30+ ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE (ESO) Beginner Tips and Tricks 2024

Thinking about getting started in Elder Scrolls Online? Then use these tips and tricks to get a headstart.

Elder Scrolls Online, or ESO, is a massive game filled with so much content. As a complete beginner, it’s easy to get distracted by all the side-quests, open-world regions, weapon upgrades, and cosmetics.

The same thing happened to me when I started playing the game earlier this year. I managed to navigate my way around using online guides and videos.

But, there were still some things that those old online guides failed to mention. I had to learn them the hard way. In this post, I share all the things I learned so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did.

1. Don’t Buy Weapons or Armor

In the beginning, you’ll be leveling up so fast that your weapon and armor will become outdated quickly as well. So there’s no point in spending your hard-earned gold in buying new weapons and armor.

Besides, you’ll get new weapons and armor from missions as rewards. As well as for leveling up. Use those free stuff and save your gold.

Don’t worry about mastering a build yet. Wait until you hit level 50 to think about a build.

2. Stick With The Advised Skills

Depending on the class you chose, you’ll have a huge list of skills and abilities to unlock as you progress through the game.

At first, I was a bit confused about which skills to unlock. So I just went with the skills that seemed the coolest. A big mistake. Luckily, I can reset my skills anytime I want for a small price. So I decided to keep experimenting and reset the skill tree once I reach level 50.

But it’s best to unlock the advised skills first. Those are the skills that the game suggests you unlock.

3. Focus On The Main Quests

I was quite overwhelmed by the amount of content available in ESO. It seemed like no matter where I go there was some NPC with a new quest. It was a lot to take in.

As much as I love side-quests, I decided to stick to the main quests to avoid getting distracted. You should do the same.

4. Use Wayshrines For Fast Travel

It took me a while to realize that there’s a way to fast travel for free. I must have spent hundreds of gold to fast travel around the map.

And then, I accidentally realized that it doesn’t cost anything if I used a Wayshrine to travel to another Wayshrine. This wasn’t mentioned in any guide I read online.

5. Prioritize On Hitting Level 50

If you’re a solo player like me, your main goal should be to hit Level 50. That’s where the fun begins in ESO.

ESO has a level cap at 50 for your character. And then it turned into Champion Points. The next leveling system caps out at 810.

When you’re starting out, just focus on hitting level 50. Do the main quests and side quests to level up fast.

6. Use Experience Scrolls

The fastest way to level up is to use experience scrolls. They can give you 50% or even 150% bonus experience.

You can earn experience scrolls from the Daily Rewards. Save those when you’re about to take on a new quest.

7. Don’t Forget The Daily Rewards

Remember to login every day to get free rewards. Even if you’re not planning on playing the game, just login and accept the reward and logout. It’s worth it.

I actually scored a lot of experience scrolls and 100k gold from the daily rewards in one month.

8. Don’t Buy A Horse

When I first started playing I was frustrated by all the players who kept summoning a horse and ride around.

I went to a stablemaster and saw that horses cost over 40K gold. That’s beyond what I could afford. I was confused.

Luckily, I read on a guide that you get a free horse once you reach level 10.

Just hang in there until you hit level 10. Don’t buy a horse.

9. Upgrade Your Riding Skills

That reminds me you should also upgrade your riding skills.

When you get a horse, you’ll notice that it runs really slow. That’s because you need to upgrade the speed. This has to be done daily. You can increase speed by 1% every day up to 60%.

Visit the stablemaster at a town every day and boost the speed by paying 250 gold. It’s worth it.

10. Upgrade Your Backpack

When you hit around level 10, your backpack will be full of all kinds of crafting materials, consumables, and equipment. Thankfully, you can upgrade it.

Look for a backpack merchant in major cities and buy an upgrade.

11. Use Boat To Travel To Other Regions

Once I completed the first region I started on, I was confused about how to travel to other regions. Some regions are on islands and the only way you can move to another region is to use the Boatmaster. I had to look this up. Hopefully, you won’t have to.

12. Don’t Worry About Crafting

You’ll be introduced to crafting via a small side quest. I completed them but decided to ignore it until I go further into the game. Don’t worry about crafting gear or weapons or even the daily crafting quests. Just ignore them until you reach endgame. Mainly because it gets overwhelming when you try to do everything.

But, if you’re a fan of crafting in MMOs, it’s worth investing time into crafting early on. Most players actually recommends it.

I play ESO mainly for questing, so this aspect of the game was not interesting to me. And it was just a distraction for me.

13. Research Items Or Sell Them

When you have extra weapons or armor items, the best way to get rid of them is either to sell them or to research them. Most items have special qualities that when researched gets added to your blueprints permanently. Which will come in handy when you get to endgame content.

14. Consume Food To Boost Stats

You’ll often get to deal with challenging creatures and enemies, best way to deal with them is to consume some food before going against them. Consuming cooked food like meat and poultry boosts your stats like health and magika.

