I originally posted this in the Crafting section, but it may be more appropriate here, hope no one minds the double post.

I write this in hopes that we, as a community, can begin asking the direction ESO plans to take the crafting professions in future updates. I’ve always enjoyed the crafting systems in most of the games I’ve played, but have found that there does not seem to be a huge customer base in ESO; like I’m used to in other games. The largest customer base I seem to have, are the people I give away traits to for research. That just seems to re-affirm that there is a huge number of players looking to master the crafting lines. But if we all master the crafting lines, will we have any customers?

I believe there are 4 types of player’s when it comes to crafting:

1. Those who absolutely have no interest.
2. Those who primary interests in the game focus around PvP and PvE, but wish to be self-sufficient and never intend to sale the items they make.
3. Those who primary interests in the game focus around PvP and PvE, but still want to craft to make things for themselves and friends.
4. Those who primary focus is to be a crafter, intend to sale items to other players, and do some PvE and PvP.

Right now, I believe that the system benefits the player groups described in 2 and 3, but the 4th group that I fall squarely into, cannot really flourish. This is because the current system allows anyone to master the crafts, and make just about anything they want with minimal effort; enchanting being the only exception that does take effort to reach level 40. There is also the problem of the abundance of skill points, and players simply wanting to use them and crafting is the logical area to toss them in to. I have only met a couple of people that fall in to group 1, and that severely limits the number of customers out there.

I have no idea what ESO wanted out of the crafting system, and what their overall goal was when they created it. Hopefully, their intention was not to have everyone were they could craft everything they needed, like it is now; if so, then they might as well remove it from the game and just have NPC’s sale all the crafted stuff. However, if they intended that everyone could be self-sufficient, and then have a group that can make the higher end items, then we need to look at how to alter the current system to allow for this.

I believe that no matter how difficult, or easy, you make the crafting system that there can always be an overabundance of people doing it. Given that fact, neither making inspiration gain harder, or easier, will change this since people will always just grind their way through it.

What will set this 4th group apart from others? I think these are the long term time, and skill point, investments. So, one aspect that should not change is the time requirement of researching, and I understand that many of you will disagree with me on this. However, I do think that there is not enough of a reward once you’ve researched 8 traits, for the 4+ month time investment that is required. The second aspect should be a greater skill point investment, making it a tougher to manage allotments if they wish those characters to still be viable in PvE or PvP.

The following ideas are based on trying to satisfy three objectives:

1. That anyone should be able to craft and be self-sufficient.
2. Make master craftsmen sought after for items of greater power.
3. Trying to work within the boundaries of the current system, so a major overhaul is not needed.

I see this being done on a couple of different levels, mostly limited to adjusting the current passive level requirements and the addition of new passive abilities; as well as changing how inspiration is gained at varying levels. Most of these ideas are aimed at Blacksmithing, Clothing, and Woodworking but some can be used for the others.

• Adjust the level requirements for passives, like Metalworking, to be available at lower levels. So by the time they reach level 20, they can make all items up V12.
  1. This would allow players in groups 2 and 3, described above, to be able to make white items for their level, without the need to master the crafting line.
  2. This would also allow them to skill up crafting at the same speed they level.
  3. Inspiration gain to this level would become slightly easier to obtain.

• Add an additional passive, taking the idea from Enchanting and Provisioning, to all crafting lines for improvement; so you would then have a Tempering, Tannin, and Resin Improvement passive; adding one for Alchemy, granting the ability to make green, blue, purple and yellow potions.
  1. This passive would become available at level 10 opening up the ability to make green items, then blue at 30, purple at 40, and yellow at 50.
  2. Inspiration gain between levels 20 and 30 would be equal to what is currently required.
  3. Inspiration gained by deconstruction between levels 20-50 can only be received from player made items, and only from other accounts; NPC dropped items will no longer provide inspiration, but will provide materials.
  4. Inspiration gain between the improvement levels would become increasingly more difficult. The goal here is not to make it so easy that everyone does it, but creates a good time investment to reach level 50; similar to researching.

• Instead of sets being based solely on how many items you have researched, it should instead be based on a passive and how many items you have researched. This change would allow the players in the groups 2 and 3, described above, to make some basic sets without needing to reach higher crafting levels; the passive could be set to 5 points.
  1. At level 3, the first passive will unlock (no skill investment); Sets of (2) items can be crafted with no researched traits for all sets up to the current 6 trait sets.
  2. Between levels 26 and 34, passives open up for sets of 3, 4, and 5 for all sets up to the current 6 trait sets; requiring the current number of traits to be researched.
  3. At level 42, the next passive unlocks allowing the player to use the current 8 set stations.
  4. At level 50, the last passive unlocks to allow players to use the new stations that will be located in the new PvP zone; and hopefully will allow crafters to create PvP based sets.

