Which zone is the WORST for collecting Surveys?

Cloudtrader

I recently let almost 200 surveys from crafting writs collect in my bags. It was a terrible grind to go collect them all, taking several hours. While doing them, I got to thinking about how much I dreaded doing certain zones. So I wanted to see what others thought. Here are my top four LEAST favorite zones to do surveys in. Which one is the one you hate the most?

Taleof2Cities

For me it’s Vvardenfell and it’s not even close.

Not only are some of the survey sites a ways away from the wayshrine, but you’re also dealing with the terrible topography of the Ashlands and Ascadian Isles.

The Craglorn surveys I look forward to ... because they have a higher nirncrux drop rate versus regular nodes.

phwaap

Malabal Tor

Ugh, Malabal Tor, the alchemist survey. I did about 60 recently and it almost killed me.

Jaimeh

Malabal Tor

There is an alchemy survey to the north of the map where you need to go through a cave to reach it, and an enchanter survey right in the middle of an ayleid ruin full of daedra Both quite a bit ways from their respective shrines, so not my favourite to collect.

bmnoble

Wrothgar

There is this one Jewelry survey in Wrothgar on a ledge, real pain to harvest if you have multiple copies of the same survey.

Other than that, I make a rule of only doing surveys when I have more than one in a location and only at the end of each week or fortnight if I am lazy. Make plenty of gold for my needs while ignoring them for the most part.

I don't even do the alchemy or enchanting ones, they all sit in an alts inventory. One day when my stockpiles run dry I will do a few.

Thrawniel

Craglorn

Craiglorn. This stupid mountain in the middle of the map and surveys both on top and under it, and I can never remember which ones are where and end up wasting a lot of time running around

doomette

Craglorn

While the nirncrux is a plus, I’m going to have to go with Craglorn for two pretty dumb reasons:

1) I remember how stressful it was getting them before the zone was nerfed (and before you could share surveys between characters) on a mostly crafting character that was not prepared for combat there. Even though it’s easy-peasy now, I can’t help but have some residual jumpiness.

2) I really, really hate the noise the pigs make there. And they do it all of the time.

Tai-Chi

Shadowfen

I agree that the Alchemy Survey is a pain to get to and that it does not respawn readily.

Nevertheless, I have opted for Shadowfen.

• 1. The Clothing Survey is not hard to get to but it does not respawn once there. Ruin your armour fighting mobs to one side, whilst waiting, ride or swim leagues in the other directions and back again.
• 2. The Jewellery Survey is a long way away and one has to swim out to - and back again from - an adjacent Island before the nodes are ready for harvesting again.
• 3. The Blacksmith Survey is out-of-the-way and suffers from the respawning problem - but to a lesser degree than the other two.

Scootter

Wrothgar

Craglorn I always leave until last for reasons other people are saying. That spot in northern Malabal Tor where you have to go through the cave to get to the survey also sucks.

On the topic of surveys I really need to stop procrastinating because

Druid40

Probably Wrothgar. The Orsimer may a concerted effort not to have wayshrines close enough to anything important.

Imryll

bmnoble wrote: »

There is this one Jewelry survey in Wrothgar on a ledge, real pain to harvest if you have multiple copies of the same survey.

I don't find it such a pain to do multiples: just log out and then back in. The few seconds wait is a chance to refresh your drink.

tmbrinks

Shadowfen

Jaimeh wrote: »

There is an alchemy survey to the north of the map where you need to go through a cave to reach it, and an enchanter survey right in the middle of an ayleid ruin full of daedra Both quite a bit ways from their respective shrines, so not my favourite to collect.

There is a "shortcut" where you can run up the hill and under a tree to get up there, without having to go though the cave. Almost due north of the wayshrine.

Saves me a ton of time once I found it

starlizard70ub17_ESO

Wrothgar

Wrothgar has a few more annoying places to reach to get at the survey sites than other places.

doomette

Craglorn

Imryll wrote: »

bmnoble wrote: »

There is this one Jewelry survey in Wrothgar on a ledge, real pain to harvest if you have multiple copies of the same survey.

I don't find it such a pain to do multiples: just log out and then back in. The few seconds wait is a chance to refresh your drink.

You can also preview an unowned house and leave. You port right back where you were standing with everything refreshed.

