Newb botanist Questions!

[CrimsonReign]

So I only just started and since leveling a DOW character atm is basically impossible unless your rich and can keep buying new gear ( or crafting him new gear since people want 50-70k for fucking level 12 gear ) it's been easier to just do DOL stuff so I'm doing botany first to get the double SP skill so I can level mining and fishing faster ( my minings already like 12 or 13 ) They changed how all gathering works completely so its impossible to find information for the most part that updated on this stuff. I know what drops where I atleast read a little before I post lol.

1. Should I try to just randomly search for grade 3 trees to get exp faster and try to learn where the typical locations are ? ( I'm 15 bot )
2. I'm in Uldah so mostly what I get is Elm logs and crow feathers and lax. Should I sell these things? I tried selling them awhile ago and I looked at the absurd price people want for the log so I put mine at like 1/3 of what was up since I don't feel they should be so expensive and its been 2 days and No ones bought a single one lol...in fact surprisingly they have bought the more expensive ones ( probably just stupid? )
3. What are these +3 logs and feathers and lax I get all the time.. I have abunch but I don't see people selling them and idk if I should just npc them or not?
4. any other tips you can give for leveling bot faster or where I should go what I should sell etc etc... its appreciated Thanks.
5. also is like the whole notch thing like pointless now? I don't see it making a difference what I do with that I guess it used to be for getting specific things to drop but it doesn't seem to have a purpose anymore with the changes?

[Aiko]

www.disciplesoftheland.com

This site will be your new best friend. Tons of resources (like gathering maps) as well as some solid guides, which might need to be updated due to the patch.

1. It's up to you to decide when it's best to move on to the next grade. See how much SP you get out of a Grade 2 tree, then see how much you get out of a Grade 3. Grade 2 will offer more attempts, but Grade 3 should offer more SP per attempt. When the difference is less than 100 SP or so, it's time to move up to the next grade since you will generally be gathering much more quickly at the next grade (fewer attempts). The other thing to take into consideration is that Arbor Call will make it easier to find trees, so unless you're familiar with the area, you might want to wait until you get the next Arbor Call ability to move up.

2. ALWAYS sell Flax and Elm Logs. Flax is used by both Alchemists and Weavers, and Elm Logs are included in a few new recipes, so both should be selling well. Also, I have to say that it doesn't make very much sense to complain about how hard it is to afford gear while also undercutting your profit logs by 2/3...

3. "+3" items are "high quality" and are usually more desired by crafters since they are easier to craft/hq with. When listing these items in the wards, make sure the price ends in 3 to indicate hq (for example, list your Elm Logs +3 for 15,003 gil each).

4. First of all, complete the quest to get the Fingerprint of the Gods ability ASAP. Catalysts will be your primary income source until everything cools down. Second, your main goal is to get to 31-33 Botanist because at that point you can begin harvesting at Iron Lake, the best Botany location in the game (in my opinion). In a ~35 minute session last night, I ended up with 31 Mahogany Logs, 3 Elm Logs +3, one bucket of All-Purpose Blue Dye, and 20 Decomposed Matter catalysts (plus lots of junk). At my server's current prices, thats 2.24 mil in just over half an hour (not counting what I npced)...of course the prices of everything are inflated at the moment because the patch just came out, but the profit potential for Botanist is pretty solid, especially when they change the recipes so that logs will yield 1 lumber instead of 3...

5. Each item has a notch "sweet spot" (for example, Mahogany Log is +3). Logging at the sweet spot increases your chances of landing that item, so you end up with more valuable logs than Sun Lemons or whatever junk falls out of the trees in your current area.

Anyway, goodluck with Botany. It's painful sometimes but is paying off huge for me now. Another 50 Botanist in my server has made 5.5 mil in the last 48 hours off catalysts alone...again, the prices will drop as more people get into the market, but there will always be a need for catalysts and "mask logs" (Willow, Yew, Walnut, etc).

