You can find one of the most challenging group activities in The Elder Scrolls Online in Cyrodiil’s PvP zone. To help those new to the Alliance War, we’ve asked two experts, Fengrush and Bislobo from the ESO Stream Team, to provide some tips on how to conquer Tamriel’s battlefields.
Preparation Is Key
Bislobo: Preparation is almost as important as the battle itself. Make sure you equip yourself with your most powerful items, consumables, and abilities, and be sure to use of all your Class’ passives abilities (including Alliance War passives) and anything that increases the power of your character (such as Champion Points).
Equip yourself with a good balance of defensive and offensive abilities, including heals, buffs, and damage tools. Be prepared for battle by using equipment and consumables that can provide you good damage to finish your foes, but don’t forget that you need to survive to tell the tale!
Fengrush: Having food or drink up at all times is a must and trying to fight without it will put you at a great disadvantage. Potions should always be at the ready once the battle starts, as they will save your life more times than you can count.
It’s also good to plan out a defensive response if you get attacked, such as blocking, using a reactive heal, and then a potion. If you plan some of these steps out, you can stay on your feet and respond with your own counter!
When your faction is defending and attacking, siege weapons play a pivotal role in determining the outcome, so always have a few ballistas and oils before you set out. The siege trainer can help teach you the basics of using siege equipment, and they are one of the best ways to earn Alliance Points.
Always have the right gear, consumables, and equipment on hand
Go Fast & Be Aware
Fengrush: Feed your mount and use Rapid Maneuver (an Alliance War Assault ability) when traveling between objectives. This ensures you are never left behind when your faction is moving forward.
Watch the map and take note of potential movements or requests in zone chat. Often, you can get advance notice of a battle, allowing you to make better strategic decisions, and you’ll always have more success working together than you will separated.
Group Up & Work Together
Bislobo: Bring your friends! Cyrodiil is a dangerous place for a beginner, so assembling a group of friends that you have fun playing with will help, but keep in mind that creating a very large group also reduces your rewards.
Even a small group of friends can make an impact on the battlefield. By coordinating a party with a good mix of damage dealers and healers, you can conquer keeps and even steal Elder Scrolls from the opposing alliances.
Conquer Cyrodiil together
Fengrush: Playing with groups is what Cyrodiil is all about, and this is where the MMO experience shines. Grouping with friends is not only a fun experience in Cyrodiil, but it increases your survival in most situations. Groups usually have mixtures of healers, damage dealers, and supportive roles, but many of these roles will be blended, and you’ll generally find yourself doing some of each and not really just any one thing.
Healers are straightforward but should focus on having a good amount of survivability by boosting up their health and armor. Enemies may take out healers that have poor defenses early, and the rest of the group usually falls soon after.
Damage dealers should focus most of their efforts into hitting targets both with single target and area of effect (AOE) skills. They usually trade off some of their survival and regeneration to have good damage, but they have healers to help.
Finally, support roles can vary. Sometimes, they’re tanks at the front with AOE debuffs, and sometimes they use unique sets or abilities for group buffs and heals. Support roles have great sustain and survival, helping them get in the thick of the fight and allowing them to set up their group for success in a variety of ways.
Persistence Wins Wars
Bislobo: Never surrender! Being defeated in battle and learning from your mistakes is what creates the strongest warriors, and losing a battle doesn’t mean losing the war! Keep gaining experience and your skills will follow. With time, you can increase your combat awareness, realize when you can attack and combo your offensive tools, and know when you need to defend with healing, dodging, blocking, or even using your surroundings to your advantage. Practice makes perfect!
Fight to bring down and control Cyrodiil’s keeps
Fengrush: Everyone loses battles in Cyrodiil, but you shouldn’t be discouraged. Some days the defeats feel worse than others, but don’t forget, you have an alliance behind you. If you’re having a tough time, try changing up objectives, going to another fight, or asking in zone chat for help. You’re not alone out there.
Sometimes, you or your group may just need to make changes to your builds. There are plenty of resources in the community, on streams, and on websites to help tune your build toward something that may work better for your playstyle. Finding new ways to play is a big part of the enjoyment of MMORPGs, but don’t forget that what works in PvP will often be different than what works in PvE.
Reach for the Ruby Throne
Bislobo: Do your best and strive to achieve impressive feats. Be bold and challenge yourself to master a class, be a legendary group leader, or even become the all-mighty Emperor! These achievements can grant you rewards such as costumes, styles, titles, and gear. Fortune favors the bold, so challenge yourself and you will be rewarded.
That’s it! A huge thank you to our Stream Team PvP experts, Fengrush and Bislobo. Be sure to check out their ESO streams on twitch.tv/fengrush and twitch.tv/BisIobo—you’re bound to learn a few tricks simply by watching! Are you a veteran of the Alliance War and have some tips for your fellow players? Share them with us via Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
#TamrielTogether is ESO’s end-of-year promotion, celebrating all the ways the ESO community jointly experiences the world of Tamriel. During this period, you can participate in in-game events, share your stories of camaraderie using the #TamrielTogether hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and sign up for our massive sweepstakes—have fun!