Combat - ESO

Abilities

Your Ability Bar can be found at the bottom center of the screen when you enter combat, or when a hostile is targeted. Combat Abilities can be dragged and dropped into this tray from the Skills Menu and executed by pressing the corresponding 1 2 3 4, or 5 number keys.
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The Ability Bar

Battle Leveling Boost

Battle leveling helps lower level characters play competitively with higher level characters, providing an even playing field for Adventuring, Dungeons, and Alliance Warfare.

Battle leveling boosts Max Health, Stamina, Magicka, Armor & Spell Resistance, Spell Damage, Weapon Damage, Critical Strike Chance, and Recovery. This boost decreases as the character increases level, eventually vanishing once the character reaches the maximum Champion Point level.

Status Effects

Dealing damage has a chance to apply additional effects to the target based on the damage done.

Magical Damage Types:
• Flame Damage applies Burning. Deals damage over 4 seconds.
• Frost Damage applies Chill. Deals instant damage. Applies Minor Maim for 4 seconds, reducing damage done. While an Ice Staff is actively equipped, applies Minor Brittle for 4 seconds, increasing the critical damage taken.
• Shock Damage applies Concussed. Deals instant damage, increasing if Concussed was already applied. Applies Minor Vulnerability for 4 seconds, increasing damage taken.
• Magic Damage applies Overcharged. Deals instant damage and restores Magicka. Applies Minor Magickasteal for 4 seconds, causing attackers to restore Magicka.

Martial Damage Types:
• Bleed Damage applies Hemorrhaging. Deals damage over 4 seconds, stacking up to 3 times.
• Disease Damage applies Diseased. Deals instant damage, splashing to nearby enemies up to once every 4 seconds. Applies Minor Defile for 4 seconds, decreasing healing taken and damage shield strength.
• Physical Damage applies Sundered. Deals instant damage and increases your Weapon and Spell Damage. Applies Minor Breach for 4 seconds, reducing Armor.
• Poison Damage applies Poisoned. Deals damage over 4 seconds, increasing based on missing Health.Status Effects have the following chances to apply from these attacks:
• Weapon Enchantments: 20%
• Single Target Direct Damage: 10%
• Area of Effect Direct Damage: 5%
• Single Target Damage over Time: 3%
• Area of Effect Damage over Time: 1%
• Light and Heavy Attacks: 0%

Disabling Effects

Disabling Effects prevent a target from performing common actions such as moving, attacking, or using skills. The most important to note:

• Stunned: cannot move, attack, or take action

Knowing how to inflict Disabling Effects on enemy targets and end Disabling Effects early on your character is vital to becoming an experienced player. Consult your character's Skills and morphs to learn how your class best causes and resists Disabling Effects.

Other Disabling Effects include:• Charmed: cannot attack or take action while moving toward the charm source
• Disoriented: stunned, but any direct damage taken ends the effect early
• Feared: cannot attack or take action
• Immobile: cannot move, but can attack or take action
• Knocked Back: stunned and pushed from the knockback source
• Knocked Down: stunned and knocked to the ground
• Off-Balance: Heavy Attacks inflict added damage, restore bonus resources, and cause the stunned effect
• Pulled: Stunned and dragged toward the Pull source
• Silenced: cannot use Magicka-based skills

Removing Negative Effects

Certain positive effects can disrupt Disabling Effects, Elemental Status Effects, and negative Status Effects from a target.

• Cleanse: Removes all negative effects from the target. The Templar Skill Purify and the Alliance War Support skill Purge are examples of this.
• Immovability: The target is immune to all Disabling Effects. The Heavy Armor skill Immovable is an example of this.The action Break Free provides Immovability in exchange for Stamina. Refer to Help > Combat > Break Free for more details.

Basic Attacks

Attack enemies with any weapon to perform a Basic Attack.

