Synergy ruined crafting for me

[Felren]

A long long time ago, I decided to level smithing, and invested time into it and expected something back from it. I got a decent profit synthing haubergeon+1s and a few other things, and I was happy with my investment paying off.

Then there was a very long period in which crafting was neglected.... not many new gear synths were added, and most synths that were popular were for salvage mats. The benefits of being a high-level crafter around ToAU/WoTG lessened more and more.

And then came a slap in the face for people that spent millions of gil and/or many hours leveling their profession to a high level- Synergy

The basic idea of Synergy I do find sort of cool- combining the skills of multiple craftsmen together to make something better than the craftsmen could make seperate. However, this isn't all Synergy was used for.

Most of the new synthesis since Synergy was added have been Synergy ones. Yes.... some of these require a high-end level craftsman in your party standing next to the furnace, but there are only a few synergy that take two crafts above 60.. this means there are many synergy synthesis that could easily have been non-synergy synths, or could have at least had a non-synergy equal synth added as well. Due to this, I'm finding myself not using my blacksmithing at all anymore... If I wanted to use it, I'd have to level synergy, or find a synergist.

And I hate using and leveling synergy... It uses one of FFXI's (and FFXIV's) biggest weakpoints, the clunky NPC interface. I've tried to level it, I've tried to push through it, but its boring and I refuse to try it anymore. I'd much rather not touch synergy again than having hopes of making my blacksmithing useful again.

So since synergy has been added, crafting has been ruined for me. Every old synth is becoming obsolete, flooded, and only a few have a profit now. This happens while Synergy gets nearly every new synthesis that is of any use whatsoever. I could even understand of most armor being synergy, but its not only that, its EVERYTHING. Even new ammo is synergy only, even though the other crafting requirements may be minimal. I feel like this is a huge slap in the face to non-synergy professions.

The only thing that could really be done to make this less annoying is to make non-synergy equivalent synthesis for synergys that dont require 2 60+ crafting levels.

[Bhujerba]

I miss crafting :( , the only thing i still craft is guild point items...
menu dancing is silly >.> and it gets old pretty fast, if you just want to level Synergy, don't bother doing anything else just feed your furnace to oblivion!

[Claquesous]

I agree completely.

Another point is that even Synergy gear pales in comparison to Empyrean gear which seems much easier to obtain.

[Crazze]

I completely agree with the OP I have been a long time artisan of the FFXI crafts and even through the less profitable times I have really enjoyed it all.

That was until synergy. I absolutely hate this system and am enraged that it is getting the ability to augment items which will make it even more important to skill up and use.

This system is a major let down to the artisans and in my opinion a failure to the community. I know many people that crafted, and continue to craft occasionally but it is not the same. Again I will agree with the OP and say every time I see new crafts are added and that they are always synergy only it is like a swift kick to the groin.

Instead of adding more to the system I wish they would either improve it first or just do away with it. Oh and delete the whole evolith system while you are at it.

[SheKicksHigh]

I agree delete synergy from the game and raise crafting caps above 100.
and augs i think maybe make that a separate craft where you trade someone your armor to get an enchant put on it

[xbobx]

Synergy was a slap in the face to all high level crafters. It should be removed from the game. All it was, was another time sink to throw in the game to keep us from paying, instead of adding any real content at that time.

It destroyed things like ammo etc.

[Redfrost]

I agree with these postings 100% and to me the only thing synergy has really accomplished is to screw up each servers economy by having 2-4 people blowing the market up for items that can only be done with "synergy". It has ruined any Veteran's craft unless they have also leveled synergy. It benefits people who have never crafted at a Veteran level (or any level for that matter), but in all honesty I would rather spend all of my time and gil crafting all of the other crafts that ever have to touch synergy.

[Nephilipitou]

I must be the only person that disagrees. I hate the old methods of crafting to an extent. I hate losing every single item in a synth and having to try again. I can be a bit more risky with synergy synths. If I want to make antlion arrows I get 1 stack per synth and up to 3 per synth for an HQ. I don't have to have EVERY single thing up to lvl 60 or higher I can find people to help me out.

What's even more important is imagine going to go and upgrade Homan's gear in the new synergy stuff that they are doing, and you synth fail and OOOPS! Go aquire a new Homan's piece. Try it again.

It's nice to have something new to play with, you don't have to level synergy, just get it, and pay high level synergists to help you out. Fewell is cheaper in a lot of cases than getting all new items when ever a synth utterly fails and you lose everything.

But honestly don't take my word for it. Continue to hate synergy. Less competition will work in my favor.

