Elder Scrolls Online - Crafting Guide - First Steps

This is part of our Elder Scrolls Online Crafting Guide for New Players.

Now that you have created your Crafters, here are some very first things to do to get them ready.

Stage I - Levelling and Certification
The main objective is to be Level 6 and certified in all crafts so you can do all Daily Writs.

• If you are under Level 6, you can still be certified but only in your first Alliance city (e.g., for Ebonheart Pact it would be Davon's Watch) and not for Jewelry, which is certified only in Alinor (Summerset).
• Once you are Level 6, the daily writ boards will have quest markers.

• Before you even start levelling:
• Take the first skill from each of your class skill lines. Doing Daily Writs also gives XP, so as you do them you can start levelling all three class skill lines.
• Get some armor so that as you get XP, you can also level up your Armor skills. Some good places are:
• Hollow City in Coldharbour
• If you can't find a guild member there, often guild crafting halls will be based on the Coldharbour Surreal Estate because of its open layout. Teleport to someone's Coldharbour home then exit and you will be in Coldharbour. Remember to discover the wayshrine so you can get there later.
• A lot of basic gear can be found in the tents around Cold Iron Forge, the pavilion with Blacksmithing, Clothier, and Woodworking stations.
• The starter areas - Where you land after exiting Coldharbour at the end of Soul Shriven in Coldharbour
• Join the Dark Brotherhood - One easy kill required
• The Blade of Woe that comes with this skill line is very useful for characters that will essentially be non-combatants as you can instantly kill certain targets without really engaging them at all.
• For the murder target, Carlotta Censorinus is at the beach near the docks. You can draw her slightly away and murder her. If you are moderately careful you can return to the docks for the next stage of the quest or just wait out your bounty before going back. Then head to the lighthouse to turn in the quest to Terenus and unlock the skill line.
• Levelling with Skill Unlocks - No combat necessary
• Join the Fighter's Guild
• Join the Mage's Guild
• Join the Undaunted
• The quest-giver should also mark the required dungeon on your map, thereby giving you exploration XP. If they do not, try dropping the quest and speaking with them. One of the other members nearby should also be able to mark two more dungeons for more exploration XP.
• You are told to go to the dungeon. You simply need to enter (you can just teleport in from a Wayshrine) and the quest will be ready to turn in. You do not need to enter with Group Finder, nor do you need to complete the dungeon.
• Crafting Certification with Danel and Milleneth
• You can do these certifications at any level but you cannot pick up the Daily Writ quests until you are level 6.
• To prepare for them, get some trash white items for Blacksmithing and Woodworking for the deconstruction stage.
• Alchemy - Save the first Sip of Health you craft. You can pass it around to your other Crafters for their Certification even though they did not personally craft the potion.
• Blacksmithing - Save the dagger you craft as it could be used in a Rank I Daily Writ. Deconstruct something else.
• Clothier - Deconstruct the glove you make (or save it for another crafter to deconstruct, for slightly more Inspiration) since gloves are not part of Daily Writs.
• Enchanting - Save the glyph you make as it could show up in a Rank I Daily Writ.
• Provisioning - Save the first Roast Pig you craft. You can pass it around to your other Crafters for their Certification even though they did not personally craft the meal.
• Woodworking - Save the bow you craft as it could be used in a Rank I Daily Writ. Deconstruct something else.
• Jewelry Crafting Certification with Felarian in Auridon
• Until you are level 6, Felarian will not be in the game world for the character. Do whatever you have to in order to reach level 6 by the time you get to him in Auridon. Simply riding around from 
• At a very low level it's unlikely you can get a piece of jewelry to deconstruct, so if you can't, just deconstruct the ring you make.
• If you like you can grind to level 12 for the Bag Space Upgrade.
• If you have enough gold, start on Mount Training for Capacity to slowly and cheaply increase your bag space. At level 29 you get one free Riding Lesson, so you can stop at 59/60 and use that free lesson later for 60/60.

Stage II - Prioritize Crafters

Assuming you have a crew of Supporting Crafters, take some time to prioritize them: Basically, get organized about who will receive the most resources and attention, and for which crafts.

Typically your Main Crafter will receive the most resources (e.g., Intricate items and no-sale-value trash items for deconstruction), but in the early game when you have a shortage of Skill Points, you may have separate Supporting Crafters master skills that do not require a lot of commitment, such as Alchemy and Enchanting, which do not require Trait Research, Motifs, or Recipes.

Stage III - Hirelings and Inventory Management

The main objective is to start collecting materials and get a comfortable surplus so that you do not find yourself having to suddenly grind for materials to complete your Daily Writs. But you also want to plan how you want to manage your inventory long-term, especially if you don't want to be subscribed all the time for the Crafting Bag.

• As items for deconstruction become available to advance Blacksmithing, Clothier, Enchanting, and Woodworking, cycle through your Crafters to get those skills to level 3 for Hireling Rank 1.
• Most white gear has zero gold piece (0gp) value when sold to an NPC vendor. Pick them up for deconstruction. You might get lucky and get one unit of a material or a Style Stone.
• White gear that has gold piece value when sold to an NPC usually has a trait. You are probably better off selling that as you are still highly unlikely to get any materials back.
• Green, Blue, and Purple gear have large deconstruction value. Before doing so, check if they have a good Set/Trait combination and are likely to sell for a lot in a Guild Store. The Tamriel Trade Centre (TTC) Add-On can help you gauge that at a glance.
• Cycle through your Crafters again to get those skills to level 12 for Hirelink Rank 2.
• The Provisioning Hireling can be delayed:
• Provisioning materials are generally easy to stock if you get in the habit of looting every container you come across.
• The first Hireling isn't till level 28, and that is very far off.
• The materials you get from the Provisioning Hireling are typically common materials that you can randomly collect anyway -- except Purple Provisioning materials. Fortunately, you don't need many of them compared to the number of Provisioning Writs you get.
• Do get the Hirelings started as soon as possible however, as you want to start collecting purple Provisioning materials soon. And as you learn more recipes, those materials from the Hirelings can be transformed into food for sale and to push more Supporting Crafters to reach Hirelings.