. The skill Leeching Strikes also gives you extra resources and heals on every light and heavy attack.
I do recommend that you check out the very in depth build guide for further information:
Powerful Solo Stamina Nightblade Build
Stamina Nightblade Gameplay
To further showcase why Stamina Nightblades are one of the better solo classes in ESO you can watch a gameplay video here. You can also find more examples of gameplay of solo dungeons in the Nightblade Gameplay section of the solo build.
The Most Overpowered Item for Solo Classes in ESO
We should not forget to mention one very powerful item if you plan on playing solo in ESO. The item is called Ring of the Pale Order. This item heals you for amount of damage done. Experienced players often uses this because they have very high dps and therefore the healing will be insane.
If you are a new player and you don’t have great DPS then I recommend the Companions, more info below. Because if you have low damage then the ring won’t heal you for much, so you will be better off with a Companion healer.
Pretty much all the solo builds use the Pale Order as Tier 1 setup because it makes things so much easier. As an alternative if you don’t have the Ring of the Pale Order we often use the Monster Set Iceheart as a replacement, because it provides you with constant shielding and also deals decent damage.
Use Companions for Solo Gameplay
Companions are also a great way to make solo gameplay easier. You can also find a Companion category on the website with builds like the Mirri Healer or Bastion Healer. If you have access to them they are great as healers. They will always stay behind you and give you support, which is amazing especially if you are a new player and you probably constantly forget to heal yourself in combat. Of course you can also set up companions as damage dealer or tank builds, but you will get most out of them with healer setups.
I can also recommend that you watch this video which compares the Pale Order Ring vs the Companions.
Summary Best Solo Class in ESO
Just to reiterate, every class can create powerful solo builds, the top 5 list is mostly about which ones excel at what they do and how easy they are to get used to. You will see on the Solo Builds Overview Page that every class can solo overland content or even solo veteran dungeons. The build is more important than the class in most cases.
Now you know what is the best solo class in ESO as well as what the top 5 best solo classes are. I hope this guide helped you, you can also find plenty of other great guides on the website.
