ESO Gold Farming Guide

Why Gold Farming Matters in ESO

Gold is important in ESO because almost every major part of progression can require it. Players use gold to buy gear, upgrade materials, crafting supplies, consumables, furnishings, motifs, style pages, recipes, and set items.

Unlike some MMOs, ESO does not have one universal Auction House. Instead, players sell items through Guild Stores and Guild Traders. Guild Traders allow guilds to sell items publicly, and they are commonly found in zone capitals and some other locations. 

Because trading is player-driven, learning what sells well is just as important as farming the items themselves.

Best ESO Gold Farming Methods

The best ways to farm gold in ESO are:

•  Daily crafting writs 
•  Gathering crafting materials 
•  Selling upgrade materials 
•  Farming motifs and style pages 
•  Running daily dungeons and pledges 
•  Farming overland sets 
•  Scrying and excavation through Antiquities 
•  Stealing and fencing valuables 
•  Farming public dungeons and world events 
•  Selling recipes, furnishing plans, and rare drops 
•  Flipping underpriced items through guild traders 

For most players, the best strategy is to combine several methods instead of relying on only one.

1. Do Daily Crafting Writs

Daily crafting writs are one of the most reliable gold-making methods in ESO. They are quick, repeatable, and useful for both beginners and experienced players.

ESO has crafting skill lines for Clothing, Woodworking, Blacksmithing, Jewelry Crafting, Alchemy, Enchanting, and Provisioning, and the official new player guide explains that crafting resources can be gathered throughout the world from plants, minerals, mushrooms, water sources, and other harvestable nodes. 

Daily writs are good because they can reward:

•  Raw gold 
•  Crafting materials 
•  Survey reports 
•  Upgrade materials 
•  Master Writ chances 
•  Inspiration for crafting levels 

Master Writs can also become valuable. Official ESO support says that completing maximum-tier crafting writs can give a chance at Master Crafting Writ invitations, and those reward Writ Vouchers that can be exchanged for motifs, furnishing plans, recipes, components, and more. 

For the best results, create a dedicated crafting character or complete writs on multiple characters. The more characters you have doing daily writs, the more steady income you can generate.

2. Farm Crafting Materials

Material farming is one of the easiest ways to make gold in ESO. Many players buy materials instead of farming them, especially crafters, raiders, PvP players, housing collectors, and players upgrading gear.

Good materials to farm include:

•  Raw cloth materials 
•  Raw wood materials 
•  Ore 
•  Jewelry seams 
•  Alchemy reagents 
•  Runestones 
•  Provisioning ingredients 
•  Furnishing materials 
•  Upgrade materials 

Raw materials can be especially useful because refining them gives a chance at valuable upgrade materials. These upgrade materials are often in high demand because players need them to improve gear quality.

Popular farming zones can change depending on the market, but open zones with dense resource nodes are usually best. Run a loop, harvest every node, and sell the materials in useful stack sizes.

3. Sell Through Guild Traders

If you want to make serious gold in ESO, you need to understand guild trading. Guild Traders are the main way players sell items to the public. A guild that wins a trader can sell items through that public vendor, allowing other players to buy from its Guild Store. 

When selling through Guild Stores, keep fees in mind. ESO support explains that sellers pay a 1% listing fee, and if the item sells, there is also a 7% house cut taken from the sale. 

To make more gold through trading:

•  Join a trading guild with an active trader. 
•  Check prices before listing items. 
•  Avoid overpricing slow-moving items. 
•  Sell materials in stack sizes people actually buy. 
•  Relist items that do not sell after the listing expires. 
•  Watch what sells quickly in your guild. 
•  Focus on high-demand items instead of random loot. 

A strong trading guild can make a huge difference because location affects how many players see your listings.

4. Farm Upgrade Materials

Upgrade materials are some of the most consistent gold-makers in ESO. Players always need them for improving weapons, armor, jewelry, and gear sets.

Valuable upgrade materials usually come from refining raw resources, deconstructing gear, daily writ rewards, hirelings, and trading.

Some upgrade materials can sell well because they are used for:

•  Improving gear quality 
•  Crafting endgame sets 
•  Preparing PvP builds 
•  Creating crafted sets for alts 
•  Completing Master Writs 

A good gold farming routine is to gather raw materials, refine them, keep the rare upgrade materials, and sell them when prices are strong.

5. Farm Motifs and Style Pages

Motifs and style pages can be very profitable, especially when they come from popular dungeons, events, daily quests, or newer content. Many players collect outfit styles, and crafters need motif knowledge for certain crafting goals and Master Writ efficiency.

