Is ESO Worth Playing Solo in 2026? A Complete Guide
Yes, ESO is absolutely worth playing solo in 2024 and remains one of the best MMO experiences for solo players. With hundreds of hours of quests, unlimited freedom to explore at your own pace, and classes designed for soloing, ESO offers endless engaging content for lone wolves.
As a solo player myself with thousands of hours in ESO over the years, I‘ve been amazed at the quantity and quality of content available without ever needing to group up. Whether you‘re a new player or MMO veteran, I highly recommend giving ESO a shot for solo play.
Introduction to Solo Play in ESO
Unlike heavily group-focused MMOs like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV or Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Online is extremely solo-friendly. Right from the start, you can play through hundreds of story quests, tackle solo dungeons, and fully explore ESO‘s 30+ zones without joining a group.
But don‘t worry, if you do want to experience ESO‘s dungeons and raids later, the group finder makes finding a party easy when you‘re ready for multiplayer. ESO perfectly balances solo freedom and group opportunities.
Now let‘s dive deeper into why soloing in ESO is so enjoyable!
Freedom to Go Anywhere, Do Anything
One of my favorite aspects of playing ESO solo is the freedom. Thanks to the game‘s One Tamriel update in 2016, all zones scale to your level. What does this mean?
You can travel anywhere in Tamriel right from level 1 and adventure there without worrying about out-leveling the zone‘s quests and rewards. No areas are restricted by level requirements.
This is incredibly liberating after playing more linear, level-gated MMOs. I can let my curiosity guide me across ESO‘s massive world, exploring stories and scenery at my own pace.
Best Solo Class Options
While any class can be effective solo with the right build and skill, some excel at surviving and thriving without a group to back them up. Here are my top recommendations for solo class choices:
| Class | Best Solo Skills |
|---|---|
| Sorcerer | Summon Twilight Matriarch heals and deals damage |
| Templar | Restoring Light healing abilities like Rushed Ceremony |
| Warden | Animal Companions pets, Green Balance heals |
| Necromancer | Undead pets, buffs from skill line |
| Dragonknight | First skill line boosts survivability |
Sorcerer in particular is a stellar solo class. Having the Twilight Matriarch ultimate summon both dish out damage and heal you makes soloing quests and bosses much smoother. Templar and Warden also have great self-healing options.
But don‘t think you must play one of these classes! I‘ve had tons of fun soloing on my Nightblade and Dragonknight too. Any class can do well with smart builds and Champion Points spent in damage mitigation and healing.
Top Solo PvE Content
Beyond just questing, you have a wealth of other content in ESO to enjoy solo:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Public Dungeons | Spindleclutch, Fungal Grotto, Banished Cells, etc |
| Delves | Dozens per zone, like Bahraha‘s Gloom, Hightide Hollow |
| World Bosses | Bloodroot Forge World Boss, Doomcrag World Boss |
| Dolmens | Find in every zone, closing 3 spawns a World Boss |
| Arenas | Maelstrom Arena, Vateshran Hollows |
| Crafting | Complex crafting system with thousands of recipes |
| Antiquities | Scry treasure maps and excavate rare artifacts |
| Housing | Design and decorate your own in-game home |
| Fishing | Relaxing fishing system with trophy fish to catch |
Nearly all overland PvE content like public dungeons and world bosses can be tackled solo once your character is sufficiently built. Even Maelstrom Arena and Vateshran Hollows solo arenas provide intense challenges for seasoned players.
No matter your mood, you‘ll always find rewarding solo activities in ESO‘s expansive open world.
Soloing Normal and Veteran Dungeons
In addition to the wealth of overland content, ESO has dozens of 4-player dungeons with their own quests and boss fights. While intended for groups, many normal dungeons and a selection of veteran ones can be completed solo.
However, soloing dungeons requires high damage, survivability and ultimate regen. I recommend having Champion Point level 300+ and good gear before attempting. Useful gear sets include:
- Pale Order Ring – massive self-healing when dealing damage
- Leeching Plate – heal whenever you deal damage
- Buffer of the Swift – restore Ultimate when dealing crit damage
Here are some easier dungeons to start soloing after you gear up:
- Fungal Grotto I (Normal)
- Spindleclutch I (Normal)
- Banished Cells I (Veteran)
- Darkshade Caverns I (Veteran)
Dungeon soloing tests your skill and build optimization. I enjoy the challenge! With practice, you can farm dungeon gear and achievements at your own pace.
Solo Player Tips and Tricks
For those just getting started soloing in ESO, here are some helpful tips:
- Pick a self-healing class like Sorcerer or Templar at first
- Prioritize health and resistances over damage while leveling
- Unlock Vigor, Healing Ward, Twilight Matriarch for emergency heals
- Fight enemies 1-2 levels below you until your build improves
- Use food buffs for more HP and primary resource (Stam/Magicka)
- Acquire gear sets that boost resistances and recovery
- Learn animation canceling to boost your damage output
- Focus Champion Points in damage mitigation ( hardy, elemental defender) to stay alive
The key is taking it slowly rather than rushing ahead. Build up your capabilities through levels 1-50, then continue improving after hitting Champion Points. Soloing gets much easier once you unlock endgame gear.
Active Player Base and Guild Options
Despite all the great solo content, you may still wish to connect with ESO‘s thriving community. The good news is various social options exist:
- Use Zone chat to ask for help or meet up with local players
- Queue for dungeons and battlegrounds via Group Finder
- Join multiple player Guilds to make friends and find groups
- Participate in world events like Harrowstorms and Dragon fights
- Talk in player hubs like Craglorn‘s Belkarth city
I enjoy the mix of solo and community play. You control the balance. There are plenty of active guilds welcoming new members if you pursue solo play but want to group up sometimes too.
Solo-Focused Design Philosophy
ESO‘s extensive and constantly expanding solo content isn‘t an accident. Developers intentionally design most new content, from questing to world events, to support playing alone:
“Main storylines are geared towards solo players and ESO‘s world is meant to appeal to those who want to explore on their own.” – Rich Lambert, Creative Director
For example, the recent High Isle chapter introduced an AI companion system letting you bring along an NPC ally on adventures. The Deadlands DLC added Memento Mori, a solo-focused episodic questline.
Roughly 70% of ESO‘s content can be comfortably handled solo according to developers. This focus ensures solo players always have new adventures to undertake.
Solo Play in Other Major MMOs
To give some perspective, let‘s compare ESO‘s solo experience with some other top MMOs:
| MMO | Solo Play Quality |
|---|---|
| ESO | Excellent freedom & options |
| WoW | Very group focused, limited solo |
| FFXIV | Story is solo, rest requires groups |
| GW2 | Mixed world content, group endgame |
ESO stands above in both quantity and quality of solo content compared to its competitors. Only GW2‘s core open world comes close in enabling solo play thanks to event scaling.
If you‘ve tried soloing in other MMOs and felt too restricted, definitely give ESO a chance. The difference is night and day.
Conclusion
After extensively playing as a solo player for years, I can wholeheartedly recommend ESO for the solo experience it offers. The ability to progress and seamlessly explore at my own pace while still feeling challenged and rewarded never gets old.
Whether you‘re a longtime fan or newcomer, ESO has hundreds of hours of remarkable solo content waiting. With new zones, quests and systems added regularly, it just keeps getting better with age. Give it a try in 2024!