Updated for Q4 2024! The goal here is to help you get to that next level of trading. I also focus on this sort of information often on my livestream at twitch.tv/jhartellis
This should help to keep you in the know of the best current in-game ESO markets.
Spot prices on PC/NA:
Tempering Alloy: 6,100g (48.8k for legendary upgrade) — down 26% Quarter-over-Quarter
Dreugh Wax: 14,300g (114.4k for legendary upgrade) — down 12%
Rosin: 1,270g (10.2k for legendary upgrade) — down 21%
Zircon Plating: 2,900g (11.6k for epic upgrade) — flat
Chromium Plating: 10,900g (87.2k for legendary upgrade) — up 9%
Kuta: 3,200g — down 26%
Decorative Wax: 280g — down 18%
Mundane Rune: 500g — down 38%
Heartwood: 880g — down 22%
The general broad market free fall has continued over the past several months. Sales volumes are low across the board with pretty well all categories down roughly 80% from peak. This is a major liquidity crisis, and there doesn’t seem any relief in sight. ZOS would need to make major changes to systems to even start to make the in-game economy less dysfunctional. Some prices may have bottomed out at this point, but eyes are looking to any signs of a 2025 roadmap to inspire any confidence.
There is a confluence of issues causing this malaise. A major cause is the extreme difficulty in facilitating Crown gifting in the ongoing efforts to combat fraud. This alone accounts for most of the liquidity crunch. Most other issues relate to a relatively stagnant player population, the lack of appeal of tradable items, and the increasing difficulty in navigating current systems. These are solvable problems, and long-term players may benefit from what might ultimately be seen as a moment of grand capitulation. Most of it comes down to a willingness to fix these problems to ensure ESO has a future.
General Advice
Daily crafting writs reliably generate valuable upgrade materials, sealed writs, and surveys. Level up your crafts to 50 and put Skill Points into Metalworking/Tailoring/Aspect/Engraver/Woodworking in order to have the highest chance of getting gold mats. Slot the Plentiful Harvest perk for surveys.
Writ Vouchers
Attunable stations: 185,000g (740g/voucher or 681g/voucher after 8% fees)
Research Scrolls: 2100g (700g/voucher or 644g/voucher after 8% fees)
The Writ Voucher market currently seems to be relatively stable.
Big stacks of consumables (like bundles of Attunable stations) are generally the most profitable and the most effective use of sales slots. Keep in mind that anyone trying to fill out the Grand Master stations needs upwards of 80 of each of them.
Vitamin RNG with purple furnishing plans can give above-market returns. Use TTC to identify temporary shortages of other Writ Voucher offerings (such as folios) to get great returns.
Filters using AGS, MM, and WritWorthy can be a great way to quickly sort out good sealed writs on the guild traders. Doing sealed writs efficiently with addons is an amazing way of gaining CP while also freeing up value from your craft bag from otherwise awkward materials.
Alliance Points
Dawn-Prism: 10,300g (0.52g per AP) (do not buy these–this is just a baseline)
Random gear is almost always the best way to go, often getting a nearly 1:1 ratio. Vicious Death (from the Specialized Gear Vendor in Cropsford at 12k AP per box) is a good pick. Deadly Strike boxes from Bruma is another okay choice. Gear is generally quite illiquid, and you may be best using AP for unique items for yourself such as Achievement Furnishings.
Tel Var
Hakeijo: 26,000g (5.2g per TV) (do not buy these–this is just a baseline).
Superb Imperial Reward boxes will give random piece of potentially good gear (and you’ll likely pick up bound Xivkyn polymorphs for yourself). Alternatively, buy specific sets from the Tel Var Equipment Lockbox Merchant–sets like Powerful Assault and Shield Breaker can have higher yields, close to 15:1 on average. Alternatively, you can buy the Impenetrable armor pieces straight up from the other vendors.
Crafted/Overland Gear
Crafted sets that are selling well with highest volume listed first:
Order’s Wrath
Hunding’s
Julianos
Night Mother’s Gaze
Wretched Vitality
Druid’s Braid
New Moon Acolyte
Clever Alchemist
Daedric Trickery
Heartland Conqueror
Use Dolgubon’s Lazy Set Crafter to stay on top of listings as they sell. I always recommend making gear in rarer, sexier styles and with Kuta-level enchants–it can give a major edge over more basic listings, selling more quickly or at higher margins.
A few other sets of note:
Healer’s Habit (DSA)
Briarheart (Wrothgar)
Hexos’ Ward (Deadlands)
War Maiden (Vvardenfell)
Macabre Vintage (West Weald)
Golding out in-demand best-traited weapons is a great way to boost sales and get extra value from upgrade mats. Consider changing the enchant too to make it grab-and-go ready.
Calendar
Be sure to check out the monthly Daily Rewards from logging in each day–these often give a chunk of currencies and unique collectibles, though they don’t tend to have big direct market impacts.
Also check out the monthly Crown Store Showcase to figure out when various Undaunted monster masks will be farmable. Always best to get the shoulders from the blue RNG boxes from the respective Pledge stores for 1 Undaunted Key each.
Misc
A few houses worth buying just for the tradable furnishings:
-Kragenhome for 69,000g gives Dark Elf Bed of Coals worth ~120,000g.
-Autumn’s Gate for 60,000g gives Firelogs, Flaming worth ~115,000g.
-Ald Velothi Harbor House for 322,000g gives a Shed, Well, Sillar Stone items, and more worth at least double.
Piecing together fragments into runeboxes can be a good way to add value. You can use my list here to search for missing pieces.
Make the most of your limited sales slots. Sell only great items, and stack them together whenever possible. Relist often for better visibility and the opportunity to adjust pricing.
Stay Spicy!
-JHartEllis