We had the opportunity to test TESO under exclusive press access allowing us to publish a preview of the beta up to level 15. The NDA remains in place, except for authorized sites.
In my recent adventures on Tamriel, my character plays an Altmer wizard. Naturally predisposed to the use of sticks of destruction (innate Altmer skill), I began to progress naturally in the classic way that everyone imagines: the good little elf sorcerer, in robe, with a nice staff of fire. .. the cliché what.
As a reminder, the wizard has three skill trees:
- Black Magic (a mixture of offensive magic spells and support or weakening of enemies)
- Daedric Summon (perfect for summoner classes fighting with pets)
- The Lightning Conjuration (specially dedicated to offensive lightning spells)
A sorcerer's apprentice ...
Having initially opted for staff of destruction, fire-oriented skills, and offensive lightning magic, I alternated the fire and lightning elements in my cute little green dress ... (no, we're not in Naheulbeuk!) Crystal shards (Dark Magic) are a bit slow to summon but the effect is superb and the damage moderate to heavy. Conversely, the Mage's Fury (Lightning Conjuration) launches very quickly and although not very powerful (in their initial version, but which I subsequently increased by Mage's Rage which inflicts even more damage)
These two spells allow you to cast spells very quickly from a reasonable distance. To this I was able to add some skills from the tree of destruction sticks to push back and slow down targets (Touch Destroyer) or do area damage in a straight line (Elemental Shield).
The advantage of using this was that I needed very little Stamina as Staff Skills use magic, like Class Skills, leaving the Stamina resource almost exclusively for dodging, blocking, or interruptions.
... that makes sparks ...
The levels passing, and the monsters becoming more numerous, I dared a little daring by trying to get closer to the contact, in normal times I like to rub shoulders with the monsters. But the "cliché" of the sorcerer that I am is not really resistant in close combat ... I therefore chose to invest a skill in Lightning Form (Lightning Conjuration) which creates a shield of electricity damage around me, providing better protection while damaging my enemies.
When the time came, I unlocked my Ultimate ability to Overload (Lightning Conjuration). Activating this skill replaces the caster's weapons with his own electrically charged hands, allowing him to launch very powerful, normal, or charged Palpatine-style lightning balls in Star Wars! (and this until cancellation by the player or total expenditure of Ultimate points). This spell is very particular, I do not know if it is a bug due to the beta or if it is planned thus in the end, but in its operation, there is indeed a "change of weapon" since we uses his own hands, and who says change weapon in combat says ... change hotbar! So I found myself, at around level 8, with the ability to change active skill shortcuts in the middle of combat via my Ultimate skill. So obviously, it only lasts for the time of the Ultimate, and it is impossible to place weapon skills in it since you do not handle any weapon, but it remains a most enviable asset!
... and opt for "all metal"!
All this was going very well but it was a little too "mono-oriented" for my taste, and besides, I remained very very vulnerable to contact ... That's why I said to myself, we are in TESO what, place to exoticism, let's vary the pleasures! And I decided a total turnaround.
First of all, shortly after my arrival Guet de Vulkhel in Auridon, after leaving the small island of Perchoir de Khenarthi, I met Queen Ayrenn who, after saving her from a plot, bestowed upon me a superb breastplate. ... all in metal. Never mind, it was time to change dairy. Oblivion my green dress, here is Llogwey, the wizard in heavy armor and history to go with it and not to do in half measures, I put away my fire stick for the benefit of a 2-handed sword.
It is not necessarily easy to change weapons along the way, because the very first active skill of a weapon is obtained at level 2 of the corresponding tree, and we obviously start at level 1 (unless the 'we have found skill books in the meantime). So I was only able to perform basic attacks for a while ... But as soon as I could, I took the skill Cleaver which generates damage to all enemies around you and causes them to bleed, which I was increasing quite quickly in its modified version of Fight (which provides temporary protection proportional to the number of targets hit). The combination of this skill, together with that of Lightning Form gave me great protection in melee, whereas before that, I was paper in contact.
The points of armor of a heavy armor being obviously superior, by base, to those of a light armor, my collection capacity was also increased, but for the sake of autonomy and protection, I invested a point in Constitution (heavy armor) in order to regenerate my health faster.
Over the levels I refined my choice of progression as follows:
- Critical load (2-handed weapon combat) which charges the enemy and inflicts critical damage, practical to use just after a lightning or crystal spell from a distance, the target has not had time to understand where the loom is coming from 'attack that you are already on)
- Uppercut (2-handed weapon combat) or how to play Baseball with the enemy with your 2-handed sword, throwing them back on a parabolic trajectory
- Lightning Presence (improved Lightning Form, increasing duration)
- Lightning Disc (Lightning Conjuration) which places an area damage disc on the ground, allowing allies to cast the "Conduit" synergy which causes additional damage)
- Crystal explosion (improved Shards of Crystal, generating area damage)
- Soul break (Soul Magic, which causes an area damage explosion when you die)
- Silver Tiles (Guild of Warriors, which unsheaths a crossbow fist and knocks down daedra with the ability to banish (kill) them instantly)
- Strength (2-handed weapon combat) which generates damage on enemies adjacent to the target
- Dynamization (Lightning Conjuration), passive, which increases lightning damage
- Disintegration (Lightning Conjuration), passive, which grants a chance to instantly disintegrate a weakened target
My fate laid out, I decided that I would be a contact warrior specializing in lightning. I finally had nothing of the wizard, besides the name of the class did not mean anything to me, I had become a "Lightning Warrior"
Who Said Wizards Are Weak Bookworms? And you, what atypical characters will you play?
