What level do you start crafting your own gear?

slowpoke68 · May 2016

Just started playing this month and have started about a million toons, level 12 being my highest. I have a bunch of low level mats in the bank.

I notice I always seem to find quest gear or drops better than what my blacksmith can make for whatever level I happen to be so far.

On the other hand I read posts from people saying their alts where crafted gear all the time while they are leveling.

Do you craft new gear every couple of levels, or is there something I am missing. Can a high level crafter make gear so good it is better than quested gear and lasts several levels at a time?

Is it practical for someone leveling without a higher level crafter toon able to make their own armor as they level?

Just wondering how that works.

Thank you!

Nestor · May 2016

slowpoke68 wrote: »

Do you craft new gear every couple of levels, or is there something I am missing. Can a high level crafter make gear so good it is better than quested gear and lasts several levels at a time?

My Master Crafter pimps out my Alts. I only make gear about every 10 levels, but it is a crafted set, and improved to blue. I crafted stuff as I was leveling my first character just cuz, and not because I needed to. But that character was gimped on combat skills as I was spending the points on crafting. While leveling, Mob Loot gear is probably all you need and it is abundant. Just decon the rest to level crafting so that once you reach Vet Ranks, or Champ Ranks, then your crafting is leveled and you can then make gear when for when it really matters.

And, don't forget to research traits, that is why you craft, traits. The more traits you know, the better gear you can make.

wayfarerx · May 2016

Crafting without a high-level crafter in your pocket can be tough since you likely are trying to keep up with your crafting skills as you go, don't have a lot of traits researched, don't have the improvement passives unlocked, etc.

The main bonus you get from crafting your own is being able to craft set gear, and that requires trait research. That's why you'll see people recommend you start researching right away. It will take awhile before you can make some of the better sets (i.e. Julianos, Hunding's, etc), but there are some sets that only require a few traits that work well for leveling (Ashen Grip, Night's Silence, Seducer, Torug's, etc).

When leveling low-level alts up I generally make a new set at level 4 and then again each time I get access to a new material (16, 26, and so on). I generally make everything training, upgrade it to blue, enchant it with white or green glyphs and am off leveling again. This might be hard for the aspiring crafter but will get easier as you go along, just be sure and deconstruct everything you can so that your crafts level up as quickly as possible. Daily crafting writs also provide a good source for extra inspiration.

Mojmir · May 2016

i start crafting gear for my alts when they hit lvl 10,then every 9-10 lvls after.

FerrumnCutem · May 2016

As soon as i crawled out of coldharbour I dived into crafting. Most of the time crafted gear is better, mostly since you're not going to find a complete set of armor and weapons out in the wild. I always just crafted a lvl 6 set of armor when i started and when i reached 6 i equiped it. After adventuring you probably found something better, so then just equip that. And when you reach lvl 10 or something just craft a new set.

Also, when you start an alt its usefull to have another account be a skilled crafter so you have better gear in the lower lvls.

SpAEkus · May 2016

One of the most effective things to craft for leveling is to get Training trait on Armor and Weapons.

I have a set at 10-20-30-40 with Training on all that my 6 Alt-Crafter-Mules share when I level them for more Crafting Skill Points, and will also use if I buy more Character Slots with DB and decide to try some different classes/races.

Combined with lots of CP if you have them, leveling 1-50 a new character only takes time and not a lot of combat skills and the Training Trait gets Skill Trees leveled early.

Elsonso · May 2016

Immediately out of the Wailing Prison, level 4. (I don't leave the Wailing Prison until I am close to level 4 and have found a weapon of the type I want to use)

Then, I use what I pick up as I quest. I deconstruct everything that I am not wearing.

As I level, I will put skill points into crafting to keep up, in the areas that my character actually uses. That is usually clothing, blacksmithing, or woodworking. I will craft items I need, mainly to fill in gaps when my armor is more than a couple levels off.

I will do writs, sometimes, but at low levels the resource requirements are pretty heavy. If my farming can keep up with it, I am more likely to do writs, but not every day.

disintegr8 · May 2016

Craft your own gear as soon as you have the skills and materials, anything you craft will be a little bit better than what you can pick up at the same level. I agree with lordrichter, pickup and deconstruct everything you can when you start to get the materials you need.

