Hireling mules

Suter1972

Just had a crazy thought about hirelings.

At present I only have one toon which im trying to get as high as possible. She does everything PVE so tyring to balance DPS with occasional group healing to crafter. Ive got lvl 3 hirelings on wood, enchant and cloth with a lvl 1 on provisioning.

If I created more toons, can I level them up with the intention of just being hireling mules and plough all points into crafting?

In theory I could then have 8? Toons all receiving from hirelings every day?

Can I then dump everything in a shared craft bag for my main toon to use?

Im getting the impression this is what a lot of people do?

wayfarerx

All of what you said is exactly what I do: 8 characters, all maxed out on hirelings. So much mail, but I'm never short of crafting mats.

Soella

Yes, a lot of people are doing it.

Choose one which will be doing all researches and gather all motifs, all other just mules.

You need ~70 skill points to max out all crafts and hireling, pretty much it means you can simply grind levels up to 50 in old orsinum, deconstruct everything and finish main quest/Coldharbor to have enough skill points.

Running top level writs on a few characters gives you more than hirelings, though.

Suter1972

Thanks for the replies

Im finding that Im getting all of any golds and purples I get come from hirelings. Nothing much from writs yet. Keeping the first passives on rank 4 in each on purpose to try and keep the mat requirements down.

Nestor

All my Mules earn their keep running Hirelings and doing Provisioning Writs. The provisioning Writs pay for the Horse Training they receive.

You can easily get them to L32 by deconning trash loot that you collect on your main. (Note, you can drop the trash loot in the bank and use your alts to decon at the crafting station without going to the bank)

Now, one thing I would do, if your concerned about mats, is to farm public dungeons in the Gold Zones for Void/Nightwood stuff. Reason, a low level will not pull mats from high end stuff unless the material passive is invested. You still get the Inspiration (crafting exp) so your still leveling. The Inspiration you get from Void level stuff is about the same as Ruby all things considered since there is a "penalty" that reduces the Inspiration somewhat if you decon stuff your way under-leveled for.* Decon the Ruby stuff if your concerned about the mats on your main.



*You don't need to worry about this penalty, it really only applies if your buying mats to make stuff on one character to decon on another and you want to be efficient. Since we are talking about Mob loot here, just decon it and move on.

Suter1972

so does my craft bag share across all toons

Nestor

Suter1972 wrote: »

so does my craft bag share across all toons

Yeppers

All stuff you get from Decon goes right to the bag, unless you set the option to not do that. And, all crafters have access to the bag from any crafting station. Alt Crafting has never been easier.

Brrrofski

Yes you can level up characters for just hirelings

Yes craft bags are shared with all toons.

Of course, getting to 50 in all crafts will take them itself. So if you're not going to quest with them, you'll have to put stuff in your bank to decon.

I have hirelings on all 12 toons. Getting an extra few skill points isn't much work. All are max level in clothing, woodworking and metalworking except one that I purposely left at craglorn wrote level for nirncrux.

SpAEkus

And starting out you don't even need many points for each Alt-Hireling.

Remember Gold boosters are completely RNG and require no crafting leveling beyond the points for the hireling.

Level I hireling only takes one point at level 3 of BS-Cloth-WW, that's only one or two CP40+ decon items.

Level II hireling only needs another point at level 12 of BS-WW-Cloth.

You can make Level 12 in BS-Cloth-WW using just 36/33/25 of Voidstone/Void Cloth/Nightwood loot or crafted Decon (ESO Plus+ numbers, add 10% more items if not subscribed)

So you could get those Level II hirelings started in a few minutes just buying items or from a nice guildie or friend.

Suter1972

I can craft cp40 gear with my main so should I just make stuff, stick in bank and Decon with my mules?

SpAEkus

Suter1972 wrote: »

I can craft cp40 gear with my main so should I just make stuff, stick in bank and Decon with my mules?

Do whichever is funner, faster, or free. Its all just math and how you get there is just what you can enjoy while playing.

The Hirelings are giving free mats and boosters, loot from kills is part of your journey and free. Craft decon is fast IF the resources required don't take away from enjoying the rest of your play.

If you go the Craft-Swap-Decon route here's all the finer details to do it the most efficiently and effectively.

Latest craft-swap-decon IP data

sunshine-daydream.us/ESO/#crafting

disintegr8

My two mules do nothing except hold excess gear, they are at character level 3 and 4 only. I play on the other 6 every day, all are at max level in every craft (one is lvl 49 enchanting), these 6 get hireling mails and do daily writs.

