ESO Traits: Weapon, Armor and Jewelry Wiki

Traits are inherent bonuses found on weapons, armor, and jewelry that provide specific benefits, such as increased damage, critical chance, or resistance. Each type of equipment has its own set of traits that can enhance your character's abilities and playstyle.

To apply a trait to a crafted item, you must first research it. This involves obtaining an item with the desired trait and researching it at the appropriate crafting station (blacksmithing, clothing, woodworking, or jewelry crafting). Researching destroys the item and takes time, starting at 6 hours for the first trait and doubling with each subsequent trait for that item type. Investing skill points in crafting passives can reduce research times and allow multiple traits to be researched simultaneously.

Each equipment category has specific traits:

• Weapons: Traits like Charged (increased chance to apply status effects), Precise (increased critical chance), and Sharpened (increased penetration).
• Armor: Traits such as Divines (enhanced Mundus Stone effects), Infused (increased armor enchantment effect), and Reinforced (increased armor value).
• Jewelry: Traits including Arcane (increased maximum Magicka), Robust (increased maximum Stamina), and Bloodthirsty (increased damage against low-health enemies).

Yes, you can change the trait on an existing item using a Transmutation Station, which requires Transmute Crystals. To do this, you must have already researched the desired trait for that specific item type. Transmutation Stations are available in certain DLC zones and player homes.

Researching traits is crucial for crafting customized gear and accessing powerful crafted sets, which often require a specific number of traits to be known before you can create them. Additionally, understanding and utilizing traits allows you to optimize your equipment to better suit your character's build and playstyle.