How do you handle multiple crafters?

myskyrim26

Dear crafters, I have 2 questuins:

1. I have 1 main crafter who knows all traits for all weapons, gear and jewelry. My idea is to learn all traits on my other 9 characters. For now all 9 alts know a few various traits. I try to craft them items for research, and here comes the mess. It is so hard to track everything! I use CraftStore addon. But still it is difficult to care for all 9 alts. How do you handle your crafters? Are there some tricks to make life easier?

2. I always did my crafting dailies with 1 main crafter. Now I'm up to involve my other 9 characters in dailies. I know that I can craft food and alchemy in advance with my main. I use Lazy Writ addon to speed up things. Yet the process still takes a lot of time. Especially when it comes to getting reward coffers: I need to sell Ornate items, place Intricate into guild store and so on. Is there a way to speed up all things?

Thanks in advance!

Nestor

There is a Summon Assistant Addon that I use. When I come back from the drop off, I summon the merchant, I use an addon that auto junks Ornate items, then sells my junked items to a merchant. So, I activate the merchant, junk is dropped. Then activate the Banker, which puts away the Merchant, and drop all the Intricates and other items to be sold into the bank. I do this on each character. Then on the final character for the crafting sessions, I go to the bank and sell what I am going to sell. If you don't have assistants, find a convenient merchant, and use Vivec for the outdoor banker. But, Vivec will have the longest logging times.

Also, I use the Intricates to level my Alts rather than sell them. You can decon from the bank, so no need to withdraw. You are making plenty of gold from the writs themselves, and Top Tier crafters have the best Temper return, and get Master Writs.

In Alinor, it takes me 2:15 to complete the circuit and return to the crafting boards* and about 2:30 for Rawkla. What takes the most time is logging off and on to the next character, that is another 2 to 3 minutes. It helps to not have addons like Master Merchant on the Alts that are not going to list items for sale, or, really, any Map addons.

As for traits, you can research from the bank too, so make them on the main, so the two or three items that you are going to research and put them in the bank. Make it easy on your self and do the same traits and items on each alt as you go through. So you would make say, 9 Precise Daggers, 9 infused Chests, 9 Reinforced Boots, or whatever. Then as the timers run out, make another batch. Do the traits in some order that makes sense to you.




* (or outside if I have done that quest that puts the annoying Starlight Bride singing NPC in the crafting area)

myskyrim26

@Nestor wow, thank you ever so much! Very insightful and informative!

Jim_Pipp

I recently finiahed 8-trait research on my 17x non-crafters who all started knowing a few random traits.

My "system" worked out surprisingly well. There is an add-on that tells you which characters know specific traits. After clearing your main bank (easier with eso plus)...

Craft all of a specific item and trait needed for all of the characters that need that research. (E.g. 8x precise dagger). Repeat on as many different items as possible, focus on the traits unknown by your .ost experienced crafter, before filling up your main bank.

I was surprised how quickly the first 5 traits unlock, almost every other day I had to restock the bank, but it felt a real achievent to tick off "every character knows divines"

myskyrim26

@Jim_Pipp 17 alts sounds really challenging! Thank you for advice!

FriedEggSandwich

I'm not familiar with CraftStore addon. I use AI Research Grid, but I don't know if it would make managing 9 crafters any easier than CraftStore. I like AI Research Grid because I can see the research (and motif) progress of any character from any character, all laid out in an easy to read grid.

Feric51

As far as researching goes, I’m on console so had to use a more manual method without the aid of addons. I created a spreadsheet page for each character and printed them off as hard copies. Because I did this some years after creating most of them, their individual research was all over the map with regards to items/traits.

My system involved leaving the spreadsheet cell blank for unknown traits, and an “X” in the known traits. While researching I would put one “leg” of the X in the respective cell and then put the second leg on it once the research was complete. I also respecced to max out the research passives on all my alts during this time so I could have three items going at once.

I also kept a note in the spreadsheet margins of the date when the next research slot would open up and how many slots in the event there was more than one.

Once this system was in place I would start my rotation on my main crafter and look through the sheets to see what items and traits needed crafted for alt research; craft and bank them after doing my writs, then progress through the alts doing the needed research. I also noted what item each character was supposed to be researching any given day so I didn’t accidentally research an item on Alt “2” that was meant for Alt “7”. I also focused on the shortest timer traits first (IE - if a character had 6 traits already done in daggers, but only 2 traits in axes, swords and maces, I wouldn’t do anything in daggers until the rest were caught up so I could keep the research timers synchronized as much as possible.

Anyway, I’m sure PC has a lot more user-friendly tools to help keep track of that stuff.

Nestor

FriedEggSandwich wrote: »

I'm not familiar with CraftStore addon. I use AI Research Grid, but I don't know if it would make managing 9 crafters any easier than CraftStore. I like AI Research Grid because I can see the research (and motif) progress of any character from any character, all laid out in an easy to read grid.

Craft Store does the same thing, although not as elegantly as AI Grid, which I used back in the day.