I did not craft my own gear on my first character as I had no idea about crafting, enchantments or traits. He stalled at level 49 in Coldharbour with mismatched gear that he had picked up here and there, all aof it below level 45. When I then took the time to find out about crafting, traits and enchantments, I parked him there as my crafter and rolled new characters. The difference it made was a huge surprise to me.

Now my first character (since progressed to Vet1) crafts armour and weapons for all of my characters and I upgrade them every 6-8 levels. I craft appropriate sets/traits/enchantments for the roles they are playing and I don't swap or change anything in between these upgrades except jewelry that I might pick up here and there.

bloodenragedb14_ESO · May 2016

i start from 1 because i have a look i like and want that to reflect on my character, and i change the gear every 10 levels to keep up, i dont upgrade it past blue however

the moment i get the character to vet and into cad silver however, i stop playing it to level it, i always know the vet removal was coming, and ive been stockpiling mats for that day to craft new gear for the characters that get leveled to cp 160

C0wrex · May 2016

I started when I reached level 10. Still a long way to go before I fully max out everything.

Lolssi · May 2016

I started crafting almost immediately. If I can improve my current pice I will.
I have backup mats for highest level gear and everything else I use to upgrade every level or two, bit more if my item is legendary.

phaneub17_ESO · May 2016

Levels 3, 10, 20, 30, 40, V1, V5, V10, V16. Pre-50 its Blue, Veteran levels its Purple, and for the alts I really like playing get Legendary at V16, when possible.

I_killed_Vivec · May 2016

I think it's best to pick up crafting skills as your character progresses - that way you have materials of the relevant level around you and your crafting skills can start to improve on the gear that is available to you.

It's essential to start learning traits as soon as possible. It also makes sense to harvest nodes and decon gear as you progress.

slowpoke68 · May 2016

Thanks for all the replies friends.

BomblePants · May 2016

But what about this 'hundings' or 'kena'.... ? I don't get it? Do you have to go to a spec place to craft these types of sets or can you just make them as you level up crafting?

wayfarerx · May 2016

BomblePants wrote: »

But what about this 'hundings' or 'kena'.... ? I don't get it? Do you have to go to a spec place to craft these types of sets or can you just make them as you level up crafting?

There are specific crafting stations out in the wild that you have to visit to craft set gear. Search "ESO set crafting locations" for a list of what sets are available and where you can craft them.

Hunding's Rage is such a set, however Molag Kena is one of the sets that you can only get from drops, not crafting.

BomblePants · May 2016

@wayfarerx - thank you, I always wondered but felt a bit silly asking.

Dracan_Fontom · May 2016

Whenever I feel like it.

emily3989 · May 2016

The OP has to understand crafting sets - I did not when I started.

Also, those of us with a high lvl crafter most likely have tons of the items it takes to upgrade gear to at least green quality. He most likely does not, and is only looking at the armor stats on the white items as they appear.

If you can make a set of green at a specific crafting station (need to have a # of traits learned to do this), then it is worth it, but honestly, the stuff you pick up is just fine for solo PvE, you really don't have to stress out about it until you get up towards 50 anyway TBH.

I would find it hard to believe anyone crafted sets of armor for their main their first time through, what with the materials and traits learned requirements to actually make it worth it.

emily3989 · May 2016

wayfarerx wrote: »

BomblePants wrote: »

But what about this 'hundings' or 'kena'.... ? I don't get it? Do you have to go to a spec place to craft these types of sets or can you just make them as you level up crafting?

There are specific crafting stations out in the wild that you have to visit to craft set gear. Search "ESO set crafting locations" for a list of what sets are available and where you can craft them.

Hunding's Rage is such a set, however Molag Kena is one of the sets that you can only get from drops, not crafting.

Don't forget to mention that in order to make a set of Hunding's Rage, you have to have at least 6 traits learned for 5 different equipment slots, so at lvl 12 I doubt this is an option.

wayfarerx · May 2016

emily3989 wrote: »

I would find it hard to believe anyone crafted sets of armor for their main their first time through, what with the materials and traits learned requirements to actually make it worth it.

Well I did, but I'm kind of a geek when it comes to RPG crafting systems. It does not take long at all to get up to 3 or so traits learned and start crafting some of the more useful sets. IIRC I spent the first six months of the game running around in crafted 5 piece seducer + 3/4 piece twilights embrace.

slowpoke68 · May 2016

emily3989 wrote: »

The OP has to understand crafting sets - I did not when I started.