[Arkanethered]

As a 100+ Crafter and a 70+ Synergist I can agree that I really dislike the system. While interesting for augmenting gear it was and is a slap to the face of anyone who invested a lot of gil and effort into their craft. I honestly don't mind synergy augmenting old items but being the only source of profitable items is just ridiculous.

[Redfrost]

I must be the only person that disagrees. I hate the old methods of crafting to an extent. I hate losing every single item in a synth and having to try again. I can be a bit more risky with synergy synths. If I want to make antlion arrows I get 1 stack per synth and up to 3 per synth for an HQ. I don't have to have EVERY single thing up to lvl 60 or higher I can find people to help me out.

What's even more important is imagine going to go and upgrade Homan's gear in the new synergy stuff that they are doing, and you synth fail and OOOPS! Go aquire a new Homan's piece. Try it again.

It's nice to have something new to play with, you don't have to level synergy, just get it, and pay high level synergists to help you out. Fewell is cheaper in a lot of cases than getting all new items when ever a synth utterly fails and you lose everything.

But honestly don't take my word for it. Continue to hate synergy. Less competition will work in my favor.

You probably never really crafted to make real items did you? Or really even know what this topic is about. This isn't about "failing on upgrading an item" This is about how there were absolutely no synths for dedicated crafters besides through synergy. Of course it is nice to have something new to play with, but at the expense of years and vast amounts of gil? No chance.

"But honestly don't take my word for it. Continue to hate synergy. Less competition will work in my favor. " So you're one of the few people on Phoenix making 100mil a month off synergy? I think not, so plz stop.

[Aequis]

I also really dislike Synergy. I'm unsure as to where the idea of adding this "new craft" came from, but I believe it was contrived from how the crafting system in FFXIV beta worked (and it worked badly). Lv.27 Synergy so far on Aeq, so I have actually tried to level it seriously.

One of the things that really irks me about Synergy is that you can get guaranteed HQs on things you would not get on your base craft. For example, Fragrant Antica Broth. In Cooking this is a HQ result - HQ1/2/3 produces 2/4/8 jugs of F.Antica Broth. In Synergy, with the same materials this results in an NQ of 6 jugs of F.Antica broth, then HQ1/2 of 12/18 jugs.

It's not an incentive to level Synergy, Square-Enix. We've already levelled our base crafts (sometimes across multiple characters) with gil and time. It feels to us that you're undermining what we have worked for, and just trying to nudge us towards levelling Synergy. We don't want to - we just want to craft in our chosen fields, and still turn a profit. *shrugs*

[Orenwald]

@Aequis they made the synergy recipes for the BST jugs always HQ as a way to throw a bone to BSTs, because at that point NQ broths were a waste of ingredients.

Also: I like synergy, although skilling it is boring, actually trying to successfully make an item and HQ the synth is boatloads of fun.... Plus I hate crystal sythesis... oooo yay I get to throw junk in a crystal and pray... totally my style :(

[Tsukino_Kaji]

@Aequis they made the synergy recipes for the BST jugs always HQ as a way to throw a bone to BSTs, because at that point NQ broths were a waste of ingredients.

Also: I like synergy, although skilling it is boring, actually trying to successfully make an item and HQ the synth is boatloads of fun.... Plus I hate crystal sythesis... oooo yay I get to throw junk in a crystal and pray... totally my style :(No, they just have higher values, you still need to synergy right to HQ. I never use synergy to make them either.

[Orenwald]

No, they just have higher values, you still need to synergy right to HQ. I never use synergy to make them either.

You misunderstand. The synergy recipes for the older jug pets are all HQ pets, no Lv20~40 rubbish.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

You misunderstand. The synergy recipes for the older jug pets are all HQ pets, no Lv20~40 rubbish.I'm also saying that you can make them without synergy.

[foxie]

I have too agree that synergy has ruined crafting.
I have 89 gold with all others capped at 60 and also a 100 alch mule.
my mule dosent have synegy and it is now gimped because of that, annoys the hell out of me as it took me time and gil to get it to 100
It annoys me so much when i see a new recipe comming and its for synergy.
I havent seen any new recipes for goldsmith or alchemy in ages.
I have skilled up synergy to 60 on my main char, but only because i am unable to make any new stuff if i hadnt.
Personaly i would like them to delete synergy and give the abilities to normal crafts ( no loss of items etc)
At the very least they should make normal craft versions of synergy recipes , to aid the poor souls who got crafting to high levels, that are now next to useless

[Godofgods]

We've already levelled our base crafts (sometimes across multiple characters) with gil and time. It feels to us that you're undermining what we have worked for, and just trying to nudge us towards levelling Synergy. We don't want to - we just want to craft in our chosen fields, and still turn a profit. *shrugs*

agreed.
When i first heard about synergy (before it was impelemnted) the idea sounded intertersting. A new way to combin all your diffrent crafts youve leveled.. interesting. But the implamentation of it was horrid. Litterlay every aspect of it i find dissapointing.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Synergy doesn't require an crafts leveled. You only need to PT with someone that has the craft.
Just make friends with a synergist.

