Looking to dominate as a DPS in The Elder Scrolls Online? Discover the best class for group content, particularly endgame trials and dungeons, where performance matters most.
This guide centers on actual content over parsing and highlights the best ESO classes with the highest DPS. New trials favor area-of-effect (AOE) abilities, which heavily influences the meta.
While all the classes in ESO can perform well in various roles, this list focuses on guaranteeing you a spot in elite groups for DPS. Often this comes down to group gameplay differences such as group buffs and unique mechanics, but also survivability and resource sustain. However, don’t let this discourage you from playing your favorite class!
Melt bosses with the best DPS class for your ESO adventures!
ESO DPS Tier List
Our ESO Best DPS Class list is as follows:
- Arcanist
- Dragonknight
- Sorcerer
- Templar
- Necromancer
- Nightblade
- Warden
1. Arcanist
The Arcanist wields potent runes, ancient tomes, and the energy of Apocrypha. It’s ESO’s latest damage powerhouse and offers some of the highest PVE DPS available. With devastating AOE skills like Cephaliarch’s Flail and Fatecarver, it shines in group content such as trials and dungeons. Its exceptional sustain, burst damage potential, and straightforward playstyle make it a top pick for players seeking high damage output without complex rotations.
One of the key strengths of the Arcanist is its versatility and adaptability in various situations. Unlike all other classes that require frequent set and skill changes based on encounters, the Arcanist can rock a universal setup that performs consistently well across different boss and trash fights. This makes it especially appealing on console where addons are not available so swapping builds is more time-consuming.
Although Arcanists usually play in melee range, their kit allows them to play ranged, sacrificing a lot less damage than any other class to do so. The class toolkit offers excellent survivability and requires little light attack weaving. Its skill rotation is straightforward and effective, allowing players to achieve optimal damage output easily. Even with simplified one-bar or 1.5-bar builds, the Arcanist remains viable and competitive in various content, from beginner to score-pushing groups.
However, it’s essential to note that the Arcanist is susceptible to stuns due to its long Fatecarver channel, emphasizing the importance of understanding mechanics in challenging encounters. Nonetheless, the class compensates for this with outstanding damage passives like Hideous Clarity, Harnessed Quintessence, and Psychic Lesion, which not only boost damage but also enhance sustain.
The Arcanist kit has a lot of group utility: one standout skill, Fulminating Rune, provides a potent AOE DOT as well as an extremely bursty synergy that multiple group members can activate, making it a valuable asset.
Overall, the Arcanist’s prowess in AOE damage, sustain, versatility, and ease of play makes it a top contender across all levels of content in ESO, from casual to endgame compositions.
Make sure to check out our Stamina Arcanist DPS build.
2. Dragonknight
The Dragonknight class is the master of fire and poison, unleashing devastating attacks and performing equally great in single target and AOE situations. Among its best DPS skills are Burning Talons, renowned for its group synergy, Molten Whip, Flames of Oblivion, and Deep Breath. This class is a staple in raids, often seeing multiple Dragonknights in groups due to their impactful damage and the multitude of buffs they provide.
A defining trait of the Dragonknight is its focus on building ultimate, to enable it to dish out formidable burst with its Standard of Might. Their fire-based attacks create a scorching battlefield where enemies simply melt away.
One advantage of the Dragonknight is its commendable sustain, allowing players to opt for bi-stat food over sustain food. This choice boosts their health, improving survivability compared to some other classes.
While the Dragonknight is a simple class to play and it excels in all encounters in the game, it has slightly less cleave damage and more of a rotation than the Arcanist. However, its popularity in trials remains unshaken due to its unique ability to use sets like Z’en or Alkosh, or to bring the Stagger and Engulfing Flames debuff, which boost the rest of the group’s damage incredibly. Players who can provide good uptimes on these sets and debuffs are highly sought after and will never be left out of group compositions.
Furthermore, the Dragonknight’s Mountain’s Blessing passive grants Minor Brutality to the group for even more damage, while Molten Weapons grants Major Brutality/Sorcery, empowering teammates and allowing them to use sustain or heroism potions.