• Light Attacks are fast, inflict small amounts of damage, and cost no Magicka or Stamina to perform. Target an enemy and tap |k200.0%:114|k to perform a Light Attack.
• Heavy Attacks are much slower, but they inflict large amounts of damage. Heavy Attacks also restore Magicka (when wielding a staff) or Stamina (when wielding melee weapons or a bow). Press and hold |k200.0%:114|kuntil you perform a Heavy Attack.

Blocking

To put your character in a defensive posture to Block an incoming attack, press and hold MB4. This act is referred to as Bracing. A successful Block will mitigate an attack's damage, but it will also exhaust your Stamina. You can make your Block more effective at mitigating enemy attacks, as well as lessening its Stamina cost, with special bonuses from abilities and items.When an enemy is radiating gold, it is readying itself to make a powerful attack. If this attack is successfully Blocked, the enemy will be knocked back, momentarily stunned, and set Off-Balance, giving you the advantage on your next attack.

Bracing will also make you immune to most stuns, knock backs, and pull effects while active, but will not make you immune to snares, immobilizes, silences, Off-Balance, or fears.

Blocking Heavy Attacks will also halve the amount of resources your opponent would recover from the attack.

Break Free

Some enemies will use abilities that incapacitate your character, which are known as Disabling Effects. You can escape many of these effects by pressing |k200.0%:115|k to perform Break Free. Break Free is generally effective at removing stuns, fears, and charms, but it will not remove snares, immobilizes, silences, or forced position changes.Break Free consumes a large amount of Stamina from your character. After activating Break Free, you will gain Crowd Control Immunity for a short duration, which makes you immune to most stuns, fears, charms, knockbacks, knockdowns, and pulls. You can reduce the cost of Break Free and increase the duration of Crowd Control Immunity with special bonuses from abilities and items.

Dueling

You can invite another player to dual in any non-PVP overland zone using the social interaction wheel. A single Duel involves exactly two players, but there may be multiple unrelated duels occurring simultaneously in the same area. If an area has too many players dueling simultaneously, a duel must end before a new one can begin.

During a duel, outside influences from other players, such as healing and buffs, will be blocked, and Battle-spirit will be applied to both dueling players.Dueling players must stay within a marked dueling radius. Monster combat will not end a duel, but exiting the dueling radius will result in a forfeit.

If you don't want to be invited to duels, you can auto-decline invitations by going to the Social menu in your Settings panel and toggling "Auto-Decline Duels" to "On."

Dodging

Your character can dodge roll out of the path of incoming attacks by double-tapping any one of the W A S or D keys to execute a Dodge Roll in the corresponding direction. Dodge Rolls expend Stamina and becomes more costly with successive uses. You can reduce the cost of Dodge Roll with special bonuses from abilities and items.Dodge Rolling also allows you to escape from many effects that immobilize you, and makes you immune to most immobilizations for a short duration after activating.

Dodge Rolling will allow you to avoid incoming attacks and damage. Dodge Roll is most effective against direct damaging attacks, but generally cannot be used to avoid damage over time attacks.

Off Balance

Some abilities and effects have the added benefit of setting your target Off Balance, such as interrupting a wind-up attack, blocking a powerful attack, or using certain abilities or items that denote this behavior. This is a special Disabling Effect that renders a target vulnerable to additional effects from certain actions and attacks.Enemies that are Off Balance can be hit with Heavy Attacks to cause additional effects. Heavy Attacks against Off Balance enemies will restore additional resources, deal significantly more damage, and will attempt to stun them.

Off Balance will always persist for the same duration, regardless of its source, and cannot be removed before its duration has passed. After the Off Balance effect ends, the target will become immune to Off Balance for a duration.

Identifying Foes

While you are adventuring in Tamriel, you will encounter many hostile foes that must be defeated in combat. When a potential foe is targeted while in game, its silhouette will be outlined in red if it is hostile, or in yellow if it is neutral, but attackable.

