Elder Scrolls Online Classes Tier List [With Detailed Comparison]

Elder Scrolls Online classes tier list is your complete guide to finding out which class suits you, whether in PVE or solo or PVP combat.

The Elder Scrolls Online is a multiplayer role-playing game developed by ZeniMax Online Studios in 2014. The game features a mixture of quests, dungeons and open world exploration options and portrays a storyline connected with other Elder Scrolls games. The tier list written below corresponds to version 8.3.5 of Elder Scrolls Online with the update 37 namely Scribes of Fate.

Apart from the decision of choosing alliances and races, you will also have to choose 1 of the available 6 classes in Elder Scrolls Online. Each class gives you its own abilities, attacks and passive effects. The classes fulfil different roles like the tank, healer or damage dealer depending on your selection of abilities and nature of combat. You will encounter enemies in dungeons, trials, battlegrounds and other PVP arenas and the selection of the right class can change the tide of your fight quickly.

Key Takeaways
  • There are a total of 6 distinct classes in the Elder Scrolls Online.
  • Depending on your choice of abilities, you can transform each of these into stamina or magicka specialties.
  • Hence, you can choose 1 of the available 12 classes, half of which are stamina and half are magicka.

All Elder Scrolls Classes Ranked

Here is an overview for all the Elden Scrolls Classes: 

ClassDamageRangeHealingSustain
SMagicka Nightblade1400135014001300
AStamina Templar135099011001200
AStamina Nightblade140099011501400
AStamina Necromancer140010509901250
AStamina Dragonknight12509901050990
BMagicka Sorcerer1400120013001200
BStamina Warden12509909901100
BMagicka Templar1350105014001200
BMagicka Warden1200120011501300
BStamina Sorcerer1200105012001300
BMagicka Dragonknight14009901200950
CMagicka Necromancer1100120011501200

S TIER

The S-ranking Elder Scrolls Online classes tier list houses the top tier ones that have absolutely flawless abilities with remarkable effectiveness both in solo or group combat.

Magicka Nightblade

Excelling in sneaking up on enemies, this class is ideal to deal high damage especially in solo combat.

PVE

Pros
  • Swallow Soul provides consistent healing during battles.
  • Elemental Drain and Siphoning Spells aid in resource sustain.
Cons
  • Complex rotation reliant on light attacks.

PVP

Pros
  • Life-leeching abilities facilitate easy solo kills.
  • Soul Harvest grants the fastest ultimate generation.
  • Offers impressive self and ally healing, alongside mobility.
Cons
  • High skill cap; success heavily dependent on player skill.
  • Caluurion’s Legacy, the main attack, is predictable and easily dodged, compromising offensive power.

Elder Scrolls Online Magicka Nightblade

A TIER

The amazing classes in A-ranking Elder Scrolls Online classes tier list are decent ones with great abilities that turn out to be rewarding in most situations.

Magicka Warden

The distinction of Wardens is their ability to use animal pets to aid them in battle.

PVE

Pros
  • Balanced damage output for both single target and AOE situations.
  • Strong self-healing abilities from animal companion skills and Green Lotus.
Cons
  • Lack of a primary in-class spammable ability, relying on the vampire skill line.
  • Requires high health and damage output is slightly inferior compared to other classes.

PVP

Pros
  • Excellent AOE damage, mobility, and healing capabilities.
  • Bond with Nature and Savage Beast aid in healing and ultimate generation.
Cons
  • Arctic blast is your main healing option and it scales its effectiveness based on your maximum health.
  • Sacrifices passive abilities for healing, hindering performance in intense fights.

Stamina Templar

This class possesses the ability to heal and amplify damage of everyone in your team provided you have the wits to use it rightly.

PVE

Pros
  • Simple abilities ideal for beginners.
  • Magicka abilities like Ritual of Retribution offer good healing and sustain.
Cons
  • Requires high situational awareness and defensive resources for intense fights.
  • Dependence on stacking multiple healing abilities compromises resource sustain.

