Crafting Research Unlock?

thelogicalghost

As someone who's on a first character and isn't trying to make a dedicated crafter alt, it drives me crazy that so much of my precious inventory and bank space is occupied just by equipment that I'm going to research. At any time I have about two upgrades worth of space rendered completely unusable with "to be researched" equipment. It also adds the annoyance of having that equipment come up in the list every time I go to deconstruct junk, so I've accidentally deconstructed things that I was saving for research. Plus it's sorted in with all my other equipment I'm picking up, wearing, swapping out, trading, and so on. It's extremely frustrating, annoying, and discouraging.

What if, when we click on a weapon/armor in the research window, we could "use up" that item just to unlock the option of researching the associated trait? We would still have to find the right items, run back to a crafting station to put in new research, and it wouldn't decrease the value of skill points in those crafting lines. All it would do is keep us poor casual players from lugging around two dozen items and being paranoid about constantly checking which equipment it's safe to deconstruct/sell/trade.

Admittedly it makes more sense to actually have the item you're researching when you're going to do the research, but then again the research system doesn't make a lot of sense in the first place and is obviously designed for game balance rather than immersion.

Grymmoire

Right click on the items you wish to prevent from being accidentally deconstructed and chose "lock" from the drop down menu.

As far as having so many items taking up space, yes a pita that was planned in the game. Only solutions at present are to subscribe for the crafting bag, which at least frees many bank and personal backpack slots for armor; weapons; potions etc. or only buy what you need to research when the timer allows.

Tabbycat

There's an opportunity cost associated with Research. You can, of course, invest points in crafting to open up additional research slots and reduce times but then you have to give up the points that could be spent elsewhere. You can collect and save research items at the cost of using up bank space.

If you have an extra character slot, I suggest creating a "mule" to hold your research items thus freeing up bank space.

Of course that's an opportunity cost too, if you are an altaholic.

Ourorboros

I went down the road you are on in the early days of the game, when we had a third of current bag space. It's not worth holding onto items to research beyond either the most important traits or a research slot about to be freed. It's too easy to get the items for research. You can find them in guild vendors for a pittance. You can ask guild members to make one for you. This may be offered free, but even if it is offer to pay. Last, you can ask in chat. There are many, many fully fledged crafters out there. Again, offer a reasonable price. So much easier than crowding your bag, and not that expensive.

kyle.wilson

The stuff you would research for traits are easy to find or relatively cheap in guild stores.
The inventory space is more valuable for something else.

thelogicalghost

Thanks everyone. I see it's more a matter of experience than anything else.

Dawnblade

The inventory system coupled with the god awful crafting interface can make you want to pull your hair out.

Personally, I went with getting a second account (was less than $10) and use an auto-return add-on (for things like research items - I also use the bag space of individual characters and the bank on second account for longer term storage).

Anything I have that I need later I mail to the second account with 'return' in the subject, log into second account and the add-on auto-returns those mails to my main account, items are now in mailbox ready whenever I need them.

Also the add-on only looks for the word 'return' at the beginning, so I can use additional letters / words such as 'return ornate decon' or 'return bs research' to make it easy to find the mail I need.

There are other add-ons that will flag items you need for research using icons next to the item in your bags, as well as add-ons that will show you what has and has not been researched by character in an easy to read grid format.

PS4_ZeColmeia

if you don't have a craft bag. make 3 crafters at once. use the other crafters to research other items while your main crafter researches something else. When you run out of inventory, you make the alternate characters craft traits your main needs. this should chew through your bag space fast.

NewBlacksmurf

Guess I'm thinking the passive upgrades should allow 9 research at a time per category

Narvuntien

Well you can just decon it now and buy/find what you need later.
I have no trouble finding things to research especially early on. Later It takes so long chances are you'll find it again when you need it.

Although I have plenty of things stashed to research.

I have about 100 bag space on two characters (plus riding skill on one of them) and 120 bank space and I am not having an issue keeping things stored to research.

I joined a trading guild and that allows me to constantly empty things out of storage

FriedEggSandwich

If I don't have anything to research in my recently looted inventory then I just buy from a nearby guild trader, saving research items is just too much faff imo. I've never paid anything more than 900g for a research item (apart from nirnhoned) and the prices are usually between 300-500g, that cost is covered by selling 2-3 pieces of ornate gear.

Scaena

You don't need to save all that stuff for research. It's all pretty cheap and common except for nirnhoned items. You'll get plenty of drops.

You only need to save a couple pieces at a time.

STEVIL

PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »

if you don't have a craft bag. make 3 crafters at once. use the other crafters to research other items while your main crafter researches something else. When you run out of inventory, you make the alternate characters craft traits your main needs. this should chew through your bag space fast.

Especially true since research doesnt need level so the alt researchers can just not spend skills into crafting and make you iron, jute, rawhide stuff of the other traits. You still cant get any crafter to the end quicker but it wil help make the most of your drops.

NewBlacksmurf

PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »

if you don't have a craft bag. make 3 crafters at once. use the other crafters to research other items while your main crafter researches something else. When you run out of inventory, you make the alternate characters craft traits your main needs. this should chew through your bag space fast.

I wouldn't suggest this.....moving forward things are based off what you reasearch. You need to do it all on one character