Crafting Guide
Crafting in The Elder Scrolls Online is a fun, interesting activity that can help you create items for your characters but also make a lot of Gold!
In total there are seven professions a player can level up and master as a crafter.
Blacksmithing – Clothing – Woodworking – Jewelry Crafting – Alchemy – Enchanting – Provisioning.
Each one of these professions can be used to create different items in the game, from armor and weapons to stat-altering Food to powerful Glyphs.
The highest level of every Crafting Profession in ESO is 50 and to master them, time, gold and dedication is required.
Table of Contents
- Crafting Certification and Writs
- Crafting Professions
- Research
- Crafted Sets, Traits & Motifs
- More Crafting Info
- Other Guides to Read
Crafting Certification and Writs
You can acquire the skill line for every crafting profession simply by interacting with the appropriate crafting station. But to become an efficient crafter, you have first to become certified in the professions that interest you.
Certification gives you access to Daily crafting quests, called writs, that can reward you with gold, crafting materials, surveys and Master Writs.
Certification
To become certified you have to visit two NPC in your Alliance’s main starter city, Vukhel Guard, Davon’s Watch or Daggerfall.
The first NPC is Millenith in the Fighters Guild that can help you become certified in Blacksmithing, Clothing and Woodworking.
The second NPC is Danel Telleno in the Mages Guild that can help you become certified in Alchemy, Enchanting and Provisioning.
Finally, to become certified in Jewelry Crafting you must have access to the Summerset DLC and visit Alinor. Right outside the city’s main crafting area you can talk to Felarian to begin the certification process.
This certification process is nothing more than a short quest for each profession that will teach you how to collect materials, refine them, create items and deconstruct them.
Writs & Rewards
Once you have finished the quest and are certified, the daily writs of each profession will become available to you.
Again those are simple crafting quests asking you to craft specific items based on your profession level and allocated skill points. When you are done crafting them you can deliver them to the appropriate area in the city you are and collect the rewards.
The higher your level in a profession the better items you will be asked to craft and the better your rewards.
These rewards can include Survey Reports and Master Writs.
Survey Reports will send your around Tamriel to collect specific materials in greater quantities and for that reason they are valuable to crafters.
Master Writs are even more valuable. Master Writs will ask you to create high quality items and will reward you with Writ Vouchers, a special in-game currency.
You can trade Writ Vouchers with specific NPC located at your Alliance’s Capital, Elden Root, Wayrest or Mournhold, for special items, recipes, Motifs.
Crafting Professions
Blacksmithing
Blacksmithing is used to create metal Weapons and Heavy Armor. Ore is its crafting material and we are using Tempers to improve the quality of items.
It has six Passive skills you can invest skill points in and become better.
Metalworking: Allows the use of better crafting Materials
Keen Eye Ore: Allows you to find Ore nodes easily in the world
Miner Hireling: Assigns an assistant to you that sends you materials periodically
Metal Extraction: Increases the chance to extract materials and tempers when refining
Metallurgy: Reduces the research times and increases the number of items you can research at the same time.
Temper Expertise: Reduces the number of Tempers required to improve items.
Clothing
Clothing is used to create Light and Medium Armor. Cloth and leather are its crafting material and we are using Tannin to improve the quality of items.
It has six Passive skills you can invest skill points in and become better.
Tailoring: Allows the use of better crafting Materials
Keen Eye Cloth: Allows you to find Cloth nodes easily in the world
Outfitter Hireling: Assigns an assistant to you that sends you materials periodically
Unraveling: Increases the chance to extract materials and tannins when refining
Stitching: Reduces the research times and increases the number of items you can research at the same time.
Tannin Expertise: Reduces the number of Tannins required to improve items.
Woodworking
Woodworking is used to create Bows, Staves and Shields. Wood is its crafting material and we are using Resin to improve the quality of items.
It has six Passive skills you can invest skill points in and become better.
Woodworking: Allows the use of better crafting Materials
Keen Eye Wood: Allows you to find Wood nodes easily in the world
Lumberjack Hireling: Assigns an assistant to you that sends you materials periodically
Wood Extraction: Increases the chance to extract materials and resins when refining
Carpentry: Reduces the research times and increases the number of items you can research at the same time.
Resin Expertise: Reduces the number of Resins required to improve items.
