This guide to provisioning covers:
Gourmand skills add 5/10/20 minutes to the duration of any food consumed. While useful if you plan to focus on food buffs, this is not truly necessary unless you start relying on gold food since ingredients other than perfect roe are relatively plentiful.
Connoisseur skills add 5/10/20 minutes to the duration of any drink consumed. While the ability to extend the duration of any food/drink buff is always handy, this skill is absolutely essential before drinking Ambrosias (the experience boosting drinks that can be consumed alongside another food or drink). As ambrosia is quite expensive due to the rarity of the ingredients, be sure to invest in this skill before paying several thousand gold for an experience boost that only lasts 30 minutes.
Skill Level | Skill Name | Benefit |
---|---|---|
3 | Gourmand (1) | adds 5 minutes to the duration of any foods you eat |
5 | Connoisseur (1) | adds 5 minutes to the duration of any drinks you consume |
14 | Gourmand (2) | adds 10 minutes to the duration of any foods you eat |
25 | Connoisseur (2) | adds 10 minutes to the duration of any drinks you consume |
43 | Gourmand (3) | adds 20 minutes to the duration of any foods you eat |
47 | Connoisseur (3) | adds 20 minutes to the duration of any drinks you consume |
A total of 14 skill points are recommended to effectively train your provisioner, with 1 point to be immediately invested in Recipe Quality (2) while keeping Recipe Improvement in step with your most advanced character's level.
When ready to make Psijic Ambrosia, the Brewer skill line is absolutely essential to not waste perfect roe for just one serving of it. Until then, this skill line may be initially superfluous as low level food/drink ingredients are so plentiful. Your first character should instead purchase your Ambrosias (if you use them) rather than investing these points too early.
Skill Level | Skill Name | Benefit |
---|---|---|
7 | Chef (1) | creates 1 additional serving whenever you create a food (for a total of 2 servings) |
9 | Brewer (1) | creates 1 additional serving whenever you create a drink (for a total of 2 servings) |
10 | Recipe Quality (2) | allows food/drink creation from blue recipes |
20 | Recipe Improvement (2) 1 | allows the use recipes for food & drink designed for up to level 29 |
23 | Chef (2) | creates 2 additional serving whenever you create a food (for a total of 3 servings) |
25 | Brewer (2) | creates 2 additional serving whenever you create a drink (for a total of 3 servings) |
30 | Recipe Improvement (3) 1 | allows the use recipes for food & drink designed for up to level 39 |
33 | Chef (3) | creates 3 additional serving whenever you create a food (for a total of 4 servings) |
35 | Recipe Quality (3) | allows food/drink creation from purple recipes |
36 | Brewer (3) | creates 3 additional serving whenever you create a drink (for a total of 4 servings) |
40 | Recipe Improvement (4) 1 | allows the use recipes for food & drink designed for up to level 49 |
50 | Recipe Quality (4) | allows food/drink creation from gold recipes |
50 | Recipe Improvement (5) 1 | allows the use recipes for food & drink designed for up to level CP 50 |
50 | Recipe Improvement (6) 1 | allows the use recipes for food & drink designed for up to level CP 150 |
This table does not include the Hireling, which could prove useful if you fall short on needed quantites of purple ingredients. While sometimes useful, when skill points are at a premium I'd not spend any here as you can also receive purple food ingredients (and will receive recipes too) through doing daily writs.
Most foods (from green and blue recipes) can be made from 24 basic food ingredients found in barrels, baskets, crates, etc., where you can also occasionally find Decorative Wax which is used in furniture crafting. Rare recipe (purple and gold) foods also require Frost Mirriam, an exotic ingredient only acquired through daily writ rewards or hireling mails. Legendary (gold) food also requires Perfect Roe, obtained very rarely from filleting fish you've caught.
Apples |
Corn |
Garlic |
Potato |
Saltrice |
Bananas |
Fish |
Greens |
Poultry |
Seasoning |
Beets |
Flour |
Jazbay Grapes |
Pumpkin |
Small Game |
Carrots |
Frost Mirriam |
Melon |
Radish |
Tomato |
Cheese |
Game |
Millet |
Red Meat |
White Meat |
There are some very special foods described later (Orzorga's) which require additional ingredients including some alchemy materials and Perfect Roe, which can only be obtained by filleting fish. |
Most drinks (from green and blue recipes) can be made from 24 basic drink ingredients found in barrels, baskets, crates, etc., where you can also occasionally find Decorative Wax which is used in furniture crafting. Rare (purple and gold) recipe drinks also require Bervez Juice, an exotic ingredient only acquired through daily writ rewards or hireling mails. Legendary (gold) drink also requires Perfect Roe, obtained very rarely from filleting fish you've caught.