The only issue, if you run both addons, the tool tips and indicators can get a bit weird

allhailskippy

I'm on console, so no access to any add-ons.

I use 2 things combined.
- I have a google sheet with 1 tab per toon. On this, I've got a grid of all the gear and all the traits.
- I also use an app that tracks the current state of research, so I know who still needs what, and who's still waiting. I'm on android, so I use the ESO Toolkit app. On iPhone, I think trait tracking is build right into the ESO App (which is a must have for ESO def worth the couple bucks to buy it)

Initially, I tried to keep this up on the daily, but it got a bit.... much. Now, I just do this over the weekend. Crafting is a marathon afterall.

My main will craft one round of needed gear for all the toons and put it in the bank. Typically I'll do all of a station at a time. Clothing, then blacksmithing, then woodworking.

I mark the items I make with a / on the sheet so that I know I've created them.
Once I log into the alts, I start their research, change the / to an X and update the entry in my app to start the timer.

A sample of a sheet:


It's a bit tedious, but it works. I'm up to 6 alts that have 8 traits learned (nirn is just too expensive to waste on alts still)

Jewelry I don't bother crafting. I just learn the traits as I get the exemplary pieces. Otherwise it's too much mat cost.

FlopsyPrince

Feric51 wrote: »

As far as researching goes, I’m on console so had to use a more manual method without the aid of addons. I created a spreadsheet page for each character and printed them off as hard copies. Because I did this some years after creating most of them, their individual research was all over the map with regards to items/traits.

My system involved leaving the spreadsheet cell blank for unknown traits, and an “X” in the known traits. While researching I would put one “leg” of the X in the respective cell and then put the second leg on it once the research was complete. I also respecced to max out the research passives on all my alts during this time so I could have three items going at once.

I also kept a note in the spreadsheet margins of the date when the next research slot would open up and how many slots in the event there was more than one.

Once this system was in place I would start my rotation on my main crafter and look through the sheets to see what items and traits needed crafted for alt research; craft and bank them after doing my writs, then progress through the alts doing the needed research. I also noted what item each character was supposed to be researching any given day so I didn’t accidentally research an item on Alt “2” that was meant for Alt “7”. I also focused on the shortest timer traits first (IE - if a character had 6 traits already done in daggers, but only 2 traits in axes, swords and maces, I wouldn’t do anything in daggers until the rest were caught up so I could keep the research timers synchronized as much as possible.

Anyway, I’m sure PC has a lot more user-friendly tools to help keep track of that stuff.

I didn't get that fancy, but most of my alts (20+) have all traits researched or almost all traits researched, even Jewelry. I did ignore the latter for quite a while.

I really wish consoles had a better way to manage this and didn't require lots of swapping to have my main craft needed research gear, especially since bank space is limited. I regularly run out of bank space (since I decon on either my main crafter on the platform (NA or EU) or one I am still leveling up). That is why I have suggested an ability to research something known on another one of my characters, paying the appropriate mat costs to make the thing to research. That would remove unnecessary relogins and probably reduce the load on the servers.

tc91101

I use a bunch of addons but the following I use specifically to deal with crafting daily writs and research:

Lazy Writ - automatically crafts everything but Provisioning and Alchemy. There are other addons that will autocraft them but I don't use them. What I do is when I need a turnin item I craft 20 of them and leave them sit in my inventory. It takes about 15 or so inventory spots but you don't need to craft them very often.

Writ Worthy - Great for autocrafting sealed writs after you learn enough motifs and start doing them.

Personal Assistant - Great for automarking all those writ rewards and then either autobanking them or autoselling them

Postmaster - If you take the skills to have hirelings on multiple toons this is great to autoopen all that mail

AI Research Grid - This shows what you know and what you don't know on all your toons. If you don't know many traits yet, frankly it's easier to just hit traders in Vivec and buy items to be researched. I've bought tons of research items for 200g or less.

Awesome guild store - I use it to keep specific tabs for each refined craft material and for unknown traits for research items. I buy almost all my matts for writs. Rarely do I do surveys. I have a bank full of surveys in stacks over 20 for some of them now. I also tend to buy most of my research items. For example, You can make a permanent tab for light armor with uknown trait toggled on. Then when you click on that tab with a specific toon only stuff that you don't know the trait will pop up. Like I mentioned I try to make a trip to all the vendors in an area and buy items I don't know for 200g or less. Sometimes I might go up to 400ish if I also have not collected them item.

tc91101

I forgot to mention I have 2 accounts and one of them has ESO+. The main account with ESO+ makes handling matts very easy since they all go in the craft bag. I try to keep anywhere between 10 - 20,000 of each of the top tier matts for Blacksmith, Cloth, Wood, Jewelry. I have thousands of matts for provisioning. It's never been a problem. Every so often I need to buy enchanting and alchemy matts but I don't keep near as many of those. The account without ESO+ is a bit more tedious. I try to keep 2 to 4 stacks of each top tier matt in my bank. I don't do provisioning on that account. Sometimes I do alchemy but it's a bit tricky. I still try to keep multiple of premade items for alchemy so I don't need to do it all the time.

kringled_1

allhailskippy wrote: »

Jewelry I don't bother crafting. I just learn the traits as I get the exemplary pieces. Otherwise it's too much mat cost.