Jewelry Crafting
Jewelry Crafting is used to create Rings and Necklaces. Ounce is its crafting material and we are using Platings to improve the quality of items.
It has five Passive skills you can invest skillpoints in and become better.
Engraver: Allows the use of better crafting Materials
Keen Eye Jewelry : Allows you to find Jewelry nodes easily in the world
Jewelry Extraction : Increases the chance to extract materials and platings when refining
Lapidary Research: Reduces the research time
Platings Expertise: Reduces the number of Platings required to improve items.
The above four Crafting Professions are almost identical in their process, sharing the same crafting interface.
In total there are six Tabs.
The first is Refine, where we refine raw materials to crafting materials.
The second is Creation, where we actually create, craft items.
When in this tab you can choose the piece you wish to craft, the material you are going to use, which determines the level of the item, its style which depends on the Motifs you know and its Trait, which is very important since it gives to every piece a special effect.
The third is Deconstruct, where we destroy items to take back materials and special items ( Tempers, Tannins, Resins, Platings ).
The fourth is Improvement, where we improve the quality of items by using Tempers, Tannins, Resins or Platings depending on the profession.
The fifth is Research, where we research items to learn their traits.
The sixth is used for Furniture Crafting.
Alchemy
Alchemy is the profession we use to create Potions and Poisons. In order to make those we combine Solvents with Reagents.
It has six Passive skills you can invest skill points in and become better.
Solvent Proficiency: Allows the use of better solvents
Keen Eye Reagents: Allows you to find Reagents easily in the world
Medicinal Use: Increases the Potions’ effects duration
Chemistry: Allows the creation of more Potions/Poisons with every craft
Laboratory Use: Allows the use of up to three reagents when creating Potions/Poisons
Snakeblood: Reduces the negative effects of potions up to 100%
Alchemy is basically a combination of Reagents to create different Potions/Poisons. Each reagent has four Traits that when combined with other create a different result every time.
Your first priority when starting to level up Alchemy, is to learn all traits of every reagent.
You can learn the first trait for each reagent simply by eating that reagent.
To level up Alchemy fast, use a two-reagent cheap combination to make potions. Once you get more levels invest points to use better solvents and keep creating Potions using the same reagents.
Enchanting
We are using Enchanting to create powerful Glyphs. Potency, Aspect and Essence Runestones are combined together to create different Glyphs for Armors ,Weapons and Jewelry.
It has five Passive skills you can invest skill points in and become better.
Aspect Improvement: Allows the use of better quality Aspect Runestones
Potency Improvement: Allows the use of higher level Potency Runestones
Keen Eye Runestones: Allows you to find Runestones easily in the world
Hireling: Assigns an assistant to you that sends you materials periodically
Runestone Extraction: Increases the chance to extract runestones from Glyphs
We combine Potency, Essence and Aspect Runestones to create Glyphs for our Weapons, Armor and Jewelry.
Potency Runestones determine the type and level of a Glyph, Aspect Runestones its quality and Essence Runestones its effect.
Different combinations give very different results.
To level up Enchanting fast make sure to use unknown Runestones until you have learned them all. Discovering what each Runestone does, boosts your experience gained.
Use the highest known Potency Rune along with the highest Quality Aspect Rune you can afford to create Glyphs and level up.
Always Extract the Glyphs you make while leveling to get back Runestones.
Provisioning
With Provisioning we make Food and Drinks that can alter our stats and boost our attributes. There are several ingredients we can use to make food and drinks, from normal cooking materials to even Alchemy Reagents.
Provisioning is also used to create Experience Boosting beverages to help you level up faster your characters’ level.
It has seven Passive skills you can invest skill points in and become better.
Recipe Quality: Allows the use of higher quality recipes
Recipe Improvement: Allows the creation of higher level Food and Drinks
Gourmand: Increases the duration of Food
Connoisseur: Increases the duration of Drinks
Chef: Allows the creation of more Food per craft
Brewer: Allows the creation of more Drinks per craft
Hireling: Assigns an assistant to you that sends you materials periodically
The most common way to find provisioning ingredients and recipes is by checking barrels, crates and even stealing them from houses or NPC around Tamriel!
To start your cooking career visit the inn/tavern at your starting location and buy all the recipes available from the Brewer and Chef.
Like this you can start completing Daily Writs and level up this profession.
