CraftingWoodworking GuideforElder Scrolls Onlinewith details on how to level fast and craftShields,Bows,and Staves.Woodworkingis a very similar profession toBlacksmithingandClothingand mostly the same rules apply. The Woodworker vocation is very useful for end game players, because there are some fantastic Sets that have always remained strong (namely Hunding’s Rage and Law of Julianos). Max level in Woodworker also lets you improve any acquired Purple Gear to Legendary Gear, which is extremely valuable to complete end game sets. You can, however, still utilize this vocation as you level up, as the material cost for lower level Crafted Sets is quite minimal. Just keep in mind that until you reach the Champion Ranks, it may be more trouble than it’s worth, as you will quickly “out level” it.
ESO Woodworking Guide: Basics
Woodworking CraftinginESObegins by interacting with anyWoodworking Stationin the world. To get certified and unlockWrits, visitMillenithnear any starting areaFighter’s Guild, Vivec (Morrowind) or Alinor (Summerset).
Writsare unlocked upon completing the quest she gives you. Interacting with Woodworking Station presents 6 options:
Refining convertsRaw Woodworking MaterialsintoWoodworking Processed Materialsthat can be used to craftGear. Raw Woodworking materials come in form of harvestable Branches, usually found near Trees on the ground through out Tamriel. Refining Raw Materials can also yieldResinsused to improve gear. The chance of acquiring Resin increases with theWood Extractionpassive.
Crafting Gear is done in Creation Tab. To craftShieldsclick on Helmet Icon in the top right corner. In order to create an item you need to:
Deconstruct
Deconstruction means destroying an item in order to get materials from it andInspiration(Crafting XP). It is primary way of leveling Woodworking since it gives more Inspiration thanCreation. Keep in mind that you do not get much Inspiration from deconstructing items that you craft yourself, but you do from items others have crafted.
Improvement
Improvement means upgrading item quality. More materials used equals a higher chance of success. Items are destroyed upon failure, so ideally you would want to use enough materials to reach 100%. Improvement materials can be found by deconstructing items and refining Wood.
Traitsare researched through this option. Items can be researched only if they have magnifying glass icon next to it. Upon successful Trait Research, you are given an option to use that Trait in Creation but only for that same piece of equipment you acquired trait from. For example, ifPoweredtrait has been researched from Restoration Staff, you can usePoweredtrait on any future Restoration Staff created.
Blueprints
The Blueprints option is used to createFurnishings. Recipes for more Furnishings drop randomly and can be also bought fromGuild TradersandGuild Stores. These usually require a special material calledHeartwoodin order to create. Heartwood is acquired randomly from looting Wood nodes.
ESO Woodworking:Traits,Crafted Sets&Transmutation
Researching Traits on every piece of equipment is very important for multiple reasons. Firstly, when out in the world you will stumble uponSpecial Crafting Stationswhere you can craftSetsthat give specificSet Bonuses. These bonuses depend on theCrafting Station, and every Set hasTrait Requirements, meaning if you did not research enough Traits for that piece of equipment you wont be able to craft it.
At this crafting station 3 Traits researched for any piece of equipment are needed.
So if I want to craft aBow of Torug’s PactI need to have any 3 Traits researched for Bows. If I want to craft aShield of Torug’s Pact3 Traits must also be researched, but for Shields. Do not forget that at Special Crafting Stations every vocation’s Station will produce the same Set Bonuses. For example if you use theJewelry Stationat this same location,Torug’s Pact RingsandNecklacescan be crafted as well.
Another important aspect of having all Traits researched is that you can utilizeTransmutation. Transmutation offers an option to change Traits on equipment, however, it does bind that item in the process to you.Bound itemsare non-tradeable but can still be deconstructed or used on alternate characters via your Bank. Transmutation can only be done in theClockwork City DLCarea or at any player housing that possesses a Transmutation Station. Visit theHall of Refined TechniquesinBrass Fortressto start Transmuting.
