How to obtain the materials | Clothing ESO guide, tips
Last update: 11 May 2016
The main, and (at least during the early levels) the easiest, way to obtain fibers is to simply extract them from a source, which has a form of a fibrous plant - doing so, you will get from 3 to 4 fibers every time. It is the simplest, yet at the same time the most time-consuming process - to be able to make even the lowest items (Light Armor) from Clothing, you will need from several to over a dozen processed Fabrics, meaning that if you want to create a single item, you will have to find and collect fibers from at least a fibrous plants. Extracting fibers from plants (and processing them into Fabrics) is profitable only during the early, lower levels, when you have little to none access to items, which can be used in the deconstruction process.
When it comes to Hides, the process of collecting is a little different - obviously, there aren't any plants, trees or bushes from which you can collect hide scraps. To get them, you will have to get your hands dirty, by exterminating the nearby monsters. Practically all beast-like enemies from the game drops Hide Scraps (ranging from 1 to even 4) - given the fact, that you will probably murder dozens, if not hundreds of them, it is an extremely efficient way to obtain a lot of Hide Scraps. By linking the useful with the pleasant (collecting materials while gaining experience through killing mobs), you will collect them way faster than while extracting ores from nodes or collecting fibers from fibrous plants.
A lot more efficient method is the mentioned deconstruction. After going through several levels of experience (when the enemies start to drop items made from Cotton and Leather), you will start to collect an absurd quantity of items. Most of them, obviously, will be way weaker than the ones you will have equipped at the time, so you will have to get rid of them, one way or the other.
It is worth doing so in the process of deconstruction, as you will earn insane amounts of experience corresponding to the Clothing skill line (which will be further explained later on). By destroying an item, you have a chance to get from 1 to 3 (according to the quality of the item) Fibers / Hides (depending on the fact, if it's a Light or Medium Armor), as well as a Tannin, a component needed in order to craft an item in a certain style, or a material required to make an item with a given Trait.
The process of deconstruction is fairly simple - to get a desired component, you must destroy an item made from that certain material. If you want to get Spidersilk / Thick Leather, you have to destroy items made from Spidersilk / Thick Leather, and so on. If you want to get a specific material required to make an item with a certain Trait (for instance, a Sapphire, required in order to make an item enhancing the effects of Mundus Stones), you will have to destroy an item with that Trait.
Below you will find a table representing the places (for all 3 fractions), in which you can find specific fibrous plants and beasts, from which you can collect hide scraps upon slaying them:
Fiber / Hide Scrap | Aldmeri Dominion | Daggerfall Covenant | Ebonheart Pact |
Raw Jute and Rawhide Scraps | Khenarthi's Roost and Auridon | Stros M'Kai, Betnikh and Glenumbra | Bleakrock Isle, Bal Foyen and Stonefalls |
Raw Flax and Hide Scraps | Grahtwood | Stormhaven | Deshaan |
Raw Cotton and Leather Scraps | Grahtwood, Greenshade and Malabal Tor | Stormhaven, Rivenspire and Alik'r Desert | Deshaan, Shadowfen and Eastmarch |
Raw Spidersilk and Thick Leather Scraps | Greenshade and Malabal Tor | Rivenspire and Alik'r Desert | Shadowfen, Eastmarch and The Rift |
Raw Ebonthread and Fell Hide Scraps | Reaper's March, Coldharbour and Cyrodiil | Bangkorai, Coldharbour and Cyrodiil | The Rift, Coldharbour and Cyrodil |
Raw Kreshweed and Topgrain Hide Scraps | Cyrodiil, Stonefalls and Deshaan | Cyrodiil, Auridon and Grahtwood | Cyrodil and Glenumbra |
Raw Ironweed and Iron Hide Scraps | Shadowfen, East March and The Rift | Greenshade, Malabal Tor and Reaper's March | Rivenspire, Alik'r Desert and Bangkorai |
Raw Silverweed and Superb Hide Scraps | Glenumbra and Stormhaven | Stonefalls and Deshaan | Aurodon and Grahtwood |
Raw Void Bloom and Shadowide Scraps | Rivenspire, Alik'r Desert and Bangkorai | Shadowfen, Eastmarch and The Rift | Greenshade, Malabal Tor and Reaper's March |