Would you utilize a research assistant?

DoofusMax · December 2025

No

To jump back on on this discussion (and potentially run a bit off-topic), an assistant I'd definitely be willing to pay for would be a Harvester. Give them a survey and get the mats the character would have picked up if they had done the survey themselves. It could even be one-at-a-time since that would still be more efficient than the way stacks of surveys have to be done now (run away, run back, harvest, run away, run back, harvest,...). The only hiccup I see is Alchemy surveys where running to and fro to reset the nodes can get you Columbine where there wasn't any before.

peacenote · December 2025

No

I don't think I would. The assistants are expensive so considering, as others have mentioned, that eventually the traits are maxed out, it would be of too limited value. Additionally, once you get past a full day of research, which is pretty quick iirc, you're only using it once a day per character at most and that's very little use for 5000 crowns.

I do think they should start removing limitations from the current assistants, and I would be ok with a smaller "add feature" charge to do this, and this would be a great candidate for that. It should be added to the deconstruction assistant so you can choose between decon and research instead of having to hold on to research pieces. A very small inventory QoL boost, really.

Other examples would be allowing the assistants in at least the alliance bases, being able to see guild banks with the banker, etc.

spartaxoxo · December 2025

Yes

peacenote wrote: »

I don't think I would. The assistants are expensive so considering, as others have mentioned, that eventually the traits are maxed out, it would be of too limited value. Additionally, once you get past a full day of research, which is pretty quick iirc, you're only using it once a day per character at most and that's very little use for 5000 crowns.

I mean, we have the Thieves Guild assistant. So, there's already precedent for an assistant not being that expensive. They could revisit that for assistants that are of more limited use.

They could also possibly make this a companion perk down the line.

I think most people wouldn't be willing to pay 5k crowns for it (me either). But, I wonder how many would use it if it were free.

katanagirl1 · December 2025

No

I hope to never have to research traits on another character ever again, but if I do I would not use an assistant to do it.

I know there are addons and such to help with that, but I think that just having the time for research displayed on the character sheet where riding stats are displayed and bounty info is located would be helpful and would be all I would need.

AScarlato · December 2025

No

If I had one, I'd use it.

But....since these things are sold for $50, I would never buy one for a function that has a shelf-life. Also it's one area that isn't too challenging to just drop in some research when I'm doing daily writs.

AvalonRanger · December 2025

No

We need "gear repair smith" instead of such a trait researcher assistant.

Buffy121 · December 2025

No

I don't think I would want to spend crowns on a Research Assistant. Like a Deconstruction Assistant it might be useful but not worth the crowns it would cost.

GloatingSwine · December 2025

No

No.

Research timers are way too long to need instant access from anywhere, what's 10 minutes to wander over to a crafting station compared to the 20 days the research is going to take?

James-Wayne · December 2025

No

What I really need is a survey assistant!!

HatchetHaro · December 2025

No

Unlike banking, trading, and deconstruction, trait research is finite; once you're done with your trait research on all of your characters, you're done, there's no more to it. So if there's an assistant just for trait research, it would lose all of its value the moment you complete all of your traits.

Besides, trait research by itself is just a lot of waiting around, and so the situations where you need to visit a crafting table to do more research the moment your previous ones complete is few and far in-between, and so if there is a research assistant, you'll end up using them only like once a week once you get past the first few traits. Compare that to the other assistants: you'll always get enough gear and loot to bank, sell, or deconstruct, all just from a couple of hours of regular gameplay, no matter your progression level.

Radiate77 · December 2025

Wouldn’t it be better to just add this functionality to our Deconstruction merchant?

wolfie1.0. · December 2025

No

The problem with a research assistant is that there are diminishing returns. Its major utilization is front loaded and as you have to wait longer and longer for timers to expire it becomes less of a hassle to visit the stations to complete it. And then yoj reach a point where you just dont need it anymore.

At 5k crowns the value just isnt there. Your better off investing in research reduction time scrolls.

If it were free or added to a companion as a perk, that would be a bit different.

But an assistant should have longterm viability, more so if you have to buy it.

peacenote · January 2

No

spartaxoxo wrote: »

peacenote wrote: »

I don't think I would. The assistants are expensive so considering, as others have mentioned, that eventually the traits are maxed out, it would be of too limited value. Additionally, once you get past a full day of research, which is pretty quick iirc, you're only using it once a day per character at most and that's very little use for 5000 crowns.

I mean, we have the Thieves Guild assistant. So, there's already precedent for an assistant not being that expensive. They could revisit that for assistants that are of more limited use.

They could also possibly make this a companion perk down the line.

I think most people wouldn't be willing to pay 5k crowns for it (me either). But, I wonder how many would use it if it were free.

I would probably use it occasionally if it was free but I would still prefer it be added to the deconstruction assistant, personally. I rarely use the Thieves' Guild assistant because there isn't room on my wheel as it is and I forget about her because of it. I have the banker, merchant, deconstructor, and the Armory assistants taking up four slots, and then a tank, healer, and dps companion plus the companion I'm leveling taking up the other four.

Gabriel_H · January 3

No

The assistants we have are away from the desk so to speak, so they are lighter versions of the static stations.

Merchant vendor becomes a travelling merchant - can't repair gear or buy anything
Crafting station becomes deconstructor - can't craft or research
Banker becomes a pack mule - can't access trading or guild bank
Fences become an expensive fence - can't launder and charges a fee

This is by design, so that there is at least some reason to visit a settlement.

DenverRalphy · January 3

No

Assistants are designed to help players participating in instanced or group content, where leaving the instance to manage inventory/gear/skills isn't an option (or at least an extremely unfavorable option). Nobody needs to leave a dungeon/trial/quest instance because one of their research timers completed.

Erickson9610 · January 3

No

Gabriel_H wrote: »

The assistants we have are away from the desk so to speak, so they are lighter versions of the static stations.

Merchant vendor becomes a travelling merchant - can't repair gear or buy anything
Crafting station becomes deconstructor - can't craft or research
Banker becomes a pack mule - can't access trading or guild bank
Fences become an expensive fence - can't launder and charges a fee

This is by design, so that there is at least some reason to visit a settlement.

That makes the Armory Assistant the odd one out. There is no downside to using the Armory Assistant over using an Armory Station. Though, you only normally see Armory Stations in player homes or in Cyrodiil / Imperial City, so I suppose there was never any need to get players into towns in the first place.

Necrotech_Master · January 3

No

i would not find it useful because my main is maxed out on research already

and like others said, research times are in hours to days so its not something you would need to check very often, it wasnt too hard to do even without addons

Gabriel_H · January 3

No

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Gabriel_H wrote: »

The assistants we have are away from the desk so to speak, so they are lighter versions of the static stations.

Merchant vendor becomes a travelling merchant - can't repair gear or buy anything
Crafting station becomes deconstructor - can't craft or research
Banker becomes a pack mule - can't access trading or guild bank
Fences become an expensive fence - can't launder and charges a fee

This is by design, so that there is at least some reason to visit a settlement.

That makes the Armory Assistant the odd one out. There is no downside to using the Armory Assistant over using an Armory Station. Though, you only normally see Armory Stations in player homes or in Cyrodiil / Imperial City, so I suppose there was never any need to get players into towns in the first place.

Indeed, and it is something ZOS could add in and make it so Armory Stations are in towns (and add the functionality to house ones), so that:

Armory Station: Swap builds and stores your build items
Armory Assistant: Only allows build swapping does not store build items

BenevolentBowd · January 4

No

I find the Auto Research addons work really well. It's available on PC and Xbox. Not sure about Playstation.