[Godofgods]

i didnt spend years lvling my craft inorder to have to find someone else to help make something

[annewandering]

I detest synergy. It wouldnt be bad working with other people on some items but to have it take over crafting completely is sickening.
Crafting is fun. It requires thought and planning. Synergy is impossible for me because of my arthritis and complete lack of dexterity which is infuriating to be honest. It has taken all the fun out of crafting.
Every time I see a new WW craft I think great! Then I see its synergy and not really ww at all.
It wouldnt be so bad if it was SEPARATE from the other crafts and wasnt the favorite son with the rest of us booted to the curb.
Please SE take pity on us. We are not RMTs and dont deserve to be hit with the ban RMT club used on them.

[annewandering]

i didnt spend years lvling my craft inorder to have to find someone else to help make something
And that is the Gods Honest Truth!

[Shirkan]

I'd first like to thank Felren for making this thread.The topic he/she brings to the table has been on my mind too but Alla being dead and BG full of fools,I decided not to post.

I loved crafting.I loved waking up in the morning,make a coffee and go check my sales and decide what needed to be made.Then I'd buy my mats and crystals,throw on my fav music and relax.Crafting was and still is, so relaxing.It's therapeutic.

Then this Synergy business came along.I always kept it capped..even though I had nothing much to make with Bonecraft.
Synergy stresses me out! Those godam menues drive me insane.Synergy is an unenjoyable experience but I do it because it makes the cash.

I find I even got to close my YouTube music ;/ to help those silly menues open faster.Also I can only Synergy in hometowns,where there is no lag,to maximise my chances.

Don't give up on your main craft.SE will add more content,I believe.I think they added Synergy not only as a time sink but also to encourage more people to level and enjoy crafting.

Mainly it's new level 100 crafters that got hurt with Synergy,like me..but bite the bullet! Synergy is easy to level.

[annewandering]

Its only easy if you have fast fingers and no lag. I have stalled making me another Jeuno warp earring just from dread.

[Godofgods]

The origional idea of synergy when first anouced was a way in which to combined power of crafts. Which isnt a bad idea. But the only way that works is if the syngergy synths are something that requires 61+ of more then one craft. The multitude of synths out not for it are horrible. It basicly makes most crafts worthless. You shouldnt be able to have a single synth done by a normal craft and synergy.

[Cljader1]

You probably never really crafted to make real items did you? Or really even know what this topic is about. This isn't about "failing on upgrading an item" This is about how there were absolutely no synths for dedicated crafters besides through synergy. Of course it is nice to have something new to play with, but at the expense of years and vast amounts of gil? No chance.

"But honestly don't take my word for it. Continue to hate synergy. Less competition will work in my favor. " So you're one of the few people on Phoenix making 100mil a month off synergy? I think not, so plz stop.

I for one LOVES Synergy...I'm a old time Goldsmith that's been crafting for over 9 years, I have 3 characters with lvl 100 crafts and of those 3 character 2 of them have +75 synergy. My in game name is Colliex formerly the best crafter on the seraph server and currently one of the best crafters and synergist on the bismark server, with a little over 100 mil in my personal bank account. Alot of the people crying about synergy are those newly crowned lvl 100 crafters and people who have not even reached lvl 100 in there respected crafts. I for one needed a system to separate myself from the new influx of lvl 100 crafters, who continuously undercut items.

Synergy is the perfect compliment to the crafting system that utilizes the talent of a particular crafter. I'm always on the cutting edge of crafting procedures/innovations and I often find myself the 1st too make extremely rare items and sought after high ticket items. For those who say they just don't want to lvl synergy are crafters who are just plain LAZY. Synergy is far more easier to lvl than a crafting discipline. Alot of crafters that detest this system don't know how synergy works and didn't take the time too learn through tutorials. Furthermore, they fail to push through trail and error to learn the nuances it takes to operate the synergy system and produce HQs.

I admit It does feel good to be on top of the crafting markets where I share the spot with few other extraordinary crafters who had ability and put in the hard work to achieve what I have achieved. The system is working as SE intended, it has created a stratification among the crafters where the more talented and hardworking crafters are few at the top, and the lazy un-knowledgeable crafters are many at the bottom, with good up to date crafters being some at the middle.

