“This is going to be short and sweet, but if you’re new to ESO, please read this. Even if you’ve played other MMOs before. *Especially *if you’ve played other MMOs before.”
The Perfect Build
There has always been this attitude in some parts of the ESO community that your gear and build are the most important thing to work on for better performance. Some of this is because of the importance of gear in other MMOs, some of this is because people like to minmax and share very specific builds.
There’s nothing wrong with minmaxing or sharing build advice, that’s part of the reason this server exists. Gear setups are important, especially as supports, because the sets we wear are usually for group support and utility.
But the perfect build is not the most important thing to becoming a better healer, DD or tank. There’s no such thing as the ‘best’ gear, the ‘best’ class, the ‘best’ race. Everything in ESO, that includes everything from the first dungeon to the latest trial trifecta, can be done with any class, race, and without ideal gear.
The Meta
Certain gear and other setups make content easier - this is what comprises the ‘meta’ of each patch. The ‘meta’ isn’t some scary oppressive overlord that forces you to do anything, even if people make it sound like that. It’s just what works pretty well for most scenarios from a pragmatic perspective.
So for example, there’s no overall ‘best’ class, but there may be a meta class for a specific role in a specific trial - maybe that class has a class skill which makes dealing with a mechanic easier, or provides an important buff to the group. You can still do that specific role on any other class, it’ll just be easier for most people on the meta class.
‘Meta’ is just the word we use for the best overall solution, not the only solution. And maybe not even the best solution for a specific problem either! The key question you should always ask is: “best for what?”. What are you trying to do? And how does a build idea help you/not help you do that?
Gear does not a Good Player make
It’s great to have all the meta gear, enchants, traits, CP. But again, it’s just going to make it easier for you to do what you’re doing - it’s not going to make you a better player.
The difference which good gear makes is only noticeable if you play consistently, and to get through any content consistently, PvE or PvP, you need to learn the content and mechanics. As a beginning player, this is the most important thing to becoming better.
Learning to use your skills effectively, cast quickly, move correctly to avoid damage, position yourself to buff the group, and play mechanics, are far more important in ESO than just getting and golding the right gear.
So if you’re just starting out - sure, gear is important eventually, and the practical reality is many groups in the community will require you to have certain gear available to do certain content. But don’t spent all your time and resources just getting gear at the beginning. Your time could be much better spent just playing the content and getting comfortable with how the ESO combat system works, e.g. weaving, working on your APM and situational awareness, etc. - it’ll make everything else in your ESO journey much more fun and easier as well.
TL;DR
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There is no perfect build, learning how to play well is more important than gear
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‘Meta’ is just the word we use for the best overall solution, not the only solution, maybe not even the best solution for a specific problem! The key question you should always ask is: “best for what?”. What are you trying to do? And how does a build idea help you/not help you do that?
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If you’re new, don’t spend all your time just getting perfect gear, your time is better spent learning the content