Cheaper and Easiser to make ammo?

[Oddwaffle]

There aren't that many people level Rangers anymore. Even people with Rangers aren't using them. This makes the high level ammo market for Rangers pretty dead. Anything above demon arrows and silver bullets level are pretty much non-existence or just over priced. It's obvious because there are very few buyers so craftsmen aren't making them.

People who want to level Rangers will usually have to make their own ammo if they want the best possible ammo. My attempt to make the new ammo for myself has proven to be overly difficult as well. Not only I need multiple crafts at high level (ex: Antlion Arrow) that I will not have if I already have a high level craft, I also need decently high synergy skill to make them effectively - this makes a high level crafting mule pretty useless.

Perhaps SE should consider lowering the difficulty of ammo making? From Arrow, Bolt heads and ingots to arrow wood; those materials craft level should also be lowered to a reasonable level that you don't have to get a new mule to level.

[Catsby]

The difficulty behind higher level ammo is a tremendous error. Once a ninja or dark knight equips their weapon they don't need to worry about getting a new one after 100 swings so why do Rangers need to drop 100k for a stack of bullets?

[RabidSquirrel]

The difficulty behind higher level ammo is a tremendous error. Once a ninja or dark knight equips their weapon they don't need to worry about getting a new one after 100 swings so why do Rangers need to drop 100k for a stack of bullets?

Not sure why you chose ninja in your example. Additional tool cost is as close as any other job gets to an additional ammo cost.

[Urthdigger]

And some ninja use shuriken.

[Catsby]

because the cost of tools is laughable when compared to ammo.

[Urthdigger]

...not really? Past Demon Arrows, there just aren't very many on the AH to begin with. On my server at least, demon arrows are 7k a stack. Tsurara and Kodoku are the only ones cheaper (and Shihei is slightly cheaper, if not gotten as toolbags).

That said, I'm not sure why antlion arrows are so nonexistant. 2 colibri feathers, one bone chip, one antlion jaw, and 6 arrowwood logs are enough base materials to make 6 stacks of arrows. And that's assuming you only NQ everything. And outside of the antlion jaws, none of these should be difficult to get. The only thing that I think could be an issue is lack of crafters, as you'd need enough clothcraft for the fletchings, bonecrafting for the arrowheads, and synergy, bonecrafting, and woodworking for the final synth. Can you really not find ANY woodworkers, bonecrafters, or clothcrafters on your server?

I'm just trying to make some sense of the OP... are you asking that they not make anything worthwhile that requires over level 60 in a craft?

[Tagrineth]

Part of the problem is that modern RNGs don't have Woodworking leveled, so modern Woodworkers are maintaining at least partial profit on the arrows.

But you've gotta keep one thing in mind. RNGs hit hard for what they're paying. For example, with Antlion Arrows (D:41) and... say... a Vision Bow (D:97), RNGs are effectively firing a weapon with 138 base damage. With Gandiva you're looking at 144 base.

It's even sillier when you look at guns - a Bedlam (D:51) plus Dweomer Bullet (D:90) nets 141. Bump that up to an Armageddon (D:64) and you're looking at a whopping 154 base.

Even a 90 Apocalypse - the highest base dmg is on Scythes - you "only" hit 140.

Is it enough of a difference to merit the kind of price RNG currently have to pay? Probably not, but it isn't entirely without merit.


edit: Also, pdif caps (MUCH) higher for ranged attacks than it does for normal weaponry.

[Raksha]

The reeason why antlion arrows are scarce is because they are synergy and not regular synthesis. So you have to find a synergist, a woodworker, and a bonecrafter in order to make any. I'm willing to bet ppl who have synergy leveled are busy making loads of gil on other stuff to want to bother with arrows.

RNGs have always payed for their damage, and they have always been able to put out high numbers, but these days my non-emp RNG gets outdmged by my non-emp DNC.

[Sparthos]

It isn't Synergy alone, its the fact that new ammo uses absurdly difficult items.

