One Character To Craft Them All

Cha1ky

Hi everyone,

Coming back to this game after leaving early on. But before I left I managed to max out provisioning and work on a couple of other crafts.

So, coming back, seeing all my skills reset I was thinking about just using that level 37 character as the only crafter and have him max all the levels out in all of the crafting. I've got quite a few skill points to distribute so I'm thinking I'll just bang them all into the crafting.

My question is just whether any others have done this and is it a good Idea or a bad one?

Want to start fresh with new characters for actually playing the game. So this way I can just ignore all the crafting with them and leave it all to my jack of all trades.

WhiteCoatSyndrome

I'll say it's convenient to just switch crafting stations instead of switching characters. Also, if you've done Trait research on that char you'd have to do it over if you re-did the crafting on a different one.

Cha1ky

I've learnt a few different crafting styles on this character too so would save having to learn them (buy them) on other characters.

Xendyn

It is doable, yes. I have mine split up as they are all played characters and I run multiple writs on most of them, but I know many who have one Do It All character for crafting. Be forewarned, you may have some major inventory issues for awhile.

skarvika

I've heard it's a bad idea, but screw it, I'll do it anyways! I'm 50 in Blacksmithing and working on everything else...it's certainly doable, but prepare for a long and potentially expensive grind if you get lazy and just decide to buy mats...

kodo

Cha1ky wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Coming back to this game after leaving early on. But before I left I managed to max out provisioning and work on a couple of other crafts.

So, coming back, seeing all my skills reset I was thinking about just using that level 37 character as the only crafter and have him max all the levels out in all of the crafting. I've got quite a few skill points to distribute so I'm thinking I'll just bang them all into the crafting.

My question is just whether any others have done this and is it a good Idea or a bad one?

Want to start fresh with new characters for actually playing the game. So this way I can just ignore all the crafting with them and leave it all to my jack of all trades.

i have just 1 character,that's it.and i invest in all crafting as well as fighting,and werewolf too.

Woolenthreads

My original Main is my go to character for equipment crafting but all of my characters have specialised crafting. In my hunt for a replacement purple VR1 recipe my current Main has overtaken my provisioning specialist in recipes.

Ethos_evos

Jack of all trades!!! The only thing that it's not lvl 50 is enchanting... not by choice. Honestly it's awesome to know everything, and there is zero inventory problems. Right now I'm trying to get every skyshard and skill point from quest of dungeons. By the time I'm done I should have a few extra. Keep in mind you don't need every skill in a crafting tree... who needs snake blood anyways!?!?!?

Cha1ky

Stuff it I think I'll go for it then. Cheers guys.

The character was my main at level 37 but he can now be my master crafter

Arwen_7

My main character is at level 50 crafting for all crafting skills now and actively crafts light/med armour, wood stuff, alchemy, provisioning and enchanting.
I've got a few traits left to research on a couple of light armour pieces and about half to learn in blacksmithing.

Sometimes I was running really short on skill points, but just spend a few hours skyshard hunting and it solves that. No reason why your main character cannot be a master of all trades.

Erock25

I suggest one crafter for Blacksmith, WOodworking, and Clothier and another crafter for Prov, Alch, Enchant. This way the one crafter gets your good motifs and you don't end up using all skillpoints on crafting for one character.

deleted221205-002626

You totally can.. IM 50 Everything except 42 enchanting still.. not reason you cant.. I have all the skills I need unlocked and extra plus have like 16pts free still atm.

I_killed_Vivec

My VR14 main is also a master crafter in all 6 crafts. It's not difficult to manage, there's plenty of skill points available.

Makes it easier to fulfil writs too - it's not a problem for me to run around Craglorn gathering mats.

wraith808

I have one character that crafts for everything, and it's definitely do-able. At VR11, I still have extra skill points and can do all crafts.

Terminus1

You totally can. But I recommend against it. A true crafter will try their best to keep a ready supply of all crafting material on their character. And there is the problem. You simply don't have THAT much bag/bank space to keep ALL of it for one toon.

That being said, I have expanded the crafting on my main for the sole reason of making it easier to harvest resource nodes and mail items. All of which go immediately into the bank for my other crafters.