To the crafters who complain about synergy, all I have to say is "You need too step your Game Up!" Because there are synergist like myself who put in hardwork, gil and discipline to understand and master the art of synergy. I'm not against new synthesis via crafting only, but I dare you say do away with synergy because you fail to do it or understand it.

[annewandering]

I for one LOVES Synergy...I'm a old time Goldsmith that's been crafting for over 9 years, I have 3 characters with lvl 100 crafts and of those 3 character 2 of them have +75 synergy. My in game name is Colliex formerly the best crafter on the seraph server and currently one of the best crafters and synergist on the bismark server, with a little over 100 mil in my personal bank account. Alot of the people crying about synergy are those newly crowned lvl 100 crafters and people who have not even reached lvl 100 in there respected crafts. I for one needed a system to separate myself from the new influx of lvl 100 crafters, who continuously undercut items.

Synergy is the perfect compliment to the crafting system that utilizes the talent of a particular crafter. I'm always on the cutting edge of crafting procedures/innovations and I often find myself the 1st too make extremely rare items and sought after high ticket items. For those who say they just don't want to lvl synergy are crafters who are just plain LAZY. Synergy is far more easier to lvl than a crafting discipline. Alot of crafters that detest this system don't know how synergy works and didn't take the time too learn through tutorials. Furthermore, they fail to push through trail and error to learn the nuances it takes to operate the synergy system and produce HQs.

I admit It does feel good to be on top of the crafting markets where I share the spot with few other extraordinary crafters who had ability and put in the hard work to achieve what I have achieved. The system is working as SE intended, it has created a stratification among the crafters where the more talented and hardworking crafters are few at the top, and the lazy un-knowledgeable crafters are many at the bottom, with good up to date crafters being some at the middle.

To the crafters who complain about synergy, all I have to say is "You need too step your Game Up!" Because there are synergist like myself who put in hardwork, gil and discipline to understand and master the art of synergy. I'm not against new synthesis via crafting only, but I dare you say do away with synergy because you fail to do it or understand it.
Pft to you. I have leveled synergy a bit. to around 43 or so. I detest it. I have been a WW for years scratching my way to the top and loving every inch of it. All my crafts related to WW are leveled to 60 except gold and that is to 54. I can make any WW synth on the list. Some I havent hq's yet but I will.
My goal with crafting is to make anything I want and be totally self sufficient. This includes the farming because I WANT do it from scratch. Its not so much for gil although I have never lacked for gil for what I wanted, except kraken and that I will earn in the battle.
Get off your sanctimonious synergizing throne and realize some of us hate synergy because we HATE it not because we are lazy bums.

[Alderin]

I don't understand why you're not still making money.. I mean, I only have one high level synth and the rest at a low-mid level. That high lvl craft is Woodworking.

There are quite a few profitable synths that are super cheap to make and sell for big dollars on the AH. Not only that, they sell often.

Perhaps your biggest issue is the synth you chose compared to times as they are today..


However yes I do agree - the way Synergy was executed was poor. And you are right - Crafting or attempting to skill up using the GUI interface is both slow and obnoxious. I give credit to anyone who stuck it out til the end.

I do however agree that crafted gear is definitely no where near comparable to a lot of the sets that are Rare/ex... However that has been the case for quite a long time. Think about gear from Sky - sure not all of it you TP in but for raw stats (especially for WS macros and such) they are 2nd to none.

I believe crafted gear has been outmatched by Rare/Ex or simply Rare pieces of gear - as they should be to an extent. It requires going out and getting it yourself - rather then burning a pile of gil you have been sitting on.

As much as my post probably doesn't sound like I agree with you - I surely do. It would be nice to see the smiths get a few more pieces that are worth the effort.

[annewandering]

I am not sure about all crafts but I know you can make good money off WW. Any time i want a few gil i just gather up a few materials that have collected on my mules and make something. Even if it is just NPC'd to me it is like free gil. I know it really isnt but it FEELS like it :D A few hq'd elemental staves and I am on my way again. lalalalala. lol.
Seriously if a person just does a little homework he can make gil crafting. If he cant then he needs to do a little more research. :D Smack synergy but crafting can still make your life comfortable. ^^

[Shirkan]

I for one LOVES Synergy...I'm a old time Goldsmith that's been crafting for over 9 years, I have 3 characters with lvl 100 crafts and of those 3 character 2 of them have +75 synergy. My in game name is Colliex formerly the best crafter on the seraph server and currently one of the best crafters and synergist on the bismark server, with a little over 100 mil in my personal bank account. Alot of the people crying about synergy are those newly crowned lvl 100 crafters and people who have not even reached lvl 100 in there respected crafts. I for one needed a system to separate myself from the new influx of lvl 100 crafters, who continuously undercut items.