[Medura]

fingerprints cant be learnt before level 18. Though, very good said

[CrimsonReign]

I use that site but everythings outdated... the sweet spots they list dont apply half the time because those items don't drop in that area... Also you say they work but until I see official release saying it does I don't believe it as I notice absolutely no difference when using specific notches. I listed my Logs for 1500 because on my server people want like 4k for them which is absurd Why would I make them 4k when I don't think they are worth that much when anyone can spend 30 mins to get them not to mention Why would I support inflation? Thats the stupidest thing ever.. ITs idiots who go OH WELL EVERYONE ELSE IS SELLING LEVEL 8 GEAR FOR 80k I MIGHT AS WELL TOO the ruin economy in these games... as a veteran of FFXI I can tell you if you keep this retarded mindset you will kill this game before it even has a chance.

I appreciate the info on the fingerprint thing I guess even though I have no idea wtf that is or where to even start it..

and while you answered my question for the +3 stuff IS till have no idea how much I should sell them for because No one has any listed.

Someone needs to make a dedicated wiki or resource for this game because with all the changing thats going on all the information that is out there is so fucked that most new players are gonna have no clue whats going on. FFXI is successful even to this day because it has all those backbone sites that keep the information pumping. I feel its harder to get legit information for this game because no ones dedicating to constantly updating things. I mean disciples of the land has guides up that are a year old that no longer apply at all to the game right now and you guys still advertise it The only thing useful on that site right now is the maps which are pointless for logging or mining since the locations are random anyway ( helps harvesting I guess )

one day I hope.

[Cycloptichorn]

ITs idiots who go OH WELL EVERYONE ELSE IS SELLING LEVEL 8 GEAR FOR 80k I MIGHT AS WELL TOO the ruin economy in these games... as a veteran of FFXI I can tell you if you keep this retarded mindset you will kill this game before it even has a chance.

Sorry, but you're wrong about this. The market will naturally adjust over time to what people are willing to pay. If people are willing to pay 80k for r8 gear, that's the appropriate price for it. If people don't want to pay that much, the prices will drop over time to what people ARE willing to pay.

I don't know what to tell ya 'bout the DoL website. It's absolutely the best resource on the web for folks doing what you are talking about doing, the maps are not in fact pointless - they are excellent - and the operator of the site works hard to keep it updated. You're totally wrong about that as well.

[CrimsonReign]

one person operating one site is not what im talking about Your totally wrong about that. And NO people pay THAT much because they have no choice. you think people are just gonna not buy gear? They have to especially now if they wanna advance in the game. Douchebags who overcharge items ruin the market and ruin the game. Get a clue.it happened server wide in FFXI 3 years ago itll happen here...only reason it ended there is SE actually intervened in the AH and forced the prices by putting stuff up themselves for cheaper.

[Aiko]

Protip: when asking for help/advice on a public forum, it's generally best NOT to tell the people who take the time to respond in your thread how wrong they are about everything.

And no, I'm not totally wrong about that.

[CrimsonReign]

you could be if you wanna be a smart ass. Never said you were wrong Im posing a counter question to what you posted from what I've read and experienced. just because your 16 year old mind is too immature to have a proper conversation doesn't mean anything to me. and he is wrong about how economy in the game works. if he played FFXI he'd know his idea for stabilizing economy is bullshit.

[Aiko]

Everyone started this game in the same position. The players who understand this game actually took the time to figure out how things work through research in-game and online. You might want to try a little of that yourself if you aren't willing to listen to the posters here when they give you the information you asked for.

If FFXIV is too hard for you to figure out, you might want to look into Tic-Tac-Toe instead. It's been around for a while, so there are probably a lot of good guides and wikis online. It is a lot less complicated than FFXIV, so you could probably master the basics in 3-4 weeks tops.

Goodluck.

[Cycloptichorn]

and he is wrong about how economy in the game works

Hah!

I've merely been around long enough to see how it ACTUALLY works, as opposed to how you seem to THINK it works.

You need to give it a little time, the last patch really threw everything for a loop. I've seen prices on many things fall over 800% in the last week alone, as the true price the market will bear sorts itself out. Scarcity will also begin to recede as many older and rich players (such as myself, though I'm not rich anymore :/) get done picking up the lower-level gear that they now need to work their subclasses.

Re: the DoL website, I implore you to take a closer look at it; it really is the best site for finding gathering points. Not every point is popped at the same time, true - but a little bit of effort on your part will quickly find the ones that are there, and it's easy to set up a three-point triangle for continuous harvesting (especially with your choco friend!).