General:Ask Us Anything: Crafting

Originally published March 10, 2014. The original article can be found here.
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We’ve gathered up your questions about crafting for this week’s article.

In ESO, you’ll have the opportunity to spend as much time creating useful items as you like. Become a provisioner, alchemist, enchanter, or smith—or all four! With so much crafting to do (there are three types of smiths), we knew you’d have plenty of questions for us, so we’ve collected some of them to answer right here. Read on to find out more details about ESO’s in-depth crafting system.
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''In the video, you said that special crafting stations that create various set pieces are scattered throughout the world. Do the different alliances have different crafting stations and therefore different sets?

You’ll find the same set crafting stations in all three alliance territories, though they aren’t always easy to find! No alliance has sets exclusively for itself. These special stations can be found in PvE zones of comparable level, but that’s all we’ll give away.


After watching the video “Forging in Tamriel,” I wonder what the effects are when you improve a weapon or armor.

Improving a weapon or an armor piece increases its damage done or its armor value, respectively. Any traits built into that item are also improved, making upgrades very worthwhile.


I read that you can only "master" two crafting skills. Can I master two crafting skills while still being capable of using the other crafting skills? I do so love the ability to be a bit of a jack of all trades.

If you choose to do so, you can advance in or even master every crafting profession we have—just keep in mind that skill points are limited. A skill point spent in crafting is one you didn’t spend on a combat skill that you might want on the battlefield, so make sure you consider your choices carefully.


''How will crafted gear compare to dungeon loot and PvP rewards? I hope the crafting system won’t be there just to do something when you're bored, but that it will contribute to the economic health of the game.''

Crafted gear of the same level and same quality as gear found in the world is almost always better. For instance, if you find a level 22 sword of fine quality, but your friend crafts a level 22 sword of fine quality, the damage done by the crafted sword is going to be slightly better. However, some of the gear you find in the world will have unique enchantments or set bonuses crafters cannot replicate. Still, a crafter might be able to take that dropped item and make it even better while retaining the unique enchantment.


Can special sets be mixed and provide two or three special set bonuses?

With seven pieces of armor plus weapons, you can wear two complete sets with three-piece requirements. Our higher level sets might have a five-piece requirement, though, making it harder for you to get every bonus from two sets.


Will crafting skill lines provide their own passive and active abilities?

These skill lines don’t have active abilities; they come with a nice set of passives to choose from. For example, you can spend points to get a hireling who will gather crafting materials for you or for an increased chance to extract better materials when you deconstruct an item or refine resources.


Am I right that an armor has a style, a material, and then any bonuses applied to it—so for example, an Altmer could make Altmeri armor out of ebony or Dwarven ingots as well as moonstone?

You are right. As a smith, you choose an armor style from amongst those you’ve learned (every character can craft the style of his or her own race from the beginning) and a trait. You have to research traits first by studying (and destroying) an item with that trait. If you don’t know any traits for the item you want to craft, you can craft it without traits. Last, but not least, you have to pick the material and the quantity of material you want to use. This defines the level of the item you create.


I noticed that, while adventuring, you tend to accumulate a lot of items, crafting materials, etc. In the beginning your inventory space is set to a certain limit and you can upgrade it, but even those upgrades feel less spacious after a while.  So I was thinking that maybe there could be a skill or an item you could buy that would allow you to summon a Merchant Representative you could buy from and sell to, and one that was a Banker Representative that would allow you to access your bank.

While there is no known spell that can summon a merchant to your position, all you need to do is to check the main roads outside towns and villages, where you can find several wandering merchants to help you clear out some inventory space. Bankers, on the other hand, never leave the safety of the cities.


Are you able to enchant an item that already has an enchantment if you don’t like its attributes?

Not always. Some enchantments can’t be replaced. This is represented on items with a lock icon above the enchantment. However, any player-crafted enchantment can be replaced. Traits on items are permanent, though.


Are you able to find every crafting material in the overland world of Tamriel, or are there materials you only find in special dungeons or as drops from certain bosses?

Every material can be found either in barrels, crates, etc. or can be harvested from the resource nodes you find all over the world (as well as in dungeons).


How can I get a style book?''

Style books tend to be found in the occasional desk or cupboard, but there may be other places. You’ll have to discover them for yourself! If you’re a member of a guild, don’t forget to see if your guild mates have had any luck finding them by browsing the Guild Store. Style books can be traded, so ask around.