What's the point?

Krobarr · August 2018

OK so I realise there's lots of very keen crafters here - so this question isn't meant to insult anybody's pastime - but I really don't see the point of crafting in ESO. I'm hoping somebody will enlighten me!

I've been a big fan of the Elder Scrolls games since the days of Daggerfall and have always enjoyed the crafting aspect of them, not least because I could make equipment that was way superior to anything I found whilst adventuring. I'm a newcomer to ESO; I played the beta when it came out, wasn't impressed and walked away until like many others nostalgia forced me to buy the Morrowind expansion. Now I enjoy the game; I'm an occasional player with a level 40 mage (or 'sorcerer').

I've invested many skill points into tailoring, woodworking, enchanting, alchemy and most recently jewellery but increasingly feel it's a waste. I can collect and refine materials to make equipment of higher level than my character - but I can't equip it! That's crazy. Why? I made a full set of clothes and a staff to match my level, enchanted them, improved them and then did a dungeon run - three quarters of everything I'd crafted was outclassed by items I looted. A second run made the remainder of my crafted items redundant - I got a full Worms Raimant set and a couple of very nice staves, all matched to my level (which is another bugbear, but hey).

So can somebody please tell me why I should persevere with crafting in ESO? Does it get more useful at higher levels?

Any and all advice most welcome.

Arobain · August 2018

should be pretty obvious, crafting your own gear so you dont have to wait for someone else to do it for you

Krobarr · August 2018

...what? Like a five minute wait for a random dungeon?

Starlock · August 2018

Before the style system, the major reason why I would always run at least one crafted set was to control appearance. I still use it for that somewhat, but am less hamstrung by it. The other major reason is role-playing, which still holds true. I have no interest in being a min-maxing sheep, so I use what fits well with the character concept. Crafted gear is far more easily accessible in general... at least once you have a master crafter and tons of mats stored away. Very useful for me.

Taleof2Cities · August 2018

To the OP’s point, we have been asking for a buff to most crafted 5-piece sets for years.

Some sets are pretty good as is (Hunding’s; Julianos) ... but the vast majority of those sets are substandard.

Wreuntzylla · August 2018

I make ~1M gold a week with crafting.

xericdx · August 2018

Wreuntzylla wrote: »

I make ~1M gold a week with crafting.

this.

Plus crafting for housing, if you like it. Some crafted sets are still very good for either PvP or pve.

From an efficiency/combat perspective, the only things you might want to craft without being cp160 are (just top of my head)
- sets for competitive PvP before CP
- Training sets for speed leveling

Hope it helps

I_B_Squishy · August 2018

I make 500k a week crafting-that's without using a guild store. Using the guild store I make well over 2 million a week. I can do all master writs which comes in pretty handy, and I can upgrade anything.

John_Falstaff · August 2018

@I_B_Squishy , what does generate such cosmic sales? Sets? Or furniture?..

On topic though, I would really want to see more of good crafted sets that can compete with farmed ones, beside the old workhorses, Julianos and Hunding's. Granted, with so many nine trait crafters around, making competitive crafted sets would instantly diminish the drive for endgame content and making them nine trait sets won't help making them a rare commodity anymore, so there's that - but I do see the current state of affairs as a problem still. At best, crafted sets are either niche or a complement to a trial set (I would normally use Hunding's as front bar set in addition to Vicious Ophidian); at worst, those are temporary sets until something farmed - something better - will be available. I find it sad, to be frank.

jimmulvaney · August 2018

This is why I do it, the achievements.

Personally, I am not a fan of hammers as a tank, but I feel like THOR with this one!

megajra · August 2018

Can you tell us what do you craft for selling puposes? I really have no idea what is so high in demand (0.5-2mln per week) ?

kind_hero · August 2018

I had the same questions when I started, and saw how crafting was in the beta (many many days for research, lots of professions, mats, etc). Your "problem" is that you are coming from single player games, with a crafting mindset that works in such games. I have also played Daggerfall. On a side note, I loved how in that game the hero was not a smith or carpenter, but his "crafting" advanced by gaining ranks within certain guilds and thus accessed the services of specialized crafters like spell maker, enchanter, etc. Something like in old legends, where the hero would visit a legendary smith to make him a great weapon or armor.

Crafting will not allow you to make superweapons or gear that will outclass anything you can get in trials or other end game content. It will allow you to have a lot of flexibility, by crafting your own gear, but also will allow you to customize your char's look. Besides that you can have a lot of fun creating objects for your house(s).

Crafting can also be quite profitable, even though I still have to find a way to get there myself

Aeslief · August 2018

Crafting is for furnishing your house.

