QoL suggestion: A switch to use mats from inventory over craftbag

marcbf

The ESO+ trial is slowly coming to an end, so this is a perfect time for me to come with a small gripe or, rather, suggestion.

I've been playing this game for the last 6-7 years, and one thing I've taken great joy in for the last several years is helping people out. Much like someone helped me out all those years ago. In general, this works very well. However, there's one thing I have a hard time helping with. Crafting. Despite being a master crafter (and all the time it took to get there).

You see, I'm one of those filthy penny-pinching freeloading casuals who do not subscribe to ESO+. It's certainly doable, which I'm a testament to. I do avail myself of the ESO+ trials when they come around, so I do have accumulated quite a few mats in the craftbag over time.

The problem arises when crafting. The game is coded in a way so that resources are taken out of the craftbag before the inventory. When crafting for myself that's not an issue. But crafting for other people presents me with the dilemma that whichever resources are needed will be taken from the craftbag even though someone may have provided the necessary mats and they're sitting in my inventory. And that's exactly what they're doing. Sitting there clogging up my inventory.

I'm painfully aware of the fact that this is done deliberately to entice people to subscribe to ESO+. I'm still hoping that someone at ZOS may feel charitable and introduces a toggle much like using Crown Soul Gems over regular ones, but instead using mats from the inventory before using them from the craftbag.

Danikat

I agree this would be better for players, but I think that's exactly why it's unlikely to happen: it would make it less inconvenient to play without a subscription and so reduce the incentive to pay ZOS to remove that inconvenience.

One option for your situation is to ask players to only give you rare materials you don't have in the craft bag and to give you gold to cover the cost of the others.

But I assume if you don't subscribe most of the time you do have some sort of system to store materials outside the craft bag, so you could store the ones you're given in the same way until the next free trial. (I have a dedicated crafter who holds blacksmith, woodworker, clothier and jeweler materials. Alchemy, enchanting and provisioning go in the bank, along with common style materials because my alts most often pick up those. Rare style materials, traits and furnishing materials go in a chest in my house and if I need overflow space or there's anything really unusual/valuable I want to keep seperate it goes in the "Other Stuff" chest.)

Also I'm not sure why the soul gem option still exists now there aren't different levels of soul gems, it doesn't matter which one you use in which situation and presumably if you bought crown soul gems you do intended to use them. But maybe I'm missing something there because I've never bought them or been tempted to buy them so the only crown soul gems I have are the ones from login rewards.

perfiction

Won't happen, ZOS created a problem (inventory management) to sell a solution (craft bag).

Craft bag priority is annoying in long-term (mats are taken from craftbag so your bank is bloated with all the mats from writs etc), which makes you more likely to give ZOS your money and buy the sub.

zaria

perfiction wrote: »

Won't happen, ZOS created a problem (inventory management) to sell a solution (craft bag).

Craft bag priority is annoying in long-term (mats are taken from craftbag so your bank is bloated with all the mats from writs etc), which makes you more likely to give ZOS your money and buy the sub.

Agree, now back then ESO was sub only we did not have the crafting bag, on the other hand we only had around 20 style stones and fewer items overall. But the inventory mini game was part of why I dropped ESO after 9-10 months.

Four_Fingers

They have a "switch", they want you to buy ESO+.

Dr_Con

Stock up on mats during free weeks, and sell any extra mats you have via guild stores

Araneae6537

I only play with ESO+ and I still would like such a toggle option, just like there is to show items in your bank or not, to use items in your craft bag or not. Then, if people send me materials to craft something, I would only have to turn of auto-stow and select to use from my inventory and thereby not have to keep track of everything.

shadyjane62

I only decided I could give up the bag when I decided I could give up crafting. After 9 years I'm sick of it. I have maxed out storage. I will either sell everything or store it for ESO free trial.

Not another penny.

marcbf

Thanks for your comments, peeps.

I know this feature is implemented the way it is to "help" sell us ESO+. I still think it was worth putting the idea out there.

As for taking gold for crafting, that goes against my intention to help people. I guess I need to keep having "that discussion" with people when it comes to crafting. Most tend to understand.