Elder Scrolls Online: How things work - Ultimate How to-Guide

In this guide, i'll reveal some tips how some things in Elder Scrolls Online works. At first, many things, such as picking locks might seem confusing, but in fact they are one of the simplest in MMOPRG - games.

1. Lockpicking

This mini-game might feel confusing and hard at first, but it definitely ain't. All you have to do, is push pins down with action button (mouse 1 / attack) until the pin starts to tremble and vibrate. (You'll hear a little shaking sound effect too) Immediately release pin and if it stays in place, you have unlocked that pin.

Then you proceed to next pin, until you have unlocked all pins. Simple locks have 30 seconds timer and lockpicks doesn't break as easily as harder locks.

2. How to gain in-game guild skill-lines?

One of the first things to do when you arrive in your starting zone from the starting islands, is to join in-game guilds, Fighters Guild, Mages Guild and Undaunted. 

They can all be found in first city you'll enter.

Aldmeri Dominion = Vulkhel Guard in Auridon
Ebonheart Pact = Davon's Watch in Stonefalls
Daggerfall Covenant = Daggerfall

When you join these guild, you start immediately leveling guild skill-lines too and you make sure you won't miss anything.

3. How does skills level?

Different skills levels bit differently. In a nutshell, gaining XP levels the active skills and skill-lines. Only skills and their related skill-lines in your active weapon bar will level, when you gain XP from finishing a quest for example.

Class skill-line levels faster the more skills are slotted from that skill-line.
Weapon skill-line levels faster the more skills are slotted from that skill-line.
Armor skill-line levels faster the more armor you wear of the same armor type. Active armor skill will improve skill-line leveling, if it is slotted.
Undaunted skill-line levels by doing group dungeons and certain dungeon-related achievements.
Fighters Guild skill-line levels by killing daedra and undead. Fighters guild skills doesn't affect skill-line leveling.
Mages Guild skill-line levels by reading lorebooks. Slotting Mages Guild abilities doesn't affect skill-line leveling.

4. How to enter Cyrodiil?

Once you hit level 10, you are eligible to enter Cyrodiil and start competing in PvP world. You will get in-game mail to be invited to Cyrodiil, once you reach level 10.

By default, pressing L opens the Alliance War menu. Select Campaign tab up-right. First you must select home and guest campaign. I recommend Below level 50 - Blackwater Blade - campaign for beginners.

Once you have selected your campaign, right-click the campaign name and select "Travel to campaign." If there is no lock icon, you can travel to Cyrodiil.

5. How to level crafting and why you should?

Crafting is important skill, if you want to make some money and be able to craft the most powerful crafted item sets possible.

Instead of selling basic armors / weapons you have looted, deconstruct them to get the most crafting XP.

Once you open crafting station (Blacksmithing / Woodworking / Clothing) first you can refine materials, if you have collected over 10 raw materials of the same type.

Next step is to create the item you want. Without any points spent into crafting skill-line, you can craft first level (Iron / Rawhide / Jute) items up to level 14. After level 14, you need skill point to be able to craft bigger level items.

Remember: Most crafting XP you get by deconstructing items, not creating them.

6. Enchanting: How do i craft glyphs?

You need three types of enchanting runes to make glyph. If you do have 1 of every type, you can make glyph assuming you have maxed out your enchanting skills.

It may look confusing, but enchanting is very simple process once you discover the mechanics.

Potency runes are square shaped and determines level of the glyph and if the glyph is either additive (for example add XX stamina regen) or subtractive (reduce XX stamina cost)

Essence runes are trapezoid shaped and determines what the glyph will do. (Add certain type of damage, max attribute, boosts your resistance etc.)

Aspect runes are round shaped and determines how powerful the created glyph will be.

Example of additive level 1 rune:

Jora + Deni + Ta = White quality add XX stamina

Example of subtractive level 1 rune:

Jode + Deni + Ta = White quality absorb XX stamina

7. How to craft potions?

First you need to gather water (solvent) which determines the level of potion and ingredients (reagent) which determines the quality of potion.

You reveal first trait of ingredient (flowers / mushrooms) by "eating" or using the ingredient. Once you have mixed reagents of the same trait, you can craft potion. You will reveal more traits as you combine and craft different reagents together.

Creating a Tri-Pot (Restore health / stamina / magicka) there are several different choices. This is one:

Columbine + Bugloss + Dragonthorn

7. How to craft Set items?

Set items can be crafted in special crafting locations throughout Tamriel. This is good map of set crafting station locations

To be able to craft set items, you must have researched certain amount of different item traits.
List of traits in Elder Scrolls Online

Set items gives different bonuses depending how much you have equipped of the same set.

8. How to research items?

When you obtain loot (weapon / armor of any type) it may have trait on it. Instead of deconstructing this item, you can research it on any corresponding crafting station. Once you open crafting station, there is tab for "RESEARCH."

You will see how many items you haven't researched yet and how many you can research (3 being maximum / skill line)

Researching takes time, so make sure your research queue is at maximum all times!

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Leave a comment, if you feel there's more that needs explaining. I might do more of these!

Elder Scrolls Online - Money Making Guide

In MMORPG - games, earning money is not an easy task. This guide aims to ease the money making process. There's no shortcut to success, unless you're as lucky as Frane Selak

1. Steal Stuff

Stealing is the easiest way to start earning cash. You can interact with fence 50 times / day when first gaining the legerdemain skill-line.

Basic items you steal, will be worth of 40 gold. So if you steal 50 basic items, you'll get total of 2000 gold each day. Green items you steal are rarer, but worth of 100 gold each. Blue loot is worth of 250 big ones!

And you have a change to get your hands on something very rare and valuable, that you can launder and sell to other players.

When you reach legerdemain rank 3, you can upgrade interactions with fence to 100 / day. So you'll be needing muscles just to carry all that gold you gain.

2. Farm Nirncrux & Perfect Roe

Nirncrux (both potent and fortified) can only be found in Craglorn. Players of any level can enter Craglorn now, and even though it can be challenging place for lower level players, there are nodes (Ore / Lumber / Clothing Materials)  that can be reached avoiding contact of enemies.

Nirncrux is very rare and powerful trait material. Highest level players are happy to pay for Nirncrux, so they don't have to farm them.

Perfect Roe is used to make Psijic Ambrosia, the experience booster drink that gives 50% more experience points for 30 minutes.

Perfect Roe is acquired from filleting fishes and is extremely rare. Ratio to acquire Perfect Roe from filleting a fish is about 3/200.

So start fishing. And players do fish lot, so selling stacks (200) of fishing baits (worms, guts, crawlers, insect parts) earns you some coin too.

3. Harvest Plants

When poisons were added to the Elder Scrolls Online and ever increasing use of different potions, alchemy reagents are highly valuable stuff nowadays.

Best selling plants are Columbine, Bugloss, Corn Flower, Mountain Flower and Water Hyacinth.

Collect them in neat 10-25 stacks and sell them.

4. Harvest crafting material

When you are out there adventuring, make sure you harvest every crafting node (Ore / Lumber / Clothing material) and deconstruct every armor that you don't use. You'll be leveling your crafting skills and getting lot of crafting materials to sell.

Quality of crafting nodes scales 50% of your character's level and 50% of your character's crafting level.

5. Level your crafting skills

Master crafters are wanted people. When you can craft high-quality armor and armor sets, you can sell your ability to craft with modest price.

With these tips, you'll be among the richest people of Tamriel in no time!

Leave a comment, if you want to share your tips of making gold.