Acai Berry |
Comberry |
Honey |
Metheglin |
Seaweed |
Barley |
Ginger |
Isinglass |
Mint |
Surilie Grapes |
Bervez Juice |
Ginkgo |
Jasmine |
Rice |
Wheat |
Bittergreen |
Ginseng |
Lemon |
Rose |
Yeast |
Coffee |
Guarana |
Lotus |
Rye |
Yerba Mate |
There is also one very special drink described later (Psijic Ambrosia) which requires a uniquely special ingredient: Perfect Roe. Perfect Roe can only be gained by filleting fish that you've caught. |
Common sources of inspiration boost include joining ESO+ which grants a 10% boost to inspiration gain or spending thirty (30) Champion Points in The Tower for a passive 20% boost to inspiration gain. However as these bonuses are not available to all players, they are not reflected in the data below which displays base values without any inspiration bonus.
Purple or blue recipes do not grant greater inspiration than green recipes, but often use more rare/expensive ingredients. So focus on green recipes to save ingredients unless you're crafting for your own usage.
With how plentiful ingredients are, the fastest way to level provisioning is simply to gather ingredients and recipes while questing, then craft at any cooking fire whatever green recipes you've learned for the highest food/drink level possible.
Recipe Improvement |
Food/Drink Level | Inspiration from Creation |
---|---|---|
1 | 5 | 1,500 |
1 | 10 | 3,000 |
1 | 15 | 4,500 |
Creating 96 food/drink items to be used at character level 15 will bring provisioning skill to 20 and unlock Recipe Improvement 2. | ||
2 | 20 | 6,000 |
2 | 25 | 7,500 |
Creating 77 food/drink items to be used at character level 25 will bring provisioning skill to 30 and unlock Recipe Improvement 3. | ||
3 | 30 | 9,000 |
3 | 35 | 10,500 |
Creating 91 food/drink items to be used at character level 35 will bring provisioning skill to 40 and unlock Recipe Improvement 4. | ||
4 | 40 | 12,000 |
4 | 45 | 13,500 |
Creating 127 food/drink items to be used at character level 45 will max Provisioner training to provisioning crafting skill 50. |
Daily writs provide a boost to inspiration upon delivery, replenish ingredients, and provide a recipe. While the inspiration boost from turning in the first 3 tiers of writs (which is all you can do until you've attained at least Provisioning Rank 40 anyhow) is minimal, the value in doing provisioning writs is not really in the inspiration, but rather in the acquisition of purple ingredients and a variety of recipes. Stop by the mages guild in the tier 1 city of your alliance as listed below and talk to Danel Telleno to become certified in Provisioning.
Recipe Improvement | Inspiration as Reward |
Delivery Location Nearest Wayshrine in Zone1 |
---|---|---|
1 | 1,000 | Consortium Trading Post Vulkhel Guard in Auridon Daggerfall in Glenumbra Davon's Watch in Stonefalls |
2 | 1,000 | Alliance Supply Depot Elden Root in Grahtwood Wayrest in Stormhaven Mournhold in Deshaan |
3 | 1,000 | Refugee Relief Site Marbruk in Greenshade Shornhelm in Rivenspire Stormhold in Shadowfen |
4 | 6,000 | Fighters Guild Provisioner Velyn Harbor in Malabal Tor Sentinel in Alik'r Desert Windhelm in Eastmarch |
5 | 8,000 | Mages Guild Locus2 The Hollow City in Coldharbour |
6 | 10,000 | Belkarth Quartermaster Belkarth in Craglorn |
An alphabetical list of all 78 recipes used in the creation of writs follows. Each entry notes which alliance uses it and the recipe improvement level, so as to help you choose which recipes to learn or the best location when selling. The second tab is organized by writ level (note: Clockwork City added the ability to deliver to any writ location regardless of alliance or level).
Note: These recipes are being collected in the Guild Bank to be shared amongst guildies. Please donate if you are able.
