best city for post-adventuring stop-off?

EternallyMithril · November 2016

In other words...I've just finished a long quest line (or delve or dungeon or whatever), my bags are full, I need to hit a merchant to sell junk, all the various crafting stations to decon junk weapon/armor/glyph drops, bank/vault, perhaps an outlaw refuge...and preferably all these things as close to each other as possible, and reasonably close to the wayshrine.

In Pact zones, I think Stormhold in Shadowfen provides most of these things the closest together. But as a new player who just hit 50, I don't know anything about many of the cities in the other two zones.

So for you vets who have been around awhile...where is your favorite spot to empty bags etc?

Nestor · November 2016

Rawkla (sp?) in Reapers March is another one, probably the most popular one.

Shornhelm in Rivenspire is another nice one. Guild Kiosks not convenient.

Ebonheart in Stonefalls is nicely laid out, but is missing something people want but I forget what it is. EDIT missing the Bank, kind of important.

Hollow City in Coldharbor is nice and has lots of quickly spawning alchemy nodes, bank not super convenient.

Belkarth in Craglorn is also good, but suffers from the forced delay on logout.

Mournhold in Deeshan is nice too, bank/stables not convenient.

Abeille · November 2016

I really like Velyn Harbor in Malabal Tor, but you gotta finish the quest there before it being usable.

Everything is really close and it isn't full of people like Rawl'kha. Rawl'kha is very convenient when it comes to everything being in the same place but it is so full of people I generally avoid it.

I also like Marbruk, in Greenshade. It isn't as convenient as Velyn Harbor, but at least it is readily available without doing any quests.

AriokoSan · November 2016

grantwood is my home and always will be

. after adventuring i always go there to sort out my inventory and i feel like im returning to the shire from the movie lord of the rings

edit - grantwwod

Resfeber · November 2016

Already mentioned but:
For AC I second Velyn Harbor despite using Marbruk more often. Everything is pretty central there.
For DC Shornhelm in Rivenspire isn't so bad. I really like the convenient Thief Den.

Rawl'kha is never worth it for the crowds and lag.

Taleof2Cities · November 2016

Best spot would be Rawl'kha.

Riften has the bank, crafting stations, Outlaws Refuge, merchants, and guild traders all in the same area.

The Mages Guild (with the alchemy and enchanting tables) and the wayshrine are the only points that are separated ... but that is an extremely short ride or run.

Lashiing · November 2016

there's a small, unpopulated area i found once and cant seem to remember where it is now
everything is inside one bloated round tree, bank, crafters, merchants, etc
one day i'll find it again

Silver_Strider · November 2016

Riften in the Rift
The 3 main crafting stations (Woodworking, Clothier, Blacksmith) are located to the south of the Bank with Alchemy and Enchanting stations located to the north of the Bank. Provisioning, I believe can also be done inside the bank if I'm not mistaken but if I am, there's a building to the northeast of the bank that has a provisioning station. The only inconvenient part of it are guild trader locations, being located outside the city walls.

susmitds · November 2016

I would say Elden Root. Go up and you have everything in a single room.

SolarCat02 · November 2016

Abeille wrote: »

I really like Velyn Harbor in Malabal Tor, but you gotta finish the quest there before it being usable.

This is what I like about it. Because of the quest requirement, it is less popular than many other cities, which also means less lag.

lagrue · November 2016

Nestor wrote: »

Ebonheart in Stonefalls is nicely laid out, but is missing something people want but I forget what it is.

It's probably he Dye Station. There is none in Stonefalls afaik

It also sucks that the Enchanter is inside a building in StoneFalls - sure it's only a single door transfer, but it's that split second of time that often makes me think in my head "nah I'll come back when I have more glyphs"

leandro.800ub17_ESO · November 2016

Riften in the Rift
Also home for my guilds trader. FYI the best prices

itehache · November 2016

I love Rawl'ha, reaper's march, since all crafting stations and shops are really close to each other, even the store to sell stolen goods.

UrQuan · November 2016

In terms of layout and ease-of-access to all amenities (including some of the highest selling guild traders in the game), you can't beat Rawl'ka in Reapers March.

The problem with that, though, is that it's always jam packed full of people. At peak times that can mean long loading screens and other hassles.

For that reason I prefer Shornhelm in Rivenspire. The layout isn't quite as convenient as Rawl'ka, but it's still quite good.

UrQuan · November 2016

lagrue wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

Ebonheart in Stonefalls is nicely laid out, but is missing something people want but I forget what it is.

