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| Ultra-High Graphics |
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| High Graphics |
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| Medium Graphics |
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| Low Graphics |
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| Minimum Graphics |
Check out my character side-by-side!
And no, none of the pictures has been blow up; all are at the original size when screen-caped in ESO.
As we play The Elder Scrolls Online and learn the little nuances of the game, we will write up our knowledge here for everyone to have!
Saturday, April 5, 2014
The Differnce in Graphics
While ESO is playable on most computers when set to the Minimum graphics level, there is a HUGE difference in what the game could and should look like, if you have the graphics card to handle it. Take a looksie.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Crafting: An In-Depth Overview
Crafting is sort of a big deal in ESO. In my opinion, crafting is going to be the difference between how the explorers and lore-lovers make money, versus how the quest-plowing, mob-slaying tanks make money. I'll go into more detail about each crafting skill at a later date. In the meantime, here are some good articles on how to navigate some of the different crafting stations:
Provisioning (aka Cooking)
Cooking in ESO is drastically different than in past TES games. In ESO, you need ingredients as well as recipes in order to make food. I have yet to explore this skill, as it is cumbersome to carry around all sorts of ingredients in hopes of coming across a recipe to use them in. There is also the ability, on top of cooking food, to brew beverages as well. Food and beverages will no doubt serve the purpose of restoring health, magika, and stamina, but to what extent they will make competition for potions, I don't know.
Ingredients
There are a variety of cooking ingredients you can find around ESO, but they can easily be confused with fishing bait and alchemy ingredients. The way to tell if something is for cooking is to check the description of the item, which will specify what it is used for. Provisioning skill can be increased quickly simply by eating ingredients, I believe. Don't hold me to my word on that.
Recipes
In order to cook in ESO, you not only need the ingredients, but also a proper recipe. Recipes are found around the world and resemble parchment or scrolls laying open. Once you pick a recipe up, you must go into your inventory and use the item in order to learn the recipe. The recipe will then disappear from your inventory. On top of needing a recipe, certain recipes require more Provisioning skill than others. I will assume this is the same with both cooking and brewing recipes. So if you're willing to put in the effort to get a recipe, have the skill, and gather the ingredients, feel free to try your hand at cooking!
Alchemy
Alchemy is ESO is pretty standard compared to past TES games, but with a few noticeable differences. For one, you need water to make potions, and there is water for higher level potions and water for lower level potions as well. On top of that, you need to have previously learned the effect of an ingredient before it can be used to make a potion. I haven't played around much with this skill yet, but I don't believe you need to know a recipe like with cooking.
Water
Just from looting Coldharbour so intently and being the type of person to open every crate I run by, I've gathered a lot of different waters. The one I find the most (Natural Water) says it's used for level 3 potions. When I went to craft a potion, however, I had no known ingredient effects so I had nothing I could do. I'll be looking into this a lot more.
You can harvest water from the wilderness just like you can harvest ingredients. In ponds, there may sometimes be a spot that's bubbling like there's an invisible waterfall right there. This is where you can harvest water, no bottles required. Like I stated before, there are different qualities of water that can be found.
Ingredients
Just like in past TES games, potion ingredients are found most easily by travelling through the wilderness. However, one major difference in ESO that really drives me up a wall is that not every flower or mushroom is harvestable. In fact, the majority are just for looks. You can tell a decorative flower apart from an alchemy flower by the fact that decorations usually come in a bunch, like a few bushes or flowers bunched together, while alchemy ingredients tend to be on their own in a little bundle out in the open. Just like with Blacksmithing, these ingredients that you see are also available to everyone else, and once someone harvests them they're gone.
The fasted way to level up in the Alchemy skill is by eating your alchemy ingredients. Unlike past TES games, eating the ingredient doesn't have any effect on your character, but instead just allows you to learn of that ingredient's effects and characteristics. So while you're too low an Alchemy level to make good potions, just munch on those alchemy ingredients and level up your Alchemy skill while on the go.
