I'm confused so if someone can explain it like I'm 5

kylerjalen · April 2015

In simple terms, what are the benefits play/utility-wise for crafted weapons and armor VS dropped weapons and armor? Does the synergy effect of dropped items outshine the things you make yourself?
I'm not concerned about the decon or sales aspect of either, I'm just considering the effects of the items themselves.

anitajoneb17_ESO · April 2015

This issue is more subtle than roughly "is crafted better or worse than dropped".

"Final" effects of sets are unique to each set (wether it's a 2-part, 3-part of 5-part effect/set). If the "final" effect that is the best for your build is the effect of a craftable set, then go craftable. If the "final" effect that you're looking for is the effect of a droppable set, then go farm it.

Craftable sets have one big advantage : you can choose your parts (legs, shoulders, etc...) AND your trait. Some droppable sets have useless/miserable traits. And some traits (like nirnhoned, one of the most useful traits) is ONLY available in crafted items. Furthermore, most droppable sets are only available up to VR12, whereas you can freely craft up to VR14 level.

Dropped sets on the other hand might have just the effect combination you're looking for, AND might as well offer some parts (jewelry) that are not craftable anyway. And wearing set jewelry is the only way to make the best out of the 11/12 slots available. Furthermore, dropped items usually drop already in purple, while you will have to upgrade crafted stuff with adepquate materials all the way from white to gold.

Apart from that, needless to say that crafting takes like 15-60 minutes, and you can spend weeks running dungeons and trials to get a complete set of droppable armour.

It's up to you to choose what is the best for your build given these advantages / limitations.

NB : Before lvl VR14 I always go for crafted. It's near to impossible to find all pieces af droppable sets, and if you finally do, you're already 3 levels ahead so your collection is outdated and useless.

Natjur · April 2015

Crafted is about the set bonuses (and maybe the trait) But as your only level five, you might not have found any 'set bonuses yet' or be able to craft any yet.

http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Sets

Have a look at that link to compare the set bonuses of crafted sets compared to dropped sets

Dropped sets come in one type (heavy, medium or light) and normally one trait. Crafted, you can make a set that goes over different types of armor and traits, so you are more flexible with what you can do.

Still, the best 'sets bonuses' are normally only from dropped sets. But most use a mix
(eg end game tanks use the hist bark crafted set and the Footman dropped set)

Also dropped sets can included jewelry slots, but crafted do not

kylerjalen · April 2015

Thank you for the responses. I think the mixing and matching of both crafted as well as dropped items would be the best thing.
Which will be dependent on the build of the character itself.
That's another layer of thought haha!
Thanks guys!

UrQuan · April 2015

Also, the question of dropped set pieces vs crafted set pieces aside, regular dropped items (ones that aren't bind on equip or bind on pickup) have somewhat inferior stats compared to crafted ones.

For example, a dropped green level 14 lightning staff does 370 damage, while a crafted green level 14 lightning staff does 382 damage. Not a huge difference, but still a difference.

C0pp3rhead · April 2015

And take this into account when thinking about Crafted v. Dropped:

It's all about the traits you want. Many dps roles will equip two Cyrodiil's Light or Shadow Walker rings simply for the 2/5 piece +Spell/Weapon Power bonuses, and fill the other slots accordingly. Having 4/5 or even 3/5 items of a set isn't a bad thing; It just means the 5/5 or 4/5 set bonuses aren't worthwhile.

For example, many magicka dps players use the following setup to maximize their spell power and extra damage:
- Head & Shoulders - Valkyn Skoria undaunted monster set.
- 4 pieces Martial Knowledge Set
- 2 Rings: Cyrodiil's Light
- fill out the rest with 2 pieces of Torug's Pact crafted armor

Many healers use the following setup to minimize the cost of their spells while adding a little oomph to their healing:
- Rings/Amulet/2 armor pieces: Healer's Habit
- 5 armor pieces: Seducer
- Master's Restoration Staff

It's all about what you need out of your build and what is required of you. Play the game a little bit, ask other players, learn the meta-game, watch what other players are doing, and feel the game out for yourself a bit. It'll take a while, but you'll learn eventually.

fromtesonlineb16_ESO · April 2015

IMO ZOS simply wasted masses of time and resources creating the dropped sets.

Not that they're useless (many are not), not even that their stats are often somewhat inferior to crafted sets of the same level. Some non-crafted sets have a lot to offer, especially while leveling, but since their drops are random I have yet to even SEE all 5 pieces of a world set at the same or even close the same level.

Even in VR levels the most I've ever got is 4 pieces from a set where the pieces ranged from VR6 to VR9.

Sure, for those at VR14 farming non-crafted sets/partials likely makes sense because they're going to last, but sets obtained through leveling simply won't be useful some levels above and so only those looking for a specific set for a specific feature for a specific use I would think bother: maybe RPers or those looking for a 'cosmetic' look as well.

The only non-crafted sets that I even bother with trying to get now are jewelry since you can't craft them so there are no crafted sets.