Interrupts

Interrupts cut short an enemy's wind-up when they prepare to execute a special ability that requires a wind-up. When an enemy is preparing such a wind-up, red lines will radiate from it. To interrupt the wind-up, approach the target and press |k200.0%:115|k. Some additional abilities may also attempt to interrupt targets, as denoted in the ability's tool tip if applicable.Successfully interrupting a wind-up action will cancel the cast and leave the target Off-Balance and stunned, leaving them vulnerable to a follow-up attack. Players who are interrupted during a wind-up will have that specific ability locked from activating for a brief moment, but players who are under the effects of Crowd Control Immunity cannot have wind-up actions interrupted by other players.

Magicka and Stamina

Using abilities will expend either Magicka or Stamina. The amount of Magicka and Stamina you currently have is represented by the bars respectively, located at the bottom of the screen. These bars will only be visible while Magicka and Stamina are being expended.|ac
Full

Expending

Depleted

Monster Difficulty

Difficult monsters you encounter have unique Health bars. The more lavish the Health bar, the harder the monster. Harder monsters have more health, deal more damage, and can even be immune to certain effects (such as crowd control).|ac
Normal

Scary

Hard

Deadly

Health Bar Visual Effects

Some effects can boost or reduce the effectiveness of enemies, allies, and yourself. The resource bars of anyone targeted by these effects will change in appearance:|ac
Damage Shield

Decreased Armor

Increased Armor

Increased Power

Invulnerable

Healing Negation

Damage and Healing Categories

Damage and Healing actions can be broken down into categories to denote special guidelines and behaviors of their effects. The categories of these actions are generally referred to with the following naming conventions:

Duration types
• Direct effects: actions that deal their effects immediately when used
• Over time effects: actions that deal their effects multiple times during a duration period

Area of influence types
• Single target effect: actions that affect a single target or are applied to individual targets that have been affected by a single action
• Area of effect: actions that affect multiple targets within a certain areaMost actions are referred to with a combination of both a duration type and an area of influence type, such as single target direct effect or area of effect over time.

Some actions may also consist of multiple components that have differing categories, such as a direct area of effect action that also applies single target effects over time. An example of this is Fiery Breath, which deals area of effect direct damage and applies single target damage over time to enemies.

Named Buffs

As you battle enemies or other players, you will experience buffs (positive effects that benefit you in combat). These effects do not stack and will replace itself with the longest duration effect of its kind when applied. The complete list of common buffs in The Elder Scrolls Online is as follows:Buffs
• Resolve: Increases your Physical and Spell Resistance by a small amount (Minor) or a large amount (Major).
• Protection: Reduces your damage taken by 5% (Minor) or 10% (Major).
• Aegis: Reduces your damage taken from trial, group dungeon, and arena enemies by 5% (Minor) or 10% (Major).
• Berserk: Increases your damage done by 5% (Minor) or 10% (Major).
• Slayer: Increases your damage done in trial, group dungeons, and arenas by 5% (Minor) or 10% (Major).
• Empower: Increases your Heavy Attack damage against monsters by 70%.
• Brutality: Increases your Weapon Damage by 10% (Minor) or 20% (Major).
• Sorcery: Increases your Spell Damage by 10% (Minor) or 20% (Major).
• Force: Increases your Critical Damage done by 10% (Minor) or 20% (Major).
• Savagery: Increases your Weapon Critical rating by approximately 6% (Minor) or 12% (Major).
• Prophecy: Increases your Spell Critical rating by approximately 6% (Minor) or 12% (Major).
• Mending: Increases your healing done by 8% (Minor) or 16% (Major).
• Vitality: Increases your healing received and damage shield strength by 6% (Minor) or 12% (Major).
• Fortitude: Increases your Health Recovery by 15% (Minor) or 30% (Major).
• Intellect: Increases your Magicka Recovery by 15% (Minor) or 30% (Major).
• Endurance: Increases your Stamina Recovery by 15% (Minor) or 30% (Major).
• Heroism: Grants you 1 Ultimate (Minor) or 3 Ultimate (Major) every 1.5 seconds.
• Minor Toughness: Increases your Max Health by 10%.
• Evasion: Reduces your damage taken from area of effect attacks by 10% (Minor) or 20% (Major).
• Expedition: Increases your Movement Speed by 15% (Minor) or 30% (Major).
• Major Gallop: Increases your Mount Speed by 30%.
• Courage: Increases your Weapon and Spell Damage by a small amount (Minor) or a large amount (Major).