Enchanting
Enchanting in ESO is different than in past TES games. Now, Soul Gems are used for resurrecting yourself when you die right where you died, instead of having to be resurrected at the nearest Wayshrine. In enchanting, you need Runestones, and of course, something to enchant.
Runestones
Runestones, like most everything needed for crafting, is found out in the wilderness. They're mostly found near ruins or civilizations. These Runestones have what's called Aspect Runes inside, which are what is used for enchanting. Note that enchanted weapons can be deconstructed at other crafting stations, but these stations don't yield any Aspect Runes by doing so. In order to enchant an item, you need three Aspect Runes: one of each shape. There are round Aspect Runes, square Aspect Runes, and irregular hexagon Aspect Runes (looks like a triangle with the points cut off). The effect of the Aspect Runes is unknown when you harvest them; I have not been able to enchant anything so I do not know how one finds out their effects, but I will assume you learn by using them.
Woodworking
Woodworking is one of three crafting skills that are clumped together as simply the blacksmithing skill in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The other two skills are Clothing—which is used for making clothes, robes, and light armor—and Blacksmithing—which is used for making metal armor and weapons. With the Woodworking skill, you can make bows and staffs, as well as shields. For Woodworking, you need wood and a special stone/gem for the racial style of the weapons/shield.
Wood
Wood is a harvestable item that you will come across when adventuring. It resembles a small log just laying around in the forest. You can purchase a perk that will make these logs more obvious. However, you'll be in competition with all the other players; if someone else harvests the log, it's gone for good. There are all sorts of different types of wood, which vary in the quality of items they'll create. As it is logical, the more difficult the quests and mobs are in an area, the rarer and better quality harvestable wood there will be.
Special Stones/Gems
In ESO, there are never going to be normal weapons or armor; they all have a different racial style/influence. That being said, you must give all weapons or armor you craft a style, and this is where these special stones/gems come in. You can find these gems just looting crates and dressers around the world, and sometimes you may receive them when smelting ore, but the best way (as easiest way) to find these special stones/gems is by deconstructing weapons and armor, which usually gives you ingots and a few extra items (usually special stones/gems). There are 15 different stones/gems, which means 15 different styles to construct (the 10 races in-game plus 5 more, probably Dwemer and the like).
There is a catch, however. At first, you can only construct weapons and armor in the style of your own race, meaning Dark Elves can only construct Dunmer style and Nords can only craft Nordic style. In order to craft in other styles, you must first break down weapons or armor from that style in order to "learn" it. So crafting can be a bit difficult at first when you have all sorts of stones to craft in different styles, but can't seem to come across the stone of your own race. This "learning" new styles is something we are going to look into as to how exactly it works.
Blacksmithing
Blacksmithing in this game is only used for metal-working. Want to make leather armor or bows? That's two completely other crafting skills. What was once just Blacksmithing in TES V: Skyrim is now three different skills: Blacksmithing for metals, Woodworking for wooden weapons, and Clothing for leather and fur armor. The things you'll use in blacksmithing include raw ore, extra weapons and armor, and special stones and gems. The skill can be tricky to get started in, but will no doubt be priceless as you get better and better at it, and will help keep your pocketbook jingling.
Raw Ore
Raw Ore is found while adventuring, and always found near other rocks. You can purchase a perk that will make these ore spots more obvious. However, you'll be in competition with all the other players; if someone else mines the ore than it's gone for good. If you just run around and keep your eyes peeled, you'll end up finding a lot of raw ore to mine. There are all sorts of different types of ore, which vary in the quality of items they'll create. As it is logical, the more difficult the quests and mobs are in an area, the rarer and better quality ore there will be.
Extra Weapons and Armor
When you end up with a ton of extra weapons and armor from killing mobs and looting chests, you're better off deconstructing them at a blacksmithing station then selling them for some extra gold. Deconstructing weapons is the best way to gain Blacksmithing experience, and always is the easiest way to get the special stones/gems that you need to make your own weapons. It's better not to sell 10 iron swords for 200 gold, when you can break them down and construct a cuirass worth 600 gold.