Synergy is the perfect compliment to the crafting system that utilizes the talent of a particular crafter. I'm always on the cutting edge of crafting procedures/innovations and I often find myself the 1st too make extremely rare items and sought after high ticket items. For those who say they just don't want to lvl synergy are crafters who are just plain LAZY. Synergy is far more easier to lvl than a crafting discipline. Alot of crafters that detest this system don't know how synergy works and didn't take the time too learn through tutorials. Furthermore, they fail to push through trail and error to learn the nuances it takes to operate the synergy system and produce HQs.

I admit It does feel good to be on top of the crafting markets where I share the spot with few other extraordinary crafters who had ability and put in the hard work to achieve what I have achieved. The system is working as SE intended, it has created a stratification among the crafters where the more talented and hardworking crafters are few at the top, and the lazy un-knowledgeable crafters are many at the bottom, with good up to date crafters being some at the middle.

To the crafters who complain about synergy, all I have to say is "You need too step your Game Up!" Because there are synergist like myself who put in hardwork, gil and discipline to understand and master the art of synergy. I'm not against new synthesis via crafting only, but I dare you say do away with synergy because you fail to do it or understand it.

I leveled all my support crafts on Shirkan and Goldsmithing on another account from the profits I made on Bonecrafting and Bonecraft/Synergy.There is a lot of gil to make.I'm currently also level 72 Smithing on a third Character and I'm very excited about getting it 100.
I must stress the fact that Goldsmithing and Smithing have always gotten the most and best Synergy synths,always!
I don't hate Synergy,it's quiet easy and really requires a lot of AH camping.
As I said before,it's a less enjoyable experience compared to crafting.Synergy and a main 90+ craft is the only way now to make a large income.

[Orenwald]

I'm also saying that you can make them without synergy.

I'm also saying the jug pet synergies weren't designed to nerf crafters, it was to de-nerf BSTs, because if you notice most of the non-synergy new jug pets the synergy recipe is only a few yield lower, and thats to make up for the fact that Fewell costs more than crystals do.

[Godofgods]

Saying synergy is great just because you made money off it, is a narrow and selfish view. The implementation of syngery was horribly done, and its undenyable that synergy was pretty much stuck it to everyone that spent such a long time leveling their crafts.

[Cljader1]

Saying synergy is great just because you made money off it, is a narrow and selfish view. The implementation of syngery was horribly done, and its undenyable that synergy was pretty much stuck it to everyone that spent such a long time leveling their crafts.

That's not true it did not stick it to everyone, it just stuck it to you and people of your ilk. Plus how can you say people who LIKE synergy are selfish? Also btw how is synergy so horribly done? I spend an extraordinary time lvl my crafts and practice crafting for 9 years, and I was rewarded by the synergy system. First off it controls the markets, it takes time to pump out those big ticket items, and it gives crafters greater control over manipulating gear. Secondly it easy to lvl and every cheap too lvl, what you expect to be spoon fed by SE.

How is synergy horribly done huh? What, is it because you can't make what I make with it or you can't do what I can do with it? I bet you don't know anything about how to use synergy effectively, do you know how to hq? do you know where the good evolith is at? and more importantly I bet you don't ETCH, I willing to bet money you don't etch gear. I might be shooting myself in the foot by telling you this but I bet you didn't even know you can etch a Kaiser Shield and fit it with good evolith. The wealth of information I have you wont find on the wiki or other websites, and knowledge of crafting has always been secretive and master crafters/synergist will never tell their secrets, hidden knowledge or reveal the tricks of the trade. Moreover, don't expect me or other top tier synergist to tell you the multitude of benefits with synergy, because that could create more competition for our market space and that my friend YOU have to earn.

So as long as you make general statements like "the implementation of synergy was horribly done" without giving specific examples, I can easily assume that you dont know what your doing at the furnace and that sounds like a you problem. Synergy is a great system, and master synergist like myself have done wonders at the furnace for myself and others.

[annewandering]

That's not true it did not stick it to everyone, it just stuck it to you and people of your ilk. Plus how can you say people who LIKE synergy are selfish? Also btw how is synergy so horribly done? I spend an extraordinary time lvl my crafts and practice crafting for 9 years, and I was rewarded by the synergy system. First off it controls the markets, it takes time to pump out those big ticket items, and it gives crafters greater control over manipulating gear. Secondly it easy to lvl and every cheap too lvl, what you expect to be spoon fed by SE.