Research
Research is a rather big and important part of crafting for Blacksmithing, Tailoring, Woodworking and Jewelry Crafting.
How many Traits we have researched and which, determines what we can craft. Every crafted item has nine traits and in order to master its crafting process we have to learn them all.
To research a trait you use an item with that specific trait. To learn the Divines Trait for Heavy Armor Chest, for example, you have to research a Heavy Armor that has the Divines Trait already.
The item is destroyed in the process. How fast you can research Traits and how many Traits you can research at the same time depends on the skill points you have invested in the appropriate Passive skill.
It can take a few hours to learn your first Traits and up to a month to learn your last ninth Trait.
There are scrolls that can reduce the time it takes you to research an item. You can buy those scrolls from the Crown Store or get them as daily login reward or even buy with Writ Vouchers.
Researching Traits for jewelry Crafting is slightly different in the way that you can only research one trait at a time regardless your profession level and the skill points you have invested in its passive skills.
The fastest way to level up these four professions is by deconstructing items you find and do not need to use or keep for research. The higher the level and quality of an item the higher your experience gains.
Crafted Sets, Traits and Motifs
Crafted Sets
These are Armor Sets that you can only get by crafting. Every zone in the game has its own unique crafted Sets and in order to craft them you have to visit their stations’ location.
These Sets require you to know a specific number of traits before you can craft them. A 5 Traits Crafted Armor Set for example, will require you to know five traits for every one of its pieces you wish to create.
So if you wish to create a Medium Armor Chest with the Divines trait you must have researched its Divines Trait and four more of your choice.
Armor Traits
These are the Traits you can craft body armor with :
Nirnhoned – Increases Physical and Spell resistance
Divines – Increases Mundus Stone Effect
Infused – Increases Armor enchantment
Sturdy – Reduces Block cost
Impenetrable – Increases Critical resistance
Reinforced – Increases armor value
Well-Fitted – Reduces the cost of sprinting and roll dodge
Training – Increases experience gained
Invigorating – Increases Magicka/Health/Stamina recovery
Weapons Traits
These are the Traits you can craft weapons with :
Powered – Increases healing done
Charged – Increases the chance to apply status effect
Precise – Increases weapon and spell Critical
Infused – Increases weapon enchantment and reduces enchantment cooldown
Defending – Increases Physical and Spell resistance
Training – Increases experience gained
Sharpened – Increases Physical and Spell penetration
Decisive – When you gain Ultimate you have a chance to get one additional Ultimate
Nirnhoned – Increases weapon damage
Jewelry Traits
These are the Traits you can craft rings and necklaces with :
Healthy – Increases Max Health
Arcane – Increases Max Magicka
Robust – Increases Max Stamina
Bloodthirsty – Grants up to 350 Weapon and Spell Damage against targets under 90% Health
Harmony – Increases effectiveness of synergies
Infused – Increases enchantment effects
Triune – Increases Max Health, Magicka and Stamina
Protective – Increases Spell and Physical resistance
Swift – Increases Movement Speed
Motifs
Motifs determine the style of armor and weapons you can create.
You can check your Lore Library to see how many Motifs you already know. To craft an item with a specific style you also must have a crafting stone from that style.
If you lack the stone for a specific style you wish to craft, it is possible to use a Mimic Crown Stone instead, if you have any.
Motifs and their crafting stones can be “farmed” from the areas that drop items in a specific style.
Motifs can also be bought from the Crown Store or other players.
More Crafting Info
You can find and harvest crafting materials for every profession around Tamriel. Or you can choose to buy them from other players instead and focus on the actual process of crafting.
The materials you find depend on your allocated skill points in every profession.
Even if you do not have the required skills maxed out, it is possible to find top level nodes.
To be efficient when harvesting materials you need to unlock Plentiful Harvest and Master Gatherer with Champion Points.
Plentiful Harvest gives you a chance to gain double the yield from nodes while Master Gatherer reduces your gathering time.
Fortified Nirncrux and Potent Nirncrux that are required to create Nirnhoned Armor and Weapons, can only be found in the zone of Craglorn.
Finally some useful Addons that will help you with crafting include :
Lazy Writ Crafter: Picks up all available Daily Writs and allows you to craft them by pressing one button!
Research Grid: Allows you to keep track of your researches and known Motifs.