Crafting tips for new players

vamp_emily

Crafting takes a long time to master, and looking back I really would have done things differently.

Master Crafters, what would you do differently if you were to start crafting today? Share some helpful tips for players that are just starting out.

vamp_emily

I recommend creating one character for crafting.

I made the mistake of creating 4 Master crafters, and it has only been a problem for me. For example, I wanted to craft a specific gear but could not do it because I did not have access to a Fighters guild Portal. All my crafters were sitting at level 10ish, and I had to level them to level 38 to get the gear I wanted.

Well now I want to craft another set, guess what? I can't because I need to be level 50 to access the crafting station. So now I have to level all my crafters to level 50.

Having more than one crafter has been a pain, If I was to do it all over again, I would have created just one crafter.

undefeatdgaul

I would have started researching traits a LONG TIME AGO, that was a huge mistake. I wouldve had every trait on every piece of gear by now

Pandorii

1. Start researching ASAP. I was a month into the game before I even knew what it was. It's ok to ask questions. You'll be glad you did it in the long run. (This echoes @undefeatdgaul ).

2. Consider learning Nirnhoned early on. You can make money of off crafting them and reselling them. For sure, prioritize divines, infused, and impenetrable on armor. Prioritize sharpened and precise on weapons.

3. Motifs can be really expensive. Focus on acquiring the major visible pieces first: Chest, Legs, and Helms. I think we can all get by without having glass belt, or something.

4. To @vamp_emily 's point. I am glad that I have one single crafting character. It's easier on the brain and saves trouble having to manage multiple characters and getting motifs for them all. However, if you're thinking about getting to the end-game quicker (being a 9 trait crafter), it's actually more efficient in time to have two crafters. One that focuses on light armor, and the other that focuses on medium. One that focuses on heavy armor, and the other that focuses on blacksmithing weapons.

5. Set some standard now for when people start asking you to make things. We've all been overly generous at one point, but people will try to take advantage of you if you don't set a firm line. It's really hard to say 'no' for some of us. Example, yesterday, I got a message from someone saying " Can you make me sum armor? blue, no gold but I can trade ya a Ring of Willpower Arcane." Arcane rings are 50k, maybe. We all know that what this guy wanted was way more than that value. Probably a full set of vet 16 gear in some fancy style. I responded with "sell the ring and use the profits to buy the mats. I'll make you gear with all the mats including trait gems and style gems, and then i'll charge 3k per piece for making it. Needless to say, he never responded. I wasn't being unreasonable, but he wanted a charity. Crafting is a huge gold sink as it is.

Nestor

First and foremost, if your going to craft, subscribe so you have Crafting Bags. While you can get enough regular bag space on characters, horses and bank to store everything, you spend a lot of time playing the inventory shuffle if you don't have crafting bags. Not to mention all the gold you would spend upgrading the bags.

Research Traits. Takes 18 hours for each piece of gear to learn two traits, and you can start making special crafted sets with two traits known. Get two traits known on the gear that you use first, then 3 etc. Once you have reached 5 or 6 traits on the stuff you use all the time, then start learning traits on the other gear. This will get you to making 6 Trait sets, some of the most powerful in the game, in around a month or so depending on passives and how often you log in to que up research items.

Fastest and best way to level equipment crafting and enchanting is to decon mob loot. You get experience from the kills, and some extra loot to sell to cover repairs. Public Dungeons are nice for farming loot. Trading items back and forth between players no longer gives the most crafting inspiration.

While you may want to spread equipment crafting around multiple alts due to skill point limitations, it is really best to have one character be your main equipment crafter.

Get alts up to L32 in Crafting so they can hire the L3 Hirelings. Also, max out Extraction on those characters so that they can get the most mats from decon. Note, character and material levels can have an effect on how much base mats you get back.

Don't worry about leveling Provisioning and Alchemy, they level quickly. All characters should have these two skills leveled, at least until you unlock the passives that increase the length of time of the effects.