Also for getting Master writs...to furnish your house.

TheCyberDruid · August 2018

Aeslief wrote: »

Crafting is for furnishing your house.

Also for getting Master writs...to furnish your house.

Yep. It's for achievements and furnishing. A tiny bit is for actually making some sets for your own characters, but then again you can find a crafter to do it easily enough.

K1NGPALM3R1 · August 2018

It is a long process, I have been researching from when I started currently at 7 trait. Be a lot easier being able to do my own gear when I'm done.

Krobarr wrote: »

OK so I realise there's lots of very keen crafters here - so this question isn't meant to insult anybody's pastime - but I really don't see the point of crafting in ESO. I'm hoping somebody will enlighten me!

I've been a big fan of the Elder Scrolls games since the days of Daggerfall and have always enjoyed the crafting aspect of them, not least because I could make equipment that was way superior to anything I found whilst adventuring. I'm a newcomer to ESO; I played the beta when it came out, wasn't impressed and walked away until like many others nostalgia forced me to buy the Morrowind expansion. Now I enjoy the game; I'm an occasional player with a level 40 mage (or 'sorcerer').

I've invested many skill points into tailoring, woodworking, enchanting, alchemy and most recently jewellery but increasingly feel it's a waste. I can collect and refine materials to make equipment of higher level than my character - but I can't equip it! That's crazy. Why? I made a full set of clothes and a staff to match my level, enchanted them, improved them and then did a dungeon run - three quarters of everything I'd crafted was outclassed by items I looted. A second run made the remainder of my crafted items redundant - I got a full Worms Raimant set and a couple of very nice staves, all matched to my level (which is another bugbear, but hey).

So can somebody please tell me why I should persevere with crafting in ESO? Does it get more useful at higher levels?

Any and all advice most welcome.

If you're only level 40 I wouldn't worry to much about getting gear as you out rank it pretty quick. If you havnt reached CP160 yet either you will need to grind even more to hit the cap.

Gear only levels to 160cp then caps. That's where it is best to craft/farm the gear you want.

What server and platform are you on?

ghastley · August 2018

Limited use for combat help on the way to CP, but then:

Make the pieces of crafted sets to fill the exact slots you need
Improve the quality of dropped set items.
Master writs, for the things you can get with the vouchers.

DaveMoeDee · August 2018

I_B_Squishy wrote: »

I make 500k a week crafting-that's without using a guild store. Using the guild store I make well over 2 million a week. I can do all master writs which comes in pretty handy, and I can upgrade anything.

Curious, do you subtract the value of the mats you consume?

DaveMoeDee · August 2018

Value of crafting:

1) Making the best food, drink, potions, and poisons for your character
2) Provisioning passives that make food/drink last longer
3) Alchemy passives that make potions last longer
4) Change enchantment on gear
5) Craft gear that fits character needs. If you aren't dying a lot using gear drops as you level, there is no need to craft a set for a low level character unless you want the training trait to get more xp for kills to level faster. At max level, there are some good crafted sets you can use before you finish drop sets. Examples are Julianos and Torug's Pact.
6) Improve drop gear by refining
7) Change gear traits (need to have done research)
8) Do writs, which can be profitable and can give useful recipes and motifs
9) Craft XP buffs
10) Craft furniture
11) Get master writs, complete them, and use vouchers to buy stuff
12) Craft stuff to sell, like consumables in bulk or gear to-order.
13) Level up hireling for free mats that can be sold for easy money if you don't want to use them crafting
14) Get more valuable mats when farming

kind_hero · August 2018

DaveMoeDee wrote: »

Value of crafting:

1) Making the best food, drink, potions, and poisons for your character
2) Provisioning passives that make food/drink last longer
3) Alchemy passives that make potions last longer
4) Change enchantment on gear
5) Craft gear that fits character needs. If you aren't dying a lot using gear drops as you level, there is no need to craft a set for a low level character unless you want the training trait to get more xp for kills to level faster. At max level, there are some good crafted sets you can use before you finish drop sets. Examples are Julianos and Torug's Pact.
6) Improve drop gear by refining
7) Change gear traits (need to have done research)
8) Do writs, which can be profitable and can give useful recipes and motifs
9) Craft XP buffs
10) Craft furniture
11) Get master writs, complete them, and use vouchers to buy stuff
12) Craft stuff to sell, like consumables in bulk or gear to-order.
13) Level up hireling for free mats that can be sold for easy money if you don't want to use them crafting
14) Get more valuable mats when farming

This should be pinned.

I would also add a feeling of acomplishment when you unlock certain things or create some special items.