Good sources of motifs and style pages include:

•  DLC daily quests 
•  Public dungeons 
•  Group dungeons 
•  Trials 
•  Events 
•  Reward coffers 
•  Zone dailies 
•  Guild traders 

The best motif farms change depending on current demand. Newer styles often sell for more early on, while older rare styles can still be valuable if they are annoying to farm.

Before farming a specific motif, check your server’s guild trader prices. A rare page is only worth farming if players are actively buying it.

6. Run Daily Dungeons and Pledges

Dungeons can be a strong gold farming method because they provide gear, materials, monster set pieces, motifs, transmute rewards, and items that can be sold or deconstructed.

Daily Undaunted pledges are especially useful because they give you a reason to run specific dungeons and can provide extra rewards. DLC dungeons may also drop valuable motifs or style pages depending on the dungeon and current market.

Dungeon farming is best when you focus on:

•  Popular gear sets 
•  Motif drops 
•  Deconstruction materials 
•  Rare collectibles 
•  Sellable style pages 
•  Fast clear times 

If you are farming for gold, speed matters. A fast normal dungeon farm can sometimes be better than a slow veteran run, unless the veteran rewards are much more valuable.

7. Farm Overland Gear Sets

Overland gear sets can sell well when they are used in popular builds. Some players buy set pieces instead of farming them, especially weapons, jewelry, and pieces with useful traits.

You can farm overland gear from:

•  World bosses 
•  Delves 
•  Public dungeons 
•  Dolmens and world events 
•  Treasure chests 
•  Regular enemies 
•  Zone rewards 

To make this method work, focus on zones with sets people actually use. Do not farm random overland gear without checking demand first. A good set in the right trait can sell quickly, while unwanted set pieces may sit unsold.

8. Use Antiquities for Gold

The Antiquities system can be useful for making gold, especially if you enjoy exploration. ESO’s official Antiquities guide explains that players scry leads through the Antiquities Codex and complete a mini-game before excavating the item. It also notes that you can only scry a lead in the same zone where the Antiquity is located. 

Antiquities can help you make gold through:

•  Treasure items that sell to vendors 
•  Furnishing items 
•  Mythic lead farming while also collecting loot 
•  Valuable side rewards from exploring zones 
•  Extra gold while completing other activities 

This is a slower method than trading or writs, but it is good for players who prefer relaxed gameplay.

9. Stealing and Fencing

Stealing is a beginner-friendly way to make gold, especially if your character has useful Legerdemain passives. You can steal valuables, pickpocket NPCs, loot containers, and sell stolen goods to a fence.

Good places for stealing usually have:

•  Many containers 
•  Easy escape routes 
•  Low enemy pressure 
•  Nearby Outlaws Refuge access 
•  Dense NPC areas for pickpocketing 

This method is not the highest gold per hour, but it is simple and does not require a trading guild. It is especially useful for newer players who need early gold.

10. Farm Public Dungeons

Public dungeons are useful because they have many enemies, bosses, loot drops, gear pieces, recipes, and materials. Some public dungeons are also popular for farming specific set pieces or collectibles.

Public dungeon farming is good for:

•  Raw gold 
•  Gear drops 
•  Deconstruction materials 
•  Set pieces 
•  Recipes 
•  Collectibles 
•  Experience while farming 

For best results, choose public dungeons with fast enemy respawns and valuable zone sets. Classes with strong area damage can clear these farms faster.

11. Farm Recipes and Furnishing Plans

Recipes and furnishing plans can be excellent gold-makers, especially rare plans used by housing players. ESO has a large housing community, which means good furnishing plans can sell for strong prices.

You can find recipes and furnishing plans from:

•  Containers 
•  Daily rewards 
•  DLC zones 
•  Pickpocketing 
•  Stealing 
•  Event coffers 
•  Public dungeons 
•  Delves and world content 

Rare furnishing plans can be much more valuable than normal gear drops. Check prices before learning or vendoring them.

12. Flip Items for Profit

Flipping means buying underpriced items and reselling them for more gold. This can be one of the best ESO gold-making methods, but it requires market knowledge.

Good flipping items include:

•  Upgrade materials 
•  Popular set pieces 
•  Motifs 
•  Style pages 
•  Furnishing plans 
•  Rare recipes 
•  Alchemy materials 
•  Event items 
•  Master Writs 
•  Collectibles 

Start small. Pick one item category, learn the normal price range, then buy only when an item is clearly underpriced. Do not spend all your gold on flips until you understand your server’s economy.

Best Beginner ESO Gold Farming Routine

For beginners, the best gold farming routine should be simple and repeatable.

Start with daily crafting writs. Then gather materials while traveling between activities. Sell raw materials, upgrade materials, recipes, and useful gear through a guild trader if you have access to one. If you do not have a trading guild yet, use stealing, questing, dungeons, and vendoring treasure items to build your first gold stack.

