Elder Scrolls Online Crafting Guide

Intro

Welcome, Tamrielic crafter! Whether you’re a master blacksmith forging legendary weapons or an alchemist brewing potions that could turn the tide of war, this Elder Scrolls Online Crafting Guide is your ultimate companion. In this ever-expanding elder-scrolls-online universe, crafting isn’t just a side activity — it’s one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. From raw ore to enchanted gear, from rare herbs to consumables that make you nearly invincible, understanding the crafting systems is essential for any serious player looking to save gold, gear up on a budget, or even build a profitable trading empire. This guide covers all six crafting skills, the new mechanics introduced in recent updates, and how to maximize your efficiency in every discipline. Let’s get crafting!

Core Mechanics

Crafting Skill	Primary Resource	Key Uses	Best Race Synergy
Blacksmithing	Ore Bars	Weapons & Heavy Armor	Khajiit (+25 Crafting)
Clothing	Cloth & Leather	Light & Medium Armor	Wood Elf (+25 Crafting)
Jewelry	Gems & Gold Bars	Rings & Necklaces	Nord (+25 Crafting)
Alchemy	Herbs & Monster Parts	Potions & Poisons	Dark Elf (+25 Crafting)
Provisioning	Food & Drink Ingredients	Consumables	Orsimer (+25 Crafting)
Enchanting	Runestones & Shards	Enchantments & Gems	Breton (+25 Crafting)

Deeper Dive: How Crafting Levels Work
Each crafting skill starts at level 1 and can reach 50. Every 10 levels unlocks a new crafting bag tier (Iron → Stone → Steel → Silver → Gold → Platinum). At skill level 16, you gain access to the first trait system. At level 50, you earn a Crafting Point (CP) — there are 36 total CPs available across all six skills. CPs unlock passive bonuses that significantly boost your crafting efficiency.

New Features in Demand Update
The latest demand system overhaul has made crafting materials far more dynamic. Material demand fluctuates based on server economy, and rare materials now have seasonal events attached. The new “Mastercrafted” system allows players to apply additional traits to items that already have one, opening up entirely new build possibilities for endgame content.

Step-by-Step

Step 1: Choose Your Crafting Focus

First impressions matter, and so does your initial crafting choice. Don’t try to master all six skills at once — that’s a recipe for frustration and empty pockets. Pick one primary craft and one secondary craft to start. Most successful ESO crafters specialize in two areas. Blacksmithing and Clothing are the most popular duo since armor production has constant demand. If you’re interested in the economy side, Provisioning is low-cost to start and always sells.

Pro tip: Check the local trading hubs before committing. Materials that are abundant in one zone might be scarce in another, affecting your starting costs significantly.

Step 2: Gather Your Starting Materials

Head to the nearest town and purchase a crafting station of your chosen type. Every major city has stations for all six crafts, but some craft worlds (like Davon’s Watch, Vulkhel Guard, and Elden Root) have additional specialized stations. For materials, you have three options:

• Gather them yourself — free but time-consuming
• Buy bulk from other players — fastest but costs gold
• Farm zones efficiently — best balance of cost and speed

Use the map’s gather nodes filter to locate resource-rich areas. Mining zones near mountains, herb gardens near forests, and fish spawning areas near water bodies are your best friends early on.

Step 3: Learn Traits and Templates

At crafting skill level 16, you unlock the trait system. Before you can apply traits to your crafted items, you need to learn them. Visit the trait research table (available at every crafting station) to spend research points. The key insight? Research points carry over between craft types. If you’ve already researched a trait at level 16 in Blacksmithing, you don’t need to re-research it in Clothing — just select the trait during crafting.

Learn the most popular traits first for your craft type. For weapons, Masterful and Infused are top-tier. For armor, Necropoly, Divines, and Well-Fitted see the most use. Don’t waste points on niche traits until you’ve established a solid foundation.

Step 4: Start Crafting and Selling

Begin with the easiest items first. Level 1-10 gear is quick to craft and helps you understand the workflow. As you level your crafting skill, you’ll unlock recipes for higher-level items. Keep a spreadsheet or use an ESO crafting tracker tool to monitor:

• Materials consumed per item
• Gold earned per sale
• Time investment per unit
• Market demand trends

Reinvest your early profits into better materials and higher-level recipes. The compounding effect of smart reinvestment is what separates casual crafters from profitable ones.

