Fueling the Forges: Rare Material Drop Rate Adjusted

The Elder Scrolls Online’s Patch 45 introduces a crucial Quality of Life (QoL) change targeted at the game’s crafting system: a measurable increase in the drop chance of rare crafting materials. These materials, such as Temper Alloys (for Metalworking), Dreugh Wax (for Clothing), and Rosin (for Woodworking), are essential for upgrading high-end gear to its gold tier. Their scarcity often dictates the speed and cost of build optimization.

Key factual assumptions regarding the crafting change:

  • Increased Survey Yield: The primary boost is likely applied to the final yield from crafting survey reports. These reports, often collected via the daily crafting writ system, lead players to rich nodes where the chance for rare upgrade materials has been increased.
  • Standard Node Adjustment: A smaller increase may also be applied to the base chance of finding the rare materials when harvesting standard resource nodes (ore, cloth, wood) across Tamriel, making routine resource gathering more rewarding.
  • Focus on Gold Upgrades: The change specifically targets the legendary (gold) tier upgrade materials, making the final, most expensive step of gear optimization slightly more accessible.

The developers’ intent is to make the highly important, final step of gear optimization less prohibitive. This benefits both dedicated crafters and the wider player base looking to gold-out their end-game sets.

Community Reaction: Crafter Relief and Economic Fear

The community’s response is a mix of relief from dedicated crafters and immediate speculation about the economic consequences.

  • Crafter Relief: Crafters who rely on farming and processing materials are highly appreciative. The increased drop rate validates the time spent running daily writs and completing surveys, making the entire crafting loop feel less punishing. The immediate sentiment is that the time investment now yields more proportional rewards.
  • Economic Fear: The primary concern comes from traders and players who stockpile these materials for profit. They fear that a substantial increase in the supply of rare materials will drastically crash their price on the Guild Traders. Discussions on Reddit immediately turned to market strategies, with many advising a quick sell-off before the new patch stabilizes the market at a lower price point.

Strategic Impact: Gear Accessibility and Gold Tier Standards

The increased rare material drop rate has significant strategic implications for gear accessibility and the end-game standard of quality.

Firstly, the change lowers the barrier to entry for end-game content. With gold-tier gear becoming slightly easier and cheaper to obtain, newer players can reach the required optimized stats for Veteran Dungeons and Trials more quickly, improving their chances of success and increasing the overall pool of competent high-end players.

Secondly, the shift redefines the gold-tier standard. If gold-tier items become more common, the focus of build optimization shifts from getting the gold item to acquiring the specific rare gear sets with perfect traits, intensifying the hunt for the right drop rather than the upgrade material.

The Patch 45 crafting material fix is a positive QoL change that addresses the persistent friction in gear optimization. While it causes temporary economic upheaval, the long-term benefit is a more accessible and rewarding end-game crafting experience for all players in the Necropolis League.