Antlion Jaw are rare drops off Antlions.
Oberon Bullets require a Campaign drop.
Fusion Bolts use ore mined solely in a CoP zone.
Dark Adaman requires Darksteel and Adaman ores.
Dweomer Bullets require a Campaign drop.

Unless you go out of your way to farm these, GL ever being able to find a stack for a reasonable price. Theres nothing wrong with paying for ammo but when a single stack is ~30k-80k, its ridiculous.

[Raksha]

FFXIAH shows ~5 Antlion Jaws sold per day on our server, and almost all of them are bought by that bot who buys stuff then NPCs it, so less that vendor price. Not a phenomenal supply but doesnt seem like materials are the bottleneck (for antlion arrows).

[Coldbrand]

FFXIAH shows ~5 Antlion Jaws sold per day on our server, and almost all of them are bought by that bot who buys stuff then NPCs it, so less that vendor price. Not a phenomenal supply but doesnt seem like materials are the bottleneck (for antlion arrows).

Why are you posting on the forum about it rather than reporting his name to the special task force?

[Sparthos]

Why are you posting on the forum about it rather than reporting his name to the special task force?

STF doesn't do squat, I got tired of reporting the same RMT warping around Fort Karugo and Grauberg harvesting.

5 Antlion Jaws per day shows how rare that item is. RNG isn't currently a high demand job due to the proc system but if it ever came to pass that RNG became popular again, the go-to arrows would still be Demons.

Level 60 ammo... yeah. Problem.

[katz]

As a crafter Im interested in your opinions of what you think is a reasonable price for arrows bullets and bolts. I can understand the concerns of the RNGs but if the materials arent available they are hard to price to make your requirements. I have made some and had them come back. Would appreciate your feedback.

[katz]

Why are you posting on the forum about it rather than reporting his name to the special task force?

Because he has already been investigated on other servers and deemed he wasnt doing anything wrong. We all know who he is and what hes doing yet SE refuse to do anything about him.

[hiko]

buying stuff from AH and NPCing is ok.
as long as SE cant prove he use a 3rd party tool to auto buy/sell they can't do anything.

and lol complaining about rng ammo price! cor ammo is way worth with less choice

[katz]

Suggestion would you like to see the arrows bullets bolts all come shop bought from an npc. Im thinking of a systems where crafters can make goods to stock npcs with craft goods. If the stock has reached capacity or people arent buying then the price for the crafter to sell to the npc would drop or stop and the price the NPC sells at would also drop. A bit like the way the crafters guild shops work. Lots in stock low selling price heavy demand price rises. it would give a reason for crafters to craft and a steady supply of (maybe) cheaper ammo for the people who use it.

[Oddwaffle]

Well, just to rephrase what I said for clarification. Ammo beyond demon arrows and silver bullets (in levels) are really really scarce. The reasons are: #1 Not enough demand because not many rangers around, #2 Not enough demand means no body wants to craft them, thus low supply, #3 It's really difficult to make any of these ammo due to the crafts level, materials and synergy required. The result of the scarcity lead to ridiculously high price and the almost none existence on AH. Even the attempt to craft them is exceedingly difficult because of the materials.

Oh and why don't I ask a crafter to craft them for me? Since when is the last time you ask someone to make you a stack of curry subs? The new ammo are like that. You can't make a lot cause you don't use a lot, you can't make to store because of the scarcity and price of the materials and you can't buy from AH because there aren't any on AH. The best you can do is to gather bits of materials and beg someone willing to spend 5-10m to make your ammo and you spending an hour or more running around for materials every time you want to use it.

So what I am asking for is to simply lower the level required to make these ammo. So at least if nobody is selling, you can make these ammo on your own without the need to make a specialized character to craft or beg someone every few days.