Aetherial Tea (5) | Four-Eye Grog (1-AD) | Nereid Wine (3-DC) |
Alik'r Beets with Goat Cheese (2-DC) | Fresh Apples & Eidar Cheese (6) | Nibenese Garlic Carrots (2-AD) |
Arenthian Brandy (6) | Garlic Mashed Potatoes (3-DC) | Nut Brown Ale (1-EP) |
Argonian Saddle Cured Rabbit (6) | Garlic Pumpkin Seeds (2-AD) | Orcrest Garlic Apple Jelly (5) |
Baked Apples (1-DC) | Ginger Wheat Beer (2-DC) | Pellitine Tomato Rice (2-DC) |
Baked Potato (1-AD) | Gods-Blind-Me (4) | Pickled Carrot Slurry (6) |
Banana Surprise (1-AD) | Golden Lager (1-DC) | Red Rye Beer (1-AD) |
Barley Nectar (2-AD) | Gossamer Mazte (2-DC) | Redoran Peppered Melon (2-EP) |
Battaglir Chowder (2-EP) | Grandpa's Bedtime Tonic (5) | Roast Corn (1-EP) |
Blue Road Marathon (4) | Grape Preserves (1-EP) | Rye-in-Your-Eye (3-EP) |
Bitterlemon Tea (2-EP) | Hagraven's Tonic (6) | Seaflower Tea (2-DC) |
Bog Iron Ale (1-EP) | Hare in Garlic Sauce (3-EP) | Senchal Curry Fish and Rice (3-DC) |
Breton Pork Sausage (2-DC) | Hearty Garlic Corn Chowder (6) | Sipping Imga Tonic (6) |
Carrot Soup (1-DC) | Honey Rye (2-EP) | Skyrim Jazbay Crostata (4) |
Chicken Breast (1-AD) | Jerall View Inn Carrot Cake (3-EP) | Sorry, Honey Lager (3-AD) |
Chicken Breast (1-EP) | Khenarthi's Wings Chai (6) | Sour Mash (3-EP) |
Chorrol Corn on the Cob (3-AD) | Lemon Flower Mazte (1-DC) | Spiceberry Chai (3-AD) |
Cinnamon Grape Jelly (3-DC) | Lilmoth Garlic Hagfish (6) | Spiced Mazte (3-AD) |
Clarified Syrah Wine (1-EP) | Mammoth Snout Pie (4) | Stormhold Baked Bananas (3-EP) |
Comely Wench Whiskey (5) | Maormer Tea (3-EP) | Surilie Syrah Wine (1-DC) |
Cyrodilic Cornbread (4) | Markarth Mead (6) | Torval Mint Tea (3-DC) |
Cyrodilic Pumpkin Fritters (3-AD) | Mazte (1-AD) | Treacleberry Tea (2-AD) |
Elinhir Roast Antelope (3-AD) | Mermaid Whiskey (2-AD) | Two-Zephyr Tea (4) |
Eltheric Hooch (2-EP) | Millet-Stuffed Pork Loin (5) | Venison Pasty (2-EP) |
Firsthold Fruit and Cheese Plate (6) | Mulled Wine (3-DC) | West Weald Corn Chowder (5) |
Fishy Sticks (1-DC) | Muthsera's Remorse (6) | Whiterun Cheese-Baked Trout (2-AD) |
Quality affects the duration of effects; purple recipes are designed to last 2 hours compared to 30 minutes for green recipes. When crafting foods and drinks for player use, remember what each type of item does and select appropriately.
Recipe Type | Maximum Health | Health Recovery | Maximum Magicka | Magicka Recovery | Maximum Stamina | Stamina Recovery |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Meats Dishes & Bread | X | |||||
Fruit Dishes | X | |||||
Vegetable Dishes | X | |||||
Alcoholic Drinks | X | |||||
Teas | X | |||||
Tonics | X | |||||
Savouries | X | X | ||||
Ragouts | X | X | ||||
Entremets | X | X | ||||
Liquers | X | X | ||||
Tinctures | X | X | ||||
Cordial Teas | X | X | ||||
Orzorga's Red Frothgar |
X | X | ||||
Orzorga's Triple Trifle Pocket |
X | X | ||||
Orzorga's Blood Price Pie |
X | X | ||||
Gourmet, a.k.a. "tri-stat food" |
X | X | X | |||
Distillate, a.k.a. "tri-stat recovery" |
X | X | X | |||
Orzorga's Smoked Bear Haunch |
X | X | X | X |
You must have access to the Orsinium DLC to do these quests, or you might find the reward recipes in guild stores. All of these recipes and their unique benefits last for at least 2 hours (5/10/20 minutes more with 1/2/3 points in Gourmand).