PVP

Pros
  • Strong healing and burst damage abilities.
  • High DPS and suitable for dueling with good situational awareness.
Cons
  • Vulnerable during ability use as offensive skills do not heal.
  • Offensive skills lack the healing aspect present in the magicka counterpart.

Stamina Necromancer

Specializing in using the dead to their advantage, this class is equally useful for both, solo or group combat.

PVE

Pros
  • Scythe heal and Blast Bones offer excellent survivability and AOE damage.
  • Cost-efficient abilities and good sustain.
Cons
  • Melee range requirement limits ability usage.
  • Complex rotations and predictability issues.

PVP

Pros
  • Exceptional survivability and AOE burst damage.
  • Spirit Mender passive aids in healing.
  •  
Cons
  • Predictability hampers effectiveness.
  • Lacks mobility compared to other stamina build classes.
Elder Scrolls Online Stamina Necromancer
Elder Scrolls Online Stamina Necromancer (in game photo)

Stamina Dragonknight

Ranked as the best tank class in Elder Scrolls Online, the Stamina Dragonknight uses spells to deal long lasting damage. 

PVE

Pros
  • Ideal for prolonged fights with Combustion ability.
  • Fire and poison effects fuel resources and provide survivability.
Cons
  • Less effective in short, aggressive fights like dungeons.

PVP

Pros
  • Versatility in weapon and gear choices, high mobility, and various skills.
  • Balanced offensive and defensive ultimates.
  • Ring of The Bell order heals over time and aids solo play.
Cons
  • Limited escape options compared to other classes.
  • Healing ability is not as strong as some other classes.

B TIER

The B-ranking Elder Scrolls Online classes tier list possesses abilities that have a few good positives but lack when it comes to overall effectiveness.

Stamina Warden

The stamina Warden offers a decent damage with enormous mobility and flexibility in its skills.

PVE

Pros
  • Impressive AOE damage and utility abilities for solo play.
  • Mobility boost and damage increase with Bird of Prey.
Cons
  • Requires high healing for survival and lacks mobility.
  • Dependence on magicka abilities affects resource sustain.

PVP

Pros
  • Magic semi-spammable for breach access and versatile offensive options.
  • Access to spell damage, buffs, and critical damage.
Cons
  • High HP requirement and costly healing ability.
  • Resource sustain heavily relies on magicka instead of stamina.

Magicka Sorcerer

This class is ideal to both hurt your enemies and heal your allies from a distance.

PVE

Pros
  • Easy build setup with access to powerful spammables and Greater Storm Atronach.
  • Critical Surge offers critical damage and healing simultaneously.
Cons
  • Lower AOE damage compared to similar classes.
  • Pet usage restricts mobility in battle.

PVP

Pros
  • Excels in single-target pressure and mobility.
  • Pets provide distraction and damage.
Cons
  • Relies on high magic pool and shields for protection.
  • Requires support due to lack of burst healing.
Elder Scrolls Online Magicka Sorcerer (in game image)

Magicka Templar

Ideal to be used as tanks and healers alike, the Magicka Templar is there to help in group combat.

PVE

Pros
  • Ability to heal while damaging enemies.
  • Simple playstyle with decent self-healing and melee options.
Cons
  • Recent ability nerfs reduce effectiveness.
  • Heavy reliance on magicka for resource sustain.

PVP

Pros
  • Strong abilities like Radiant Glory and Radiant Oppression for intense fights.
  • Versatile role as healer or tank.
Cons
  • High magic ability usage for resource sustain.
  • Melee-focused with limited range.
Elder Scrolls Online Magicka Templar (in game image)

Stamina Nightblade

Good passive abilities, enough life leech, an inexpensive ultimate and an enhanced spammable attack make the stamina nightblade a remarkable solo class.