I have three crafters:
Woodworker/Clothier
Blacksmith/Provisioner (hey - he works all day at the forge - why not fry some eggs on the anvil while you're there?)
Enchanter/Alchemist

Each of them has a ton of ingredients for the crafting skills they use, but still have enough bank space to make them a viable play character.

BenevolentBowd

Endgame, I'd recommend one or two crafters: one for consumables and one for equipment.
Many crafters is great at the beginning when inventory counts are low and SP are precious. I started with many crafters and have migrated to just three: I didn't want to re-level enchanting at this time and my provisioner has 300+ recipes.

There are three superior advantages to have a master equipment crafter.
- You just need to learn the motifs once (and saving a lot of money on the rarer ones)
- Making crafted sets are easier as you just need to make one trip for weapon(s) and armor of the same set
- One-stop-researching and deconstruction

Once you level a character into the veteran ranks, leveling your crafter will be pretty quick deconstructing the stuff you find. For example, I went from 5 clothier to 50 within a week and a half just deconstructing loot found and junk loot donated by my guildies. At the moment, I have a twenty-something character with 50 Blacksmithing, 50 Clothier, and 50 Woodworker able to make the highest level gear. While his adventure skills are minimal, he can deconstruct all level mats and has the improvement passives maxed.

To manage inventory, I place all raw mats and trait material in the bank. They are found by all characters so dumping them in the bank minimizes duplication. Refining the raw mats also moves the mats from the bank to the crafter. When the hoard gets too large, I can see all the refined mats in one place and either move the excess to the guild bank or guild trader. After refining and deconstructing, I head to the bank and deposit the trait material and deal with any excess.

Artemiisia

I have 291 skill points on my main, and she is a master crafter with still 16 unspent skill points

Stonesthrow

Maxed all crafts on 4 characters to maximize writs and it pays off. You will want at least one for this if you want to earn some cash and avoid spending as much when it comes time to make things. But as has been said above, points come in fast later, so I wouldn't gimp yourself to soon if you are only playing a single character.

In that regards, only one of mine (VR14) has ALL the points, extraction, temper reduction, etc... and has learned ALL styles and research traits. No need to have more than one do that.

That character is basically retired, except for crafting and harvesting related duties. with about 150 pts still sitting there after this last free respect.

Ley

Main character has cloth, wood and enchanting. It still leaves me with enough points to invest in every skill I could possibly want and have some left over to test out other skills.

My alt has blacksmith and provisioning, I have no shortage of skill points for this one either.

I'd like to make a jack-of-all-trades crafter some day but it's not high on my priority list.

I don't have the desire yet to level up alchemy.

Nestor

While it is possible to have one character do all your crafting, it's just not a good way to go about things.

I have one Clothier/WW, one Blacksmither and one Enchanter. All of them can do Alchemy and Provisioning to one extent or another. I am currently getting my Clothier/WW up to speed on Blacksmithing traits, but she has no points in the skill other than Research passives.

BenevolentBowd

Nestor wrote: »

While it is possible to have one character do all your crafting, it's just not a good way to go about things.

I have one Clothier/WW, one Blacksmither and one Enchanter. All of them can do Alchemy and Provisioning to one extent or another. I am currently getting my Clothier/WW up to speed on Blacksmithing traits, but she has no points in the skill other than Research passives.

I agree. Having more crafters (especially consumables crafters -- provisioning and alchemy make batches of items), can generate quite a bit of income and items from writs. At this time (IMHO), the equipment writs aren't worth the effort (cost-wise) and you would make more money selling the refined mats.

You can hit level 50 provisioning in less than an hour with 1 SP, a level 5 and level 25 recipe, and a few stacks of the mats needed. A friend raided the guild hoard for the mats and the recipes and went from 10 to 50 in about 30 minutes. Alchemy requires a few more skill points and more mats (for each tier) but can be leveled very quickly too. However, purchasing reagents can be expensive.

Ourorboros

Nestor wrote: »

While it is possible to have one character do all your crafting, it's just not a good way to go about things.

I have one Clothier/WW, one Blacksmither and one Enchanter. All of them can do Alchemy and Provisioning to one extent or another. I am currently getting my Clothier/WW up to speed on Blacksmithing traits, but she has no points in the skill other than Research passives.

