How often should I upgrade my crafted set armor? How does upgrading to purple affect that decision?

Flyersfan314 · September 2015

I am concerned I will not have enough purple material to continue to upgrade. If I deconstruct my current purples and my clothing is maxed out will I get all 4 purple mats back?

Callous2208 · September 2015

What level are you currently? I wouldn't go purple on armor until very late. Like max level or darn close to it late. Blue is fine for all content really. Heck most of the time green is more than enough when we are talking about good crafted sets at low to medium levels. If you must go purple now, go weapon only, although it's not needed either. You have a chance at getting the purple tempers back, which can be improved through passive skills in each crafting line.

Flyersfan314 · September 2015

Vet 6

Flyersfan314 · September 2015

My BS and CL lines are maxed out with all skill points invested.

Curragraigue · September 2015

You will only have a chance at getting one purple improvement material back if you deconstruct purple gear.

I usually wear what I pick up to level 20. I craft a set at 20, 30 and 40 I just leave them white and I use whatever white glyphs I pick up. At VR1, 2 and 4 I make a green set usually mixing it with a drop set and still just using the white glyphs that drop. At VR6 I craft a blue set and use green glyphs. At VR8 I craft a blue set and use blue glyphs. At VR10 I make purple gear and use blue glyphs. At VR12 I use purple gear both drop and crafted and purple glyphs. At VR14 I use purple gear and gold glyphs. When IC hits console I expect when I decide on my gear I will go gold for all of my VR16 toons.

Elijah_Crow · September 2015

For vet levels I would upgrade your gear fully every 4 levels and Blue is really fine. Save your purple and yellow tempers until max level.

Huggalump · September 2015

There's no reason to even be going to blue while leveling, purple is going WAY too far

Flyersfan314 · September 2015

Ok thanks guys. I will upgrade my set pieces every 2 levels and keep them blue.

TheShadowScout · September 2015

I usually don't bother with armor upgrading until I am at least V12. Before that, green set pieces are good enough (and you'll drown in green tempers anyhow merely through deconstruction-for-skill and resource refining), as its gonne be replaced soon map anyhow... weapons I like to go with blue, for a bit of extra punch.
And while one is doing cadwells, the green sets are really sufficient... when one finishes with that and goes for the harder stuff... yeah, then purple may be a decent idea. But not before. It'd be a waste of tempers...

newtinmpls · September 2015

Lower levels I craft about every 4 levels, then past 20 or so, every time it "changes" (about every ten). Always to green, rarely higher than that. Glyph them ... if I'm going to be PvPing with this character - or if I want to take the time (or if I think of it, which I often don't) always craft AND glyph weapons, at least to green, usually to blue.

miked83b14_ESO · September 2015

I'm maxed level in wood, cloth and heavy crafting and have all the passives for them. I crafted my sets at V1, V6, V10 and V14. All my sets were blue until V14 which I finally made purple. I was blowing through dungeons, campaign and pvp no problem in under level blue enchanted set gear. Don't waste your purple and yellow mats till your lvl capped.

Alucardo · September 2015

From level 20 onwards I generally upgrade every 5-6 levels. I improve stuff so it looks like this:

- Head (Blue)
- Chest (Blue)
- Breeches (Blue)
- Hands (green)
- Waist (green)
- Feet (green)
- Shoulders (green)

You get the biggest bonuses from Head, Chest, and Breeches, so as a rule, I generally improve them to be better than the rest. Usually I craft a new set every 5-6 levels. Early on (prior 20) I don't worry too much, and if I loot something better I'll just use that.

Perirus · September 2015

I've made green sets, on different classes at lvl 10, and worn it until VR1. Sometimes I make a new green set every ten levels. IMHO there is no need to take anything past green or blue until you hit VR8 and up.

Harasdar · September 2015

I startet to craft at level 16 in blue. Crafted a new set each 6 levels and switch to purple at veteran levels. Was good for me and I used the sets for 2 chars till now and stored them on another bankchar to reuse later, if I want or deconstruct if I need the bank space.

Trashy Boy · September 2015

Flyersfan314 wrote: »

I am concerned I will not have enough purple material to continue to upgrade. If I deconstruct my current purples and my clothing is maxed out will I get all 4 purple mats back?

Also depends on your resources you have at your disposal, if copious amounts of green and blue mats and you can enchant yourself or have a friend who can then go blue all the way to vr12 and that's a tad OTT, after that it is entirely up to you what content you are doing. If doing daily vet dungeons or pvping then purple upwards perhaps. End game content.....the best you can get your hands on.

Asmael · September 2015

I usually don't bother upgrading armor to anything above green, exception, of course, for V16 gear that I'm sure I'll keep on this one character.

Weapons are a different matter however, as I usually upgrade those to either blue or purple.

Don't bother using gold for anything that's not endgame content, it's pointless to use those just to get an extra 2% on something for just a few levels.

Septimus_Magna · September 2015

For my alts I usually increase my gear to purple because it means they can use a lower level set for a longer time which means you dont need to craft so often.

Purple mats are easy to get and I have enough so for me it has no benefit to hold on to them.

istateres · September 2015

How many of you are playing PvP before Max level? Those that say they are running "Green" gear??

I went "blue" in the 40's and "purple" in the early VRs. "Gold" requires a ton of tempers, so max level seemed right.

Running VR6 in "green" seems weak to me, especially in PvP, Craglorn, and IC.

Asmael · September 2015

istateres wrote: »

How many of you are playing PvP before Max level? Those that say they are running "Green" gear??

