Trait Mastery: From Novice to Master Crafter!
By Aurora Arrowsong
Are you ready to discover the world of trait research and speed up the process? This guide will help you to do so! Fair warning: mastering all the traits is a marathon, not a sprint, due to the number of items and traits that need research. So, grab a snack, your favorite drink, and let’s begin!
What are Traits?
Traits are special properties added to weapons, armor and jewels. Each has different traits, for example, a weapon can have the sharpened trait but a piece of armor cannot. Each trait is tied to a unique gemstone, making it essential to gather the right materials. Traits can enhance your gear, like boosting the experience you earn when killing enemies. The better the quality of your item, the better the trait’s effect:
⦁ White (Normal) – 70% increased chance to apply status effects.
⦁ Fine (Green) – 80% increased chance to apply status effects.
⦁ Superior (Blue) – 90% increased chance to apply status effects.
⦁ Epic (Purple) – 100% increased chance to apply status effects.
⦁ Legendary (Gold) – 110% increased chance to apply status effects.
Why Research Traits?
Researching traits is the key to unlocking crafted sets. These sets require you to have a certain number of traits researched before you can create them. If you want to make the most of your crafting abilities, trait research is unavoidable.
For example:
⦁ The Order’s Wrath Set requires three traits, making it one of the easier sets to craft and it is beginner-friendly.
⦁ The New Moon Acolyte Set requires you have all nine traits researched for the pieces you want to craft.
Pro tip: You don’t need all nine traits for every item, just the ones you plan to use!
Researching traits it's not just for the hardcore end-game players! There are plenty of useful sets in the base game that can serve you well until you score powerful gear. Besides, having crafting skills means you can upgrade overland or guild store purchases on your own—talk about self-sufficiency!
Trait Research Process
Here’s how to get started with researching a trait:
⦁ Find an item with the trait you need to research (for example, a bow with the Precise trait). You can get the items purchasing them from Guild Stores, in overland chests, running dungeons...
⦁ Go to the corresponding crafting station (Blacksmithing, Clothing, Woodworking, etc.).
⦁ Select the Research Icon from the crafting interface.
⦁ Choose the item to research—keep in mind that researching it will destroy the item!
Each trait you research increases the time needed for the next one. The more you know, the longer it takes to learn the next trait—the struggle is real!
Research Time Breakdown (Without Passives)
Here’s a summary showing how long it takes to research each trait, assuming you haven't invested in the passives that reduce time, which you absolutely should do in case you plan to research traits. In the next paragraph we will explain how to reduce these crazy hours!
⦁ 1st Trait: 6 hours
⦁ 2nd Trait: 12 hours
⦁ 3rd Trait: 24 hours
⦁ 4th Trait: 48 hours
⦁ 5th Trait: 96 hours (4 days)
⦁ 6th Trait: 192 hours (8 days)
⦁ 7th Trait: 384 hours (16 days)
⦁ 8th Trait: 768 hours (32 days)
⦁ 9th Trait: 1536 hours (64 days)
That’s a total of 3066 hours (128 days) per crafting skill line to research all traits—unless, of course, you use one of the time-saving methods which we show below:
Optimizing Your Trait Research
No matter how well you plan it, trait research is a time-consuming process. But with this guide, you'll learn the most efficient ways to level up and reduce downtime. So, if you're ready to be the boss of your crafting game, roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work!
There are different ways to reduce the grind. Here's a breakdown of your best options:
⦁ ESO Plus Subscription
As a member of ESO Plus, you get a 10% reduction in research time. It might not seem like a lot, but every minute counts when you’re staring at a 64-day timer!
⦁ Instant Research Scrolls
These scrolls, available in the Crown Store, can instantly reduce your research times. Keep an eye on the Daily Login Rewards too, as sometimes these scrolls are offered for free.
⦁ Crafting Skill Line Passives
Each crafting profession in ESO has a passive skill that reduces research time and allows you to research multiple items at once.
⦁ Blacksmithing: Metallurgy
⦁ Clothing: Stitching
⦁ Woodworking: Carpentry
⦁ Jewelry Crafting: Lapidary Research
Investing points here is a must if you want to unlock multiple traits faster and avoid waiting for a single sword to finish researching before moving on to a shield.
What are Trait Gems?
To add a trait to a crafted item, you’ll need a Trait Gem. Every trait corresponds to a specific gem (e.g., Amethyst for the Charged trait). When crafting, using a Trait Gem is optional, unless you're crafting a set-bonus item—then you’ll need one gem for each trait added.
Here is a summary of all gems available in the game:
How to Get Trait Gems
Trait Gems can be obtained in a few different ways:
⦁ Looting Containers
⦁ Refining Raw Materials – You have a chance to receive a Trait Gem when refining materials.
⦁ Deconstructing Items – This is the most reliable way to get a Trait Gem! When you deconstruct an item, you have a chance to get the Trait Gem that matches the trait of the item.
Deconstructing items is generally the best route if you’re after specific Trait Gems, and higher-quality items (green, blue, etc.) offer better chances than basic white ones.
TraitBuddy: Your Essential Crafting Add-on
TraitBuddy is a must-have add-on for anyone serious about trait researching and crafting in general. This tool allows you to easily track which traits you've learned and which ones you still need to research. No more guesswork or unnecessary mistakes!
Crafting and Researching: A Quick Recap
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You can only research one item at a time per skill line unless you have invested in passive skills. Make sure you spend those skill points!
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Each piece of equipment has its own set of traits to unlock (for example, Blacksmithing has 126 traits to research and Jewelry Crafting has 18 traits).
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Researching a trait not only allows you to craft better gear but also lets you change traits on existing gear (once you’ve unlocked it).
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Be cautious when choosing which items to research, as the process will destroy the item.
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In short, mastering crafting in ESO requires a bit of patience, a lot of time, and maybe the occasional Instant Research Scroll. Should you have any questions please contact us on discord on in game, we will be happy to help you.
Happy crafting!