@Nestor, why would you say it's not a good idea? There are many posts here from those who have done it successfully, myself included. I just started researching the very last nirnhone traits on my main. In fact, until the last month, I have only played that one character since early release. I have solo'd the majority of content. I find it incredibly convenient to be able to perform any crafting I need without relogging. It's also freeing now that I have started playing some alts, knowing that I have the ability to fully support them from one character. They only down side to doing the all-on-one is that it does require extra inventory shuffling and frequent trips to town while leveling the crafts. But I still have not maxed my bank on my main. Why is it not a good idea, so long as one knows the pros and cons?

hedna123b14_ESO

I only play one character. I have all professions maxed out with all traits (with exception of a few nirnhoned) researched. I run into no inventory issues and no skill point issues, BUT it is only because i have done everything in the game and thus obtained all of the possible skillpoints (excluding PvP). Now if you are a completionist, you can difinitely max out all crafting professions and still have enough skills to max out a DPS/Heal/Tank specs...the inventory will only be an issue if you do not full upgrade your bank size and if you do not upgrade your horse for capacity. But seeing as how having max crafting will allow you to make a ton of money to be able to afford these upgrades (full bank upgrade is just shy of 1,000,000 gold total investment), its an easily doable thing. As a fully versatile crafter i make anywhere from 10-50k a day...

neueregel

The first player I created, my main player, has all crafting skills and maxed in each. All skill points are in each as well, except for snakeblood... I have plenty of other SPs assigned to all other areas on my main player so he isnt gimped. It works fine this way for me. I have all traits, research, and motifs on one player, so it makes crafting easier to me.

Stingar

I play a single jack-of-all-trades type character. I'm maxed on all craft skills (except for enchanting which is only at 41 currently, but still allows me to craft all enchantments, so no harm). I also have 5 skill builds (solo, group single, group aoe, raid/challenge, and pvp) and still have double digit skill points in reserve in case I want to try some other skills, or in case new skill lines are introduced later. I've only experienced bag issues once, and was able to remedy that by investing in more backpack space, and boosting my horse saddlebags.

*note: the only craft abilities I didn't invest points in, are keen eye, and the abilities that reduce research times. Since the research abilities are the only abilities that have a dead investment (once you maxed your research, they serve no additional purpose) I went without investing in them, since I didn't want to spend a ton of gold later just to remove the spent points.

So is it doable to be an all crafter and still effectively play your toon actively in pve and pvp content areas? Definitely, don't believe anyone who says otherwise.
But like Hedna above stated.... do everything in the game, all the story line quests, all the skyshards, take adantage of pvp, and achievements. Get all the skill points the game offers, and you will find yourself not lacking in wanting to do what you want, with a single toon.

Nestor

Ourorboros wrote: »

@Nestor, why would you say it's not a good idea? There are many posts here from those who have done it successfully, myself included.

Why is it not a good idea, so long as one knows the pros and cons?

Skill Points and Inventory are the main reasons. Note I did not say it was impossible, just not a good idea. I used to think that making a character who is a crafter and deadly was a perfectly sane thing to do. Until I made a non crafting character. Wow, did the light switch turn on then.

Now, yes, once your to VR14, you have enough skill points. However up until that level, and certainly starting a new character in the game, putting all your crafting on one character is not going to work well if you want to be deadly, or deadly before you get to the VR Ranks. Or you can be a two skill rotation for the entire game (entirely possible with some skill lines)

Inventory management is the other issue. Even at 140 to 170 slots on the characters and more than 200 in the bank, I can't see one character being able to hold all the crafting inventory that they would need and be able to loot anything efficiently. NOt to mention being able to afford that amount of bag space before deep in the VR Ranks. The only reason my Templar is 200K to the 240K goal she needs to unlock the last 30 bank spaces is simply because she can vendor loot/sell loot in the guild stores. And, she has the bag space to make loot farming reasonable.