For crafters, a reasonable price for arrow that is used exclusively to spam would be around 50~70% the price of Shihei stacks. If it's equal or higher than shihei stacks then it's a little bit expensive for average Joe/Jane but should be reasonable enough for people loving the Ranger job. Bullets can be anywhere from 150%-250% the price of Shihei stack and still be reasonable enough.

[Raksha]

5 Antlion Jaws per day shows how rare that item is. RNG isn't currently a high demand job due to the proc system but if it ever came to pass that RNG became popular again, the go-to arrows would still be Demons.

Level 60 ammo... yeah. Problem.

1 Jaw is enough to make 6 stacks of arrows without any HQs, so that's 30 stack per day. Nowhere near that many arrows on AH, also the bot buying the jaws means that there's very little demand. Supply isnt the problem.

RNG isn't the job it used to be, and I've pretty much stopped playing it. Low demand coupled with PiTA synergy requirements are what's driving up the price.

[Catsby]

The steep requirements to create consumed weapons for a job that broken and nobody plays equates to it effectively being stuck at 60/75. The hypothetical example I tried to make earlier was what if your ninja or dark knight's sub slot broke every 99 swings and your only accessible replacement was level 60(75 if you want to spend a little extra money and it happens to be on the AH, 90+ if you are fucking rich and have friends who care about synergy).

[Atomic_Skull]

\

But you've gotta keep one thing in mind. RNGs hit hard for what they're paying. For example, with Antlion Arrows (D:41) and... say... a Vision Bow (D:97), RNGs are effectively firing a weapon with 138 base damage. With Gandiva you're looking at 144 base.

The problem RNG has is that melees have caught up in terms of weapon damage and have higher attack and have ridiculous amounts of haste available. At one time RNG weapons made up for the slow attack speed and expense with damage that was significantly ahead of melees but this is no longer the case.

[Atomic_Skull]

It isn't Synergy alone, its the fact that new ammo uses absurdly difficult items.

Antlion Jaw are rare drops off Antlions.



Aren't Ruszor arrows the top tier arrow now? Other than the Ruszor fang they are made from cheap garbage. And there's no shortage of Ruszors either.

[Sparthos]

Aren't Ruszor arrows the top tier arrow now? Other than the Ruszor fang they are made from cheap garbage. And there's no shortage of Ruszors either.

There are no Ruszor in Abyssea meaning you have to go out of your way to obtain the fangs.

The low drop rate on them makes it a pain to see on the AH. This was the same issue that caused SE to change Pet Food from using Ruszor Meat to Buffalo Meat.

But yes, besides the Ruszor Fang the arrows are piss-easy to make.

[Tagrineth]

There are no Ruszor in Abyssea meaning you have to go out of your way to obtain the fangs.

to be fair: there is exactly one.

[Myrrh]

And there's no shortage of Ruszors either.

Don't know about you but I'm lucky to see 1 Quiver of Ruszor arrows a week on AH and they go for 50k each. That's 50k for 99 arrows. Not exactly something I want to use often.

[Malacite]

Not sure why you chose ninja in your example. Additional tool cost is as close as any other job gets to an additional ammo cost.

Universal Tool Bags are incredibly cheap from Port Bastok, and save a tonne of inventory space.


And some ninja use shuriken.

Name one. Only an idiot would even bother with them at this point. Shuriken used to have the highest DPS of any weapon in the game, but ever since the caps went up that's gone right out the window. So there's really no justifying the cost of them whatsoever at this stage in the game.

It would be wonderful if we got more (cheaper) synergy recipes for ammunition, and I mean all types - Arrows, Bolts, Bullets & even Shuriken (along with a new higher level shuriken to replace Fuma) as it's much easier to HQ during Synergy than it is Synthesis. Ignoring the multitude of other balance issues facing RNG, it is rather unfair that jobs like WAR & MNK can absolutely destroy RNG now in damage, for free, unless said RNG has a Gandiva and even then it's still pretty close thanks to Haste.

[Catsby]

Ignoring the multitude of other balance issues facing RNG, it is rather unfair that jobs like WAR & MNK can absolutely destroy RNG now in damage, for free, unless said RNG has a Gandiva and even then it's still pretty close thanks to Haste.

