5 Elder Scrolls Online items that you should never spend gold on

Two characters in Elder Scrolls Online riding on horses.
Exploring the five items that you should never spend gold on in Elder Scrolls Online (Image via Bethesda)

Elder Scrolls Online features a sprawling open world of Tamriel which is packed to the brim with a plethora of content. You are liable to encounter many interesting characters, quests, and diverse loot along the journey. One of the most important aspects of this MMORPG is gold, which is the primary currency in the title.

While gold is not a rare commodity in Elder Scrolls Online, you must try to spend it wisely. Many vendors in the game offer numerous enticing goods. You must, however, be decisive in purchasing as it is better to save gold for other essential aspects.

Disclaimer: This listicle is subjective and reflects the writer’s opinions.


Lockpicks and four other items in Elder Scrolls Online that you should avoid spending gold on

1) Lockpicks

Lockpicks can be used to open locked doors and chests (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)
Lockpicks can be used to open locked doors and chests (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)

Elder Scrolls Online comprises some mechanics identical to Skyrim, like lockpicking system. It is a bit more complex in this MMORPG, and you will require a lockpick to unlock certain chests and doors.

While it is tempting to head to any of the vendors in Tamriel to buy a bunch of lockpicks, you must invest some time exploring the world instead. If you are facing difficulty in unlocking doors or chests, refer to this guide on how to pick a lock easily.

Lockpicks can be found in many areas across the game world, and it is ideal to explore the surroundings to find them. You can look for them in chests or acquire them by looting the corpses of enemies.


2) Buff Food and Drinks

It is better to avoid buying food (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)
It is better to avoid buying food (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)

You can leverage the wide variety of foods and drinks available in this MMORPG. These consumables can offer robust buffs like increasing max health, magicka, enhancing health recovery, and more for a certain amount of time.

You can buy these resources from vendors by spending gold if you need some buffs or amidst a hectic situation with no other way to acquire them. Alternatively, you can encounter these items quite frequently during exploration.

Furthermore, a majority of the foods and drinks can be easily acquired in the form of rewards by clearing out daily quests. Just like lockpicks, even food items can be obtained by looting various enemies or searching myriad chests.


3) Mounts

You must not spend money on buying a horse (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)
You must not spend money on buying a horse (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)

The world of Tamriel is expansive, and it is lucrative to use horses to traverse this world. It can be enticing for newcomers to skip the on-foot journey and accumulate gold to buy a mount.

However, this is counterproductive, as you will get a free horse upon reaching level 10. You must be patient and partake in myriad activities to focus on leveling up. If you are on the fence regarding this game, check out this article outlining whether or not this game can be played solo in 2023.

You must focus on investing gold in the mount training aspect of this game. You can enhance a horse’s speed, endurance, or carrying capacity. If you are running short on money, then feel free to peruse this guide on how to farm gold quickly.


4) Weapons and Armor

You can obtain weapons easily in the game (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)
You can obtain weapons easily in the game (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)

Weapons and armor are the prime highlights of most games, and the same is the case with this popular MMORPG. If you have just begun your journey, then it is natural to consider spending gold on buying armor or weapons.

It is recommended to progress through the game since you can obtain a healthy variety of armor regardless of the chosen class by playing organically. You can refer to this ranked list of all the classes in Elder Scrolls Online to know about the best ones.

Weapons are also relatively easy to obtain, and you can possess some powerful items by just partaking in myriad quests, tackling daily missions, and defeating elite bosses. Alternatively, you can dabble in crafting your own weapons and armor sets.


5) Potions

You can avoid spending gold on potions (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)
You can avoid spending gold on potions (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)

Along with a variety of buff foods and drinks, you can rely on various potions to avail of robust stat boosts and healing effects. Essence of Health, Essence of Magicka, and Essence of Weapon Critical are some of the useful potions in the game.

You can rest easy since the game is generous in terms of providing a sufficient quantity of potions along the journey. If necessary, you can spend gold on the potions mentioned above or if you plan to face off against some elite foe.

If you wish to save some gold, then it is an effective strategy to avoid the purchase of potions. You can thoroughly explore the surroundings and loot dead foes whenever possible to acquire potions and other useful resources.


You can delve into the Ascent of Arcanist event (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)
You can delve into the Ascent of Arcanist event (Image via Elder Scrolls Online)

Elder Scrolls Online continues to attract many players owing to consistent updates and new events. You can check out this article outlining all the details regarding the Ascent of the Arcanist limited-time event.

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Edited by Ashmita Bhatt
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