Skill Bar Notes

Understanding and optimizing your Skill Bars is fundamental to success in The Elder Scrolls Online, especially as you progress through content. Unlike many MMOs, ESO allows for two distinct weapon sets, each with its own five active abilities and an Ultimate. This effectively gives you access to ten active skills and two Ultimates at any given time, significantly increasing your tactical options.

Unlocking Your Second Skill Bar

The ability to swap between two weapon sets, and thus two Skill Bars, is not available from the very beginning. You will unlock your second weapon slot and Skill Bar at Level 15. This is a crucial milestone, as it dramatically expands your combat potential. visit a crafting station or a merchant to equip a second weapon once you hit this level. You can then assign different skills to this second bar via the Skills menu (default key 'K' on PC).

Strategic Skill Bar Management

Effective use of both Skill Bars involves more than just having extra abilities; it's about creating synergy and adapting to different combat situations. Consider these strategies:

Front Bar (Primary) vs. Back Bar (Secondary):
- Front Bar: Typically used for your primary damage-dealing or healing abilities, often featuring your main spammable skills, direct damage/healing, and crucial buffs/debuffs with shorter durations.
- Back Bar: Often reserved for longer-duration buffs, debuffs, area-of-effect (AoE) skills, healing over time (HoTs), damage over time (DoTs), and utility skills that don't require constant activation. This allows you to apply these effects and then swap back to your front bar for sustained action.
Weapon Type Synergy:
- Melee/Ranged DPS: A common setup for damage dealers is a two-handed weapon (e.g., Greatsword, Inferno Staff) on the front bar for burst damage or primary attacks, and a Bow or Dual Wield on the back bar for AoE, DoTs, or utility.
- Healers: Often use a Restoration Staff on both bars, or a Restoration Staff on the front and a Destruction Staff on the back for additional damage or utility.
- Tanks: Typically run Sword and Shield on their front bar for survivability and taunts, and a Frost Staff or another Sword and Shield on the back bar for additional buffs, debuffs, or AoE crowd control.
Ultimates: Each bar has its own Ultimate slot.
- Front Bar Ultimate: Often a high-impact, burst damage, or critical healing Ultimate.
- Back Bar Ultimate: Can be a defensive Ultimate, a sustained damage/healing Ultimate, or one that generates resources. For example, a Dragonknight tank might have Standard of Might on their front bar for damage reduction and damage, and Magma Shell on their back bar for emergency survivability.

Actionable Steps for New Players

Reach Level 15: Focus on questing, exploring, and completing public dungeons to hit this crucial milestone quickly.
Equip a Second Weapon: Once Level 15, open your inventory (default key 'I' on PC) and drag a second weapon into the newly unlocked slot.
Access the Skills Menu: Press 'K' (PC default) to open your Skills menu. You'll see two tabs at the top for your "Weapon 1" and "Weapon 2" Skill Bars.
Assign Skills Thoughtfully:
- For your primary bar, focus on your main damage/healing/tanking abilities.
- For your secondary bar, consider skills that have longer durations, provide buffs/debuffs, or offer utility that you can cast and then swap away from.
- Experiment with different skill combinations. There's no single "best" setup; it depends on your class, role, and playstyle.
Practice Bar Swapping: Get comfortable with the bar swap key (default key '~' or '`' on PC). Practice swapping mid-combat to maintain buffs/debuffs and maximize your output.

Remember, your Skill Bars are dynamic. Don't be afraid to respec your skills (at a Shrine of Rededication found in major cities like Elden Root, Wayrest, or Mournhold, or by using a Armory Station in your home) as you gain new abilities, acquire new gear, or change your build strategy. Continuous refinement of your Skill Bar setup will significantly improve your combat effectiveness in Tamriel.