Also need 90+ ammo which this thread is about. Right now RNG is just sad.

[Sparthos]

to be fair: there is exactly one.

Who doesn't drop tusks. >.>

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Antlion Jaw are rare drops off Antlions. They drop a lot in abyssea attowa. The problem is getting the bastards to pop up.

[Atomic_Skull]

SE still hasn't got the message that nobody likes Synergy.

[Malamasala]

The problem RNG has is that melees have caught up in terms of weapon damage and have higher attack and have ridiculous amounts of haste available. At one time RNG weapons made up for the slow attack speed and expense with damage that was significantly ahead of melees but this is no longer the case.

Nah, haste is the sole and single game balance breaker out there. A severe nerf to it is the best way to bring back mages and ranged attackers. That or make them the only trigger jobs for important things, like they did with spells and TE chests.

[Ohji_Lunartail]

Idk I'd live easier to make ammo, around each level cap I'd spend about 1-2m on ammo cuz it skyrockets . Think at the 85 cap a single steel bullet pouch was around 120k -.- ended up haven a friend make a bunch of tin ones for my cor for the 90cap lol so yea alot of people whould appreciate easier to obtain ammo. Maybe knees purchased with cruor? Not like thats scarse ATM lol

[Saefinn]

Speaking as a Corsair, bullets make me cry - I love the job, but it IS expensive to maintain and I am one of these COR who subs RNG and loves using Ranged Attack. So I go through ammunition pretty quick. Normally I find myself using Bullets and Iron Bullets because they're cheaper to buy from AH and once I've finished levelling my crafts, I'll be able to craft them cheaper too. But they're low level and inferior, but I use my Chaos Roll and Ranged Attack Stats to try and compensate somewhat. I'm all for encouraging people to craft, after all a lot of weapons and armour are crafted, but I think it needs to be done at lower craft levels and to be cheap enough to be worthwhile.

My suggestion would be to have higher level bullets for lower level craft. Higher level craft would then be used to make ammo with extra stats so high level crafters and people willing to spend extra don't lose out.

So at level 80 you've got Oberon's Bullet:
DMG: 77 Delay: 240 Ranged Attack: +6

Why not have say a level 80 bullet (for RNG/COR) that's:

DMG: 70 Delay: 240

Prolly made using 50 Alchemy and 35 Smithing with cheaper materials. And similar types of ammunition to account for the jobs that use Ranged Attack. Perhaps people will be less put off the price/craft required to level RNG or COR, because really, they are great jobs.


[Edit]
As Oberon's Bullet is so expensive, perhaps slap on some extra stats.

[Catsby]

Nah, haste is the sole and single game balance breaker out there. A severe nerf to it is the best way to bring back mages and ranged attackers. That or make them the only trigger jobs for important things, like they did with spells and TE chests.

that and a smoother /ra. right now it goes through several phases before damage is done.

[Mirabelle]

I certainly think ammo is one of the big reasons no one plays RNG anymore. It's kind of like Music. In the old days you saved your money and bought $20 LP's and CD's for one or two good songs. Then MP3's came out and people started pirating and sharing music and now no one wants to spend money on CD's and that market is essentially dead.

In the old RNG days, we were the top DD and paid pretty steep prices (Kaburas were frequently in the 30-40k/stack cost). Then the nerf came and then the melee buffs came and then Abyssea came. Now people get great gear at virtually no cost other than some time and can outdamage most RNG's. So no one playing or considering playing RNG wants to spend money on ammo enymore when other jobs can provide equal or greater damage at little to no extra cost.

I hope SE has some brilliant ideas in mind because I really like playing the ranged attacker. But I rarely get asked to bring out my COR or RNG anymore to events and they aren't the best solo jobs out there, that's for sure.

