Blacksmithing – Deconstruction problem with Level 3 character

Darkbeer

I have a level 26 main that is feeding a level 3 alt with weapons and armor so she can level her blacksmithing. All was going well until I started collecting steel items. Iron items deconstruct with no issues. I get iron bars and other crafting materials through deconstructs. However, when I deconstruct steel items, I never get any steel bars. If I let my level 26 character deconstruct steel items, they get steel bars.

To summarize: A level 26 character (level 4 blacksmith) can deconstruct steel items with no problem. A level 3 character (level 11 blacksmith) receives no steel bars (or anything else other than an odd crafting style component) when deconstructing steel items. Everything else works fine. She receives exp from crafting steel items, and can craft everything up to her skill level.

Is anyone else seeing this?

SadisticSavior

Yeah, thats normal. In your Armor skill tree, the very first skill dictates what types of materials you can get ingots from.

You can mine higher level materials, but you cannot refine them till you are the proper level range.

Sihnfahl

They're not talking refining; they're talking deconstruction.

Sounds like an interesting bug to me.

SadisticSavior

Sihnfahl wrote: »

They're not talking refining; they're talking deconstruction.

Sounds like an interesting bug to me.

IMO they are connected. It makes sense you can't extract it if you can't refine it from raw material.

I have a level 15 character that can mine high iron, but I can't make ingots and I have never gotten any steel ingots from deconstructing higher level items either.

Sihnfahl

Is it tied to character level or blacksmithing level ... because they're stating the higher level toon with the lower level blacksmithing (the one that can only refine iron if it's level 4) is getting steel ingots, while the lower level toon with the higher level blacksmithing (high enough to refine steel) doesn't.

SadisticSavior

I don't think it is a bug. I think it is working as intended.

Darkbeer

I checked further, and it looks like a bug. I deconstructed about 30 steel items, and the only material that didn't show up were steel bars. I got honing stones and style mats. Also, I get experience from the deconstructs. I have a point in Metalworking, so I see no reason why steel bars shouldn't be dropping from deconstructs. Interestingly enough, my main (level 26 w/ 4 blacksmithing) does NOT have a point in Metalworking, and he receives steel bars from deconstructs.

uninclined

<--- lvl 13 character with lvl 10 Blacksmithing that can refine orichalic/high iron/iron.

if u did not put points into Metalworking, then u cannot use/refine the next lvl ore (every 5 bs lvls gives u a chance to put a skillpoint into Metalworking)

i did run into an issue when i started deconstructing orichalic daggers where i did not receive anything....placed a point into Metal Extraction and the issue was resolved.

seems like they want u to commit to crafting with skillpoints, altho there is always a chance u will not get any materials. my guess is that the higher lvl the item, the less chance u have of deconstructing. but depending on the color, the chance increases (i.e. in terms of materials gained from deconstrucing: white<green<blue<purple<legendary....but why u would deconstruct legendary..)

mickh1313rwb17_ESO

I don't know why everyone keeps saying you need a certain smithing level to make bars or mine certain ores.
I have been able to mine all ores and make all bars since level 1 regardless of metal type.

Bluntski

It's not bugged. You need to spend points in the blacksmithing tree (as said a million times already in this post).

knightblaster

SadisticSavior wrote: »

Sihnfahl wrote: »

They're not talking refining; they're talking deconstruction.

Sounds like an interesting bug to me.

IMO they are connected. It makes sense you can't extract it if you can't refine it from raw material.

I have a level 15 character that can mine high iron, but I can't make ingots and I have never gotten any steel ingots from deconstructing higher level items either.

Hmm.

I have a level 17, 7 in Blacksmithing, and haven't taken any points in it (so have not unlocked how to "
work with" anything higher than iron) and I regularly deconstruct items into steel. I think the limitation is making things with it, because my deconstructs are working fine, and I have not put the point into it to allow me to work with steel.

Darkbeer

Bluntski wrote: »

It's not bugged. You need to spend points in the blacksmithing tree (as said a million times already in this post).

From my experimentation, this is not correct. I have a level 3 character with level 11 blacksmithing that has put a point into Metalworking to unlock steel smithing. This character DOES NOT receive steel bars when deconstructing steel items. I have a level 26 character w/ level 4 blacksmithing that has never put a point into any blacksmithing. This character DOES receive steel bars when deconstructing steel items.

Vlos

I think it's a combination between the two.

I had/have a level 12 crafting character with level 11 Blacksmithing, but only had a single point into first skill, I then dumped another point into the skill, which allowed me to get some steel ingots, but I never got more than 1, and still often 0. I dumped another point into for Orxxxx ore, and my blacksmithing is now 14. I seem to get more steel ingots when I deconstruct things, but still not near the average of iron ingots.

So it may be a combination of the two, first you need the skill to be able to get any, and then it's based on level.

Bluntski

Well either way it is kind of silly to assume you can mail high level mats to a level 3 character and expect to use them.

garrodben_ESO

Yeah, there's an issue here. I'm level 15, and between 11 and 12 blacksmithing I deconstructed 15 orch level 26 daggers. Got no metal back, only style pieces. I have Metalworking at 3/9, metallurgy 1/3, metal extraction 1/3, hireling 2/3 and temper expertise 1/3. Everything I can have purchased for my skill level short of Keen eyes (consider them waste most of the time for smithing).

With someone above stating their level 26 got back metals with only a 4 blacksmithing it does indeed seem that it uses the character level compared to the item to determine if you get back metals.

