crafting for a templar?

S_Ravenlock · January 2015

I'm a new player, level 12 on my templar. I'm mainly using sword and board, mixed with some resto staff.
So far I've been deconstructing everything, and most of my crafts are level 5 or 6. It looks like I'll have to start sticking points in crafts if I want to keep making my own gear, and I'm trying to decide what would give me the best bang for my buck so to speak.
I was thinking of going for blacksmith and woodworker, so I could make Heavy Armor, sword, shield and staff myself. But reading up a bit I'm probably better off going for Light or medium armor for stamina/magicka, so that would mean tailor.
However, food seems to give great buffs, and extra stamina/magicka from enchantments also seems really good.

Leveling them all at once probably won't work, since I'll run out of skill points and bag space (I don't have much money for bags yet either).
I'm not leveling any alts right now, but I'm likely to in the future. I simply prefer leveling 1 alt at a time, so spreading crafts between them will not help me right now.

Which 2 crafts will serve me the best in the long run? Just go for tailor/woodworker first of all? it would probably serve my alts as well, since I'm planning on leveling a sorcerer next.

AlexDougherty · January 2015

This is a difficult one to answer, because you can do the Templar in so many ways, ok, you can do all the classes in so many ways.

I will try to give you information but you have to choose yourself.

Blacksmithing/Clothing
This is your first choice, now you can take a Templar upto VR14 in heavy armour, you can also take a Templar upto VR14 in Light Armour, you can even mix and match. (at least until the VR levels disappear)

Can you fight with your Templar in Light Armour, because if you can, the Magicka regen from the passives means this is an excellent way to go.
Heavy Armour on the Other Hand Means better damage reduction, and you still get spell resistance like Light armour.

If you mix them up you can get a mix of the two bonuses, but you are probably best having Heavy Armour Cuirass and Greaves and leaving the rest as Light Armour. Why because The Cuirass and greaves give you the most armour value, and with five pieces of light armour you can get almost as much magicka regen as seven pieces of Light Armour.

But that means having both Clothing and Blacksmithing, which can be skillpoint intensive.

Woodcrafting
Should you then give up Woodcrafting? Well, as well as providing your restoration staff woodcrafting woud also provide your Shield for Sword & Board, so it's not an easy answer.

Each one of blacksmithing/clothing/woodcrafting extremely useful and you need to work out which ones you want more. However Clothing and Woodcrafting would work for a Sorceror too.

Crafted versus drops
The Crafted sets allow you to have set bonuses that you will want, and if you have enough researched traits for each item, then you can get them.

This can make the game much easier, but given that the best sets require 5-6 traits (not all just most) per item and you want five item form a set for the full bonuses, can take some time to fully research.

Dropped items can also have set bonuses, but it's much harder to get a set, and you will probably be in the end game (VR14 and doing the trials) before you get a full set.

If you are in a guild you might be able to get someone to craft sets for you, in exchange for materials and/or a fee.

Bag space
You will hear this sooner or later, but buy a horse as soon as you can, after a certain point it's cheaper to buy a horse and feed it up to level 50, than buy the same number of inventory upgrades (you can feed a horse oats 49 times giving you 49 inventory spaces, just less than five bag upgrades).

Evaflys · January 2015

I would advise at least having blacksmithing, clothier, and woodworking on one character. This is because of the motifs, different race styles for your armor. I made the mistake quite some months ago by putting woodworking on another character, only to have to buy or find those rare motifs again for that character.

Right now, my main VR14 templar has 4 crafting: blacksmithing, clothier, woodworking, and enchanting while still having plenty of points put into for skills or just sitting there for future use. However, I would say aim for 2 at first, then once the points start rolling in, aim for a 3rd. A 4th crafting profession might be a stretch until you reach the VR levels. I do have enough points for a 5th profession but that's mainly because I have almost all skyshards (still missing a few in Cyrodiil).

I believe I started with blacksmithing and clothier first, since my templar was using both heavy and light armor at one point before switching to all light. Woodworking came a bit later for my shield and staff use.

newtinmpls · January 2015

Crafting for only one character .... hmmm..

Well, in order to make items, you only really need points in the first ability (work with X material - in clothier it's actually called 'tailoring'). Sure you could get more materials out of your deconstruction if you put points into unravelling, but you will still learn from the deconstruction even if you don't do that. The higher level materials get hard to differentiate from background (especially on a computer with good graphics) so often a point in keen eye is useful. Doesn't waste much bank space, as materials stack nicely.