Farm, farm, farm. Don't have to make dedicated farm runs, but do grab mats from nodes as you go from place to place. Do this, and you will have an abundance of mats. Wait until you need mats to farm, and you will just be frustrated.

All raw mats can return Tempers when you refine them. So farm mats that are in less demand as they are easier to find. Sell the finished mats to other players or just Vendor it.

Pandorii

Enchanting will take the longest to level up. Be sure to always save the glyphs that drop from mobs. Having crafting bags would free up space to store them all, without having to return regularly to town. If you run out of space, find a buddy you can send in-game mail to with your extra loot and label it "return 2 sender".

The best way to grind enchanting up once you commit to maxing it out is to have a high level enchanter make you glyphs to deconstruct. Color does seem to matter for experience gain. Level matters as well. This will be very expensive though, so see above for a more steady/long-term way to get it maxed out.

kylewwefan

I screwed up and made some gold enchants at cp150. Some guildies told me decon them and maybe I get the kutas back. I didn't.

Nestor

kylewwefan wrote: »

I screwed up and made some gold enchants at cp150. Some guildies told me decon them and maybe I get the kutas back. I didn't.

@kylewwefan

You have about an 33% return on mats when deconning glyphs, if you have the Extraction passives maxed in Enchanting.

With Equipment, you get a much higher chance to get the Style and Trait mats back on decon of the gear you make. It is almost 100% in my case with the Extraction Passive maxed. I think I have only one item that I did not get a Nirn stone back on.

Too bad Enchanting is not the same way. But, I can see why as you could just make them on one alt, decon on another in an endless loop if you never ran out of runes from decon. You could effectively level up enchanting with a handful of runes.

KingYogi415

You do need to split it. One for food potions and enchatnts. Another for all the motif crafting.

Unless your crazy like me you can just grind out 300 skillpoints!

JKorr

I split the crafting between two characters; one has all the motifs and does the smith/wood/cloth crafting. She's also the one I have the 9 traits researched on. "Extra" or duplicate recipes went to her, but I'm nowhere near maxed. I've been working slowly on enchanting, and she's at 44 now. The second one has enchanting/alchemy/provisioning maxed. Along the way this one also managed to research everything but nirn, and any "extra" motifs went to her. It was a pain at times, because of the inventory limits the enchant/alchemy/provisioner wouldn't pick up any ore/wood/fiber mats. The smith/wood/clothing wouldn't pick up any runes/ingredients/plants/flowers. [one exception; ALL of my characters pick columbine]

I am so happy that ZOS came up with the crafting bag; now any character in any zone can pick up mats, and not worry about bag space. I manage to keep quite a bit of stuff on hand, which helps because three of my guilds give members free gear every 10 levels or so up to ruby level. We still make the ruby level stuff for free, but you have to provide the mats.

For new crafters; try to pick the traits you would want to use on gear, and be consistent. Research the same trait for each piece of armor, otherwise when you go to make your Ashen Grip, its liable to be a real mixed bag of effects. If you're in a guild, ask for trait pieces for research. My guilds, all of them, don't charge anything for making trait/research pieces. You do have to provide the nirncrux though.

When you finally get the research finished, you can respec and get back the points you used to research more than one item at a time.

BenevolentBowd

I have a guide on my blog that you may find useful. It is written more in the style of a character build than a traditional crafting guide.

http://benevolentbowd.ca/esotu/esotu-the-making-of-a-master-crafter/

Balibe

JKorr wrote: »

I split the crafting between two characters; one has all the motifs and does the smith/wood/cloth crafting. The second one has enchanting/alchemy/provisioning maxed.

I did the same with my main and alt.

For me it work out better in regards to skill points. I think I would of been low on points with just one character doing all crafting. Yes you can with all the skill points available but you will have to find them. I am maxed on crafting and both characters have over 40+ skill points to spare and still plenty to find.

As others have stated, start from the beginning. Don't wait till when your characters are a higher level as I did .....

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