A half-harvested node will definitely despawn in 5 minutes.
But there is no certainty that anything will spawn in same spot after a predictable amount of time regardless of whether you left it partial or looted it completely.
Yes, I saw the video attached, but it does not match my own testing, at all.

Reivax wrote: »

I bet that there are x potential node respawn spots on a map, and y active nodes at any given minute.
If there are 100 potential spots on a map, maybe there are only 50 active at any given moment.
When one node despawns either by looting or decay, another pops up in a randomly chosen unoccupied potential spots.

Yes. That's the case, afaik.

Reivax wrote: »

A half-harvested node will definitely despawn in 5 minutes.
But there is no certainty that anything will spawn in same spot after a predictable amount of time regardless of whether you left it partial or looted it completely.
Yes, I saw the video attached, but it does not match my own testing, at all.

There's a place in the Gold Coast where I run a route to farm metal nodes, and I'm able to loot a node every 5-10 seconds without ever missing a node. These nodes always spawn in the exact same locations and as soon as their respawn timers have ended. I've farmed this place for years because the nodes will literally respawn like clockwork, and there's never any other players around to compete with. I'd record a video to prove this, but I'd rather not have a bunch of other players running this route, because it's my "quiet place" and I'd like to keep it that way...

Reivax wrote: »

I bet that there are x potential node respawn spots on a map, and y active nodes at any given minute.
If there are 100 potential spots on a map, maybe there are only 50 active at any given moment.
When one node despawns either by looting or decay, another pops up in a randomly chosen unoccupied potential spots.

I'm guessing, using an example like yours: large zones have 100 potential spots but only 50 nodes are active at once, while small zones only have 50 potential spots and all 50 nodes are active at once. In other words, the number of potential spots depends on the size of the zone (or how many spots zos decided to put in that zone), but the number of active nodes is the same regardless of the number of potential spots.

And I think that's why the starter zones are so good for farming: the zones are small, they have a lot of nodes close to each other, and the nodes respawn quickly because they're all active at once i.e. there are no unoccupied potential spots.


Here's a video showing that metal nodes in the Gold Coast will always respawn at the same locations and as soon as their respawn timers have ended:

The thing that brought me here was trying to farm an antiquity lead that drops only from Psijic portals in S. Elsweyr. I kept trying to figure out some kind of predictable route I could run in and check every so often.
There's so few people there, I figured the route would have to loop back on itself to hope that the rune node I just harvested would respawn as a psijic portal
I have not been able to figure out anything predictable with S. Elsweyr, and/or rune nodes there... it's been frustrating.
And all for a damned pair of heavy boots I'll never use anyway, lol

The chests are annoying but partially looted piisic portals are a real pain. It's been over a week since I've run into one that had any amber.

How long does it take for these portals to respawn if not fully looted? As far as I know they don't. They sit there with the good stuff gone and a new one doesn't spawn.

As least with the chests I know that someone has already looted because the lock is picked. The portal I have no idea.

I propose to introduce a TIMER of one minute after opening the lock. During this time, you can completely empty it or throw away unnecessary loot and take loot from the chest. One minute is enough. If you leave the chest unlooted - a ban for 15/30 minutes. This way we will get rid of ignorance and teach them to respect other players.

Redguards_Revenge wrote: »

ShadowPaladin wrote: »

N00BxV1 wrote: »

Here is proof of a metal node's normal respawn time, and the extended respawn time if it's only partially looted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81HU7nFNLvc

I'm not about to sit around and test other nodes, treasure chests and heavy sacks. But I assume they all have similar respawn mechanics.

I can verify that what you have tested is the same for world treasure chests. If you loot them completely a new chest will spawn at one of the chest locations within a few min. If you do not loot it completely, it will take quite some time until it despawns and the normal spawn timer kicks in.


To all others...

The best solution for this whole *why I don't loot nodes and chests completely* and *you should loot them* discussion is that the devs code a *FORCED* auto-loot for those two things (nodes & chests), which the player can not turn off. With that all players would always loot nodes and chests completely !

How does one auto loot with no space in their inventory? ROLF.

I won't waste my time destroying things in my inventory just to make space for loot I don't want. Go tell an ESO+ player to pick it up with their craft bags. It doesn't cost them any space and therefor, the time they pick it up cuts the despawn/respawn times.

Even if they forced me to loot on a full back and break items in my inventory, i'd just log off and log back in to clear the lock. Heck, I might just log off.....

Every time you see a partially looted item, know it's from a player who has either started the game or does not have ESO+. There is no UNIVERSE where I FEEL BAD LEAVING PARTIALLY LOOTED things.

Tell ZoS to make a destroy all button, or tell ESO+ members to walk around looting partially looted things. Either way, I am not at fault here. I am just playing the game as intended.

Luckily now all the items in the mail gets auto deleted. That was a relief. If only I could pick out the transmute geodes and leave the rest in the mail to be deleted.

The only thing that goes in the craft bag is style mats. Not gear.