Orzorga (located north of the Shatul wayshrine in Wrothgar) is the quest-giver for a series of quests which prepare for the King's feast. Orzorga's recipes are unique in that they blend the benefits normally found in food and drink.
The first quest, Kindred Spirits, rewards the blue recipe for Orzorga's Red Frothgar. Unlike other recipes, this recipe uses Clear Water (an alchemy mat) along with standard drink ingredients. It increases maximum health like bread or a meat dish and increases magicka recovery like a tea.
The second quest, A Healthy Choice, rewards the blue recipe for Orzorga's Triple Trifle Pocket. This recipe uses the most expensive alchemy mat, Columbine, and guts (yes, the fish bait), along with standard food ingredients. It increases maximum health like bread or a meat dish and increases stamina recovery like a tonic.
The third quest, Thicker Than Water, rewards the blue recipe for Orzorga's Blood Price Pie. This recipe uses Violet Coprinus (an alchemy material) and guts (yes, the fish bait) along with standard food ingredients. It increases maximum health like bread or a meat dish and increases health recovery like an alcoholic drink.
Orzorga's final quest, A Feast to Remember, rewards the gold recipe for Orzorga's Smoked Bear Haunch. This recipe increases maximum health and improves tri-stat recovery, but at the cost of rare/expensive ingredients (Perfect Roe, Frost Mirriam, and White Cap being among its ingredients, along with Tomato and Red Meat).
Some other regions of Tamriel have recipes found no where else. A quest chain in Clockwork City's Outlaw Refuge for instance provides recipes for 3 new and unique provisioning items: Deregulated Mushroom Slime (a unique Health/Magicka recovery food), Spring-Loaded Infusion (a unique tristat drink), and Clockwork Citrus Fillet (a unique Health/Magicka food). Fishing in Artaeum (part of the Summerset expansion) can provide 2 new recipes: Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl (a Health/Magicka drink that somehow improves the chances of catching rare fish) and Artaeum Takeaway Broth (a unique Health/Stamina Drink).
Many festival recipes also provide unique combinations of effects, mixing the effects of food (resource pool) and drink (recovery) much like Orzorga's recipes but in other unique combinations.
Details are reflected in the chart above.
Ambrosias are elixirs that boost your experience. Your passive provisioning skills count Ambrosia as a drink so you gain duration from the Connoisseur passive and the Brewer passive allows you to craft more than one at a time.
Consuming ambrosia reveals a special case when it comes to stacking provisioning benefits. You may drink this elixir without removing the benefit from your previously consumed food or drink and you may consume a drink or meal after the elixir and continue to receive the experience benefit.
Psijic Ambrosia provides a 50% bonus to all experience in the next 30/35/40/50 minutes (depending on skill points in Connoisseur). The recipe for Psijic Ambrosia is learned in fragments received by completing the Daily Provisioning Writs. Once you have each of the seven fragments you can create the recipe — or you can buy a copy of the recipe for approximately 50k-55k in guild stores.
The ingredients include Brevez Juice (obtained from writs or hireling), Frost Mirriam (obtained from writs or hireling), and Perfect Roe (obtained very rarely by filleting fish). I suggest not using these expensive ingredients without having 3 skill points in the Brewer skill (which makes each set of ingredients create four drinks instead of one).
Aetherial Ambrosia provides a 100% bonus to all experience in the next 30/35/40/50 minutes (depending on skill points in Connoisseur). The recipe and a required ingredient, Diminished Aetherial Dust, are purchased from Rolis Hlaalu with writ vouchers. The recipe requires you to mix a Psijic Ambrosia with a Diminished Aetherial Dust.
Mythic Aetherial Ambrosia provides a 150% bonus to all experience in the next 30/35/40/50 minutes (depending on skill points in Connoisseur). Using an Aetheric Cipher while a regular Recipe for Psijic Ambrosia is in your inventory converts the recipe into the recipe for Mythic Aetherial Ambrosia.
Once you've learned the recipe you can combine a unit of Aetherial Dust with a regular Psijic Ambrosia to boost its power to a Mythic Aetherial Ambrosia. The Aetherial Dusts and the Aetheric Cipher can be found within any alliance zone, Cyrodiil, or Coldharbour; it will not be found in DLC zones or Craglorn.