How is synergy horribly done huh? What, is it because you can't make what I make with it or you can't do what I can do with it? I bet you don't know anything about how to use synergy effectively, do you know how to hq? do you know where the good evolith is at? and more importantly I bet you don't ETCH, I willing to bet money you don't etch gear. I might be shooting myself in the foot by telling you this but I bet you didn't even know you can etch a Kaiser Shield and fit it with good evolith. The wealth of information I have you wont find on the wiki or other websites, and knowledge of crafting has always been secretive and master crafters/synergist will never tell their secrets, hidden knowledge or reveal the tricks of the trade. Moreover, don't expect me or other top tier synergist to tell you the multitude of benefits with synergy, because that could create more competition for our market space and that my friend YOU have to earn.

So as long as you make general statements like "the implementation of synergy was horribly done" without giving specific examples, I can easily assume that you dont know what your doing at the furnace and that sounds like a you problem. Synergy is a great system, and master synergist like myself have done wonders at the furnace for myself and others.

You know synergy really does have a natural user. One just exactly of your ilk. Enjoy it. I sure dont. I am happy to let you feed your ego through synergy. Now what I would like is to be able to do my crafting and have it updated with new items that have useful potential. Not all crafters like/enjoy synergy like you do. The game has room for your ilk and my ilk and a bunch more ilks, all with good potential for fun.

[Cljader1]

You know synergy really does have a natural user. One just exactly of your ilk. Enjoy it. I sure dont. I am happy to let you feed your ego through synergy. Now what I would like is to be able to do my crafting and have it updated with new items that have useful potential. Not all crafters like/enjoy synergy like you do. The game has room for your ilk and my ilk and a bunch more ilks, all with good potential for fun.

Believe me I understand what your saying but you also have to look at the other side of the coin, there are plenty of us who grinded it out to understand the system. Items via crafting only is always welcome synergist would benefit from that too, but the best items should always be synergy only because those players took there ability and understanding beyond the lvl 100 skill cap.

[Bhujerba]

Believe me I understand what your saying but you also have to look at the other side of the coin, there are plenty of us who grinded it out to understand the system. Items via crafting only is always welcome synergist would benefit for that too, but the best items should always be synergy only because those players took there ability and understanding beyond the lvl 100 skill cap
I don't mind synergy I just don't like it, I understand it very..VERY well mind you >.> plus I'm one of the top crafter in my server(first to make new items , HQ, etc) still, I hate it :( (inb4, if you hate it then don't do it! :p)

Its just after synergizing for so long(e.g. trying to HQ solo), going back to craft something was such a relief! just open crystal slots, put items in, and let my crafting skill/gears/furnitures decide wither I'm lucky or not, so simple so delicate! and surprisingly fast, all of a sudden, the dreadful wait between crafts that I used to hate with a passion became breath of fresh air!


i didnt spend years lvling my craft inorder to have to find someone else to help make something
umm..synergy didn't change that to some extent, before synergy you still had to find a crafter for the one you didn't max. :p

[annewandering]

There is no reason synergy should be the one to make all the best stuff. We worked hard for our crafts in time, gil and dedication. We arent denying you did as well. Syngergy isnt the god of crafting and shouldnt be. It is just another craft.

[RushLynx]

Aside from the arrogance of one poster I think we can all agree that synergy is rather dull and unenjoyable...
Personally, I leveled CC to 100 and enjoyed every year of it, despite a few depressing bouts of bankruptcy and just plain bad luck... It took years and I was incredibly proud of myself when I got that last point of skill up... CC, unlike WW, has literally no profitable synths other than ninja tools and a couple of blessed pieces these days... You can save up and make the blessed pieces, but the next trick is finding someone to buy it because after spending 200k putting it up on the AH over and over you'll soon realize you may have made a mistake in making it in the first place.
I've tried leveling synergy; like many here I thought it was an awesome idea being able to combine crafts, but never did I imagine they would make a maze of laggy menus to navigate through frantically as a means of using such a system. That, my arrogant friend, is what I believe the others to mean when they say it was poorly implemented...
You act like it's so difficult and rewarding to learn... it's not difficult at all... Any mage could quickly figure out the elemental balances of the furnaces and how adding one element effects the others... And it really doesn't take a genius to figure out that perfectly balancing them will yield an HQ result... Oooooh, Ahhhh~ So incredibly difficult and tedious...
The fact of the matter is that the system is laggy and frustrating and literally sucks the fun right out of crafting, the only reason you enjoy it is because of the obscene profits you receive from literally monopolizing the AH...
I suppose I could be wrong but I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that it was not SE's intention to completely alienate 99% of Vana's crafters... I know far too many good friends and fellow crafters that have quit the game out of disgust by this very feature and if SE is smart at all and cares about keeping this game afloat they need to do something very quickly to resuscitate the remaining crafting community...

