In The Elder Scrolls Online, managing gear is a vital part of maximizing your character’s performance. Whether you play PvE, PvP, or focus on crafting and collecting, there comes a time when you want to adjust your equipment to better suit your playstyle. Two key systems that allow you to fine-tune your gear are Transmutation and Reconstruction. Understanding when to Transmute or Reconstruct your items can make a huge difference in your efficiency, inventory space, and overall gameplay experience. Both systems use Transmute Crystals but serve different purposes depending on your goals. Knowing how to use them strategically is crucial for any serious ESO player.
Understanding Transmutation in ESO
What Is Transmutation?
Transmutation is the process of changing the trait on a piece of gear. For example, if you have a weapon with the Infused trait but want it to be Precise or Nirnhoned, you can Transmute it instead of farming for a new version. This allows players to save time and effort, especially when dealing with rare or dungeon-specific gear.
Where to Transmute Gear
Transmutation can be performed at a Transmute Station. These stations are available in specific locations like Clockwork City, or you can obtain one for your player home via the in-game Achievement Furnisher. To Transmute an item, you must have collected that specific item in your Item Set Collections and possess the trait you want to apply researched for that item type.
Cost of Transmutation
Each Transmutation costs 50 Transmute Crystals. These crystals are a valuable currency that you can earn through activities like:
- Daily random dungeons
- Arena and trial completions
- Undaunted pledges
- Rewards from Battlegrounds and PvP content
Since they’re limited in quantity, it’s important to spend them wisely. Only Transmute items you plan to use regularly or cannot easily farm again.
Advantages of Transmutation
Transmutation is ideal for players who already have the item they need but want to adjust its functionality. The system is flexible and allows you to fine-tune your builds without starting from scratch. It also supports frequent experimentation with traits for tanks, healers, or DPS players who want to swap between different roles or situations.
Exploring Gear Reconstruction
What Is Reconstruction?
Gear Reconstruction is a feature introduced with the Item Set Collections system. It allows players to rebuild a specific piece of set gear they’ve previously collected even if they’ve deconstructed or sold the original item. Reconstruction provides a way to re-acquire gear without needing to farm dungeons, trials, or overland areas repeatedly.
How Reconstruction Works
To reconstruct an item, go to any Transmute Station. From the menu, select ‘Reconstruct.’ You can then choose the set, armor/weapon type, and trait of the item you want to recreate. This process requires both Transmute Crystals and crafting materials based on the quality you select.
Reconstruction Costs
- 25 Transmute Crystals to reconstruct a new item from your collection
- Additional crafting materials depending on item type and desired quality (e.g., Tempers for legendary gear)
This is more crystal-efficient than Transmuting in many cases, especially if you’ve lost the item or want a fresh version with your preferred trait.
Why Use Reconstruction?
Reconstruction is perfect when you don’t have the original item anymore. If you’ve deconstructed or sold an important gear piece, you can bring it back without farming it again. It’s also great for building a second set with different traits or for equipping alternate characters without having to trade or share gear.
Transmute vs. Reconstruct: Which One Should You Use?
When to Transmute
Transmutation is the better option when you already have the item you need and only want to change its trait. It saves crafting materials and inventory space, and it’s useful for quick changes without rebuilding from scratch.
You should Transmute when:
- You have the exact item with the wrong trait
- You want to test different traits on existing gear
- You have extra Transmute Crystals and need a minor adjustment
When to Reconstruct
Reconstruction becomes the better choice when the item is missing from your inventory but registered in your collections. It’s also useful when you want to rebuild items across multiple characters or upgrade your gear to higher quality using collected resources.
Choose Reconstruction when:
- You no longer have the item in your inventory
- You’re building an alt character or backup set
- You want to avoid farming the same dungeon again
- You need a gear piece with a different trait and do not have the original item
Crystal Efficiency Comparison
- Transmuting an item costs 50 crystals
- Reconstructing a new item costs only 25 crystals
However, Reconstruction also requires crafting mats for upgrades. If you have an abundance of materials but fewer crystals, Reconstructing might be the better economic choice. On the other hand, if you want to avoid spending rare crafting components, Transmuting a lower-quality item may be the cheaper option overall.
Managing Transmute Crystals
Crystal Storage Limit
Free-to-play players can hold up to 500 Transmute Crystals at any given time. ESO Plus subscribers receive an expanded capacity of up to 1,000. Because of the limit, it’s a good idea to spend crystals when you’re nearing the cap so that you don’t waste potential rewards from dungeons or PvP.
Best Ways to Earn Crystals
- Run daily random normal and veteran dungeons
- Participate in daily battlegrounds and PvP events
- Complete Undaunted pledges
- Earn weekly rewards from trials and arenas
Combining daily and weekly content gives you a steady income of Transmute Crystals to use for either system.
Tips for Using Transmute and Reconstruct Systems Effectively
- Always collect gear drops, even if you don’t need them this adds them to your Item Set Collections.
- Deconstruct unwanted gear after collecting it to save space and gain materials.
- Focus on collecting full sets from dungeons or zones before worrying about traits.
- Use Reconstruction to equip new characters quickly.
- Save Transmutation for rare or hard-to-farm items where farming again would take too long.
Both Transmutation and Reconstruction are powerful systems that give players flexibility and control over their gear in The Elder Scrolls Online. Whether you’re chasing the perfect trait or rebuilding gear for an alternate character, using these systems efficiently will save you time, inventory space, and farming effort. Deciding when to Transmute or Reconstruct depends on what you have available and your current needs, but mastering both will help you keep your builds optimized and your characters ready for any challenge in Tamriel.