This is probably just their way of penalizing people who use lower level characters to do tradeskills above their actual level.

knightblaster

garrodben_ESO wrote: »

This is probably just their way of penalizing people who use lower level characters to do tradeskills above their actual level.

My guess is that it is something like this, yes. To prevent people from having "crafting only" alts that the main feeds mats to craft.

Darkbeer

knightblaster wrote: »

garrodben_ESO wrote: »

This is probably just their way of penalizing people who use lower level characters to do tradeskills above their actual level.

My guess is that it is something like this, yes. To prevent people from having "crafting only" alts that the main feeds mats to craft.

Hmm, if this is indeed the case, it's a bizarre way to handle it. My level 3 character receives everything else. Deconstruct EXP is fine (leveled 2 more blacksmithing levels last night), and she gets all of the other deconstruct materials including the rare upgrade items. The only things missing are the metal bars, which in the grand scheme of things are the most unimportant. She can still refine the raw ore to create bars with no problems.

atwon23

Bluntski wrote: »

Well either way it is kind of silly to assume you can mail high level mats to a level 3 character and expect to use them.

Why is that silly. Low level alts who level their crafting high enough can use these high level mats. They just failed to explain that deconstructing them, and getting your ingots back would be tied to actual character level. Seems silly to allow one but not the other. I just think if that was their intention they should have tied creating items to character level as well, to avoid confusion.

jch.raelieb14_ESO

I am trying to get a support answer to this as well because I have gone the route of 1 character per craft and all the low level characters are 10-13 lvl but are doing high level deconstruction. They receive the upgrade mats and gems but on rare, rare occasion do I get ore or cloth, less than 1 cloth per 50 DE's. I have 2 points in the "get better extraction" so it is NOT working properly. If it is then we should not be able to extract anything. It almost always says no usable items. I would like a definitive answer either way.

Alpha_Protocol

Why not just level your alt a bit. Level 1-10 takes ~3 hours. That might help.

The other thing is, if you really want the mats just deconstruct on your main. Only feed your alt whites for leveling.

jch.raelieb14_ESO

If you read above all my alts are 10-13. It's easier to have on different holders is the reason I do it the way I do it. Plus you get exp for DE'ing items, that is the point.

RomedyMC

I would characterize this as "working as intended"... It only seems right that a character must have the skill to both create and equip an item to deconstruct it for useful items. If I have understood right, a level 3 is not receiving steel ingots from the decon of level 16-22 items. That, to me, is not a bug.

Initially I had an argument for a gold spammer buying high level items for decon and selling the bars at a profit in order to sell gold for $$, but I am not convinced it was a valid argument.

I'd love to hear the response you receive from customer support. My guess is you may not receive much...

jch.raelieb14_ESO

If it is working as intended then you should get nothing at all. They should all deconstruct to nothing usable. The most expensive items that you can sell are the upgrade materials (hemming, dwarven oil) and the like yet we still get that. It makes no sense at all to allow us to get those items if it was working as intended, but not get the ingots. If you have noticed most people want raw materials, because they are able to break it down and get the above mentioned from it. If I get any response I will share it.

Daverios

This is as intended. It is an ani bot / farming measure.

jch.raelieb14_ESO

That does not make sense Daverios. If you read above as I stated I would rather farm the blue and legendary upgrades and make tons more money. So, no it doesn't make sense.

Sarcoth

I think it's a bug or something that was overlooked.

My crafting ALT is level 10 for his adventuring level and Blacksmithing is level 35. Any time I try to deconstruct an item over level 20, I only get back racial style stones and occasionally trait gems. No materials like steel or better.

Yet, if that same character deconstructs a glyph of any level, you get runes in return.

jch.raelieb14_ESO

**from support***
I am sorry to hear that the odds of deconstruction are not on your side. Rest assured that I will forward this incident to our specialized crafting team. As soon as possible we will get back to you with any update we may have regarding this situation.

redwoodtreesprite

I thought it was based on adventure level. It should be based on crafting level, as you are using a crafting skill to deconstruct the items. Seems much fairer to me if they did it that way.

Daverios

jch.raelieb14_ESO wrote: »

That does not make sense Daverios. If you read above as I stated I would rather farm the blue and legendary upgrades and make tons more money. So, no it doesn't make sense.

It does you are just not seeing far enough ahead. Imagine a person running 50 accounts. They could pass high level deconstructed mats and level every character in every craft without leaving town.

jch.raelieb14_ESO

I get that and what I am saying is this is already happening, and even worse they get THE BEST materials not the crap ore, cloth to pass to those low level craft toons. Hence the need to make it ALL or nothing. Either you should get nothing from breaking down gear of too high of a level or you should get it all. The most important things are the materials that we need to upgrade the items, not the cloth or ore as much. The ore and cloth are easy to find and easy to buy for pretty cheap as opposed to buying, for example, one hemming at 400 gold. I can buy an entire stack of cloth for 400 gold and get 3-7 hemming.

poodlemasterb16_ESO

My level 12 Orc Sorc Blacksmith, it's what he does, has never failed to refine anything. I have 7 chars and he is fed stuff from level 40 areas and has always refined just fine. I have never failed to break down an item no matter it's level either. I have a long row of red metals I can't use yet, but they are there.

Just took him on a leveling spree. No I did no blacksmithing at all. Just took the horse and traveled to big cities. Read all the books in the Mages Guilds in several places and random other places with bookshelves. Went from 13 to 15 in an hour or so. Mission accomplished.

A tip. You can read books amazingly fast. I just move to a bookshelf, hit 'use', and immediately move to the next one. The actual read is instant, you can leave right away. I can almost read a long row of bookshelves without stopping now.