How to Research All Traits In 106 Days

So you're probably looking at the title thinking that 106 days is still a really long time, but here's the thing: if you don't follow this guide step by step and do everything in the order I lay out, it could take you up to 1,683 days, or 4.5 years. Suddenly, 106 days doesn’t sound so bad, does it? In this guide, I’ll show you how to go from zero traits researched to having every single trait researched in just 106 days.

Step 1: Preparation

Before you even touch a crafting station, there’s a bit of setup to do to ensure this process goes as smoothly as possible:

- Create a CP 160 Character: This ensures you have enough skill points to invest in the crafting passives needed for this process. If you’re not CP 160 yet, check out my guide on reaching CP 160 in just 1 hour and 20 minutes (linked in the description).
- Gather Gold: If you’re just starting out, use a beginner’s gold-making guide to farm gold for 30 minutes to an hour. This gold will be used to buy materials and research scrolls. Experienced players or those with existing funds can skip this step.

Step 2: Max Your Crafting Skill Lines

Once you’re CP 160 and have some gold:

- Focus on leveling the following crafting skill lines to 50: Blacksmithing, Clothing, Woodworking, and Jewelry Crafting. These are the only skill lines that involve trait research.
- Assign skill points to the research passives in these lines. These passives:

- Reduce research time by 25% and cap it at 30 days.
- Allow you to research up to 3 items simultaneously.
Maxing these passives significantly reduces the time required for this process. Check out our crafting leveling guide Here!

Step 3: Essential Tools

To speed up your research, you’ll need:

- ESO Plus: This subscription gives a 10% research speed boost and access to the craft bag for storing materials. While optional, it’s highly recommended to save time and make crafting easier.
- Research Scrolls: Each scroll reduces the time remaining on a research item by 24 hours. Use these daily to drastically cut down research time. Buy them with in-game gold from guild traders rather than spending real money.

Step 4: The Research Process

Follow these steps to optimize your research:

- Prioritize efficiency: Start by researching one trait on every piece of gear before moving to the second trait, then the third, and so on. This allows you to craft better gear sooner and keeps the process feeling more rewarding.
- Understand research times: Research times increase exponentially as you progress:

- 1st trait: 6 hours
- 2nd trait: 12 hours
- 3rd trait: 24 hours
- 4th trait: 48 hours
- 5th trait: 96 hours
- 6th trait: 192 hours
- 7th trait: 384 hours
- 8th trait: 768 hours
- 9th trait: 1,536 hours

Without bonuses, this process would take 42,900 hours or 1,789 days.

Step 5: Reducing Time

Here’s how to reduce the time required:

- ESO Plus: Reduces research time by 10%.
- Research Passives: Cap research time at 30 days per trait.
- Research Scrolls: Use daily to knock off 24 hours per scroll. For a 30-day research timer, you’ll need 15 scrolls, reducing the time to 15 days.
- Research Multiple Items: Research up to 3 items per crafting station simultaneously, drastically speeding up the process.

Step 6: Focus on Relevant Traits

While the order doesn’t affect overall speed, prioritizing traits for your current build is smart. For example:

- For Magicka DPS: Focus on Divines for light armor and Infused for staves.
- For Stamina DPS: Focus on Infused or Nirnhoned for weapons.

This allows you to play with an optimal build while continuing the research process.

Summary: Reaching 106 Days

By following this guide and using all the tools and strategies outlined:

- Research time is reduced from 42,900 hours (1,789 days) to 27,900 hours (106 days).
- You’ll save over 4.5 years of research time.
- Most of the 106 days will pass while you’re offline or sleeping, making this process far more manageable.

Final Tips

- Level to CP 160 first to ensure enough skill points.
- Gather some gold for materials and research scrolls.
- Use ESO Plus and research passives to reduce time.
- Prioritize one trait per item at a time for faster results.
- Stick to the plan, and you’ll have all traits researched in just 106 days!