It's probably he Dye Station. There is none in Stonefalls afaik

It also sucks that the Enchanter is inside a building in StoneFalls - sure it's only a single door transfer, but it's that split second of time that often makes me think in my head "nah I'll come back when I have more glyphs"

Actually, Ebonheart is where the only dye station in Stonefalls is. It's beside the enchanting station and alchemy station outside the mages guild.

Number_51 · November 2016

lagrue wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

Ebonheart in Stonefalls is nicely laid out, but is missing something people want but I forget what it is.

It's probably he Dye Station. There is none in Stonefalls afaik

It also sucks that the Enchanter is inside a building in StoneFalls - sure it's only a single door transfer, but it's that split second of time that often makes me think in my head "nah I'll come back when I have more glyphs"

No bank. Non-issue if you have a banker and don't want to do guild stuff though.

lagrue · November 2016

Number_51 wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

Ebonheart in Stonefalls is nicely laid out, but is missing something people want but I forget what it is.

It's probably he Dye Station. There is none in Stonefalls afaik

It also sucks that the Enchanter is inside a building in StoneFalls - sure it's only a single door transfer, but it's that split second of time that often makes me think in my head "nah I'll come back when I have more glyphs"

No bank. Non-issue if you have a banker and don't want to do guild stuff though.

There is a bank in stonefalls? It's right in front of the big main castle, it's one of the only banks in the game I use.

EDIT: This was my mistake, I thought Davon's Watch was called Stonefalls because of the Wayshire outside of it.

Disregard me

lagrue · November 2016

There is a bank in stonefalls? It's right in front of the big main castle, it's one of the only banks in the game I use.

EDIT: This was my mistake, I thought Davon's Watch was called Stonefalls because of the Wayshire outside of it. All of my responses are messed up because I got my geography wrong.

Disregard me

Number_51 · November 2016

lagrue wrote: »

Number_51 wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

Ebonheart in Stonefalls is nicely laid out, but is missing something people want but I forget what it is.

It's probably he Dye Station. There is none in Stonefalls afaik

It also sucks that the Enchanter is inside a building in StoneFalls - sure it's only a single door transfer, but it's that split second of time that often makes me think in my head "nah I'll come back when I have more glyphs"

No bank. Non-issue if you have a banker and don't want to do guild stuff though.

There is a bank in stonefalls? It's right in front of the big main castle, it's one of the only banks in the game I use.

EDIT: This was my mistake, I thought Davon's Watch was called Stonefalls because of the Wayshire outside of it.

Disregard me

No bank in Ebonheart I meant. The bank is in Davon's Watch.

Nestor · November 2016

Number_51 wrote: »

No bank. Non-issue if you have a banker and don't want to do guild stuff though.

That's it, no Bank in Ebonheart. Kind of Important really.

Ilsabet · November 2016

Lashiing wrote: »

there's a small, unpopulated area i found once and cant seem to remember where it is now
everything is inside one bloated round tree, bank, crafters, merchants, etc
one day i'll find it again

That would be Dhalmora in Bal Foyen, which is what I was going to suggest. No outlaw refuge or stables, and it's not a place you'd go to peruse guild vendors, but it's a one-stop location for the bank and all the crafting and npc vendoring you'd need to do, just a short ride from the wayshrine. Plus if there aren't too many other people around, you can get some good safebox action.

One of my favorites is Shornhelm in Rivenspire. That's mostly because I don't need to do any consumables crafting/decon on the characters I send there (the enchanting and alchemy stations are further away). I can do my deconning, horse training, fencing, and bank business all very close to the wayshrine.

As much as people talk about Rawl'kha, I've always found the crafting areas less conveniently located than they are in some other cities. The shopping is right next to the wayshrine though so I visit for that.

UrQuan · November 2016

lagrue wrote: »

There is a bank in stonefalls? It's right in front of the big main castle, it's one of the only banks in the game I use.

EDIT: This was my mistake, I thought Davon's Watch was called Stonefalls because of the Wayshire outside of it. All of my responses are messed up because I got my geography wrong.

Disregard me

Ah, now I totally understand your posts!

Don't feel bad about it, when I started my first EP character (which is a quite while ago now) I made the same mistake and I didn't figure it out for a fairly long time.

Annalyse · November 2016

Before One Tamriel, I parked a lot of characters in the Silver/Gold versions of Rawl'kha. Everything is close there - crafting stations, bank, stables, outlaw's refuge, wayshrine, and guild traders. Best layout of them all for convenience. I also parked a few in Shornhelm for the same reason, though the traders in that city are not close by.