[Miiyo]

Hmmm... I like synergy. I think menu-insert item-hope for the best, was kinda boring. It put me to sleep QUICK. I enjoyed the multiple menus in synergy. Granted you don't need to use any in actual skilling up, I like using them in actual synths. Didn't the rise in rare/ex gear kill crafting? If I hadn't leveled synergy and wanted to make my own things now, I wouldn't bother with seeking other crafts to make ingredients for me.

[Nashreen]

I agree with #1. It's very frustrating new items like ammunition is all Synergy :(

The concept for Synergy seemed nice and the idea is good, but the way it was implemented... I hate going through slow, tedious menus to do anything, and being interrupted all the time...

Besides the system itself, the way new recipes are implemented with a clear strong push to Synergy, is completely unbalanced and unfair to crafters who have spent years investing in their skill, only to see it become useless. I understand they were trying to make Synergy apealing, but why not do it while leaving a chance for normal crafting?

The way recipes have been these past few updates, feels like Square Enix completely abandoned crafters. I wish they would have thought about how to keep old crafts profitable, when they implemented Synergy and the Trials, etc. The game is completely unbalanced on that level, now...

Some other people may enjoy synergy, but myself I didn't.

Please Square Enix, do something to give the crafters back some of their worth!

[Kari]

The idea of synergy is fine, the people complaining against this want everything to be easy.

The real problem with synergy is the way it's done.
It's a pain.
The NPC interface is one of FFXI's WORST features.
If they could have somehow turned this into something using the same menu you use for battles, this would have been much better. [Instead of Attack, Magic, Abilities, etc, you'd have Feed Fewell, Thwack, etc.]

Other than the crap interface, Synergy was a great idea.

[Bhujerba]

Synergy is luck based, try to do perfect elemental balance solo, you may succeed in the first try or you may take an hour or 2 trying, because of that and latency playing part too, Synergy is not hard, its annoying and hardly require any skill whatsoever.

The only true benefit I see from Synergy is that it allow a different user to use their materials without trading, which technically allow you to "craft" rare/ex materials/equipments, because with crafting, it's impossible to do it within the game rules of trading, Evolith and the new upcoming Augmenting system will explore this very feature of Synergy.

[RushLynx]

I'm glad someone else is willing to admit that there's nothing particularly difficult about choosing options from a series of menus and observing the effects... I feel like there are an awful lot of people on these forums that try to rationalize the overwhelming number of people that dislike synergy with the idea that those people are just too lazy or dumb to be able to do it...

[blowfin]

ITT: Liking Synergy makes you a greedy, selfish person.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

In reality: Old crafts were Selfish.

[Bhujerba]

everyone is selfish, how do you suppose I get my revenge on the community!?
good and bad people suffer, Revenge is blind.

[Felren]

There is no reason synergy should be the one to make all the best stuff. We worked hard for our crafts in time, gil and dedication. We arent denying you did as well. Syngergy isnt the god of crafting and shouldnt be. It is just another craft.

This is probably the thing I agree with most. People would say the reason for synergy having all the best stuff right now is because it incorporates all other crafts in itself. Having someone stand there to meet a base synergy requirement however isn't a creative way to involve that crafter in the synthesis in my opinion. It seems lazy.

What I like about synergy-

No fail chance- Losing materials in normal synthesis on a craft you are way above cap very much so makes you feel semi-useless. A high level cook can make an exquisite cake made of many materials that can feed a group of people. Also, sometimes that high level cook can sometimes fail horribly at making a cheese sandwich. With synergy this isn't a problem. You only have to compensate a failed synthesis with a small amount of gil.

Synergist crafting benefits- There are some synergy synthesis that result in like a warp stone or something of the sort. This to me feels like a self-reward to the synergist by getting to a high enough level to make them. There really isn't anything like this in other crafts. I don't want it to get to the point like it is in WoW, but I think people with a high level craft should be able to make something special that is EX like synergists have.

What I do not like:

One of FFXI's strong points is certainly not interacting with NPCs. I don't really think making a craft based on interacting with an NPC was a pretty bad idea. Just like making besieged was a pretty bad idea when FFXI is so limited how many players/enemies it can view on the screen at once. Now synergy is not that horrible after you know where everything is on the menu however. You can pretty much spam enter and make selections before you can even read them to speed up the process. Honestly, what astounds me most is that synergy has a time constraint. In this craft they give you several decisions to make with a slow loading clunky UI. And you are restricted on time. It really isn't a friendly system..... You have to know where the selections are to know where everything is so you can start toggling between selections before they load. Some people may call this "skill". It may be, but is skill that wasn't mean to be there. It is skill dealing with the outdated UI system. You are battling the UI system, not the craft process itself.