Also, those of us with a high lvl crafter most likely have tons of the items it takes to upgrade gear to at least green quality. He most likely does not, and is only looking at the armor stats on the white items as they appear.

If you can make a set of green at a specific crafting station (need to have a # of traits learned to do this), then it is worth it, but honestly, the stuff you pick up is just fine for solo PvE, you really don't have to stress out about it until you get up towards 50 anyway TBH.

I would find it hard to believe anyone crafted sets of armor for their main their first time through, what with the materials and traits learned requirements to actually make it worth it.

Thanks much. I was wondering if I was doing something wrong...but you hit the nail on the head and addressed my concerns.

C0wrex · May 2016

I started crafting as soon as I learned about crafting in ESO

Edit: Which is at Level 20 btw...

llSRRll · May 2016

I started out really early as you only need two traits to craft some pretty good gear early on. I would craft white armor about every ten levels or so. This made it possible for me to break everything I found in the world down allowing me to level up my crafting at the same time. Once I got to the point where I started my second character I was able to make blue armor. I make it level 4 with training and that last me til I get about to level 36, then make lv 36 and that usually can get me to vet 1. Either way you do it you should be researching traits at the blacksmith, clothier, and woodworking stations immediately. I would start with divines and training traits first if you can get them. Just hit up people in the capitols around the forge and ask for those traits when you need them people are more than willing to craft them for free most of the time to help a noob.

KrishakPanettier · May 2016

All my alternate characters receive armor from my main Crafter that has unlocked 5+ traits. My main crafter is not very good in battle, since all of the skill points have gone into crafting.

Before unlocking enough traits on your first character, it is difficult to make the armor with the attributes you want or need in the Special Crafted Armor Sets throughout Tamriel and DLCs. So, I just equipped whatever was the best gear that dropped in game, or found someone who could make some simple pieces for me in the meantime.

For alts, I make simple (enhanced to Green) with the Exploration and Training traits (armor skill line XP) on all pieces from level 3 to about level 35. I make it roughly at Level 3, 10, 16, 20, 24, 30, and sometimes 36. It helps me level up quicker.

In the 30's or 40's I start creating Blue quality Special Crafted Set gear based on my character abilities with Divines (increased mundus stone effects) and Impenetrable (Increase resistance to critical hits) which helps in PVP and 4-group dungeons.

For my original character I researched everything I could, and deconstructed everything that I already researched or that does not have a trait to level my Crafting skills. To level more, I would harvest raw materials and make dozens of the highest level of equipment possible to level the Crafting skill even more until reaching 50.

I now can offer armor sets to all my low level in-game friends and Guildies so they do not have the dilemma you may now have.

Hope this helps.

Aelthwyn · May 2016

Personally I do craft gear for all my characters, even when they are low level, rather than relying on drops just because how they Look matters a lot to me and I don’t want them wearing a hodge-podge of looted items. My personal outfitting schedule is about every 5-8 levels, or at least once for each new tier or materials.

One of the other reasons I like to craft things for my low level characters is that the special crafted sets can add a nice bonus, and even the ones that don’t require many things to be researched are still pretty good.

Improving items, whether crafted by you or not, can make them viable for a longer time, but this kind of depends on just how much you feel the need to have the best gear you can possibly wear.

If you’re just focused on leveling quickly, you may find it’s not worth the bother to keep making new outfits right after each other.

slowpoke68 · May 2016

I converted my first toon to a full time crafter and have him doing blacksmithing, woodworking and clothing. With my 8 million other guys I have created, I send him everything to research and deconstruct.

One of these days I will find a toon I want to stick with and level seriously.

I will keep my crafter crafting and level him only when I need more points for his skills.

Thanks again for all the advice in this thread.

Nadar · May 2016

An alternative opinion for the trait advice that has been given...I always use Well-Fitted as the trait for my crafted armor while leveling a new character. I found that I did not have much issue with leveling skills, etc. so exploration and training boosts were not really needed, But by having a full set of WF gear, I can sprint all day which makes getting from mob to mob, onto the next quest marker or doing writs in town much faster.

For end game gear, I definitely go with the traditional divines and infused (or whatever the new 'in' trait(s) will be with the DB DLC) but while leveling, I found WF much more useful. Even for my v16 alts, I have a 'running' suit of WF pieces for them when they are doing 'chores' rather than out adventuring end game content.

As others have mentioned, definitely start learning traits on your crafter alt asap. It takes a long time to learn all 9 traits on everything.