The crafting & gathering thread.

[Evane]

Is there any way to ensure 0 failure rate on quick synthesis on low level recipes?

[Raineer]

Been slowly leveling botanist and it is painfully slow. Any advice to get through 25-30? It is just painful imo?

Botany and mining just got a large boost to xp/swing, so if you think it's painful now....

There's only a few options.
1. Spend lots of time grinding
2. Use your GC points to buy scrolls to make the grinding a little better
3. Spend leve credits to make your grinding a little more effective, without any profit

My choice is typically to grind when there is profit to be had (or when I have a lot of rested xp and it "feels" faster lol), and use leves when i have no rested xp and all the level-appropriate targets are terrible money.

Gathering classes (in any MMO) usually are (and should be) shitty to level. They cost almost nothing but time and provide nothing but profit, especially at the high end.

[Brimah]

Yeah that's if you are using leves. I tend to level too many crafts at once and don't have so many credits.

Started at launch, non-legacy, and got my last craft to 50 Little over a week ago :D Generally dont use leves until 40 unless there is a stretch that doesn't have a good dura 40 synth. Made a macro, watch TV, do the dishes or whatever, and wireless controller was great.

[Andradi]

Is there any way to ensure 0 failure rate on quick synthesis on low level recipes?

Nope. If you're that concerned about losing mats your only choice is do it manually. Hardly seems worth the effort with how cheap most of the mats are.

[BlaizeAsura]

Something that may have been covered before, but that I've never seen, the condition of your gear / tools doesn't seem to effect quick synth success/failure.

Now granted I haven't exactly extensively tested this, just over about 200 or so quick synths, I was level 41 doing a level 33 synth, but I didn't see any more fails than I'd expect with fully repaired gear. So if you're batch synthing a load of mats you may as well do it naked and probably with a level 1 tool. (Will try that next time I have to do a load of quick Synths if nobody knows for certain)

[Deadgye]

Durability has zero effects on everything unless it's 0%, yes. Switching out stuff just seems like a waste of time and effort though.

[Buffy]

I can only answer for WVR, but the level 50 quest requires:
• 1 HQ Patrician's Wedge Cap
• 1 HQ Patrician's Coatee
• 1 HQ Patrician's Bottoms


...and now, what I came here for! I haven't seen anyone mention materia stat caps for the best HQ crafting gear, so I'll get that discussion started! The following is a list of information I have for stat caps on the best DoH gear. I only tested with LTW and WVR, but it seems that all DoH AF caps at the same values, so this should be applicable to everyone. I do not have GSM to 50 yet, so hopefully someone can help me fill in the info for all the accessory slots! I will update this post if someone provides info that I don't have.

UPDATE: I've changed a good majority of the optimum melds listed to use less reliance on T4 materia since they're such a pain in the butt to get.

Mainhand: Can't meld the best Lv50 mainhand tool. Go do your class quests, you lazy sod!

Offhand (HQ Militia): 19 Craftsmanship; 11 Control; 3 CP
- It is impossible to reach all the stat caps on this, so it's your pick what you meld.

Head (HQ AF): 4 Craftsmanship; 5 Control; 0 CP
- Optimum meld: Control III, Craftsmanship II, Control II

Body (HQ AF): 16 Craftsmanship; 5 Control; 0 CP
- Optimum meld option 1: Craftsmanship IV, Control III, Craftsmanship III, Craftsmanship III, Control II
- The above option has less reliance on Tier-4 materia
- Optimum meld option 2: Craftsmanship IV, Craftsmanship IV, Control III, Control II, Craftsmanship II
- The above option has less expensive forbidden melds

Hands (HQ AF): 4 Craftsmanship; 5 Control; 0 CP
- Optimum meld: Control III, Craftsmanship II, Control II

Legs (HQ AF): 1 Craftsmanship; 5 Control; 3 CP
- Optimum meld: Control III, CP III, Control II, Craftsmanship I

Feet (HQ AF): 1 Craftsmanship; 5 Control; 3 CP
- Optimum meld: Control III, CP III, Control II, Craftsmanship I

Waist (HQ Raptorskin Mrch. Purse): 3 Craftsmanship; 5 Control; 3 CP
- Note: Since this is not iLvl55+, it doesn't accept tier4 materia.
- Optimum meld: Control III, CP III, Control II, Craftsmanship I

Neck (HQ Electrum Choker): 3 Craftsmanship; 3 Control; 5 CP
- Note: Since this is not iLvl55+, it doesn't accept tier4 materia.
- Optimum Meld: Control III, CP III, CP II, Craftsmanship I (your pick which tier-3 materia comes first)

Ears (HQ Red Coral Earrings): 3 Craftsmanship; 3 Control; 6 CP
- Note: Since this is not iLvl55+, it doesn't accept tier4 materia.
- Optimum Meld: Control III, CP III, CP III, Craftsmanship I (your pick which tier-3 materia comes first)

Wrists (HQ Militia): 4 Craftsmanship; 4 Control; 6 CP
- Optimum Meld: Control IV, CP III, CP III, Craftsmanship II
- Alternative Meld: Control IV, CP IV, Craftsmanship II, CP II
- I used the alternative meld since CP IV materia has literally no use except for this gear slot (or melds onto NQ gear), so it's generally cheaper than any other T4 crafting materia.