Heck, my clothier/WW can barely carry what she needs and loot. As it stands now, I am leaving dungeons and delves halfway through them to empty bags. No, I can't leave an unlooted corpse behind, it's not cricket I tell you. It was even worse back when she was neck deep in researching traits, she had no bag space to use, so she was parked for 2 months. Now, of course I have this silly idea that a crafter should be able to make stuff for any level character. Some only craft for VR14, and that does reduce inventory needs significantly. Me, I can craft for anyone at anytime, with the occasional mule log for large orders.

To split up the equipment crafting to WW/Cloth on one, Blacksmithing on another allows for characters to carry the inventory they need, but still have room to loot or whatever or have skills to fight with. Plus, they can pick up support crafts like Provisioning and Alchemy as skill points allow. Enchanting could work like this too, but I only have one enchanter because I don't make glyphs for others and I don't need enchanting that often. Enchanting is still not easy to level, but again, how many enchanters do you really need?

So, can it be done, sure. But when I have made alts who are non crafters and have no skills in crating at all, it is amazing how fast I can build them up as I am leveling them, and have all or most of the skill lines for combat and defense fully leveled by the early VR ranks. And how rich they get, money is easy to get from Vendors in this game if your not deconning everything. I used to think that Templars were the OP class of the game, as that was my first non crafting character. Nope it's just she has all the skill points she needs to be deadly in anyway I want her to be.

So, now I have characters who craft, and characters who fight. I find the game much more enjoyable this way. The crafters are deadly enough that they can farm or get to the crafting stations. The only time it is an issue is when I have to log to a crafter. But, I would be logging to an inventory mule anyway at some point, so what's the difference? I craft most things in batches, so I only need to cook once a week or so, make potions once a week or so etc. I don't make gear that often, so my two equipment crafters mostly just hangout in a crafting hub.

True, I have a bunch of characters doing Provisioning writs, but I am only doing that to chase recipes.

Cha1ky

Thanks everyone. All thoughts are always welcome. Pros and Cons.

Is share crafting still the best way to level them up these days?

BenevolentBowd

I agree that a master crafter will be a jack of all trades and will be a weaker all around character until the higher veteran ranks.

I disagree in part with the inventory comments. A single character can gain access to 410 inventory slots: 110 inventory slots, 240 bank slots, and 60 mount slots. It could be done without a high level VR character (but it certainly does help).

I only have two VR toons: a VR02 sorc alchemist that I haven't played much since 1.6 and hunter/gatherer VR06 that mostly does mostly does the odd Cadwell's Silver quest, provisioning, and PvP. I have been able to afford bank upgrades up to the max of 240 and the daily horse training of 250g on several characters. I've also, been able to afford the purchase of all my rare motifs for my 1 master crafter. I've funded these expenses by selling off my excess refined inventory, reagents, solvents, potions, and farming dwemer scraps and motifs on my < level 20 alts.

However, there will likely always be the need to have some of crafting stuff with you reducing the slots available for loot. Some people overcome this with mailing stuff to their friends to return or creating a "storage guild" for an additional 500 guild slots to share.

Artemiisia

Nestor wrote: »

While it is possible to have one character do all your crafting, it's just not a good way to go about things.

I have one Clothier/WW, one Blacksmither and one Enchanter. All of them can do Alchemy and Provisioning to one extent or another. I am currently getting my Clothier/WW up to speed on Blacksmithing traits, but she has no points in the skill other than Research passives.

thats your opinion thats not a good way....

For me and my play style I love having them all on one char it feels easier for me, for you its how you describe it.

who am I too judge whats good or not good in how you like to play

Tarukmockto

I prefer to have a single master crafter of all things. The only downside I can see to splitting up crafting between several alts is the Motifs. Unless you put all 3 of the Motif professions (Blacksmith, Wood, Cloth/Leather) on a single alt, it would be very expensive to have all the Motifs on multiple characters.

Nestor

Tarukmockto wrote: »

Unless you put all 3 of the Motif professions (Blacksmith, Wood, Cloth/Leather) on a single alt, it would be very expensive to have all the Motifs on multiple characters.

Yes it can be if you can't farm these books. Lucky I was grabbing the high end motifs when they were cheap. I am currently getting my Clothier/WW up to speed on Blacksmithing Traits. Fortunately, she only needs to learn two weapons and the armor, so it should not take too long for her to be viable. She still does not have enough skill points (at VR5) to become a Master Blacksmither anyway.