15. Easy Money With Antiquities

If you own the Greymoor expansion for ESO, you can get into treasure hunting. Otherwise known as the Antiquity system.

This new gameplay system allows you to earn easy money by hunting for treasures and selling them. It’s one of the most fun aspects of the game.

You can check out this official guide to learn how to get started.

16. Learn To Cook

That reminds me, you should learn to cook. One thing you should keep doing in crafting is cooking. And buy cooking recipes from cooks whenever you can.

17. Use The Bank

If you come across some good items that can be upgraded later or items your other characters can use, store them in the bank. Bank can be located via the map. And it gives you a pretty decent storage. I actually use it to store most of my crafting materials since I plan on using them later in the game.

18. Search Bookshelves

Do this as often as you can. Searching bookshelves will occasionally and randomly boost your skills. So whenever you see a bookshelf, you know what to do.

19. Do The Scarlet Judge Quest

Feeling jealous of all the other playing who run around wearing cool outfits? Well, I felt the same way when I got started. I was the only noob who kept running around in the starter outfit.

But, I stumbled upon this quest called “The Scarlet Judge” and managed to score a sweet costume. Look for this quest in Suran.

There are many other quests in the game that rewards you with cool costumes and other cosmetics. You don’t have to spend real money to buy them.

Plus, you’ll unlcock a few outfits just by leveling your character.

20. Join A Guild

Joining a guild is one of the first things you should do in ESO.

You can join up to 5 guilds and the game has a guild finder to help you find the right guild according to your needs.

If you’re like me and enjoy buying and selling stuff, you should join a few trading guilds. They are the best place to make some easy gold.

If you enjoy running dungeons or PVP, there are guilds for you guys too.

Just remember to read the guild description page before joining because most guilds have requiremenets. But there are many that welcome new players too.

21. Remember To Charge Weapons

I was confused about a weird red icon appearing on the screen. Apparently, it appears when my weapons need to be recharged. Your weapon charge will occasionally run out. You need to use soul gems to recharge them.

22. Don’t Accept Every Side Mission

I started seeing so many side quests. Everywhere I go I see someone offering a side quest. It was annoying but I decided not to accept them until I finish the main quests for the region. Then I start taking the side quests. If you accept every quest that you see on your way, you’ll start to feel overwhelmed and lose track of the missions. So complete one mission at a time.

23. Avoid Group Areas, For Now

Group areas and group missions are still weird to me. They are hard and just not worth doing when you’re at low levels. Save them for endgame.

24. Save Those Soulgems

Soulgems are used to repair your gear and they are very hard to come up. So use them wisely.

While exploring the world, you’ll come across empty soul gems. These can be filled by using a skill while killing enemies.

Activate this skill just when you’re about to kill an enemy and it will fill an empty soul gem.

25. Do A Dungeon

Once you get to around level 40 or higher, you can try doing a dungeon.

Dungeons are one of the most fun aspects of ESO. However, it’s tough to survive in a dungeon in the early game. So make sure to level up before trying them out.

Or find a team that’s willing to carry you.

In the meantime, you can do delves, which are solo dungeons. They are still as fun. And each has a boss at the end that will give you some loot.

26. Complete Endeavors

Endeavors were introduced to ESO in 2021 as a way of earning premium skins and items for free.

You can complete daily and weekly Endeavors to earn a special currency, which then you can use to buy premium items for free.

It’s a fun way to acquire cool skins and make the most of your playtime.

27. Optimize Your Gear Sets for Specific Roles

Mixing and matching gear sets can significantly enhance your character’s performance in specific roles. Whether you’re tanking, healing, or dealing damage, there are gear combinations that can optimize your effectiveness. Think of it as tailoring your armor and weapons to become the perfect key for every dungeon lock.

28. Experiment with Different Builds

The beauty of ESO lies in its flexibility. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different skill lines, abilities, and gear sets. What works for another player may not suit your playstyle. This exploration is like mastering different schools of magic; each has its time and place.

29. Learn to Manage Your Resources Effectively

Stamina and Magicka management is key to maintaining your ability to attack, block, heal, and cast spells. Incorporate skills, gear, and potions that help with resource recovery. Efficient management ensures you’re always ready to unleash your full potential, much like keeping your quiver full and your sword sharp.

30. Invest in Your Player Housing for Benefits

Player housing in ESO isn’t just for show; it offers practical benefits like crafting stations, storage, and even places to display your achievements. Think of your home as your base of operations, where every comfort and necessity is a stone’s throw away.

31. Focus on End-Game Skill Point Acquisition

Skill points are the lifeblood of your character’s development. Beyond just leveling up, seek out skyshards, complete dungeon quests, and participate in public dungeon events. This pursuit is akin to gathering ancient relics; each one enhances your power and versatility.

I’ll keep adding more tips as I learn more about the game. Please share this on Twitter and Facebook if you found it helpful.