• With the changes to how sets are crafted, we can now adjust Researching so that players can only begin researching at level 20.
  1. Adjustments to the passives, like Metallurgy, would then need to scale between levels 20 and 40.
  2. Additionally, a new Researching passive would be created allowing you to research up to 2 traits; additional passives would be available at levels 26, 30, and 34, each adding an additional 2 traits.

• Adjust the Hireling passive to levels 3, 25, 42. At level 3, the hireling should only bring appropriate materials. At level 25 they begin to bring items for improvement and at 42 come twice a day with an improved chance from higher level improvements. Hirelings should also be set to a 23h 45m, or 11h 45m timers.
• Add an additional passive for learning motifs, and can be based upon the same 4 skill point allocation that improvements are based on.
  1. White: Available to everyone.
  2. This passive would not become available until level 30 before opening up green motifs, blue at 36, purple at 42, and yellow at 50.

• Separate the skill lines in Blacksmith and Clothing. Blacksmiths would be divided in to Heavy Armorers and Weapon Smiths. Clothing would be divided in to Light Armorers and Medium Armorers.
  1. This would make all the research time divide evenly in to the proper groups.
  2. Splitting these up will introduce an additional skill point investment.

The above changes to the crafting skill lines would now benefit all types of players, allowing each to still do crafting if they choose to. The new changes would not only add in a higher degree of rarity for higher end items, but also adds in an additional skill point allocation that only more dedicated crafters would want to expand upon. I see these as a first step in improving the existing crafting system.

Additional steps could then be done to add additional skills, adding in even greater diversity and a greater player based economy.

• Merchant Skill Line:
  I see this as a new guild, and you acquire points based on your individual crafting levels. Passives are opened up based on how many learned passives you have in a crafting skill line, and each passive open grants 2 inspiration points. For example, if I have 40 passives learned in Heavy Armor, I will have gained 80 inspiration points towards the Merchant Guild, leveling me up to guild rank 2. Guild ranks open up passives like:
  1. Allow players to place more items up for sale on their guild store at any one time.
  2. Allows additional bank space to open up, restricted to crafting materials.
  3. Grants you the ability to choose what level materials you would like to receive from hirelings, instead of always just getting the highest.
  4. At the highest rank, the ability to purchase materials; like tempers, resins, and aspect runes.

• Grandmaster Line:
  I see these skill lines venturing in to the Veteran Rank, and adding on to passives for additional skill investment.
  1. Additional traits that can only be learned once reaching this level.
  2. New crafting stations that are introduced in to the game.
  3. New motifs that are introduced in to the game.

The next problem I see is how to fix the current influx of 50th level crafters, most of whom I imagine fall in to the player base of 2 or 3 stated above.

In Conclusion, with the additional skills added as outlined above, and splitting up some of the current crafting lines, I can see characters being solely dedicated to crafting. Currently it can take up to 24 skill points to master something like Blacksmithing, but adding in the 4 additional passives described above it could now take roughly 40 skill points; and instead of getting both weapons and armor, you now only get one or the other.

Using me as an example, I have roughly 220 skill points, and I would now need to dedicate roughly 180 of those to crafting, instead of the 66 I currently have invested to master the same lines. This may be a bit high, the skill allotments should not be such an investment that I cannot have some survivability when I’m out collecting resources; but I only need 5 skills and some passives to survive. If I choose to, I could even forgo the survivability and master all 8 crafts; this should remain possible for those more daring then I.

Doing a single, or even 3, crafting professions to mastery is still obtainable by those that fall in to either group 1 or 2. This new system just becomes harder for everyone to do everything, unless they make several alts and level them up enough to get 40+ skill points to invest. Doing this however, would affect future enhancements with a Merchants Guild since they would not be high enough level to gain many of the benefits.

For those choosing not to master it, but just be self-sufficient, the cost should be about the same as what it is now. However, if they want higher end gear, they’ll actually need to seek out a master craftsman.

I did not delve in to Alchemy, Enchanting, or Provisioning to much. But briefly, Alchemy should be adjusted to grant the ability to make green, blue, purple and yellow potions, along with being able to create poisons that can be applied to melee weapons. Enchanting overall seems fine to me, everything you should be able to make is available, and has limited item placement to prevent OP; though I think they need to add in Jewelry Crafting so we have something to do with all those jewelry enchantments.They are in the process of revamping provisioning, I'm looking forward to hearing more about that.

I know I cannot anticipate everyone’s view point, this is simply my idea of a system I would want to play based on staying within the boundaries of the current system.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to seeing others opinions and where ESO plans to take crafting in the future.

- Red