Special Stones/Gems
In ESO, there are never going to be normal weapons or armor; they all have a different racial style/influence. That being said, you must give all weapons or armor you craft a style, and this is where these special stones/gems come in. You can find these gems just looting crates and dressers around the world, and sometimes you may receive them when smelting ore, but the best way (as easiest way) to find these special stones/gems is by deconstructing weapons and armor, which usually gives you ingots and a few extra items (usually special stones/gems). There are 15 different stones/gems, which means 15 different styles to construct (the 10 races in-game plus 5 more, probably Dwemer and the like).
There is a catch, however. At first, you can only construct weapons and armor in the style of your own race, meaning Dark Elves can only construct Dunmer style and Nords can only craft Nordic style. In order to craft in other styles, you must first break down weapons or armor from that style in order to "learn" it. So crafting can be a bit difficult at first when you have all sorts of stones to craft in different styles, but can't seem to come across the stone of your own race. We tried having me (a Breton) craft armor in a Breton style, and then give it to Nick (an Argonian) to break down, but he didn't learn the style, so this is obviously something that is going to need more looking into.
Clothing
The Clothing skill is not just for fancy robes and homespun breeches, it's how you make leather and fur armor as well. Like I stated before, what used to be Blacksmithing in TES V: Skyrim is now three different skills: Blacksmithing for metals, Woodworking for wooden weapons, and Clothing for leather and fur armor. So don't pass this skill up just because you aren't one to walk around in citizens' clothing. The materials used in clothing that I have come across so far is hide, jute, and, of course, the special gems/stones for the racial style of the armor. I don't know if these stones are needed for making normal clothes, though.
Hide/Jute
There are many types of materials that can be used to make clothing/armor, and the rarer the material, the better clothing/armor it makes. Hide Scraps are pretty easy to come across, and I've found it in the most abundance on the starter island for the Aldmeri Dominion. There seems to be two different qualities of hide scraps you can come across, including Raw (normal) and Foul (less than normal). Foul Hide Scraps can not be used for crafting, but only sold to merchants, while Hide Scraps can be refined into Hide. Jute is a flower, like the alchemy harvestables, but is used for Clothing instead of Alchemy. It is the lowest level type of material that can be used.
Special Stones/Gems
In ESO, there are never going to be normal weapons or armor; they all have a different racial style/influence. That being said, you must give all weapons or armor you craft a style, and this is where these special stones/gems come in. You can find these gems just looting crates and dressers around the world, and sometimes you may receive them when smelting ore, but the best way (as easiest way) to find these special stones/gems is by deconstructing weapons and armor, which usually gives you ingots and a few extra items (usually special stones/gems). There are 15 different stones/gems, which means 15 different styles to construct (the 10 races in-game plus 5 more, probably Dwemer and the like).
There is a catch, however. At first, you can only construct weapons and armor in the style of your own race, meaning Dark Elves can only construct Dunmer style and Nords can only craft Nordic style. In order to craft in other styles, you must first break down weapons or armor from that style in order to "learn" it. So crafting can be a bit difficult at first when you have all sorts of stones to craft in different styles, but can't seem to come across the stone of your own race. This "learning" new styles is something we are going to look into as to how exactly it works.
http://elderscrollsonline.info/guides/cooking-eso-provisioning-guide
http://elderscrollsonline.info/guides/blacksmithing-beginners-guide
Provisioning (aka Cooking)
Cooking in ESO is drastically different than in past TES games. In ESO, you need ingredients as well as recipes in order to make food. I have yet to explore this skill, as it is cumbersome to carry around all sorts of ingredients in hopes of coming across a recipe to use them in. There is also the ability, on top of cooking food, to brew beverages as well. Food and beverages will no doubt serve the purpose of restoring health, magika, and stamina, but to what extent they will make competition for potions, I don't know.
 |
| The Cooking Station Menu |
Ingredients
There are a variety of cooking ingredients you can find around ESO, but they can easily be confused with fishing bait and alchemy ingredients. The way to tell if something is for cooking is to check the description of the item, which will specify what it is used for. Provisioning skill can be increased quickly simply by eating ingredients, I believe. Don't hold me to my word on that.