I guess I should probably put the other two to at a level to at least get hireling mails but have never thought about it. Up until now I have been busy getting the other 6 leveled up, but as I get more than enough items to deconstruct I should get these 2 mules to work.

Suter1972

SpAEkus wrote: »

Suter1972 wrote: »

I can craft cp40 gear with my main so should I just make stuff, stick in bank and Decon with my mules?

Do whichever is funner, faster, or free. Its all just math and how you get there is just what you can enjoy while playing.

The Hirelings are giving free mats and boosters, loot from kills is part of your journey and free. Craft decon is fast IF the resources required don't take away from enjoying the rest of your play.

If you go the Craft-Swap-Decon route here's all the finer details to do it the most efficiently and effectively.

Latest craft-swap-decon IP data

sunshine-daydream.us/ESO/#crafting

thanks for the guide but most of it was over my head lol

so as i just want to level up the mules so they can get hirelings to max, what im basically going to do, if im understanding right, is create with my main, bank it, withdraw with my mule and decon?

Asardes

Hirelings are not really worth it. I just have them on my main but will be dropping them at the next skill point reset - I'm nearly done with research and want those skill points back as well. It's not worth having 2-3 skill points locked for 3-7 ore/wood/raw fiber or leather a few style or trait materials per day and maybe a purple or gold temper once in a blue moon. Daily writs provide much better rewards and they take only ~5 minutes in total for 6 all crafts. Hirelings only send if you log on to a character, so if you log anyway you're better off doing the writs, stacking them and collecting them at a later date in bulk to save time - in One Tamriel they will stack so it's even easier. Consumables writs have by far the best ROI, especially alchemy. If you get 1-2 columbine or lady smock nodes you recoup the investment for the whole week's worth of alchemy writs.

Also leveling a craft on a lowbie mule works but you won't have enough skill points to spec them right away and they'll have to quest and explore for the rest later anyway. I usually level provisioning and enchanting first, since they require no skill points invested and no exploration. I'm only putting points in crafting on my chars once they have a mature build and the gear crafting skills maxed out from deconstructing trash gear that drops from mobs. Enchanting is the hardest to level, so it's better to start early - my new chars sit idle for a few months until they learn to ride anyway. Basically you just drop all the white glyphs that drop from enemies in the bank and then decon with the char you want to train - you don't even need to take them out, just go to a table and decon them in bulk. I'm nearly done with my 5th but she doesn't have the points to spec it since she's only level 15. I have leveled it on my main to 50, then on 2 other characters but only put points in it when I started to play them and walk them trough silver and gold areas. The 3rd level 50 but he's waiting with the skill maxed out but no skill points to spec it. Gear crafting increases at a much faster pace than enchanting so I don't bother training that at all. Alchemy and provisioning are done in 20-30 minutes if you have the solvents and ingredients.

SpAEkus

Suter1972 wrote: »

SpAEkus wrote: »

Suter1972 wrote: »

I can craft cp40 gear with my main so should I just make stuff, stick in bank and Decon with my mules?

Do whichever is funner, faster, or free. Its all just math and how you get there is just what you can enjoy while playing.

The Hirelings are giving free mats and boosters, loot from kills is part of your journey and free. Craft decon is fast IF the resources required don't take away from enjoying the rest of your play.

If you go the Craft-Swap-Decon route here's all the finer details to do it the most efficiently and effectively.

Latest craft-swap-decon IP data

sunshine-daydream.us/ESO/#crafting

thanks for the guide but most of it was over my head lol

so as i just want to level up the mules so they can get hirelings to max, what im basically going to do, if im understanding right, is create with my main, bank it, withdraw with my mule and decon?

Yeah that's all there is to it. And you don't even have to physically withdraw from the bank to decon, just walk up to the table and you will see what is in the bank.

WARNING, when at the table you see everything in the bank. Don't put things in there that you don't want to decon, unless you use the in-game item lock or another addon that does that. Go slow and don't decon that shiny new set item you are saving by mistake.

And for the Skill points for those new hirelings, just grab the first 3 skyshards you come across, plus free one if you start the main quest with the Prophet (go to his hideout and listen to the story, no combat even needed) and you have the 2 skill points you need for Hireling I & Hireling II. Three more Skyshards for Hireling III skill point and that alt-character is ready to sit back and decon everything you bank for it.

You can just sit them after that and feed them loot while you craft/quest on your main. When you want skill points for higher material level passives just run the rest of the skyshards on them or do a few Main Alliance Story Quests (they give a skill point) and done.