Rings (HQ Aetheryte Ring): 4 Craftsmanship; 4 Control; 3 CP
- Optimum Meld: Control IV, CP III, Craftsmanship II
- Alternative Meld: Control III, CP III, Craftsmanship II, Control I

Is this considered the ideal AF setup at this time?

I ask because this video has the character start with 369 CP:



I have 181 CP with base AF at ALC 50, no accessories, and am wondering how I get 369./

[Niiro]

There's no secret, HQ AF, HQ accessories, optimum melds (+food).

You can 100% HQ 1-star synths with much less than that anyway.

[Andradi]

Get accessories, meld the shit out of them, eat CP food.

The right side of the equipment for crafting is entirely CP, aside from melds.

[Rocl]

The right side of the equipment for crafting is entirely CP, aside from melds.

FALSE. Militia offhands don't have CP

[Andradi]

What a mistaka to maka.

[Deadgye]

I have 333 CP personally, with 376 after food. My melds on (waist, neck, ear, ring, ring) only give me +20cp.

Why do people not buy accessories immediately. My friend originally had trouble HQing stuff for his levequests with nq mats when he was leveling armorer and blacksmith and I couldn't figure out why. Until I finally found out he wasn't using any accessories all the way up to high 30s maybe even low 40s. I was like, "wtf is wrong with you".

[Limlight]

Looking for some suggestions.

I'm currently finishing up my last craft to 15 to get all the basic skills. I plan to follow the first page of this thread and take alch to 50 first before doing Armorsmithing/mining combo as my 2 "mains". In regards to leveling Alch, will it kill my pocket book to just straight up buy ingredients or should I do some work with botany/etc? Some thoughts on that.

I have 100 leves saved up and I was planning to go straight into them for 15 alch to 50 and armorsmithing/mining 15-50. Should I hold off a bit (like to 25ish) or will the best use of them to just plow straight into things. Also any general advice is welcome. I do plan to get multiple 50s, maybe a list of which to 50 first? Thanks in advance

[Raineer]

Just look through the recipes in front of you and look for low-ingrediant ones to spam. I got a lot of mileage from botany and fishing when I did Alchemy. Also, if there's nothing good ahead don't feel bad about spamming some cheap thing that is several levels behind. You will be able to cap quality which will still hold an xp boost.

Personally, I grind up to about 35 on all crafts and then see where it goes after that. Some crafts (like gold) are stupid-easy (and cheap) to grind without farming anything - I didn't use a single leve until 48, and even those were silly cheap. Others are grindable but you might want to gather instead of buy off AH (like carpenter). Others, like weaving, are ridiculous all around and you want to plan very carefully and will end up using a lot of leves or else wreck your pocketbook. As I recall I did the same 35 and 40 leves on weaver all the way to 50 in order to avoid fleece and snurbles.

If you want armorsmithing to be your "main" - which you'll find means that you will farm/buy HQ armor at 50 and spend tons to fully meld, that's fine. However you won't be crafting much great with that main without the following abilities:

First, second, and third place - CRP50 - Byregots Blessing

Runner's up:
CUL37 - Steady Hand II
WVR50 - Careful Synthesis II
edit: ACL50 - Comfort Zone (Nice but not *required*, I have it and it does bridge a gap in your gear and helps at mid levels 30/35+ ish)

The last two are runner's up because you can kinda work around them based on your gear setup. With perfect gear you don't need to have SH2, however you will find that, in the process of leveling all these crafts, it will become damn handy. Byregots is just broken-good, so just accept that you'll be getting that. The sooner the better, too. It changes the game starting around 25, which is the earliest you can reasonably set it and make good use of it.

Crafting in FFXIV is unique in the amount that cross-class skills matter. I've never played an MMO where it was so important. Armorsmithing has terrible abilities, and it's going to be my last 50 because of that. Regardless of your desired main, you want to focus on getting the important abilities for all crafts - likely before you level anything that doesn't have good abilities. I have 5 50's and none of them are "main" really, I'm not sure which I will pimp out first. But all the abilities are a godsend.

[Jakson]

It changes the game starting around 25, which is the earliest you can reasonably set it and make good use of it.

I've got CRP50 and am leveling WVR and while I have been using it before 25, I was wondering if there was a specific thing that happens at 25 (a cross-class skill I'm not thinking of, maybe?) that you were talking about, or was it just stats or gear.

[Gokulo]

I've got CRP50 and am leveling WVR and while I have been using it before 25, I was wondering if there was a specific thing that happens at 25 (a cross-class skill I'm not thinking of, maybe?) that you were talking about, or was it just stats or gear.

I think before that I used slots for other skills that seemed more important

[Andradi]

That and it's not quite as ridiculously broken without great strides (21).

[Raineer]

Yeah both of the previous posts are correct. As good as Byregot's is, you can't (I didn't) set it immediately because there are other skills which you'll use more (manip, Tricks, Waste Not are likely candidates based on your playstyle). And, if you're in a situation you can't use Byregots, you'll still be finishing with Great Strides -> (Basic/Standard/Advanced Touch), depending on your CP levels.

[Spider-Dan]

Raineer, I'm trying to figure out your sig. Did you get Excellent > Poor > Excellent?

[Raineer]

Raineer, I'm trying to figure out your sig. Did you get Excellent > Poor > Excellent?

hehe, it's pretend. It tries to capture the frustration of getting low durability excellents that you can do nothing about. It's also an excuse to take pictures of me in the poofy hat.

I've never seen a transition other than poor -> normal so I think that is mandatory.