The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) offers nearly countless possibilities for playable characters. But how do you level up the fastest? Our author Larissa Then has tested grinding guides for this. And she was surprised at how fun it can be.
I am a gifted quester, a certain monotony does not bother me at all. I like to play WoW Classic, even back then. However, I also find it nice when an MMORPG is a bit more dynamic.
Yet I still want to have a goal. In Guild Wars 2 or ESO, this has always been to complete the map to 100% while, of course, finishing the quests. A clear task where I have leveled up passively. I could hardly imagine that gaming could be fun without such a goal.
In ESO, I have now thrown my principles overboard and tested grinding guides. Grinding, that is, just killing monsters, is a popular method in ESO to level your character. I, as a bloody beginner in grinding, dared to do it: leveling for leveling’s sake.
Grinding Guides in Self-Experiment
What is meant by grinding guide? On sites like alcasthq or esofaqs there are tips on how to level up to level 50 very quickly. In these grinding guides, you receive important information. These include:
- What equipment do you need?
- What aids are there for more experience?
- What areas are suitable for grinding?
How did I test? For my self-experiment, I created two new characters. I also wanted to try different spots and group sizes. This is how I was out and about:
- With a Necromancer (Magicka) Level 20
- And a Nightblade (Stamina) Level 3
- Alone and in a group of 2 or 3 people
- At 5 different locations
What aids did I start with? As a grinding beginner, I only used the bare essentials for more experience during my test. All are easily accessible for new players. Of course, there are more that provide such bonuses. For example, leveling with your in-game partner or consuming Ambrosia potions.
On my two characters created for the test, I used the following selection:
- Scrolls for 50% more experience. There are also ones with 150%, but I did not have those on the new characters.
- Equipment with the “Learning” trait for an additional 70% experience points. Just ask nicely in the chat or in your guild. Most will be happy to make it for you.
- ESO Plus membership for an additional 10% exp.
- Depending on it, 10% more experience points from a group of 2 people. With 3 or more people, playing solo seems to be more sensible.
These Places I Tested for Grinding
The Abominable Laboratory: First, I tested a grind spot where a ton of zombies are hanging out. They are easy to defeat, do not deal much damage, and respawn quickly. It is located in the south of Kalthafen. I was there with my Level 20 Necromancer.
If you are alone, this is the best spot from my test. For a 2-person group, it is still okay. If you become too many, whether in a group or not, it is no longer worth it. Then the zombies are pulled too wildly, and there are not enough left for everyone. It is advisable to visit this place at times when few players are around.
The Court of Disrespect: The second place for my grinding attempt is located to the east of Kalthafen. I was again on the road with the Necromancer. At the “Court of Disrespect,” you will find far fewer enemies than at the southern laboratory.
However, you have it a bit easier here. There are fewer players leveling there, and you have friendly Flamatrons. They help you defeat the enemies. If you want to take a less effective but easier approach, you are in the right place.
“The Old Orsinium” in Wrothgar: The third place of my test is said to be manageable from level 3. So I showed up there with my Nightblade. The way there leads you through a quest, which is why you are around level 5 at the actual spot.
“The Old Orsinium” is a public dungeon. It is not as crowded as the laboratory in Kalthafen, but harder to reach. The groups here are very large and can withstand much more than the zombies.
Especially with a lower level, I found it frustrating here. Just the way through the tunnels was a torture I do not want to repeat. My Nightblade is now level 21; I will give the spot a second chance in the coming days. Overall, I found it really good, just not for such a low level.
The Best Grind Spot?
Kargstein: I found the best grind spot so far in Kargstein. There, I was picked up by a group. We were 3 people and leveled really quickly nonetheless. It is the group area “The Spellplag” and is located relatively centrally on the map.
As the name suggests, you must come here as a group. If you are well-equipped, you can handle the enemies with two people. Maybe take classes with good survivability or a healer with you.
Was everything really exciting?
I have withheld one spot from you. One of the most popular methods to grind in ESO is dolmen farming. These are large anchors in the Alik’r Desert. Here you join a large group. Just type ” +dolmen” in the chat and the fun can begin.
You then travel from dolmen to dolmen over three shrines, which you can grab relatively quickly. At the beginning, you have to run around a bit. Then you clear one anchor after another, loot the chest, and travel to the next one.
This method is said to be considerably more boring. And that is true. I could hardly deal any damage since all enemies were immediately dead. It wasn’t really exciting, but traveling in such a huge group was still somewhat fun.
Why was grinding so much fun?
Contrary to my initial assumption, grinding is dumb, I really had a lot of fun in my self-experiment. The combat system in ESO is absolutely not boring. It was actually really fun to gather hordes of zombies and beat them up.
Especially thanks to the weapon switch you get at level 15, pure enemy killing is not monotonous. You can always try out new tactics and deal a lot of area damage.
I found it even cooler in a group. I’m just not a solo player; I have never been. Grab a friend and get started together, best to make it two. Then you have even more fun, and it goes significantly faster.
About the dolmens: Even the rather boring dolmen I was able to find some enjoyment in. I listened to music and even watched series alongside. You could take that to the next level by standing at one anchor.
Then you could go more or less AFK; your group is already too large for the number of enemies. For me, however, that is nothing. I still wanted to be involved and was motivated to always reach a certain percentage of damage.
What does it bring now?
A mixed conclusion: Grinding was really fun, especially with the level 20 character, also because I had already reached the weapon switch there.
With a character at level 3, I would no longer grind, only at the dolmens. You simply have too few skill points at such a low level to manage well and have fun alone. Maybe it’s just because I am a bloody beginner in grinding.
Furthermore, I would only conditionally recommend it to completely new players. You simply lose too much story. The world of The Elder Scrolls Online is huge and has a great lore. It is definitely worth it to play through the main story. For the Elder Scrolls aspect, many of you play ESO after all.
This is how many levels I actually achieved: How much you can level in an hour depends on your level, the spot, the number of people, your equipment, and so on. My character at level 3 leveled faster than the one at level 20. Therefore, they are only conditionally comparable.
I leveled from level 12 to level 21 at the dolmens with my Nightblade in two hours. So about 4 levels an hour. With the Necromancer at level 20, it was also around 4 levels at the laboratory per hour. However, I was never really alone at the grinding spot.
In the group area in Kargstein, despite a worse 3-person group, I achieved 6 levels an hour. That was from level 24 to 30. I will definitely keep this method and do a little grinding in between. Maybe someone wants to marry me; then it gets even a bit faster.
What are your favorite spots for grinding? Let us know in the comments!
