You learn traits by researching items that have them (last tab when you are at a crafting station); before you have learnt that trait, you cannot apply that trait stone when crafting a new item.

Edited to add an example: lets say you got a dropped helmet with the divines trait. At a crafting station you can set your character to research that trait for helmets. Once the timer ends (each trait on same item will take longer than the previous one to research), you will be able to craft your own helmets with the divines trait.

The trait is clearly spelled out in the item description.
Any crafting station will do, as long as it's the right kind (metal/cloth/wood).
Knowing what traits you already have also requires you to go to a crafting station, or to use an add-on. "Research Assistant" is good for that purpose, but there may be better options.

I am not going to say "RTFM" here, don't get me wrong, but to save you some trouble and get answers faster to this kind of questions, you could have a look at the ingame help system (press F1). It's not super informative for everything, but quite a lot of the game is reasonably well explained there, and it's reasonably easy to find what you are looking for.

Hi
I am assuming you can leave the crafting table, once yv started a researching an item and it will tell you the results later?

If it takes a while to get the trait from the research process, can you do more than one at a time?

thanks for advice

Dwermer wrote: »

Hi
Can you tell what traits each item will have before you research it or will it be pot luck what you get?
What crafting station would I use to research a trait or would any one do ie clothier, bblacksmith etc?
thanks

Here are some hints to researching Traits.

1. You only need to know 2 to 3 traits to start making some powerful crafted gear. Most of my VR characters use a 3 Trait set. The amount of time to learn a trait doubles for the second one, doubles again for the third etc. So, learn the two traits on each piece you will want to craft first before learning the third traits. Learn the third before learning the 4th. The best crafted sets in the game only require 6 traits, so don't start chasing the 7th and 8th traits until you know the 6th traits in all the things you want to craft.
2. Unlock the Research Passive (Carpentry I think it is called) to allow for more items to be researched in less time
3. The most useful traits on armor are Infused, Divines and Impenetrable. Nirn is good, but you need 20,000+ gold to even play on that table (to buy the trait stones). For weapons, Precise and Sharpened are the way to go. Training is good for anything. So concentrate on those traits first and foremost before researching the other ones.
4. Get the Addon Research Assistant so you don't deconstruct or sell something you need to research.
5. If you can't get the item you want for research from loot, then buy it in a guild store. Items made to be researched sell between 200 and 500 gold, try to find the cheaper ones. You can even find them less. It does not matter what level the item is, just that it has the traits that you want. Awesome Guild Store addon can help you find specific traited items.
6. If the item does not have a trait you need, or one your going to soon research, deconstruct it. You get crafting experience to level the craft line and you get trait stones and other things to make stuff with.
7. Join a Guild like Lone Wolf Help or similar as we run crafting nights where we make traited items for people to research. Even not on the crafting night, we will make something for a guildmate. If you want an invite, email me in game.

do you learn styles from racial motifs?
thanks

where do you pick them up usually?

I have noticed ppl selling them in chat, but way to expensive lol

Just a note on racial styles: They are purely cosmetic, changing equipment appearance only. The only advantage to knowing more styles is the ability to use the racial stones you constantly loot. But the offset to this is you give up bag space for each style stone stack you keep. Stones cost 15g each from vendors, so using the ones you find saves a lot for early characters, when gold is scarce. My advice is just try to find the styles you really like and just stick with those. You don't need to craft much to start with anyway, just new armor every 5-10 levels. You will advance your craft skills by deconstruction, not by creating. When your character is in a better position financially, you can start buying motifs, but keeping the above advice in mind, the only real reason aside from looks is a few crafting achievements for motifs. Don't expect that knowing more styles will mean a better chance to sell crafted goods. There are too many people who can craft every style for there to be any profit based on this alone.

edit: If you stick with the game, and regularly search containers through normal game play, the chances are good you will find most, if not all, of the motifs. The purples are can't be looted until you hit VR1 (Barbaric and Primal) and VR6 (Daedric and Ancient Elf). You can find Dwemer pages at any level, but you will have to do repeated runs in dwemer ruins if you expect to find a full set of those. For Imperial, kiss a frog for luck or plop down a crapton of Crowns in Crown $tore. I bought a few purples from impatience, but I've found every one more than once, and I never spent hours relogging and repeatedly searching the same area to find them.

editted for accuracy, thanks for keeping me honest and accurate, Nestor

Nestor wrote: »

Ourorboros wrote: »

You can find Dwemer pages at level 10 IIRC, but you will have to do repeated runs in dwemer ruins if you expect to find a full set of those.