It was straightforward to learn infused on all characters because of the abundance of exemplary pieces, and protective and bloodthirsty I had far more than enough stones to make research items. (but I run a lot of trials). Triune, harmony, and swift are all ones I only have covered on my master crafter, but they are also the most niche traits for me.

Firstmep

myskyrim26 wrote: »

Dear crafters, I have 2 questuins:

1. I have 1 main crafter who knows all traits for all weapons, gear and jewelry. My idea is to learn all traits on my other 9 characters. For now all 9 alts know a few various traits. I try to craft them items for research, and here comes the mess. It is so hard to track everything! I use CraftStore addon. But still it is difficult to care for all 9 alts. How do you handle your crafters? Are there some tricks to make life easier?

2. I always did my crafting dailies with 1 main crafter. Now I'm up to involve my other 9 characters in dailies. I know that I can craft food and alchemy in advance with my main. I use Lazy Writ addon to speed up things. Yet the process still takes a lot of time. Especially when it comes to getting reward coffers: I need to sell Ornate items, place Intricate into guild store and so on. Is there a way to speed up all things?

Thanks in advance!

I use Research Grid Ai.

To be fair, if you always researched the same traits on all your alts, it would make it easier to keep track all of them.

FlopsyPrince

tc91101 wrote: »

I use a bunch of addons but the following I use specifically to deal with crafting daily writs and research:

Lazy Writ - automatically crafts everything but Provisioning and Alchemy. There are other addons that will autocraft them but I don't use them. What I do is when I need a turnin item I craft 20 of them and leave them sit in my inventory. It takes about 15 or so inventory spots but you don't need to craft them very often.

Writ Worthy - Great for autocrafting sealed writs after you learn enough motifs and start doing them.

Personal Assistant - Great for automarking all those writ rewards and then either autobanking them or autoselling them

Postmaster - If you take the skills to have hirelings on multiple toons this is great to autoopen all that mail

AI Research Grid - This shows what you know and what you don't know on all your toons. If you don't know many traits yet, frankly it's easier to just hit traders in Vivec and buy items to be researched. I've bought tons of research items for 200g or less.

Awesome guild store - I use it to keep specific tabs for each refined craft material and for unknown traits for research items. I buy almost all my matts for writs. Rarely do I do surveys. I have a bank full of surveys in stacks over 20 for some of them now. I also tend to buy most of my research items. For example, You can make a permanent tab for light armor with uknown trait toggled on. Then when you click on that tab with a specific toon only stuff that you don't know the trait will pop up. Like I mentioned I try to make a trip to all the vendors in an area and buy items I don't know for 200g or less. Sometimes I might go up to 400ish if I also have not collected them item.

Which is why all this should be in the base game. Consoles will never have that and suffer because of it.

I have changed to crafting 3x of the items needed for the day when doing dailies, since I can only stomach crafting dailies so much.

Many suggestions have been made to make the base game have more of this built in as well. AI Research Grid would be much better in game, including just allowing the alt to pay the mat cost to research something as long as another main/alt knows it.

FlopsyPrince

Firstmep wrote: »

To be fair, if you always researched the same traits on all your alts, it would make it easier to keep track all of them.

Please clarify what you mean here. I am close to knowing everything on on all 22+ of my alts, but it is a pain, especially now when I have to swap to make the final items. (With load screen times and such.)

tc91101

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Which is why all this should be in the base game. Consoles will never have that and suffer because of it.

I have changed to crafting 3x of the items needed for the day when doing dailies, since I can only stomach crafting dailies so much.

Many suggestions have been made to make the base game have more of this built in as well. AI Research Grid would be much better in game, including just allowing the alt to pay the mat cost to research something as long as another main/alt knows it.

The more ZOS implements the better it is for everyone. Addons are simply a means for the community to pick up the slack that ZOS doesn't have time to address. I'm glad they allow addons. I'm not sure I would have played as long as I have without them. I can't imagine playing on console.

tc91101

FlopsyPrince wrote: »

Firstmep wrote: »

To be fair, if you always researched the same traits on all your alts, it would make it easier to keep track all of them.

Please clarify what you mean here. I am close to knowing everything on on all 22+ of my alts, but it is a pain, especially now when I have to swap to make the final items. (With load screen times and such.)

I think he means have all alts researching the same trait on the same item at the same time. In otherwords, if you have 22 alts working on research then all of them would be researching well-fitted gloves at the same time. That way you could just make 22 well-fitted gloves without needing to guess who needs what. I didn't do it that way. I just trader hop and buy whatever is 200g or less for research other than Nirn. It's doesn't really take anymore time than crafting and passing out to alts.