Elder Scrolls Online: Introduction To Gear Crafting – Woodworking Part I

Woodworking makes staves, bows, and shields. It’s a very important craft line, as the only true healing weapon is the Healing Staff, made in Woodworking. In this three-part guide series I’ll cover everything you need to know about Woodworking, as mapped out below.

Part I:

• Gathering
• Leveling
• Skills

Part II:

• Crafting
• Deconstruction
• Improvement

Part III:

• Research
• Traits

Gathering:

Gathering is the primary means for obtaining the raw material needed for grafting your items. For Woodworking you chop wood that’s on the ground. Unlike other games, you don’t require tools or quests to start gathering. In Elder Scrolls Online, as soon as you find a node you can collect the materials.

Leveling:

Leveling is very simple. Inspiration is the equivalent to experience for crafting, and gained by crafting or deconstructing an item. Your inspiration meter is displayed in the top left corner while using a crafting station.

Skills:

The skills are optional passives that will allow you to do more with your Woodworking.

Woodworking:

This always starts with one point in it, and allows the use of a higher tier material for each additional point spent in Woodworking. There are a total of nine tiers for Woodworking. With each new material, you can craft higher level gear.

• Level One: Free level. At this level you only have access to crafts that use Sanded Maple.
• Level Two: You gain the ability to use Sanded Oak.
• Level Three: You gain the ability to use Sanded Beech.
• Level Four: You gain the ability to use Sanded Hickory.
• Level Five: You gain the ability to use Sanded Yew.
• Level Six: You gain the ability to use Sanded Birch.
• Level Seven: You gain the ability to use Sanded Ash.
• Level Eight: You gain the ability to use Sanded Mahogany.
• Level Nine: You gain the ability to use Sanded Nightwood.

Keen Eye: Wood:

This passive lights up wood nodes for better visibility. Each point spent in this passive increases the range of vision on the glow. You do not get a point in this skill at the start, and it only has three levels. Unlike with Blacksmithing, Woodworking nodes aren’t as easy  to see. Getting Keen Eye early will definitely help you stock up on wood easier.

• Level One: Wood lights up when you’re within 20 meters.
• Level Two: Wood lights up when you’re within 30 meters.
• Level Three: Wood lights up when you’re within 40 meters.

Lumberjack Hireling:

Lumberjack Hireling essential allows you to get free Woodworking items each day. You’re guaranteed to get wood and have the possibility of receiving other items. Each rank grants better chances at higher quality items. I’d recommend putting a point into this as soon as it becomes available. The Hireling can send quality upgrade items to upgrade your gear.

• Level One: Hireling sends you wood and possibly other items every day.
• Level Two: Hireling sends you more wood and possibly better items every day.
• Level Three: Hireling sends even more wood and possibly even better items twice a day.

Wood Extraction:

This passive improves the chance of receiving materials when deconstructing items. Wood Extraction has three levels each one improves the chance more. I’d recommend putting at least one point into this skill to decrease the amount of zero return deconstructions. This skill loses some relevance once you hit max level in Woodworking, unless you plan to use it as a source of income. The material recycling will help keep costs cheap while earning profits.

• Level One: Improves the chance to extract Woodworking materials.
• Level Two: Greatly improves the chance to extract Woodworking materials.
• Level Three: Maximizes the chance to extract Woodworking materials.

Carpentry:

This passive allows the user to have reduced research timers, and increases the amount of traits researched at one time. This passive is for people who really intend to take Woodworking seriously and make money off of it. It is also time limited, once you’ve learned every trait there is no longer a need to have this passive. I suggest getting and maxing this early and then respeccing once you’ve completed researching all traits.

• Level One: Reduces research time by 5% and allows up to two items to be researched at a time.
• Level Two: Reduces research time by 10% and allows up to two items to be researched at a time.
• Level Three: Reduces research time by 20% and allows up to three items to be researched at a time.

Resin Expertise:

This passive improves the success rate of improving gear with resins. This is another skill that will only be needed by the most serious crafters. However, unlike Carpentry, this skill will have the most benefit once you’ve maximized Woodworking. I’d hold off on putting more than one point into this skill untill you can make top tier end game gear unless you have the points to spare.

• Level One: Increases the chance of improving items with resins.
• Level Two: Greatly increases the chance of improving items with resins.
• Level Three: Doubles the chance of improving items with resins.

This wraps up part one of my Woodworking guide covering: Gathering, Leveling, and Skills. Please be on the lookout for part two coming soon. For more guides, be sure to check out the ESO team directory.