Recipes
In order to cook in ESO, you not only need the ingredients, but also a proper recipe. Recipes are found around the world and resemble parchment or scrolls laying open. Once you pick a recipe up, you must go into your inventory and use the item in order to learn the recipe. The recipe will then disappear from your inventory. On top of needing a recipe, certain recipes require more Provisioning skill than others. I will assume this is the same with both cooking and brewing recipes. So if you're willing to put in the effort to get a recipe, have the skill, and gather the ingredients, feel free to try your hand at cooking!
Alchemy
Alchemy is ESO is pretty standard compared to past TES games, but with a few noticeable differences. For one, you need water to make potions, and there is water for higher level potions and water for lower level potions as well. On top of that, you need to have previously learned the effect of an ingredient before it can be used to make a potion. I haven't played around much with this skill yet, but I don't believe you need to know a recipe like with cooking.
 |
| The Alchemy Station Menu |
Water
Just from looting Coldharbour so intently and being the type of person to open every crate I run by, I've gathered a lot of different waters. The one I find the most (Natural Water) says it's used for level 3 potions. When I went to craft a potion, however, I had no known ingredient effects so I had nothing I could do. I'll be looking into this a lot more.
You can harvest water from the wilderness just like you can harvest ingredients. In ponds, there may sometimes be a spot that's bubbling like there's an invisible waterfall right there. This is where you can harvest water, no bottles required. Like I stated before, there are different qualities of water that can be found.
 |
| Harvestable Water |
Ingredients
Just like in past TES games, potion ingredients are found most easily by travelling through the wilderness. However, one major difference in ESO that really drives me up a wall is that not every flower or mushroom is harvestable. In fact, the majority are just for looks. You can tell a decorative flower apart from an alchemy flower by the fact that decorations usually come in a bunch, like a few bushes or flowers bunched together, while alchemy ingredients tend to be on their own in a little bundle out in the open. Just like with Blacksmithing, these ingredients that you see are also available to everyone else, and once someone harvests them they're gone.
 |
| Decorative Plants; non-harvestable |
 |
| Harvestable Plant |
The fasted way to level up in the Alchemy skill is by eating your alchemy ingredients. Unlike past TES games, eating the ingredient doesn't have any effect on your character, but instead just allows you to learn of that ingredient's effects and characteristics. So while you're too low an Alchemy level to make good potions, just munch on those alchemy ingredients and level up your Alchemy skill while on the go.
Enchanting
Enchanting in ESO is different than in past TES games. Now, Soul Gems are used for resurrecting yourself when you die right where you died, instead of having to be resurrected at the nearest Wayshrine. In enchanting, you need Runestones, and of course, something to enchant.
 |
| The Enchanting Station Menu |
Runestones, like most everything needed for crafting, is found out in the wilderness. They're mostly found near ruins or civilizations. These Runestones have what's called Aspect Runes inside, which are what is used for enchanting. Note that enchanted weapons can be deconstructed at other crafting stations, but these stations don't yield any Aspect Runes by doing so. In order to enchant an item, you need three Aspect Runes: one of each shape. There are round Aspect Runes, square Aspect Runes, and irregular hexagon Aspect Runes (looks like a triangle with the points cut off). The effect of the Aspect Runes is unknown when you harvest them; I have not been able to enchant anything so I do not know how one finds out their effects, but I will assume you learn by using them.
 |
| A Runestone found with the Aspect Rune Ta inside |
Woodworking
Woodworking is one of three crafting skills that are clumped together as simply the blacksmithing skill in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The other two skills are Clothing—which is used for making clothes, robes, and light armor—and Blacksmithing—which is used for making metal armor and weapons. With the Woodworking skill, you can make bows and staffs, as well as shields. For Woodworking, you need wood and a special stone/gem for the racial style of the weapons/shield.