Since Rawl'kha is too busy for me to log into now without a lot of delay, I park my characters in Velyn Harbour in Malabal Tor. As stated by others, you do have to do a quest to open it up, but that probably helps keep the population down. It does suffer from a lack of guild traders (which is silly, we need more traders!) but everything else is close together, and on top of that it is just a beautiful and peaceful seaside town.

Abeille · November 2016

SolarCat02 wrote: »

Abeille wrote: »

I really like Velyn Harbor in Malabal Tor, but you gotta finish the quest there before it being usable.

This is what I like about it. Because of the quest requirement, it is less popular than many other cities, which also means less lag.

Yeah, it is great, and everything is around the same little square. Bank, Mages and Fighters Guilds, crafting stations, stable, Outlaw Refuge entrance (both pretty close), Wayshrine not far from it. The only thing that would make it better would be if the Dye Station was out in the open (it is inside the Mages Guild). And if we could turn in max level crafting writs there I'd probably hardly ever leave Velyn Harbor.

Number_51 · November 2016

My retired Captain of The Hands of Almalexia, Lloryn S'shik, who has recently taken up adventuring, homes in Ebonheart. He can usually be found standing near the stable, talking to his friend Tythis Andromo or the stablemaster.

Abeille · November 2016

Annalyse wrote: »

It does suffer from a lack of guild traders (which is silly, we need more traders!) but everything else is close together, and on top of that it is just a beautiful and peaceful seaside town.

I feel like it would become the new Rawk'kha in no time if it had guild traders, since it is so convenient xD

kylewwefan · November 2016

Many times, I port into a trial. All the crafting stations and a merchant are there, no banker or guild stores though.

If you skipped the quest, bleakrock is also super convenient.

Nestor · November 2016

Abeille wrote: »

Annalyse wrote: »

It does suffer from a lack of guild traders (which is silly, we need more traders!) but everything else is close together, and on top of that it is just a beautiful and peaceful seaside town.

I feel like it would become the new Rawk'kha in no time if it had guild traders, since it is so convenient xD

That and move the Wayshrine in closer to town. About near the stables, and line up the crafters near the new Wayshrine Location.

Oakmontowls_ESO · November 2016

Bal foyen is one of the best places for this. There is literally everything you need in one building other than a cooking fire, stable or outlaws refuge. This really helps people with old computers or bad connections because there is no loading screen except for porting into the zone. There also is little to no guards in the zone and absolutely no guards in the building with all the crafting stations making it usable by people with bounties. Also the lack of cooking fire in the building is negated by there being one semi close by and, since there is no door to the building with the crafting stations, no loading screen to get to it.

stevenbennett_ESO · November 2016

The key features of any post adventure drop-off spot are a Wayshrine, Crafting for all six crafts, Stable, Bank, a merchant for repairs, and an Outlaw's Refuge. If you do a lot of guild shopping (I almost never do), you might want guild traders nearby. And a dye station is useful, but only used rarely. Writ boards are nice if you're doing writs on a regular basis.

I've done all the zones, and it really comes down to two places, IMHO: Shornhelm or Rawl'kha.

My go-to place is Shornhelm in Rivenspire. The Blacksmith, Clothing, and Woodworking crafters, merchant, and stables are all within a few seconds ride from the way shrine and require no doors. The outlaw's refuge entrance is right there, and the bank is also right there, behind a door, and includes a fire for Provisioning. The guild traders are a little further away near the city entrance, and the Enchanting and Alchemy craft stations are behind doors a little further away from that. (But you often don't do any Alchemy, and I tend to save up my deconstruction of Glyphs for later...)

Most people prefer Rawl'kha in Reaper's March, but I find it too crowded. It's main advantages over Shornhelm are the alchemy and enchanting stations aren't behind doors and everything is closer to the way shrine. OTOH, there's stairs, half walls, and other obstacles scattered around which can stop a galloping horse in their tracks - I find maneuvering around the town much more difficult. And I'm more used to Shornhelm. Personal preference only.

The other places mentioned all have their flaws and limitations: Dhalmora has no Outlaw Refuge, Stables, Dye Station, or Guild Vendors, and the Wayshrine is a bit far away. Riften is great if you're looking for guild vendors, but the bank and the woodworking station are too far from the way shrine... in opposite directions. Ebonheart is great for guild vendors and a quick deconstruction run (all the crafts are right by the way shrine), but the bank, stables, outlaw's refuge, and a provisioning fire are all a bit too spread out and not as easy to access. Elden Root's way shrine, provisioning fire, and stables are all a distance from the main room with the bank and crafting stations. (And you can't mount in that main room...)

EternallyMithril · November 2016

Great discussion. Thanks to those who contributed!