I went "blue" in the 40's and "purple" in the early VRs. "Gold" requires a ton of tempers, so max level seemed right.

Running VR6 in "green" seems weak to me, especially in PvP, Craglorn, and IC.

Huh. You can run whatever you want with the battle-scaling, until you're about to lose it (VR10+), at which point you MIGHT consider upgrading your equipment a bit (depends on whether or not you get better stats with or without the scaling).

Considering only some of the traits or bonus sets benefit from it with the battle-scaling, you get fairly little benefit from it.

I'll save myself a purple or gold not getting that extra +2% mundus stone effect...

PBpsy · September 2015

For leveling:
1-Green set at lvl 8-12
2-Green or blue a lvl 30
3-Blue at Vr1-2
4-Optional-Blue at 10-12
5--Go all the way at the level cap since Zeni will make sure to make your gear obsolete every couple of months.
Really you do not need more than that.
NEVER USE PURPLE GEAR WHILE LEVELING. It is a complete waste of mats.

Ourorboros · September 2015

miked83b14_ESO wrote: »

I'm maxed level in wood, cloth and heavy crafting and have all the passives for them. I crafted my sets at V1, V6, V10 and V14. All my sets were blue until V14 which I finally made purple. I was blowing through dungeons, campaign and pvp no problem in under level blue enchanted set gear. Don't waste your purple and yellow mats till your lvl capped.

When exactly do you reach level cap? At VR16? I made some gold sets at VR10, VR12, and VR14, only to have the level cap raised not long after. I just hit VR16. Should I use my gold tempers now, knowing that VR18 is likely with next DLC, and there are rumors of VR20? I think I will make a few select piece gold, the rest will be purple until there is some stability with the levels.

Rev Rielle · September 2015

Honestly, let your adventuring be your guide:
If your character is starting to struggle, then it may be time to upgrade that equipment, but if they're not don't worry about it. If you're using epic quality equipment it can last for several levels.

willymchilybily · September 2015

If i was you id wait to hit VR10 and make a new set but only blue because I wouldnt make purple sets Pre VR12 (when i start doing a bit less questing and instead more PVP and other content, so level slower.)

And anything blue wouldn't be notably better than your VR6 purple before VR9 and at VR 9 you are only just getting the materials for VR9-VR14. so wait till VR10 imo and only make it blue.

i normally craft a new set every 3 VR levels when I reach the peak of the current material just to use up the excess materials. And i can then stick the old stack on Guild trader as I'll have just made my set and be getting new materials in the new zone anyway. And even once every 3 levels is excessive by many peoples standards.

eg. At 50 im rocking all 50 gear about the same as V1 gear. At Vr 3 i make a set with all the kreshweed or equivalent. i have been collecting. At 6 i get my iron weed upgrade. i try to skip VR7-VR8 and hit up a VR9 set instead with what was end game mats

Edit: the reason i dont make purple sets before VR12 is because I only start getting purples from mob drops around VR10/VR11/VR12. So its not such a burden then to make purple gear as you are getting the mats from deconstructing as well as writs and refining

newtinmpls · September 2015

istateres wrote: »

How many of you are playing PvP before Max level? Those that say they are running "Green" gear??

I went "blue" in the 40's and "purple" in the early VRs. "Gold" requires a ton of tempers, so max level seemed right.

Running VR6 in "green" seems weak to me, especially in PvP, Craglorn, and IC.

I'm doing IC today - just taking a break for snack/lunch now. I'm running a dunmer magicka DK who is 24th level, my two partners in adventure are a Nord vet 9 DK and a breton templar who is v 14.

Thats the whole point of the battle-levelling thing. Yeah, I'm not AS tough, or have as many skills, but its fun to be able to play with them - and they have more playtime, so they'll always be higher level than me.

Oh, and still wearing lvl 16 green armor, and wielding lvl 16 blue destruction staves.

Prof_Bawbag · September 2015

I'm currently vet 4 and the only purple gear I'm wearing is the matching sets I've picked up dirt cheap in guild shops. I have lots of blue and purple mats but not going to use them until I reach max with another character. The one I'm using just now is going to be my crafter, so not gonna waste materials on her.

newtinmpls · September 2015

Thinking about it the most fancy thing I do for higher level characters is make two sets of jewelry (most can be re-enchanted) for example my battlemage (sorc/orc) has one set of warlock's with magicka regen on each (comes that way I think) and another set with fire resist (anyone who has done vet Banished cells might know where that idea came from

Nebthet78 · September 2015

Here is what I do:

Levels 1-50: Use dropped sets only. Sometimes you find such a good set that it can carry you through to Vet levels.
Once I reach actual Vet levels, I then make a set of armor for my current level. Then make a new set every 3 levels I gain after that. The new sets I make are usually Blue and sometimes with a Purple or two mixed in.

It is also at this point I begin to research what would be the best armour for my end game activities and I will try to get a lower Vet set of it to test how it benefits my character and what I may need to change.

dsalter · September 2015

when i was leveling i would just upgrade every 4 levels, at VR i'd upgrade every rank or 2, never beyond green quality due to it being a waste, green is common enough to gain from deconstructing to be worth it

zornyan · September 2015

Green is fine for all content until endgame. My vr7 has a crafted set a 10, 30, vr1 and that's it, he's solo'd all content in the game.

Not going to make any new gear until VR16.

Dracane · September 2015

You will get 1 upgrade material back per piece deconstructed max and it's not promised, you can as well get nothing.
You should do pledges, I can't safe myself from purple gear to deconstruct.