I found my first page on an L6 on Stros Makai (starter island for EP). She found her second one at L8. In fact, this is the only character who has ever found any pages.

You mean starter island for DC

Nestor wrote: »

Dwermer wrote: »

Hi
Can you tell what traits each item will have before you research it or will it be pot luck what you get?
What crafting station would I use to research a trait or would any one do ie clothier, bblacksmith etc?
thanks

Here are some hints to researching Traits.

1. You only need to know 2 to 3 traits to start making some powerful crafted gear. Most of my VR characters use a 3 Trait set. The amount of time to learn a trait doubles for the second one, doubles again for the third etc. So, learn the two traits on each piece you will want to craft first before learning the third traits. Learn the third before learning the 4th. The best crafted sets in the game only require 6 traits, so don't start chasing the 7th and 8th traits until you know the 6th traits in all the things you want to craft.
2. Unlock the Research Passive (Carpentry I think it is called) to allow for more items to be researched in less time
3. The most useful traits on armor are Infused, Divines and Impenetrable. Nirn is good, but you need 20,000+ gold to even play on that table (to buy the trait stones). For weapons, Precise and Sharpened are the way to go. Training is good for anything. So concentrate on those traits first and foremost before researching the other ones.
4. Get the Addon Research Assistant so you don't deconstruct or sell something you need to research.
5. If you can't get the item you want for research from loot, then buy it in a guild store. Items made to be researched sell between 200 and 500 gold, try to find the cheaper ones. You can even find them less. It does not matter what level the item is, just that it has the traits that you want. Awesome Guild Store addon can help you find specific traited items.
6. If the item does not have a trait you need, or one your going to soon research, deconstruct it. You get crafting experience to level the craft line and you get trait stones and other things to make stuff with.
7. Join a Guild like Lone Wolf Help or similar as we run crafting nights where we make traited items for people to research. Even not on the crafting night, we will make something for a guildmate. If you want an invite, email me in game.

Nestor wrote: »

Dwermer wrote: »

Hi
Can you tell what traits each item will have before you research it or will it be pot luck what you get?
What crafting station would I use to research a trait or would any one do ie clothier, bblacksmith etc?
thanks

Hi

Ok.. I will try to ask this as best as poss...learning curve going on lol

When I have learnt a trait, like for example sharpened or training and I have a stone (forget what they are). What do I do?

Do I put a stone into an item of armour or weapon that has it named in description of the item ie, if it has 'sharpened' on the weapon, then i add its stone?

If so, do i just drag the stone onto the particular weapon etc?

sorry, if i have that all confused
thanks

Nestor wrote: »

Go to a crafting station and go to make an item. If you have researched the trait for that item, and have the Trait Gem for that Trait in your inventory or bank, then you can select that trait to be added to your armor or weapon.

If you don't have the trait gem, then you can find them in Guild stores for 50 to 150 per stone typically. I get all mine from deconstruction, so not sure why they sell for so much.

Hi
So can you only add the stone to an item that I have personally made, rather than one that has been looted?
thanks

Nestor...did you get my message in game?

Dwermer wrote: »

Hi
I am wondering how to learn traits etc, as when i am using them, some are showing i can use in crafting, but others are showing red, even though i have a supply of them

This is a learning curve
any advice would be gratefully received
thanks

If you have a spreadsheet program my sheets will help you... The link below will take you to the post where it can be downloaded.