If you have trouble coming up with raw materials, you might consider putting a point into hireling. The longer any given character has it open, the better items they get. On the other hand, a point in deconstructing may function just as well to accumulate items.

A note - you talk about deconstructing 'everything'; its especially important to do with 1-intricate items (you get a better boost in craft points), 2-green or better items (you have decent chances to retreive trait or improvement materials), and 3-items that you did not make. You will get a better boost trading deconstruction with someone else than just making and destroying your own stuff. Some clever person actually sat down and figured out the points and the best point-per-item 'cost' is found at one better than the minimum you can make (so with the first group of level 1-14 material, your first choice is to make [and theoretically trade/deconstruct] a level one item, then a level 4. Go with the 4. And make the smallest items you can (a girdle takes less steel to make, and gets you the same points as a curiass).

Good luck!

S_Ravenlock · February 2015

Thanks you all for the insightful and detailed posts!

The comment about the racial motives swayed me; I do love to play dress up with my characters and mix and match armors.
So for now I'll work on Tailoring and Woodworking for my own gear, but I'll keep deconstructing and researching Blacksmithing as well so I can stick points in it later.
A next character can pick up (some) of the other crafts.

I'll also start working towards buying a horse for extra storage space, but that's going to be a way off since I only have 3000 gold to my name

abuniffpreub18_ESO · February 2015

Steam has a horse you can buy for $15. It's account wide and costs 1 gold at the stable just like the Imperial account one.

Nestor · February 2015

S_Ravenlock wrote: »

I'm a new player, level 12 on my templar.

I am a master crafter in all crafts, just not on one character. I believe in crafting and think it is the best thing you can do for your characters is to have a crafter. That being said, L12 is too low to start crafting, L20 is more like it, and in fact, closer to L30 before you find your self with an excess of Skill Points to use. For the first 15 levels, all your points should be going into Actives, from L15 to L25 start applying them to Passives. Then you can start applying them to crafting.

That being said, there is something to having a character that is only a crafter. You level them up enough to have enough skill points to max out what ever line they will craft in, then respec them as a crafter and park them somewhere.

Right now, I would concentrate on Deconning things to build up the skills/raw mats, researching 2 to 3 traits in each piece of gear you will use first, then get the other traits researched. You can make some powerful gear only knowing 2 to 3 traits per item, so that's a day and a half per item for research.

Now, you can slowly build up one equipment craft while leveling as you don't need a bunch of points to make lower level items, but you won't be a proficient crafter until you have about 12 to 15 skill points to spend on just one craft line, and you won't have that until well into the 30's. To craft at lower level, you will need 2 to 4 points for Materials Levels, and then a point or two in the Temper usage skill or improvements will be too expensive to contemplate. Extraction and Research Passives can wait, particularly since you only need 3 traits for good gear.

newtinmpls · February 2015

Start crafting at level 12?? or 20?? argh. No, start as soon as you have loot. which means level 4 at the most (highest level you can get out of Cold Harbor). Get it to 3 as soon as you can, so you can put one single point into hireling even if you do NOTHING else till 20 (Or whatever).

Trust me if nothing else, you need the time in to start learning traits.

Nestor · February 2015

newtinmpls wrote: »

Start crafting at level 12?? or 20?? argh.

It may not be clear in my post, but I do say to do research and deconning right away. Just don't invest points into crafting skills until your character can be out in the world and survive. Plus, the first 20 or so levels, Skill Points are needed all the time as your combat and recovery skills level up. Once in the 20's a surplus of skill points tend to be available and that is the time to start using them on crafting skills.

As for the Hirelings, it remains to be seen just how useful they are going to be come 1.6. Right now, it does not seem worth the points to get them in 1.6. But in the meantime you would get 6 weeks or so of deliveries, but it would be all low level mats unless you start putting points into the Materials Passive. And again, at the first 20 levels, Skill Points are precious.

newtinmpls · February 2015

Nestor wrote: »

As for the Hirelings, it remains to be seen just how useful they are going to be come 1.6. Right now, it does not seem worth the points to get them in 1.6. But in the meantime you would get 6 weeks or so of deliveries, but it would be all low level mats unless you start putting points into the Materials Passive. And again, at the first 20 levels, Skill Points are precious.

That would be a big change then. I've got six folks with 1 point in hirelings (woodworker, smithing, clothier) and one with 2 points in clothier (due to a respect of stat points). I no longer get the lowest items from the latter, but I get regular deliveries of the 44+ & low vet level stuff from the former.

However, were I a person who ran only one "character" and considered the rest to be toons or alts or mules, then I would probably disdain what I'm getting.