Integral1900

At least I don’t have to worry about enchanting surveys, tracked the results for a year and didn’t get a single Kuta. Now I just delete them.... I’ve got so many enchanting mats I levelled two new characters to 50 and didn’t make a dent in the stockpile

Personally I am not keen on the ones in wrothgar but that’s just because they chose the few boring bits of a great zone

ghastley

So many candidates here: there are a lot of surveys placed so that you have to go to the right side of a ridge, or a cliff, or some other impassible barrier to reach them, and the apparently nearest wayshrine is the other side. I've found one survey half-way down a cliff, but I forget where. Went to the bottom, didn't find it. Went to the top, didn't find it. Was lucky enough to peer over the edge and spot it on a ledge.

I suspect the zones in the poll would get different ratings for different crafts. It's usually one really awkward survey that sticks in your throat.

HappyTheCamper

Shadowfen

I wish Summerset had surveys. I’d spend hours there just searching for nodes, it’s so damn pretty!

reoskit

Coldharbour. You need to run halfway across the map for them to respawn.

Edit: respawn, not spawn.

reoskit

ghastley wrote: »

I suspect the zones in the poll would get different ratings for different crafts. It's usually one really awkward survey that sticks in your throat.

That jewelry one in Wrothgar on the cliff. So rude. Worst survey of all. Def use the port in/out (house preview or logging on/offline) options for that one.

AlboMalefica

Malabal Tor

Only the alchemy one, gets deleted upon pick up

Reverb

Of those listed Shadowfn is the worst. But both Vvardenfell and Reapers are worse in terms of proximity to wayshrines and ease of travel.

BrianLovesLisa

Scootter wrote: »

Craglorn I always leave until last for reasons other people are saying. That spot in northern Malabal Tor where you have to go through the cave to get to the survey also sucks.

On the topic of surveys I really need to stop procrastinating because

what addon is that O.o

Minyassa

Wrothgar

Wrothgar is SO cliffy. You have to approach from the right wayshrine and the right angle, you can't just ride on to the next one without expecting to have to fling yourself off a gigantic cliff and die to get to the next area. Craglorn is pretty bad that way too but at least it has nirncrux to offset the inconvenience of the landscape.

Apherius

Wrothgar

Scootter wrote: »

Craglorn I always leave until last for reasons other people are saying. That spot in northern Malabal Tor where you have to go through the cave to get to the survey also sucks.

On the topic of surveys I really need to stop procrastinating because

Burn them.

redlink1979

I don't have any problems with picking up surveys. They're kind of easy to find after the 1st attempt. The "worst" are maybe those which aren't close to wayshrines.

redlink1979

phwaap wrote: »

Ugh, Malabal Tor, the alchemist survey. I did about 60 recently and it almost killed me.

You need to pick them up more frequently or will die bored if you keep picking them up when they're +50.

Veinblood1965

reoskit wrote: »

Coldharbour. You need to run halfway across the map for them to respawn.

Edit: respawn, not spawn.

Really? I just log out and back in or go look at a house I haven't bought. When you leave you pop right back to the same spot.

redgreensunset

Taleof2Cities wrote: »

For me it’s Vvardenfell and it’s not even close.

Not only are some of the survey sites a ways away from the wayshrine, but you’re also dealing with the terrible topography of the Ashlands and Ascadian Isles.

The Craglorn surveys I look forward to ... because they have a higher nirncrux drop rate versus regular nodes.

This right here. Spent the morning collecting surveys I'd accrued and Vvardenfell is absolutely my least favorite. It's a gorgeous place and I think I'd enjoy the questing there, but as for collecting surveys... no.

Scootter

Wrothgar

BrianLovesLisa wrote: »

Scootter wrote: »

Craglorn I always leave until last for reasons other people are saying. That spot in northern Malabal Tor where you have to go through the cave to get to the survey also sucks.

On the topic of surveys I really need to stop procrastinating because

what addon is that O.o

@BrianLovesLisa Dolgubon's Lazy Writ Crafter - https://www.esoui.com/downloads/info1346-DolgubonsLazyWritCrafter.html

It has several handy slash commands that are not commonly known about.

raaphor

Malabal Tor

Malabal Tor is the first thing that came up when reading the tltle alone

Nestor

Malabal Tor

Anytime I get a survey for Malabal Tor, I destroy it. I don't think there is a convenient node on that map.