[Atomic_Skull]

Nah, haste is the sole and single game balance breaker out there. A severe nerf to it is the best way to bring back mages and ranged attackers. That or make them the only trigger jobs for important things, like they did with spells and TE chests.

Nerfing haste would cast THF and DRK down even lower than they already are (which is pretty low). Meanwhile Ukon WARs and Kannagi NINs would still be the top DDs in the game by a gigantic margin haste or no haste because Ukon and Kannagi are just plain hax and removing haste isn't going to make them any less overpowered. The only real effect nerfing haste might have is to reverse the positions of Kannagi NIN and Ukon WAR on the totem pole because DW would now be the superior form of haste available and NIN has the largest amount of it. SAM, DRK or any other job that uses JA haste to try and keep pace with WAR and NIN would be pushed even further down.

[Oddwaffle]

Before this thread derail into nerf and haste and all that jazz, I'll state again that cheaper and more accessible ammo should be 1st priority. This is not going to fix Rng or Cor. It will, however, make it so those who wish to play it will not have to cough up more gil than they can count or jump through hoops and bend backwards trying to get their ammo.

How cheap should a stack of top tier ammo be? I'm not too sure. I'm thinking of 4k~7k a stack for top tier and around 2k~5k for the second rate.

What should be the skill level be required to make ammo? I'd say top tier ammo shouldn't go higher than lv60 in any craft. This should include all the materials. What's the point of having ammo recipe at lv40 while the materials require lv80 of some other craft? How about lv1~20 ammo = 1~10 craft level, lv21~40 ammo = 11~20 craft level, lv41~60 ammo = lv21~30 level, lv61~80 ammo = 31~40 craft level and lv81~99 ammo = 41~60 craft level?

[Catsby]

Before this thread derail into nerf and haste and all that jazz, I'll state again that cheaper and more accessible ammo should be 1st priority. This is not going to fix Rng or Cor. It will, however, make it so those who wish to play it will not have to cough up more gil than they can count or jump through hoops and bend backwards trying to get their ammo.

How cheap should a stack of top tier ammo be? I'm not too sure. I'm thinking of 4k~7k a stack for top tier and around 2k~5k for the second rate.

What should be the skill level be required to make ammo? I'd say top tier ammo shouldn't go higher than lv60 in any craft. This should include all the materials. What's the point of having ammo recipe at lv40 while the materials require lv80 of some other craft? How about lv1~20 ammo = 1~10 craft level, lv21~40 ammo = 11~20 craft level, lv41~60 ammo = lv21~30 level, lv61~80 ammo = 31~40 craft level and lv81~99 ammo = 41~60 craft level?

Shamelessly plugging my thread in the ranger forum but there needs to be more variety in ammo too. Higher level versions of status/element ammo instead of just higher base D.

[Malacite]

Acid Bolt II? Or "Corrosive Bolts" perhaps? Would be nice. Saintly/Sacred Bolts would be neat :3


Not sure where anyone's getting the notion that people don't like Synergy... Synergy is at least somewhat closer to FFXIV's crafting system in so far as you actually have control over the potential outcome. With synthesis it's entirely random with skill helping somewhat. At least with synergy you can actively attempt to HQ a product.

[Catsby]

Acid Bolt II? Or "Corrosive Bolts" perhaps? Would be nice. Saintly/Sacred Bolts would be neat :3


Not sure where anyone's getting the notion that people don't like Synergy... Synergy is at least somewhat closer to FFXIV's crafting system in so far as you actually have control over the potential outcome. With synthesis it's entirely random with skill helping somewhat. At least with synergy you can actively attempt to HQ a product.

In my opinion it just came too late. By the time they introduced it the market was already ravaged by poor itemization, faucets and drains.

[Seriha]

I'd just be happy with the ability to synth quivers/pouches without involving synergy, as things like Boltmaker are currently useless since forcing a synth of 99 invalidates any HQs. Now, if I could make 3/6/9/12 stacks of a bullet in a single synth, not only are you alleviating the strain on materials, you're cutting the cost by a least 2/3.

