TheoryCRAFTING is a series of articles where I examine an Elder Scrolls Online theory, crafting, and or both.
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Introduction
In this article, we look at the viability of crafting minions, characters used to generate income and resources actively and passively using crafting passives and doing crafting dailies.
Definition
A crafting minion a term I use to describe a character that is used to generate income or resources using crafting passives. The character may or may not be used in adventuring.
The effectiveness of the minions will depend on how many skill points (SP), you invest and how often you logon to the character(s).
The efficiency of your minions can be improved by specializing tasks like refining materials on one, increasing the number items made on another, and pre-making items needed for writs
Minion Progression
As you invest more skill points into your crafting minion(s), the more benefit you will receive.
Tip: Start researching your equipment crafting traits (infused, divines, bloodthirsty, etc.) as soon as possible to increase your chance of getting sealed writ rewards later.
Survey Minions
Survey minions actively do lowest tier crafting writs to generate gold (based on adventure level), survey maps (locations of high yield nodes of raw crafting mats), and resource boxes. Resource boxes are always materials they need for writs.
Without any skill points invested, you can unlock crafting dailies (writs) at level 6 by completing the short certification quests.
Locate Danel Tellano and Millenth in your starter town (usually by the Mages’ and Fighters’ Guilds or the bank) to become certified in most of the professions. Jewelrycrafting is unlocked outside the crafting area in Alinor, Summerset.
Tip: To maximize your yield from harvesting your survey maps, you will want to unlock the Plentiful Harvest passive, , and to maximize your refined yield you will want to your crafting profession extraction passives.
Hireling Minions
Hireling minions earn resources passively by just logging on to the character. By investing 1 to 3 skill points in the professions with hirelings, you will receive crafting mats everyday (plus a cool little story) in the mail.
Professions will have to be levelled up to max out the hirelings passives to even the best rewards and more often. You can respec after levelling your professions to free up skill points for other uses
Notes:
Equipment profession hirelings unlock at level 3, 12, and 32. Provisioning hirelings unlock at 28, 38, and 48. Professions will have to be levelled up to max out the hirelings passives to even the best rewards and more often.
Good for characters created for additional storage and are accessed daily to level their mount training.
Best low maintenance option: just logon (and move to bank if don’t have crafting bag).
Hiring timer addons can help remind you.
Tip: a good complementary passive skill for a hireling minion is the Shadowy Supplier passive found in the Dark Brotherhood skill line. You can logon / off at the Shadowy Supplier, found in the Outlaw refuges when unlocked, to collect hireling mail and your Toxin Satchel of Alchemical Reagents.
Consumables Minions
Consumables Minions actively do top tier crafting writs to generate gold, survey maps, and purple / gold crafting materials. They have one or more consumable professions at maximum proficiency.
Tip: Crafter can pre-make items made for writs and share with others. Here are the items you need: Alchemy Writs, Enchanting Writs, Provisioning Writs.
Consumable professions can be levelled up in less than 40 minutes with enough skill points and crafting materials and also reward rare provisioning ingredients, provisioning recipes, soul gems, and green enchanting glyphs.
Related: Spoiler: Alchemy Leveling , Spoiler: Enchanting Leveling, Spoiler: Provisioning Leveling
Consumable profession achievements are also easy to obtain which increases your chances of earning sealed master writs. Collect purple and gold recipes increase chances of earning provisioning writ.
Tip: See Master Writs article to see factors that increase your chance of obtaining Sealed Master Writs.
Sealed writs can be sold, used for levelling characters, or completed to earn vouchers.
Tip: I suggest following order: Alchemy > Enchanting > Provisioning. Fewest skill points, fastest powerleveled, and easiest achievements to obtain.
Consumables+ Minions
Consumables+ Minions actively do top tier consumables crafting writs and at least one equipment writ and their have professions at max proficiency.
Tip: Here are the items you need: Alchemy Writs, Blacksmithing Writs, Clothier Writs Enchanting Writs, Provisioning Writs, .
Equipment daily rewards also include repair kits, ornate items, and intricate items. Intricate items are great for leveling equipment professions on other characters.
Start collecting complete sets of motifs* to increase chance of sealed writ rewards
Tip: I suggest: Blacksmithing > Woodworking > Clothing > Jewelry
*Crown store exclusive and basic styles to not apply.
Master Minions
Writ minions have maxed out all professions, completed all trait research, and all major crafting achievements to maximize their chances of the best crafting writ rewards.
These are the most lucrative crafting minions were a lot of gold can be made by selling improvements items (kuta, tempering alloys, dreugh wax, rosin, etc) and sealed master writs often found in the rewards boxes
Tip: Do you writs in towns with writ boards near the turn-in NPC. Avoid loading screens. Popular towns are Mournhold (Deshaan), Stormhold (Shadowfen), Rawl'kha (Reapers' March), Vivec City (Vvardenfell), and Alinor (Summerset Isle).
Conclusions
You can turn unused characters into incredible money makers and sources of resources.
You can generate a lot of income doing writs on multiple minions
Daily gold rewards 15 characters = 69,000g
As a member in guild traders in popular locations, you can earn week sales of approximately 1,000,000+ gold by selling seal writs, and gold improvement items.
When you have a large bank account, you may start buying mats for surveys instead of collecting surveys to use your time doing other activities
Crafing add-ons will make the tasks far less tedious and much faster
DO YOUR WRITS!