The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) offers a vast and intricate crafting system, allowing players to create powerful gear, potent consumables, and exquisite furnishings. To truly master these skills and gain access to daily crafting quests, you’ll need to become certified in each crafting discipline. This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of how to obtain your crafting certifications and embark on a fulfilling journey as a master artisan in Tamriel.
Crafting Certification: Your Gateway to Mastery
Crafting certifications are essential for accessing daily crafting quests, which provide valuable rewards and experience, significantly accelerating your skill progression. These certifications act as a formal introduction to the core mechanics of each crafting profession, ensuring you have a solid foundation upon which to build your expertise. Without certification, you’ll miss out on a significant source of experience and crafting materials.
The Benefits of Certification
Beyond the daily quests, certification offers several key advantages:
- Access to Advanced Recipes: Some advanced recipes and crafting techniques are locked behind certification.
- Improved Resource Gathering: Certification indirectly leads to better resource management as you learn efficient crafting methods.
- Enhanced Profitability: Dailies provide consistent income, and certification unlocks the potential to craft higher-quality items.
- Skill Point Efficiency: The introductory quests often reward skill points, valuable for character development.
Locating the Crafting Certification NPCs
Each of the six primary crafting disciplines – Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Clothing, Enchanting, Provisioning, and Woodworking – has its own certification NPC. These NPCs are located in the major cities of the starting zones for each alliance:
- Aldmeri Dominion: Vulkhel Guard (Auridon)
- Daggerfall Covenant: Daggerfall (Glenumbra)
- Ebonheart Pact: Davon’s Watch (Stonefalls)
It’s important to note that you only need to visit one starting zone, regardless of your chosen alliance. The certification NPCs are available to all players.
Finding the Right NPC: A City-by-City Guide
Navigating a new city can be daunting, so here’s a more detailed breakdown of where to find each certification NPC in the starting cities:
- Vulkhel Guard (Auridon): Look for the crafting areas within the city. The NPCs are typically near their respective crafting stations.
- Daggerfall (Glenumbra): The crafting area is centrally located, making the NPCs relatively easy to find. Check the map for the crafting icons.
- Davon’s Watch (Stonefalls): Similar to the other cities, the crafting area is clearly marked. Consult your map if needed.
Detailed NPC Locations
While specific locations might shift slightly with game updates, the general vicinity remains the same. Focus on the crafting areas of each city, identified by the crafting station icons on your map. Talking to guards or other NPCs can also provide helpful directions.
The Certification Quests: A Step-by-Step Guide
Once you’ve located the appropriate NPC, initiating the certification quest is straightforward. Speak to the NPC and accept the quest. The quest will typically involve crafting a specific item or performing a simple task related to the crafting discipline.
Alchemy Certification
To become a certified alchemist, seek out Danel Telleno. The quest generally requires you to craft a simple potion using readily available ingredients. This serves as an introduction to the alchemy interface and the basics of combining reagents.
The steps usually involve:
- Talking to Danel Telleno.
- Collecting the required reagents (often found nearby or easily purchased).
- Using an alchemy station to create the designated potion.
- Returning to Danel Telleno to complete the quest.
Blacksmithing Certification
Beatrice Cavaro is your contact for blacksmithing certification. The quest usually involves crafting a basic piece of armor or a weapon. This introduces you to the concept of ore refining, ingot creation, and item assembly.
The process includes:
- Speaking with Beatrice Cavaro.
- Obtaining iron ore (often from nearby ore nodes).
- Refining the ore into iron ingots.
- Using a blacksmithing station to craft the specified item.
- Returning to Beatrice Cavaro to finalize the certification.
Clothing Certification
For clothing certification, find Millenith. The quest generally requires you to craft a simple piece of clothing using raw materials like jute or flax. This teaches you about fiber processing and garment construction.
The steps are:
- Talking to Millenith.
- Gathering jute or flax fibers (usually found in the surrounding area).
- Refining the fibers into cloth scraps.
- Using a clothing station to create the specified clothing item.
- Returning to Millenith to complete the certification.
Enchanting Certification
Eyeceriath handles enchanting certification. The quest typically involves extracting glyphs from found items and then using those glyphs to enchant a piece of equipment. This introduces you to the concepts of rune extraction and glyph application.
The process involves:
- Speaking with Eyeceriath.
- Finding an item with an existing enchantment (often easily purchased from vendors).
- Using an enchanting station to extract the glyph from the item.
- Obtaining a blank glyph (often readily available from the enchanter).
- Applying the extracted glyph to the blank glyph.
- Enchanting the specified item with the newly created glyph.
- Returning to Eyeceriath to complete the certification.
Provisioning Certification
Nisha is the NPC for provisioning certification. The quest usually requires you to prepare a simple dish using gathered or purchased ingredients. This introduces you to the concept of combining ingredients to create food and drink items.
The steps include:
- Speaking with Nisha.
- Acquiring the necessary ingredients (often found near water sources or purchased from vendors).
- Using a cooking fire to prepare the specified dish.
- Returning to Nisha to finalize the certification.
Woodworking Certification
For woodworking certification, seek out Falion. The quest usually involves crafting a basic wooden item, such as a shield or a staff. This teaches you about wood refinement and item construction.
The process is:
- Talking to Falion.
- Obtaining rough wood (often found near trees).
- Refining the wood into planks.
- Using a woodworking station to craft the specified item.
- Returning to Falion to complete the certification.
Accessing Daily Crafting Quests
Once certified in a crafting discipline, you unlock the ability to accept daily crafting quests from specific NPCs. These NPCs are typically located near the crafting stations in major cities. Completing these dailies rewards you with experience, gold, crafting materials, and sometimes even rare recipes.