So, say a synth looks something like this:
Silver Bullet Pouch: Alchemy (52) Goldsmithing (24) Leathercraft (11)
Fire Crystal
2x Sheep Leather
1x Bronze Scale
1x Rabbit Hide
3x Silver Ingot
1x Firesand
NQ: 3 Silver Bullet Pouches
HQ1: 6 Silver Bullet Pouches
HQ2: 9 Silver Bullet Pouches
HQ3: 12 Silver Bullet Pouches

[Tsukino_Kaji]

But then the recipe for about 3 stacks of bullets is getting you 12 stacks instead.

[Seriha]

1-3 depending on normal HQ, but yes, you got the point. If a stack of bullets is 50k under current conditions, slashing that cost to 1/4 would be welcomed by many ammo users. Add a spritz of crafter competition and market saturation and prices could get even lower. I'd think it a no-brainer people would rather pay 150k or less instead of 600k for a stack of said ammo, and 1188 shots should last a while, especially for RNGs with Recycle merits/gear.

It's better than some generic NPC selling all ammo for 1-100g a pop, as it's circulating goods between players instead of just casting gil into the abyss. Besides, from the crafter's perspective, needing only 1-4 synths to make a stack instead of 12-36 would be a godsend in time saved. You know what sucks more than minimal profit? Taking a half hour to make it.

[Raksha]

Not sure where anyone's getting the notion that people don't like Synergy... Synergy is at least somewhat closer to FFXIV's crafting system in so far as you actually have control over the potential outcome.

The proof is in the pudding. Just about everyone in my linkshell has at least 1 lvl 100 craft, but only 2 ppl have synergy leveled and neither of them are capped. The few synergy crafted items that are sold are made by a handful of people and the rest are rarely ever made.

Also comparisons to ff14 aren't going to help your argument.

[Sparthos]

The proof is in the pudding. Just about everyone in my linkshell has at least 1 lvl 100 craft, but only 2 ppl have synergy leveled and neither of them are capped. The few synergy crafted items that are sold are made by a handful of people and the rest are rarely ever made.

Also comparisons to ff14 aren't going to help your argument.

Synergy is superior to synthesis simply because you can't lose items.

Bottom line is that RNG/COR unpopularity coupled with overly difficult to acquire items is why ammo is expensive and rare.

[Seriha]

Not only that, but seems impossible for Alchemists to go 71-80 in Synergy without doing the stall, which requires a GP item. This wouldn't be so bad if it required multiple elements, but since it's just one, and at 99 no less, you can't spam the element like prior skill synths and could get screwed out of your ingredients with an unlucky rush of energy if you don't end the synergy early enough, which just adds even more time and tedium to the process.

Honestly, I'd be more than happy to do synergy stuff for people if they asked, brought the ingredients, and covered fewell expenses. There's just jack, as an alchemist, that I can provide for them without having yet someone else of a given skill or three in the party. My rants for alchemy's sucktitude deserves its own thread, though.

[Urthdigger]

Honestly, I'd be more than happy to do synergy stuff for people if they asked, brought the ingredients, and covered fewell expenses. There's just jack, as an alchemist, that I can provide for them without having yet someone else of a given skill or three in the party. My rants for alchemy's sucktitude deserves its own thread, though.

Most synergy items made are rare/ex items, where the person asking for the item actually does need to put the item in, and it uses their fewell to make it. They claim and put the stuff in, you do the process using their fewell (and possibly get skillups) and they get the item.

[Seriha]

Some, yeah, but I figure if they don't have synergy leveled themselves, they're not gonna have fewell.

[Catsby]

I just want one of our trusty CMs to come in and tell us everything is going to be ok. ; ;

[Urthdigger]

If they're asking for a rare/ex item (which most synergy items are), they'll NEED synergy unlocked, and will NEED to supply their own fewell. They can always pay the npc to refill it if they must :P

[Vxsote]

As a goldsmith, synergist, and RNG, here is what I think. I agree with some of Oddwaffle's logic about why ammo is expensive. RNG is a relatively weaker DD than it has been and than it should be, and therefore few people play it. Therefore there is little demand for the ammo. And that translates to little incentive to synth it.

