ESO Trait Research unlocks new equipment traits for crafting, transmutation and reconstruction. You sacrifice an item with the trait you want, wait for its timer to finish and permanently learn that trait for the corresponding type of armour, weapon or jewellery.
Trait Research timers get longer as you learn more traits for one item type, so starting early saves a lot of waiting later. Here’s how to choose items, unlock parallel research, use time-saving passives and avoid destroying equipment you meant to keep.
Start Trait Research at the correct crafting station
Blacksmithing stations research metal weapons and heavy armour, Clothing handles light and medium armour, Woodworking covers wooden weapons and shields, and Jewelry stations cover rings and necklaces. Interact with the station, open the Research tab and choose an item category. Look for a trait marked Researchable, select the item carrying it and confirm. Research destroys that item, so don’t use an upgraded or valuable drop if a cheap substitute has the same trait.
Trait Research is separate for each item type
Learning Sharpened on a one-handed sword does not teach Sharpened on a bow or other weapon category. The research panel lists each item type separately. A trait that’s learned for a robe won’t automatically work on a helmet. Research the traits for weapons and armour you actually plan to craft or reconstruct first. Start with traits useful for your weapon and armour choices rather than spending weeks studying every rarely used slot at once.
ESO Trait Research timers after Update 49
Each new trait for the same item type takes longer than the last. Update 49 shortened research times substantially, so guides quoting the old 30-day cap are outdated. The ninth trait can take around nine days with maximum research passives and the appropriate speed bonuses, rather than the much longer pre-update timers. You can research independently in Blacksmithing, Clothing, Woodworking and Jewelry, so keep the available stations working. Research progress is per character, not a shared account-wide list of known traits, although another character can of course research the same item types for its own crafting.
ESO Trait Research – Use the Trait Research speed passives
Invest in Metallurgy (Blacksmithing), Stitching (Clothing) and Carpentry (Woodworking) as their ranks unlock. Fully upgraded, they reduce research time and allow up to three simultaneous item research projects in each profession. Lapidary Research speeds up Jewelry Crafting research, but jewellery remains limited to one research project at a time. Use simultaneous research slots where available instead of waiting for one item to finish before starting another.
How to use research scrolls without wasting them
Trait Research Scrolls shorten active timers. Scrolls from the Master Writ merchant typically have a 20-hour cooldown, while Crown Store versions follow their own rules. Check the tooltip before using one. ESO Plus also provides a bonus to trait research speed while the membership is active. If you have several timers, applying a scroll to one that’s due to finish soon may waste part of the reduction. Use them on the longest relevant active research first.
Where to find items with missing traits
For Trait Research items, check quest rewards, dungeon and overland drops, guild traders and crafted equipment from friends. Researchable items show the magnifying-glass indicator when the character can still learn something from them. You can also ask another crafter to make a cheap item in a specific trait, provided it can be traded. The research consumes the selected piece of equipment, not a separate set of crafting materials, so a low-quality piece is fine when its trait is the only goal.
ESO Trait Research – Traits and gear reconstruction
Transmutation and Sticker Book reconstruction both require completed Trait Research for the specific item category. If you want to rebuild a collected inferno staff in a new trait, knowing that trait on a sword won’t help. A Transmute Station shows the eligible traits, so check your research progress before farming Crystals. The number of traits you’ve researched also determines which crafted sets you can make at some set stations.
A long-term Trait Research routine
When you log in, collect finished research and begin the next missing traits at each station. If you have multiple slots in Blacksmithing, Clothing or Woodworking, fill them with different item types. Keep cheap items with traits you still need in the bank and avoid researching expensive upgraded gear. The timers continue counting down while you’re offline.
Related ESO Trait Research Guides
Official source: ESO Support: How to research a trait.