In order to Transmute an item you’ll need:
Transmute Crystals are obtained viaDaily Random Dungeons,Veteran Dungeons,Trials,Undaunted Pledges,PvPandHoliday Events. They usually come in the form ofTransmutation Geodesthat need to be opened via your inventory. The amount each Geode possess is somewhat randomized, with higher quality ones possessing more. Keep in mind that you cannot store more than the cap (200) in your inventory, so don’t open your Geodes if you are already there, as anything higher will be forfeit.
ESO Woodworking Skills
UpgradingWoodworking Skillsis crucial to creating powerful equipment while also being efficient to reduce the leveling grind. Upgrading these passives is done by investingSkill Pointsinto them.Skill Pointsare earned through various means such as leveling up, doingquest chains with skill points as a reward, non repeatabledungeonquests,Skyshardsandranking up in PvP.
Woodworking
Woodworking skill allows the use of higher level materials. It is important to upgrade this ASAP for faster leveling.
Keen Eye: Wood
Keen Eye passive makesRough Woodmore visible by making it glow when nearby. Rough Wood is relatively easy to spot, making this passive optional, but it doesn’t hurt to place one point here if you can spare it.
Lumberjack Hireling
The Hireling passive enables a Hireling to collect Woodworking Materials while a player is offline. Useful for amassing materials for end game, but isn’t required.
Woodwork Extraction
The Woodwork Extraction passive improves the chances of acquiring more and better materials through deconstruction and refinement and also enables refining higher qualityResins. It is important to upgrade this as soon as possible because it helps in acquiring rarer materials needed forImprovement.
Carpentry reduces research times and allows research of more items at once. Useful throughout the game to research as manyTraitsas possible before reaching end game. Place points here whenever you can.
Resin Expertise
The Resin Expertise passive increases your improvement chances. While it is more helpful at endgame, you’re able to place spare points here if you will be crafting gear as you level up.
ESO Woodworking Leveling
The best way to level Woodworking is to deconstruct everything, and doing lots ofDungeonsis the best way of amassing lots of Woodworking gear for said deconstruction. Next to that,Daily WoodworkingWritsare always a nice boost, with the possibility of nice rewards as well upon completion.
The fastestWoodworking Levelingmethod is with afriendor analternate character. Here is step by step guide:
Keep crafting Bows in this order while repeating above steps: lvl 26, 36, 46, CP 10, CP 40, CP 80, CP 100. VisitGuild TradersandGuild Storesif low on materials.
ESO Woodworking Guide: Final Tips
Woodworking in ESOis a rewarding end game vocation where you can craft powerfulShields,BowsandStavesby using harvestedRough Woodaround the world. Woodworking is useful for every role as healers and Light Armor DPS will need Staves. Stamina DPS will need Bows and Tanks will need Shields.
Learn where the best places to farm Wood are, because there are definitely better places than others. Heavily wooded areas are probably the best, but some other areas are known for having a lot of Wood as well (like Clockwork City for example).
Do NOT Refine any more materials than is necessary to craft what you need until you have maxed out the Woodwork Extraction passive. This will give you the highest yield of Rosin, which is used to upgrade Epic quality items to Legendary. These are valuable items, and there is no reason to waste the opportunity to acquire them by processing materials you do not even need.
As with any Crafting Vocation, Inspiration gain can be boosted by 10% fromESO Plus, 10% from theOrc Raceand 20% from theInspiration Boost Champion Skill.
Stay tuned for moreESO Guidesas we take on Crafting, Dungeons, PvP and of course, Builds! Check out ourJewelry Crafting Guide,Enchanting Crafting Guide,Alchemy Crafting GuideandLeveling Guides.
If you want to find out more about the upcoming changes with Update 19 read about them inElder Scrolls Online Wolfhunter Changes: The Age Of The Werewolf. You can also check out the upcoming dungeons inThe Elder Scrolls Online: Wolfhunter Dungeons Preview.