In essence, the Dragonknight’s mastery of fire, potent DPS skills, utility in raids, and supportive buffs make it a formidable force on the battlefield, earning its place as a favored class in group content.
Make sure to check out our Stamina Dragonknight DPS and Magicka Dragonknight DPS builds.
3. Sorcerer
The Sorcerer class commands the elements of storm magic and possesses powerful summoning abilities. Although some players may prefer not relying on them, one of the Sorcerer’s standout features is the option of using multiple pets in combat, greatly simplifying its damage rotation.
Magicka Sorcerers primarily focus on single-target damage, but the Stamina Sorcerer can also utilize weapon skills to destroy enemies in AOE scenarios. Every group typically includes at least one Sorcerer for their Atronach ultimate, which grants Major Berserk to the entire group, significantly boosting damage output. They also have the ability to provide Minor Prophecy, boosting the group’s critical chance, which often makes them preferred over Nightblades, who provide a similar critical buff to the group. The Conduit synergy provided by Sorcerers also contributes to group damage, making them a valuable asset in optimized setups.
While stamina builds are favored in organized trial groups, Sorcerers can still excel with the well-known magicka one-bar heavy attack build, particularly in less coordinated groups and dungeon runs thanks to their infinite sustain and massive damage potential.
The Sorcerer’s skill kit includes potent damage abilities such as Crystal Shards, the Atronach ultimate, the Volatile Familiar, the Twilight Tormentor, Daedric Prey and Hurricane, making them versatile and formidable damage dealers in various content scenarios, melee or ranged. Their survivability options include abilities like the Twilight Matriarch and Critical Surge for self-healing, and Hardened Ward for shielding, making them extremely durable.
Make sure to check out our Stamina Sorcerer build and Magicka Sorcerer DPS builds.
4. Templar
The Templar class in ESO combines the power of holy magic with formidable combat skills, serving as a beacon of light in the darkness of Tamriel.
Templars are highly valued in group content due to their synergies, enabling the use of sets like Roar of Alkosh as well as their healing abilities. This greatly buffs the group DPS as it allows damage dealers to wear more medium armor pieces. The synergy from Blazing Spear provides sustain to the group and the one from the huge AOE skill, Ritual of Retribution, allows players to cleanse all negative effects, which is crucial in certain fights. This is why there will always be at least one Templar in every single group.
Stamina Templar also boasts significant damage capabilities, particularly with the Power of the Light skill. In addition to this, one of the Templar’s standout features is its high execute damage potential: Radiant Glory is the preferred morph in content, as it provides valuable healing and magicka sustain, allowing Templar to brush off dangerous mechanics against Xalvakka in Veteran Rockgrove Hardmode, for example.
In trials, Stamina setups will usually be favored as they can fully utilize medium armor and bow/bow builds, that shine in some of the hardest content in the game. However, Magicka Templar remains king in dungeons when it comes to damage, due to Puncturing Sweeps, giving survivability or the ability to do burst strategies using Mechanical Acuity in very optimized groups.
Templars bring Minor Sorcery to the group, although this buff usually overlaps with Minor Brutality from Dragonknights. Templars also tend to face some sustain issues.
Due to their cool-looking skills, high damage, key utility role and innate tankiness, they remain a very popular choice in both dungeon and trial groups.
Make sure to check out our Stamina Templar DPS and Magicka Templar DPS builds.
5. Necromancer
The Necromancer class in ESO is known for its mastery over death magic and the ability to raise undead minions. While it once had the highest damage, recent patches have seen it undergo several nerfs and changes, impacting its effectiveness in combat.
One of the challenges with Necromancers is their complex DOT rotation, particularly with skills like Blighted Blastbones that require casting every 3s, and casting Detonating Siphon as a semi-spammable when no DOT needs refreshing.
In the latest Update 41, Necromancers received adjustments favoring a new playstyle centered around skills like Flame Skull (and morphs) and Grave Lord’s Sacrifice. However, it remains to be seen how these changes will impact the class’s performance in content and whether they will have a less cut-throat rotation.