A beginner-friendly routine looks like this:

1.  Complete daily crafting writs. 
2.  Gather every resource node you see. 
3.  Refine raw materials. 
4.  Sell valuable upgrade materials. 
5.  Run one daily dungeon. 
6.  Farm a public dungeon or overland zone. 
7.  List valuable items through a guild trader. 
8.  Save gold instead of spending it on unnecessary upgrades. 

This routine works because it gives steady income from multiple sources.

Best Advanced ESO Gold Farming Routine

Advanced players should focus more on market demand and efficiency.

A strong advanced routine looks like this:

1.  Complete writs on multiple characters. 
2.  Refine large batches of raw materials. 
3.  Farm high-demand motifs or style pages. 
4.  Track popular gear sets. 
5.  Farm dungeons with valuable drops. 
6.  Buy underpriced items from guild traders. 
7.  Relist items at stronger prices. 
8.  Sell during active player hours. 
9.  Watch event rewards and market changes. 
10.  Reinvest profits into better flips. 

Advanced gold farming is less about random grinding and more about knowing what players want.

Best Items to Sell for Gold in ESO

Some item types usually sell better than others. Strong gold-making items often include:

•  Upgrade materials 
•  Raw crafting materials 
•  Alchemy reagents 
•  Jewelry materials 
•  Popular set weapons 
•  Popular set jewelry 
•  Rare motifs 
•  Style pages 
•  Furnishing plans 
•  Rare recipes 
•  Master Writs 
•  Event items 
•  Collectibles 
•  Crafted consumables 

Always check current prices before farming. The most profitable item on PC NA may not be the best item on Xbox EU or PlayStation NA.

ESO Gold Farming Tips

To make more gold in ESO, follow these simple rules:

•  Do daily writs consistently. 
•  Join at least one active trading guild. 
•  Check prices before listing items. 
•  Farm materials during quiet hours. 
•  Sell items when more players are online. 
•  Do not undercut too aggressively. 
•  Avoid vendoring rare recipes or plans. 
•  Learn which motifs are valuable. 
•  Refine raw materials in batches. 
•  Use events to farm limited-time rewards. 
•  Keep a bank character for selling and storage. 
•  Track what sells quickly in your guild store. 

The biggest mistake is farming without checking demand. Always farm with a goal.

Common ESO Gold Farming Mistakes

Avoid these mistakes if you want to make gold faster:

•  Selling valuable items to NPC vendors 
•  Ignoring daily crafting writs 
•  Farming low-demand sets 
•  Listing items without checking prices 
•  Joining inactive trading guilds 
•  Spending too much on gear while leveling 
•  Learning rare motifs before checking their value 
•  Letting materials sit unused forever 
•  Undercutting prices too heavily 
•  Farming only one method and burning out 

Gold farming is easier when you build a routine that fits your playstyle.

Final Thoughts

The best way to farm gold in ESO is to combine steady daily methods with smart trading. Daily crafting writs, gathering materials, farming upgrade materials, running dungeons, collecting motifs, and selling through guild traders are some of the most reliable ways to build gold over time.

Beginners should focus on writs, gathering, public dungeons, and simple selling. Advanced players can make more gold through trading guilds, flipping, motif farming, set farming, and market timing.

The key is consistency. Farm useful items, check prices often, sell through the right guild traders, and avoid wasting gold on unnecessary purchases. With a good routine, you can make gold steadily in The Elder Scrolls Online and afford the gear, upgrades, housing items, and collectibles you want.

FAQ: ESO Gold Farming Guide

What is the best way to farm gold in ESO?

The best overall methods are daily crafting writs, material farming, selling through guild traders, farming motifs, running dungeons, and flipping underpriced items.

Are daily crafting writs good for gold in ESO?

Yes. Daily crafting writs are one of the most reliable gold farming methods because they provide repeatable rewards, materials, and a chance at valuable crafting-related items.

How do you sell items in ESO?

Players usually sell items through Guild Stores and Guild Traders. Guild Traders allow guilds to sell items publicly to other players. 

What materials sell well in ESO?

Raw materials, upgrade materials, alchemy reagents, jewelry materials, furnishing materials, and crafting resources often sell well because players use them for gear, crafting, housing, and consumables.

Can beginners farm gold in ESO?

Yes. Beginners can make gold through daily writs, gathering, stealing, public dungeons, questing, and selling useful materials.

Is flipping good for making gold in ESO?

Yes, but flipping requires market knowledge. Start with simple items like materials, motifs, recipes, and popular set pieces before investing large amounts of gold.