But I disagree that RNG ammo should be easier/cheaper to synth. If RNG was clearly the top DD, then people would play the job. At any cost. And that would create significant demand for synergists to fill. And, fill it they would. With all of the added profit potential, more people might even take up synergy, and like it. That would bring competition, and lower prices. That 100k stack of oberon bullets? Here's a little secret... it only costs 20-25k to make, and that's before HQ. If I thought I could sell a crap ton of them for 35k, I might be inclined to try.... but the demand just isn't there (although that's more of a COR problem than a RNG problem).

I also agree that scarcity of materials is a problem. Forget antlion arrows for a minute, because (as others have mentioned) Ruszor are better. But have you ever tried to farm ruszor tusks? I have. The ruszor tusks are a damn lie! And campaign... well, swamp ore and fool's gold ore used to be plentiful. And now it's not. If SE allowed us to skill up in Campaign battles, then I think that we would see a resurgence in participation. And that would be a Good Thing. Aluminum ingots (fusion bolts) actually are not that uncommon, as they now appear in GoV caskets.

Urth mentioned shuriken. Those have never been anywhere near cost effect to use, due to high cost of materials for relatively low yield. Synergy is the perfect opportunity to correct this problem! Throwing is still a neglected skill, however. In combination with new synergy recipes for shuriken, SE should add throwing weaponskills and make them useful.

So yeah, we have a problem. The answer, however - at least to start with - is to make RNG better. The rest will fall into place.

[Seriha]

"Better" for RNG is pretty subjective. Some think that lies solely in damage, while I consider the ability to damage at range a useful utility that justifies not hitting as hard as melees at risk by AoEs. Cost of ammo aside, I feel their largest issue is actually their enmity gain, even if wearing gear with -enmity, as if you're doing high damage (my modest RNG was doing 500+ a shot with crits while EXPing it) and 2k+ WS, you'll cap sooner or later on mobs that last more than 30s. Once distance is compromised thanks to pulling hate, then you start introducing problems to the party.

[Raksha]

Synergy is superior to synthesis simply because you can't lose items.


This is nice, but doesn't make up for all of the shortcomings. Being able to HQ more than 1 stack of stuff is nice too, but like I said the proof is in the pudding.

[Oddwaffle]

I agree with Vxsote that making Rng and Cor as high demand jobs will probably fix the ammo scarcity problem. However, it's and delicate issue with game balancing when you try to fix it. If I were a SE dev, I wouldn't poke at game balance issue with a 10-foot pole without serious consideration to potential game breaking features. Changing the ammo supply by lowering craft requirements and materials is a lot easier. Of course, it's not going to fix any game balance but it's easy to do from a coding perspective and has little problems down the line if SE decide to poke the game balance issue.

Lowering the craft requirements is not going to make high level crafters out of a job if demand somehow picks up. Let me elaborate the point with an example of Ruzor Arrows. Suppose SE lowered the craft requirements of Ruzors Arrow to lv49 and everyone can make those if they want to. A high level craftsman with synergy skill can HQ those with little effort while a low level craftsman will be able to make those only. Suppose they wouldn't change Rng and demand were low. Craftsmen wouldn't bothered with the recipe and there would be none on AH. A single Rng could make an effort to make this own ammo for use. Due to low demand, he wouldn't need a lot of ammo anyways so even with just NQ crafts, he would be ok. Now, suppose SE changed Rng and made them awesome sauce and became as popular as Ninja. High demand pulled craftsmen into the market and became competitive with each other. However, we know ruzors aren't very generous with their drops so the price of ammo would go up rapidly depending on the ruzors supply. This would restrict the number of awesome rangers around so it would balance out.