Named Debuffs

As you battle enemies or other players, you will experience debuffs (negative effects that inhibit you in combat). These effects do not stack and will replace itself with the longest duration effect of its kind when applied. The complete list of common debuffs in The Elder Scrolls Online is as follows:

Debuffs
• Breach: Reduces your Physical and Spell Resistance by a small amount (Minor) or a large amount (Major).
• Vulnerability: Increases your damage taken by 5% (Minor) or 10% (Major).
• Maim: Reduces your damage done by 5% (Minor) or 10% (Major).
• Minor Enervation: Reduces your Critical Damage done by 10%.
• Minor Uncertainty: Reduces your Weapon and Spell Critical rating by approximately 6%.
• Defile: Reduces your healing received and damage shield strength by 6% (Minor) or 12% (Major).
• Minor Lifesteal: Enemies that attack you are healed.
• Minor Magickasteal: Enemies that attack you restore Magicka.
• Minor Timidity: Consumes 1 Ultimate every 1.5 seconds.
• Cowardice: Reduces your Weapon and Spell Damage by a small amount (Minor) or a large amount (Major).
• Minor Mangle: Reduces your Max Health by 10%.
• Brittle: Increases Critical Damage you take by 10% (Minor) or 20% (Major).

Ultimate Abilities

Ultimate Abilities are devastatingly powerful abilities that charge up over time during combat. You can learn an Ultimate Ability and slot one in the sixth slot of your Ability Bar. When an Ultimate Ability is slotted and fully charged you can execute it by pressing the R key.

Weapon Swap

Upon reaching level 15 players can equip two weapons, each with their own hotbar.

Press MB5 to perform the Weapon Swap.

This can be particularly useful when switching between multiple combat roles such as damage dealer, tank, healer, or buff support.

Mundus Stones

Mundus Stones can be found throughout the Three Alliances of Tamriel. When you interact with a Mundus Stone, you gain a persistent Mundus Boon. Mundus Boons are unique persistent buffs. You can have only one at a time, but can change your Mundus Boon at any time by visiting another Mundus Stone.•The Lady: Increases Physical and Spell Resistance
•The Lover: Increases Physical and Spell Penetration
•The Tower: Increases Maximum Stamina
•The Lord: Increases Maximum Health
•The Mage: Increases Maximum Magicka
•The Shadow: Increases Critical Damage and Critical Healing
•The Atronach: Increases Magicka Recovery
•The Serpent: Increases Stamina Recovery
•The Warrior: Increases Weapon Damage
•The Ritual: Increases Healing Effectiveness
•The Thief: Increases Critical Strike chance
•The Steed: Increases Run Speed and Health Recovery
•The Apprentice: Increases Spell Damage

Target Markers

You may apply one of eight different target markers to any target. Either select a target using the TABULATOR button or highlight a target in your targeting reticule. Hold the TABULATOR button and a circle of target markers will appear on screen. Select a marker in the same way you would a Quickslot item, and the target will be highlighted with your chosen marker.

Selecting a new target with that mark will remove it from the previous target. Applying the same marker to a target a second time will clear that marker. Rather than using the wheel, you can assign keybindings to each of the markers instead, under the Targeting section of the Keybindings menu.

Markers can be applied to both enemies and allies, and are only visible to members of your group. Any player in a group can assign, reassign, or remove any target marker at any time. Markers can be applied to your character by choosing a marker without picking a target. When a group member has a target marker on them, you can also see the marker in the group menu display at the top left of the screen.

Markers on non-player enemies are automatically removed when the enemy dies. Markers on players remain until removed or until the group moves to a new zone.