PVE

Pros
  • Excellent melee damage and resource sustain.
  • Useful spammable attack and Healing Offering ability.
Cons
  • Comparatively lower self-healing than other classes.
  • Heavy dependence on light attack weaving.

PVP

Pros
  • Strong in self-healing, damage mitigation, and critical damage.
  • Highest single-target damage and stealth combat proficiency.
Cons
  • Abilities like Strike From the Shadows require high skill cap.
  • Lacks noticeable group utility in fights.

 Magicka Dragonknight

Skillful in spells that deal damage in different ways, this class is equally effective as tanks or damage dealers.

PVE

Pros
  • The Magicka Dragonknight has good damage mitigation, a decent spammable and build in major breach making it versatile offensively.
  • The Ring of the Pale Order allows you to use dual wielded daggers and critically hit your enemies.
  • This class does not require a high skill and time to master and it easy to set up compared to others.
Cons
  • Resource and damage sacrifices for healing.
  • Requires vampire and stamina-based skills for full potential.

PVP

Pros
  • Aggressive gameplay with crowd control and DOT pressure.
  • Variety of damaging abilities for different scenarios.
Cons
  • You require a vampire for mobility and also need stamina based skill and weapon skill lines to completely use this class.
  • You rely on long Damage over Time skills making it really hard to cause problems to your enemies in a short aggressive fight.
Elder Scrolls Online Magicka Dragonknight
Elder Scrolls Online Magicka Dragonknight

Stamina Sorcerer

The stamina sorcerer excels in open space combats owing to its ability to heal and recover stamina constantly.

PVE

Pros
  • Massive AOE damage and constant self-healing.
  • Hurricane provides damage boost and tankiness.
Cons
  • Your dependence on pets causes problems at times when facing a difficult enemy. Their cost is huge and you need to wait a lot until you can cast them again.

PVP

Pros
  • Tanky build with abilities like Plague Break and Dragon’s Appetite.
  • Various damaging abilities for different situations.
Cons
  • Absence of effective healing and constant stamina refilling.
  • Demands high skill cap and focus for optimal use.

C TIER

Abilities found in C-ranking Elder Scrolls Online classes tier list are the most ineffective ones in the current meta. I’d recommend you do not pick these ones at all.

Magicka Necromancer

The Magicka Necromancer is the master of healing itself and manipulating his enemies to his will.

PVE

Pros
  • Decent self-healing, damage options, and damage mitigation.
  • Versatile abilities offer utility in various situations.
Cons
  • Requires hybridization of stamina-based skills for effective combat.
  • Trade-off between survivability and sustain with Consuming Trap and Hungry Scythe abilities.

PVP

Pros
  • Excellent self-healing and group healing capabilities.
  • Avid Boneyard and Harmony jewelry amplify damage effectively.
  • Vicious Death gear set provides powerful AOE damage.
Cons
  • Less effective in solo combat due to focus on area damage.
  • Single-target damage reduced by recent updates, impacting effectiveness.

Elden Scrolls Online Patch Notes

The current version of the Elder Scrolls Online game is 8.3.5 with the update 37 namely Scribes of Fate.

Elder Scrolls Online classes tier list explained above takes into account both the PVP and PVE combat. Moreover, both the solo and group PVP were considered. Gamers may find different abilities more powerful with the difference in the abilities they choose. Also, the ranks described above change with the buffs and nerfs in the latest changing meta. Hence, any class may also move up or down the ranks with the difference in time and Elder Scrolls Online style of the player.

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Tehreem is a Tier List Writer on eXputer who loves playing, researching, comparing, and writing about games that she enjoys. She’s a Pokemon-obsessed, high-on-caffeine kind of gal. She’s got several years' worth of experience writing about the games she loves. When she’s not playing or writing about RPGs, she can be found binge-watching her favorite shows. Feel free to get in touch with Tehreem or even game with her on her Steam profile.

Experience: 3+ Years || Education: Studying English Literature.

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