The Templar class in The Elder Scrolls Online is most closely compared to the classic Paladin archetype in RPGs. Templars draw from and wield holy power in their abilities, which lends Templars the ability to take on all three major combat archetypes in ESO.
They're the best class for soloing content thanks to their myriad support and healing abilities that complement their damage-dealing skills. The Aedric Spear skill tree is focused on DPS, the Dawn's Wrath skill tree offers burst DPS and support, and the Restoring Light is based on healing. Within those skill trees, these are some of the best for Templars.
Updated January 27, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: Templars in Elder Scrolls Online have access to a number of useful buffs and enemy debuffs in most of their morph options, though most of their normal skills are pretty simple. Biting Jabs, for instance, grants an increase to Critical Hit Chance alongside its quadruplicate strikes, but there are plenty more examples of utility being given to the class through later choices. Some abilities, like Ritual of Rebirth, extend a support Templar's capabilities to heal well beyond their normal range. More than any other class the choice of morphs and passives to go for affects how useful a Templar can be to their group. With the right picks, Templars have the capability to deal, take, and heal damage better than any other class.
Aedric Spear Skill Tree
The Aedric Spear skill tree is all about damage output. There are single-target, AoE, cleave, and close abilities available to Templars through this tree, beginning with the Sun Fire and Solar Flare abilities.
The tree also includes a variety of interrupts and self-buffs, making it a great tree for solo players to focus on. The tree is mostly meant for melee fighters and auto-target an area. However, most of the abilities can be used at a decent range too.
Empowering Sweep - Ultimate
The Ultimate ability for the Aedric Spear skill tree is Radial Sweep, which deals huge damage to enemies around the player. It doesn't cost very much ultimate, but it's much better when morphed into Empowering Sweep at Radial Sweep Rank 4.
Empowering Sweep changes the damage type from magic to physical and increases the duration of the skill for each enemy that gets hit. Additionally, the ability grants Empower, increasing the Templar's light attack damage by 40%. Radial Sweep unlocks at Aedric Spear Rank 12, but it can't be morphed until it reaches Radial Sweep Rank 4.
Spear Wall - Passive
The Spear Wall passive ability is one that every Dragonknight should pick up as soon as each of its two ranks unlock. This passive activates whenever an Aedric Spear ability is used, reducing damage taken for 3 seconds at Rank 1 or 6 seconds at Rank 2. The usefulness of this ability comes from the fact that it can proc over and over again without any downtime.
Even at Rank 1, it triggers each time an Aedric Spear ability is used, so just be sure to use one at least every 3 seconds for that constant reduction buff. The first rank of Spear Wall unlocks at Aedric Spear Rank 14, and the second unlocks at Aedric Spear Rank 27.
Biting Jabs - Morph
Puncturing Strikes is one of the first abilities that Templars have access to, and thus its morphs are some of the first that players must make a choice between. Puncturing Sweep is good for self-sustain, but Biting Jabs is the better choice for its increase to Critical Hit Chance with weapons. This morph hits four times in rapid succession and damages up to four enemies in a frontal cone.
The closest enemy takes 299 Physical Damage and is slowed while the other three take 121 Physical Damage with each hit. The Biting Jabs morph also grants Major Savagery, which makes Critical Hits with Weapon-based attacks much more common. Puncturing Strikes is the first ability Templars learn in the Aedric Spear tree and can be morphed into Biting Jabs upon reaching Rank 4.
Dawn's Wrath Skill Tree
The Dawn's Wrath skill tree offers Templars a variety of massive damage abilities and skills that can help control the battlefield from afar. Though most of the skill tree is ranged in nature, it can be useful for Templars in close combat as well.
Most of the tree is single-target in nature. However, it holds a few AoE spells that also provide support to allies. It's not completely focused on buffs, and what buffs the Dawn's Wrath skill tree offers are self-contained.
Solar Prism - Ultimate
The Ultimate ability for the Dawn's Wrath skill tree in The Elder Scrolls Online is Nova, which deals massive damage to enemies in an area and reduces their damage. Allies who activate the Ultimate's synergy will stun enemies, too.
The Solar Prism ability increases the damage and stun duration on enemies when allies use its synergy. The usefulness of this Ultimate morph is limited to having allies to activate the synergy, though. Players can unlock Solar Prism at Nova Rank 4, but the Nova ultimate itself doesn't unlock until Rank 12 in the Dawn's Wrath skill tree.
Illuminate - Passive
The Illuminate passive gives Minor Sorcery to the player and their group for 10 or 20 seconds, depending on the rank, every time a Dawn's Wrath skill is used. Minor Sorcery increases spell damage by 10%.
Templars who spec chiefly into the Dawn's Wrath skill tree will see this ability proc pretty often. It can effectively increase the party's Spell Damage by 10% in every combat encounter. Players unlock it at Dawn's Wrath Rank 22.
Radiant Oppression - Morph
The Radiant Destruction ability is a late-tree skill that deals massive damage to a single-target enemy over two seconds and deals nearly five times as much to enemies close to death. It's great for finishing off enemies, but it's not a guaranteed kill.
The Radiant Oppression morph scales the ability's damage with the player's current Magicka total. The higher the Magicka, the higher the damage will be. Templars unlock this morph at Radiant Destruction Rank 4, but Radiant Destruction only becomes available at Rank 42 of the Dawn's Wrath skill tree.
Restoring Light Skill Tree
The Restoring Light skill tree is, as the name implies, all about restoring health and other resources to allies while supporting the combat in other ways. The Rushed Ceremony and Healing Ritual abilities are the Templar's first in this tree, which heals a single target and an area of allies respectively.
It's not a skill tree that Templars can expect to solely spec into, as it lacks any kind of decent damage output. It's perfect for party play, though, and complements the other two Templar skill trees well.
Practiced Incantation - Ultimate
The Rite of Passage ability is the Templar's Restoring Light ultimate and gives a gigantic healing surge to the player and nearby allies for just a few seconds. The main problem of this ultimate, though, is that it is so brief of a healing period.
The Practiced Incantation morph doubles Rite of Passage's heal length from four to eight seconds. The Templar will still be immune to enemy immobilization, too. Rite of Passage unlocks at Restoring Light Rank 12, which can be morphed into Practiced Incantation at Rank 4.
Master Ritualist - Passive
The Master Ritualist passive is one of the most useful resurrection abilities in the game. When the Templar resurrects allies, they do it a bit faster, return more health back, and gain a chance to fill a soul gem with each resurrection.
It's a fantastic ability for Templars who are oriented solely on healing and support, but it's useful for every party composition. Players unlock this passive at Restoring Light Rank 39.
Ritual of Rebirth - Morph
Ritual of Rebirth is a morph for Healing Ritual, which normally has the simple effect of healing the player and nearby group members for 1235 Health. Ritual of Rebirth is the more useful morph over Hasty Prayer, though, because it extends the reach of the healing effect just a little bit.
This morph allows one player outside the normal range of the Healing Ritual spell to also be healed. This lets support Templars stay a bit further away from the combat without sacrificing the ability to heal the tank. Healing Ritual unlocks at Rank 4 of the Restoring Light skill tree, and can be morphed into Ritual of Rebirth upon reaching its own Rank 4.
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