 |
| The Woodworking Station Menu |
Wood is a harvestable item that you will come across when adventuring. It resembles a small log just laying around in the forest. You can purchase a perk that will make these logs more obvious. However, you'll be in competition with all the other players; if someone else harvests the log, it's gone for good. There are all sorts of different types of wood, which vary in the quality of items they'll create. As it is logical, the more difficult the quests and mobs are in an area, the rarer and better quality harvestable wood there will be.
Special Stones/Gems
In ESO, there are never going to be normal weapons or armor; they all have a different racial style/influence. That being said, you must give all weapons or armor you craft a style, and this is where these special stones/gems come in. You can find these gems just looting crates and dressers around the world, and sometimes you may receive them when smelting ore, but the best way (as easiest way) to find these special stones/gems is by deconstructing weapons and armor, which usually gives you ingots and a few extra items (usually special stones/gems). There are 15 different stones/gems, which means 15 different styles to construct (the 10 races in-game plus 5 more, probably Dwemer and the like).
There is a catch, however. At first, you can only construct weapons and armor in the style of your own race, meaning Dark Elves can only construct Dunmer style and Nords can only craft Nordic style. In order to craft in other styles, you must first break down weapons or armor from that style in order to "learn" it. So crafting can be a bit difficult at first when you have all sorts of stones to craft in different styles, but can't seem to come across the stone of your own race. This "learning" new styles is something we are going to look into as to how exactly it works.
Blacksmithing
Blacksmithing in this game is only used for metal-working. Want to make leather armor or bows? That's two completely other crafting skills. What was once just Blacksmithing in TES V: Skyrim is now three different skills: Blacksmithing for metals, Woodworking for wooden weapons, and Clothing for leather and fur armor. The things you'll use in blacksmithing include raw ore, extra weapons and armor, and special stones and gems. The skill can be tricky to get started in, but will no doubt be priceless as you get better and better at it, and will help keep your pocketbook jingling.
 |
| The Blacksmithing Station Menu |
Raw Ore
Raw Ore is found while adventuring, and always found near other rocks. You can purchase a perk that will make these ore spots more obvious. However, you'll be in competition with all the other players; if someone else mines the ore than it's gone for good. If you just run around and keep your eyes peeled, you'll end up finding a lot of raw ore to mine. There are all sorts of different types of ore, which vary in the quality of items they'll create. As it is logical, the more difficult the quests and mobs are in an area, the rarer and better quality ore there will be.
 |
| Harvestable Iron Ore |
Extra Weapons and Armor
When you end up with a ton of extra weapons and armor from killing mobs and looting chests, you're better off deconstructing them at a blacksmithing station then selling them for some extra gold. Deconstructing weapons is the best way to gain Blacksmithing experience, and always is the easiest way to get the special stones/gems that you need to make your own weapons. It's better not to sell 10 iron swords for 200 gold, when you can break them down and construct a cuirass worth 600 gold.
Special Stones/Gems
In ESO, there are never going to be normal weapons or armor; they all have a different racial style/influence. That being said, you must give all weapons or armor you craft a style, and this is where these special stones/gems come in. You can find these gems just looting crates and dressers around the world, and sometimes you may receive them when smelting ore, but the best way (as easiest way) to find these special stones/gems is by deconstructing weapons and armor, which usually gives you ingots and a few extra items (usually special stones/gems). There are 15 different stones/gems, which means 15 different styles to construct (the 10 races in-game plus 5 more, probably Dwemer and the like).
There is a catch, however. At first, you can only construct weapons and armor in the style of your own race, meaning Dark Elves can only construct Dunmer style and Nords can only craft Nordic style. In order to craft in other styles, you must first break down weapons or armor from that style in order to "learn" it. So crafting can be a bit difficult at first when you have all sorts of stones to craft in different styles, but can't seem to come across the stone of your own race. We tried having me (a Breton) craft armor in a Breton style, and then give it to Nick (an Argonian) to break down, but he didn't learn the style, so this is obviously something that is going to need more looking into.
