I started replying to a thread in general discussion, that was (loosely) on this subject, but felt it would be better served here. I'm pasting my response below, and would gladly accept any feedback. Though I'd appreciate criticism to be constructive... pipe dream, I know. lol

Vimora wrote: »

The only reason crafting motifs are farmed is because of some weird OCD completionism that is totally POINTLESS.

This may have been true prior to Morrowind, but with the advent of Master Writs, and the writ vouchers, suddenly motif knowledge became a much more integral part of being a "Master Crafter." Now, whether the amount of complete motifs your crafter knows actually has an appreciable effect on your chance for master writs may be up for debate, but we were expressly told by ZOS that it does. So that is enough, in many folks' eyes, to drive them to acquire all the new motifs as they come out.

I don't see why there couldn't be a better way to implement some of the motifs into less grind-worthy feats. I can think of three possible solutions that might make motif farming less of a chore, and more accessible to those who aren't able to complete some of the requirements necessary to get them. I will preface these suggestions by stating that I have a full 9-trait crafter with every motif known that was released pre-Morrowind. Since then I've stepped back a bit on crafting and haven't focused on finding/buying the newest releases, so I'm not looking for a personal "easy-mode," or whining because I think it's took hard.

Idea #1: Make a greater number of them purchasable by in-game currency. We already have this with Ebony and Akaviri motifs. (Writ vouchers / Alliance Points) I haven't seen the markets for these motifs crash yet, and they seem to walk the line between difficult, but not too difficult to get. I could see this being done with a combination of some of the easier-to-get motifs (mercenary, assassin's league, Ra Gada, Ashlander) being sold for in-game gold. AP, tel var, and writ vouchers could also be in-game currency utilized, with each currency having it's own distinct range of motifs. This could appease both PvE- and PvP-centric players, and allow them to be sold in guild traders so people who don't PvP can buy AP-restricted motifs, and vice versa.

Idea #2: Instead of "glass" motif fragments dropping as writ rewards, just do "motif fragment". Then you can have the mystics sell resins for each purple style motif. Prices for the individual resins can be priced accordingly, and you could also require more/less fragments depending on the style you need. (Ex. 10 fragments for glass, 4 fragments for mercenary, and 50 fragments for buoyant armiger). As with the glass motif system, the specific weapon/body piece chapter awarded would still be RNG.

Idea #3: Have motif chapters from all motifs drop randomly in chests. This occurs to some degree already, often with extremely low RNG, but some styles are only available by completing dungeons, trials, battlegrounds, etc. This could theoretically add ALL motifs to chest loot. You could make this specific by alliance area, DLC, etc. But having more of them available in chests would allow people access to say... Dro'Mathra, without needing to run Maw.

Again, these are just a few ideas that seem easy enough for ZOS to implement. I'm not saying I advocate for any particular one, or that they're necessarily the best solution. They are just food for thought. My personal choice would be Idea #2, since that directly rewards crafters who are doing writs, while at the same time requiring fragments that aren't the easiest thing in the world to get, but not the most difficult either. This would also allow a secondary market for people who want to sell the fragments as is, without buying the resin to morph them.

Anyway, any feedback is appreciated on this.

Thanks