Yes lots of details in those links, the most important are the leveling guides in Tevalur's and when you want to craft a specific item for a given number of IP use the details in our IP charts.

Here's two more that might just help and are easier to use at start, just be aware **SPOILERS**.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/274635/spoilers-guide-pc-alliance-zone-safe-walk-swim-sneak-skyshard-maps

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/236579/guide-media-spoilers-craft-nodes-maps-from-harvest-map-addon

Asardes

The problem is that the drops are scaled to what you put in the main skill passive. For example if you just put points in wood working hireling, but not in the main passive, they will just send you maple, not ruby ash, even if the skill is maxed out at 50. I also think that the chances of getting gold or purple tempers decreases.

SpAEkus

Asardes wrote: »

The problem is that the drops are scaled to what you put in the main skill passive. For example if you just put points in wood working hireling, but not in the main passive, they will just send you maple, not ruby ash, even if the skill is maxed out at 50. I also think that the chances of getting gold or purple tempers decreases.

And I think the OP already understands that full material passives requires some more work, and they have decided that they still represent a useful option and some of us have continued to provide information on how to easily set them up.

As far as gold chances, unless ZOS has actually given you their exact RNG data, no one knows it. Its All RNG and a good RNG roll is still more than zero and never a negative. Beyond any Gold Deliveries, refining the raw mats delivered is another trip to the RNG wheel and that RNG is not limited to any one level of materials. Refining 100 Maples give the same RNG chance as 100 Rubedite. (Temper passives have never been reliably proven to increase the RNG as we don't know ZOS actual formulas).

My 7 L3 hirelings currently provide as much as 200K+ in a good week in Gold items just by running as I level their characters for my specific builds. They are a free part of the game that ZOS implemented and unless they remove them completely they are still a net gain in my opinion.

And even if you spend the skill points to get the L3 Hireling with full passives, you only need 9x3 Skill points across BS-Cloth-WW and 12 for a Enchanting hireling and only 3 for a Provisioner, only 45 out of the games current total 368 skill points.

Nestor

Asardes wrote: »

For example if you just put points in wood working hireling, but not in the main passive, they will just send you maple, not ruby ash, even if the skill is maxed out at 50. I also think that the chances of getting gold or purple tempers decreases.

For a long time, it was my L1 Material Level Hirelings that were pulling in all the Golds, my Tier 10 Material Hirelings were not giving me any. Material level has no effect on the quality of Tempers you get from your Hirelings. Writ containers, I think it does, but not Hirelings.

What does have an effect on Tempers it the Level of the Hireling, L3 get two stacks of Tempers, where L1 gets 1 stack. I forget how many an L2 Gets, but I do remember getting Gold Tempers from my L2s also.

SpAEkus

What does have an effect on Tempers it the Level of the Hireling, L3 get two stacks of Tempers, where L1 gets 1 stack. I forget how many an L2 Gets, but I do remember getting Gold Tempers from my L2s also.

@Nestor you mean number of deliveries or numbers of stacks in each delivery?

I haven't really mapped them but on all my L3 I can get as many as 6 items and as few as 3 randomly. I haven't noticed getting 5-6 consistently. Another thing to map for a week I guess.

Nestor

SpAEkus wrote: »

@Nestor you mean number of deliveries or numbers of stacks in each delivery?

I haven't really mapped them but on all my L3 I can get as many as 6 items and as few as 3 randomly. I haven't noticed getting 5-6 consistently. Another thing to map for a week I guess.

@SpAEkus

Ignoring the number of deliveries. I have seen as little as one item on my L3's, but there is a good chance to get two Temper Stacks on each delivery from L3's and L1's only seem to get one Temper Stack. Things may have changed in the last 6 months since I moved my mules up to L3 Hirelings but I don't remember seeing more than one Temper stack ever on an L1.

Nestor

@SpAEkus

Well, it figures, every time I analyze my hirelings I always get less stuff. Anyway, I am seeing 3 to 4 stacks on most of my mails, a few were 5s, but a few were two or one item. Character level has no correlation I can see.

What is odd is I do remember getting 4 to 6 stacks on my hireling mails as typical some time ago, but I don't remember the last time I got a 6 stack hireling mail. Now 3 to 4 is the typical mail.

The real key to hirelings is to have a lot of them. On lots of characters.

SpAEkus

@Nestor

Ok thanks. I have L1 L2 and L3 sitting on PTS so I'll watch them for the next few days to double check whether the L1 and L2 can get the same. And to see if any changes coming, I haven't noticed any IP changes so far.

Ive seen a few 6 item mails these last few weeks on live but I wasn't logging exactly what they were.