Currently, Necromancers primarily fulfill a support role in groups, focusing on buffing the damage of other group members rather than dealing significant damage themselves. They synergize really well with sets like Spaulder of Ruin, Nazaray, War Machine, Martial Knowledge or Elemental Catalyst. Bringing a combination of these will guarantee a spot in any group composition and will buff the group DPS by a lot.
Necromancers also offer useful utilities such as providing the Grave Robber synergy with their Boneyard, useful for the Roar of Alkosh set. They also contribute to group damage with high uptimes on the very powerful Major Vulnerability debuff through their Colossus ultimate.
While the support role may not appeal to players seeking pure damage output, Necromancers remain essential for optimizing group performance.
Make sure to check out our Stamina Necromancer DPS and Magicka Necromancer DPS builds.
6. Nightblade
The Nightblade class in ESO is a master of stealth, assassination, and shadow magic. While it excels in dealing damage, especially in PVP scenarios, it’s not commonly chosen for organized trial compositions due to not bringing any unique buffs that aren’t already covered. Nightblades bring strong single-target damage but still fall behind Sorcerers and Templars in terms of damage output.
One of the drawbacks of Nightblades is their reliance on gear and skill swapping for effective AOE damage, which can be more cumbersome compared to other classes. Additionally, mastering the class can be challenging due to its heavy reliance on light attack weaving for optimal performance.
However, Nightblades shine in Group PVE dungeon environments: many of their skills provide extra healing while dealing damage, making them highly survivable and forgiving. Their passives further enhance their sustain, penetration, critical damage, and critical chance, making them a self-sufficient class overall.
Key strengths of the Nightblade class include powerful skills like Killer’s Blade for single-target execution, Concealed Weapon for strong single-target damage, both morphs of Drain Power for AOE, and Swallow Soul for ranged damage and insane self-healing. Their ultimate ability, Incapacitating Strike, offers a long and potent debuff on enemies, while Soul Harvest and class passives boost ultimate generation, allowing Nightblades to stack multiple ultimates in certain encounters.
Recent patches have also improved the usability of skills like Merciless Resolve, making them more accessible for new players. Despite its challenges and limited group utility, Nightblade remains a strong choice for players who prioritize self-sufficiency and enjoy a stealthy, high-damage playstyle, while being the most stylish class.
Make sure to check out our Stamina Nightblade DPS and Magicka Nightblade DPS builds.
7. Warden
The Warden class in ESO harnesses nature and ice magic along with animal companions. While it parses very high on target dummies, mastering its damage rotation can be challenging, and it suffers from resource management even with recovery foods. This limitation results in a smaller health pool, reducing survivability.
One of Warden’s notable strengths is its potential as a support damage dealer. It offers a wide array of buffs and debuffs such as Minor Toughness and Minor Brittle, making it a valuable asset in group compositions. As a Magicka based character you will be uniquely locked into using an ice staff due to its Piercing Cold and Glacial Presence passives, ensuring consistent application of the Chilled status effect for 100% on those Minor Brittle uptimes.
However, this specialization comes with drawbacks, as ice staff builds struggle in AOE fights and are limited in utilizing certain damage sets. Despite this, Warden’s skill set includes the most buffs and debuffs of any class, and powerful abilities like Arctic Blast, Winter’s Revenge, Northern Storm, Subterranean Assault, Cutting Dive, and Wild Guardian.
Note that the Wild Guardian ultimate, while potent, may not synergize well with Pillarger’s Profit, commonly used in organized groups. On the other hand, Wardens excel in content like the Infinite Archive due to their synergy with status effects and the Focused Efforts Vision and their innate tankiness.
With improvements in sustain, Wardens have the potential to become formidable damage dealers, especially in dungeons where they can cover a lot of vital buffs and debuffs. For now, those are usually covered by a Warden tank or a healer, which are both very strong.
Make sure to check out our Stamina Warden DPS and Magicka Warden DPS builds.
The Final Word
Keep in mind that this list is simply a generalization of each class in ESO. Any class can be extremely powerful in specific situations and in the hands of more experienced players. Just because your class did not rank as highly as another doesn’t mean that you can’t perform well once you improve your sets, skills and especially practice your rotation. Keep working at it and you can achieve excellent results!