Clothing
The Clothing skill is not just for fancy robes and homespun breeches, it's how you make leather and fur armor as well. Like I stated before, what used to be Blacksmithing in TES V: Skyrim is now three different skills: Blacksmithing for metals, Woodworking for wooden weapons, and Clothing for leather and fur armor. So don't pass this skill up just because you aren't one to walk around in citizens' clothing. The materials used in clothing that I have come across so far is hide, jute, and, of course, the special gems/stones for the racial style of the armor. I don't know if these stones are needed for making normal clothes, though.
 |
| The Clothing Station Menu |
Hide/Jute
There are many types of materials that can be used to make clothing/armor, and the rarer the material, the better clothing/armor it makes. Hide Scraps are pretty easy to come across, and I've found it in the most abundance on the starter island for the Aldmeri Dominion. There seems to be two different qualities of hide scraps you can come across, including Raw (normal) and Foul (less than normal). Foul Hide Scraps can not be used for crafting, but only sold to merchants, while Hide Scraps can be refined into Hide. Jute is a flower, like the alchemy harvestables, but is used for Clothing instead of Alchemy. It is the lowest level type of material that can be used.
Special Stones/Gems
In ESO, there are never going to be normal weapons or armor; they all have a different racial style/influence. That being said, you must give all weapons or armor you craft a style, and this is where these special stones/gems come in. You can find these gems just looting crates and dressers around the world, and sometimes you may receive them when smelting ore, but the best way (as easiest way) to find these special stones/gems is by deconstructing weapons and armor, which usually gives you ingots and a few extra items (usually special stones/gems). There are 15 different stones/gems, which means 15 different styles to construct (the 10 races in-game plus 5 more, probably Dwemer and the like).
There is a catch, however. At first, you can only construct weapons and armor in the style of your own race, meaning Dark Elves can only construct Dunmer style and Nords can only craft Nordic style. In order to craft in other styles, you must first break down weapons or armor from that style in order to "learn" it. So crafting can be a bit difficult at first when you have all sorts of stones to craft in different styles, but can't seem to come across the stone of your own race. This "learning" new styles is something we are going to look into as to how exactly it works.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Elder Scrolls Online Early Access!!!
I was up at the crack of dawn (at 6:50AM, exactly) with my brother Nick to going in at launch for The Elder Scrolls Online Early Access. Needless to say, as soon as the clock said 7 AM, we punched those Log-In buttons and were finally playing the game we had waited nearly 2 YEARS to play!!!
Even with our games both set at the minimum graphics level, ESO was everything we could have hoped for and more! Our crappy PCs ran it with absolute fluid smoothness and with no bumps or glitches (of course, it IS at the minimum level...) and we barely experienced any bugs in the game. I had an unexpected crash during Coldharbour, but I was right back in where I left off in under a minute. There were a few times where objects were big red MISSING blocks, and one particular quest that was a little buggy, but everything else was flawless!
A few things we learned:
 |
| Our characters, running on the Minimum graphics level, at the end of the first day |
A few things we learned:
- You don't SEE everyone automatically, but if there is someone you want to see, you can if you friend them or form a group with them and then use the Friends or Group menus to fast travel to that person. It may take that other person fast travelling to you as well, but in no time at all you two can see each other and play in-game together.
- Sneak isn't really a skill that levels you up. If it was, we would have reached 50+ from all the sneaking past high-level mobs in Valenwood! A pity, really.... that's always how I leveled up in past TES games...
- Exploration is limited by experience. Not literally, of course; you can go anywhere within your faction, and then ANYWHERE anywhere once you reach 50+, but the mobs and quests become more and more out of your league the further and further you stray from your original spawning point. Like I said before, sneaking past those mobs like we did doesn't really help.
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