Step 5: Maximize with Crafting Points

Once you hit level 50 in any crafting skill, you’ll earn a Crafting Point. Spread your 36 total CPs strategically:

Priority Tier	Recommended CP Distribution
S-Tier (Must-Have)	Research Unlock I, II, III → Free trait research
A-Tier (High Value)	Crafter’s Surge → +40% chance for double materials
B-Tier (Situational)	Quality Craft → Better item quality; Material Yield → More materials gathered
C-Tier (Nice-to-Have)	All other passives depending on playstyle

Research Unlock III alone (costing 3 CPs total) pays for itself in hours of saved research time. Crafter’s Surge is arguably the most valuable single CP for any crafter — imagine doubling your material yields consistently.

Step 6: Optimize with the Demand System

The new Demand system in the latest update means you need to be strategic about what you craft. Check the crafting trade window and sort by demand. Items with high demand and low supply are your golden opportunities. During event periods like the recent High Seas of Tamriel event, themed items and related materials see surges in price. Keep an eye on:

• Seasonal events and limited-time materials
• Patch notes that buff or nerf crafted sets
• Meta shifts in endgame builds that change material needs

Tips

Tip 1: Batch Your Research. Don’t research traits one at a time. Plan ahead which traits you’ll need for the next crafting tier and research them in bulk during downtime. Use the “research everything available” option when you have the points.

Tip 2: Stockpile Rare Materials. When you find rare materials during exploration or dungeon runs, don’t sell them immediately. Hold onto them. Rarer materials like Malachite Ore, Dreamseer Shards, or event-specific components often spike in value during new update releases.

Tip 3: Use the Correct Crafting Stations. Some recipes require specific station types. A regular blacksmithing forge won’t work for mastercrafted weapons — you need a master blacksmithing station. Check your recipe requirements before starting.

Tip 4: Join a Craft Guild. The ESO community is incredibly helpful. Craft guilds on your server share market data, trade materials at reduced prices, and often have craft worlds where you can borrow specialized stations. Many also run material drops and group crafting sessions.

Tip 5: Leverage Provisioning as a Side Craft. Provisioning is the lowest barrier to entry craft. You can make high-demand food and drink using materials you collect naturally while leveling. The profit margins are smaller but consistent, making it a great secondary income stream.

Tip 6: Watch for Set Bonuses. Certain crafted sets have incredible bonuses for specific builds. The Necropoly set (poison resistance + poison damage) is essential for poison-based builds. Well-Fitted (health/stamina recovery) is universally useful. Research these sets and craft them when they’re in demand — they command premium prices.

Tip 7: Don’t Ignore Enchanting. While often overlooked, enchanting is crucial. Runestones and shards are lightweight, easy to transport, and always in demand for upgrading gear. Learning to craft runestones and selling them is a gold-efficient passive income method.

Tip 8: Use the Calendar for Events. Major events bring themed materials, boosted demand, and special recipes. Mark your calendar for events like Ebonheart Feastday, First Seed Festival, and Witches Festival. Stockpile relevant materials before events start — prices typically surge during event weeks.

Tip 9: Master the Auction House Flip. Buy materials when demand is low (usually right after an update when everyone is crafting new gear), hold them, and sell during peak demand. This is especially effective with event materials that expire or become harder to acquire.

Tip 10: Quality Matters. Always craft at the highest quality you can afford. Green (Normal) items have a much smaller market. Blue (Fine) is the baseline for most players. Purple (Master) and above (Ancient, Divine) items fetch significantly more gold and are in high demand for endgame content. The extra material cost is almost always worth it.

FAQ

Q1: Which crafting skill should I start with as a beginner?

Start with Blacksmithing or Clothing if you want to craft gear that’s always in demand. These two skills have the broadest market because every player needs weapons and armor. If you’re more interested in a low-investment craft with steady profits, Provisioning is your best bet — ingredients are cheap, and food/drink sells constantly. Avoid Jewelry initially unless you’re deeply interested in the gem economy, as it has a steeper learning curve and narrower market.

Q2: How do I earn the most gold from crafting?

The gold-making sweet spot is crafting purple-quality items for popular sets and selling them on the vendor platform. Focus on meta-relevant sets (check current endgame builds on community sites), craft in bulk during low-demand periods, and sell during high-demand windows. Supplement this with material flipping — buy undersold materials and resell during events. Crafters who combine production with smart market timing consistently out-earn those who only focus on one approach.

Q3: What are Crafting Points and how should I spend them?

Crafting Points are earned by reaching level 50 in each crafting skill (36 total across all six). Spend them in this priority order: Research Unlock I, II, III (3 CPs) to remove research costs, then Crafter’s Surge (2 CPs) for doubled material yields, then Quality Craft and Material Yield depending on your primary crafts. Don’t spread CPs thin across multiple skills — it’s more efficient to fully invest in 2-3 skills rather than dabbling in all six.

Q4: How does the new Mastercrafted system work?

Mastercrafted is a game-changing addition that allows you to add a second trait to an item that already has a standard trait. This means you can craft a weapon with both a damage