The Elder Scrolls Online Provisioning Guide
Cooking, or 'Provisioning' in the ESO universe, is one of the many important skills in this game. It helps you a great deal in combat, as you can gain buffs comparable to the buffs given by potions/spells.
Low on money? You can sell your recipes to earn extra cash, which you can spend to upgrade your character further. Levelling up Provisioning gives you a greater duration of buffs provided by food, which helps as you do not need to spend as much money on food. Levelling it up as fast as you can certainly give you an edge.
Since Provisioning is a skill, you can allot skill points to it to boost quality, duration, etc. Some cooking skill improvements are:
All these skills are a blessing, provided you are allocating enough points to this skill.
Introduction
Provisioning is quite different from Alchemy, a similar skill that focuses on potion-making, even though the basis is the same: the creation of consumables. You need to find recipes for Provisioning to be able to cook. They can be found throughout Tamriel, so always be on the lookout and grab whatever recipe you find.
To cook, you must first find a cooking pot. They are quite common; finding one shouldn't be too hard. Next, click on it to open the provisioning menu. From here, you can choose what you want to cook.
It's important to note that you must have the skill requirement AND the ingredients required to make the dish. Not having either means you need to grind the skill or go on the hunt for materials. Your skill level can be seen once you open to see how far off you are from cooking the dish.
Ingredients
Where am I supposed to find the ingredients required to cook? Explore the land of Tamriel to find different ingredients in various places. They can be found in barrels, chests, pots, containers, etc., and can even drop from enemies. One tip I found for people struggling to find ingredients is to start plundering ships at Daggerfall, as there are no NPCs nearby, and it gives you plenty of ingredients. However, even so, the ingredients aren't hard to find.
Fishing is closely linked to Provisioning, as you can fish for some high-quality ingredients and level up your fishing skill simultaneously! You can also buy ingredients from various vendors and shopkeepers.
Recipes
Recipes are the blueprint for your meals. Finding the right recipes can help you level up to 50 pretty easily. Recipes also have different rarities; green, blue, and purple are ranked in ascending order. You may also find multiple of the same recipe, which you can then sell for some extra money.
Among different recipes, there is a recipe type called the 'one-use' recipe. These are unique, valuable recipes that only exist. Since they are so rare, they sell for a hefty price. However, they provide a greater value than money and are not recommended for monetary purposes. You can conjure up a dish that gives you permanent stat boosts, whether to health, Magicka, or stamina.
Once you have acquired a recipe, you must 'consume' it to add it to your provisional menu. This helps for permanent use, and you can save inventory space because it otherwise sits in your inventory, taking up space.
You may have all these food buffs, but what if you don't have the required sets to take advantage of these buffs properly? Make sure to acquire proper sets to become a strong player.
However, crafting sets takes ESO Gold. ESO gold is the in-game currency and can be acquired through grinding various aspects of the game. This can be quite a pain for some people. Thankfully, there is an easy way to acquire ESO Gold, and that is exchanging it for real-life money.
If you need them, you can click on our website MMOPixel to buy ESO Gold. We provide the best service.
Importance of Food
The devs added that being a star chef in ESO isn't just a fun mechanic. Although watching your character prepare the most lavish dishes for buffs is fun, it is an integral part of the game. Whether it be PvP or PvE, they can give you the edge in battle. Each food item has unique effects. For example, a Trotter Pie boosts max health. An Apple Baked Fish, my savior for the beginning of the game, helped me increase Magicka and health for so many fights. Cook various dishes and see what suits you best; experimentation and discovery form the basis of the game, after all!
Provisioning? Isn't Alchemy better?
One would argue that Alchemy is a better skill than Provisioning. In alchemy, you don't have to hunt for various recipes. So why do I have to level up Provisioning? Sounds like an unnecessary burden.
Provisioning is a must when you look at the clear advantages it provides. The buff food lasts for a long time, perfect if you don't want to start gulping down mid-battle because your buffs ran out. Some provisioning buffs last even after your character has died, giving it the edge. The cooldown for potions is quite long, in my opinion, to be useful, and their materials are slightly harder to procure. For Provisioning, as long as you look through enough crates, you should always have enough ingredients to make whatever food item you want.
But how about we use alchemy and Provisioning instead of entering a war between which skill is better? Both these skills combined give great stat boosts. Fundamentally, they provide value on two different things too. You can use alchemy to give yourself a regenerative boost (i.e., health, Magicka, and stamina regenerate faster), while Provisioning can give a buff on stats (you can hit harder).
Cooking is amazing!
I honestly cannot imagine what this game would have been without cooking. Bosses would have been much harder, that's for sure! If you are a beginner player, devote enough time to this ability because it will benefit you much in the long run. There are also several tutorials and tips on how to reach Level 50 in Provisioning in a day, making your life simpler. Also, invest points in your Provisioning Passives to increase duration and quantity and even unlock higher rarity recipes.
Hopefully, this guide helped you understand this unique skill, whether you are a newbie, a veteran returning after a long time, or even an experienced player! You can never know it all. Hope to see you hanging out near fire pots more and on the hunt for those precious ingredients!