Finding the Daily Quest Givers
The daily crafting quest givers are usually distinct from the certification NPCs, although they may be in the same general area. They are often identified by a distinct quest marker.
Daily Quest Variety
Daily crafting quests vary depending on the discipline and the specific quest giver. They may involve crafting specific items, gathering particular resources, or delivering finished goods to a designated location.
Example Daily Quests
- Alchemy: Craft a specific potion for a local healer.
- Blacksmithing: Repair a damaged piece of armor for a guard.
- Clothing: Craft a piece of clothing for a merchant.
- Enchanting: Enchant a weapon for a soldier.
- Provisioning: Prepare a meal for a group of travelers.
- Woodworking: Craft a shield for a city guard.
Maximizing Your Crafting Potential
Crafting in ESO is a journey, not a destination. Once certified, focus on continuously improving your crafting skills and exploring new recipes and techniques. Invest skill points wisely, research traits diligently, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
Tips for Aspiring Artisans
- Join a Guild: Guilds offer valuable resources, crafting stations, and a supportive community.
- Research Traits: Researching traits on items allows you to craft items with specific bonuses.
- Harvest Resources Regularly: Gathering resources is essential for crafting, so make it a habit to collect materials as you explore.
- Utilize Crafting Writs: Crafting writs are repeatable quests that offer experience and valuable rewards.
- Invest in Crafting Skill Lines: Maximize your crafting potential by investing skill points in the relevant crafting skill lines. These skill lines offer numerous benefits, including improved resource gathering, reduced crafting costs, and access to advanced crafting techniques.
By following this guide and dedicating yourself to the art of crafting, you can unlock your inner artisan and become a master crafter in the world of the Elder Scrolls Online. Remember to enjoy the process and embrace the opportunities for creativity and self-expression that crafting provides. Happy crafting!
What are crafting certifications in ESO, and why should I get them?
Crafting certifications in The Elder Scrolls Online are essentially quests that prove your basic competence in a particular crafting skill line: Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Clothing, Enchanting, Provisioning, or Woodworking. Completing a certification unlocks daily crafting writs for that skill line, offering a steady source of experience, gold, and valuable crafting materials.
Certification streamlines your crafting progression. It allows you to skip tedious early leveling through mass-producing low-level items and jump directly into relevant, daily quests that reward you for applying your crafting skills. These writs provide essential resources for advancement and mastering your desired crafting disciplines.
How do I obtain crafting certifications in ESO?
Crafting certifications can be obtained from specific NPCs located in the starter cities of each faction: Davon’s Watch (Ebonheart Pact), Vulkhel Guard (Aldmeri Dominion), and Daggerfall (Daggerfall Covenant). These NPCs, typically named trainers or guild members related to each crafting profession, will offer you an initial certification quest.
To begin, simply travel to the appropriate city and locate the crafting trainers. Accept the certification quest offered by the NPC for the skill line you wish to certify in. The quest will usually involve creating a simple item or performing a basic task to demonstrate your understanding of the crafting process.
What are crafting writs, and how do they relate to certifications?
Crafting writs are daily quests that require you to craft specific items for delivery. They are the primary benefit of crafting certifications, becoming available once you’ve certified in a particular crafting skill line. These writs offer a repeatable source of experience, gold, crafting materials, and inspiration for research.
Without certification, you cannot access these daily crafting writs. Earning certification unlocks the ability to accept a daily writ for that specific craft, leading you towards a consistent source of rewards and contributing towards the master writs necessary for obtaining unique crafting motifs and recipes.
Are there any level or skill requirements to obtain crafting certifications?
There are no specific level requirements to obtain crafting certifications. Even characters created at level 1 can immediately head to the appropriate city and seek certification in their desired crafting skills. This makes it an accessible benefit for new and experienced players alike.
However, it’s beneficial to at least have some basic familiarity with the crafting interface and processes. While the certification quests are relatively simple, understanding the basic mechanics of crafting, like resource gathering and item creation, will make the process smoother and more intuitive.
Can I get certified in all crafting skills on one character?
Yes, you can absolutely get certified in all six crafting skills on a single character in The Elder Scrolls Online. There are no restrictions preventing you from pursuing multiple crafting professions simultaneously, or dedicating your character to mastering all aspects of crafting.
This versatility allows players to specialize in a wide range of crafting activities, maximizing their potential for crafting writ rewards, resource gathering, and even creating a self-sufficient character who can create virtually anything they need. It also lets you experiment with different crafts.
What are Master Writs, and how do they relate to standard crafting writs?
Master Writs are special, high-level crafting quests that require exceptional skill and often involve crafting intricate and valuable items. Unlike regular crafting writs, which provide consistent daily rewards, Master Writs are rarer and offer significantly greater rewards upon completion, often in the form of Writ Vouchers.
Standard crafting writs contribute indirectly to obtaining Master Writs. By consistently completing daily crafting writs and reaching the maximum skill level in a craft (level 50), you will increase your chances of receiving a Master Writ as a random drop when completing a normal writ. The chance is very low, however.
What are Writ Vouchers, and what can I do with them?
Writ Vouchers are a special currency earned by completing Master Writs. They represent proof of exceptional craftsmanship and are highly valued by crafting vendors. They are the ultimate reward for your skill and dedication to crafting.
Writ Vouchers can be exchanged for a variety of valuable items and services from specialized vendors known as Mastercraft Meditators. These vendors offer unique crafting recipes, motifs, furnishings, and other exclusive items that are unobtainable through any other means, including specific crafting stations.