Synergy THE new craft, not A new craft- Like annewandering said, synergy is not a craft, it is THE craft. I'd be completely fine if synergy was a seperate craft, with its only special stuff it makes. But it isn't however, it is the craft that gets all the new high end gear. Other crafts (other than cooking I guess) are being neglected with the new recipes they rightfully deserve. These other crafts have been along way longer, and at the looks of how the dev team likes to implement new items ever since synergy came out, I really think synergy will be getting all the crafting love even up at 99 at this rate. If people want it changed they will have to say something. The minority of the FFXI community with completed relic weapons have uproared their opinion of relic weapons being underpowered. They were heard and responded to.
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Will the devs treat crafting the same way if enough people complain? Maybe..... They have invested a lot of time into synergy. They could easily stop funneling every single high level piece of gear into synergy only, and start separating the gear out between different crafts. The damage really hasn't been done yet as we are still at 90 cap. If they start thinking differently about crafting now before we get into 99 cap and 99 gear, lower level gear biased towards synergy synths will be negelectable.

Is the right way to complain to just say synergy sucks and it should be removed? No. The time it would take to remove synergy crafts and convert them to other crafts would be too high. Not only this, but the people that have actually put a lot of time into synergy skill level would just be slapped in the face the same way original high-end original crafters have been. So wanting it completely removed is pretty selfish as well. Wanting it toned down to an equal craft compared to the pre-existing crafts I feel is not selfish.


One big thing I feel so-so about on synergy:

Synergy is "easy". There. I said it. Many FFXI players pride themselves playing a game that is not "easy". Now sometimes I see this "easy" as "player friendly". That is what synergy is. Other than the horrible UI system (which that + the spamming enter grind to level synergy is what turns me off so fast every time I try to level it). Synergy compared to other crafts is "easy".Let me explain myself.

As I've said before, I like the idea of not being able to fail a craft you are way overlevel for. For synergy, even if you fail, you are only out a hundred gil or so tops. Woo-hoo. Other crafts might put you out a few million gil for one broken synth. Synergy has little risk, which makes it more "easy".

High-quality crafting- Making HQs with synergy I guess takes more skill than making HQs than with other crafts. This is only because you actually have to do something different to make a HQ in synergy. However, making HQs is still "easier" in synergy compared to other crafts. Time to get into the big meaty part of why i'm using "easier" and "player friendly" interchangeably here. Crafting, like a lot of things in FFXI, was released as something mysterious. It took a lot of time to figure out what you actually had to do. After awhile you could look online I guess, but at first...... You didn't know about days, facing directions, HQ tiers, etc. This system was very "hard" and very "non player friendly". It was one of the many things that really felt like it belonged in FFXI, because a lot of things aren't explained to you in FFXI, and you have to figure them out yourself. It was slightly painful at times, but many of the people that actually played FFXI for a long time found this type of system rewarding.

Synergy is not like this. The only semi-mysterious things about synergy are the skill caps and how you actually gain skills. Synergy is very player-friendly. It tells you how to HQ. Nearly anything you can do gives you a skill-up. There is little risk in leveling synergy. You can fail on purpose over and over and over to skill up, at a very small cost. Compared to old crafts, this system is much more casual, and was released at the time where the dev team seemed to want to more casual features to FFXI. Other than the annoyingly long time it takes to sit in one spot and spam commands at a furnace, it is a pretty easy craft where you don't have to figure things out much for yourself.

Its not for me. I'm not saying I'm anti-casual either, I just don't like using it.

[Cljader1]

Synergy is "easy". There. I said it. Many FFXI players pride themselves playing a game that is not "easy". Now sometimes I see this "easy" as "player friendly". That is what synergy is. Other than the horrible UI system (which that + the spamming enter grind to level synergy is what turns me off so fast every time I try to level it). Synergy compared to other crafts is "easy".Let me explain myself.

As I've said before, I like the idea of not being able to fail a craft you are way overlevel for. For synergy, even if you fail, you are only out a hundred gil or so tops. Woo-hoo. Other crafts might put you out a few million gil for one broken synth. Synergy has little risk, which makes it more "easy".

High-quality crafting- Making HQs with synergy I guess takes more skill than making HQs than with other crafts. This is only because you actually have to do something different to make a HQ in synergy. However, making HQs is still "easier" in synergy compared to other crafts. Time to get into the big meaty part of why i'm using "easier" and "player friendly" interchangeably here. Crafting, like a lot of things in FFXI, was released as something mysterious. It took a lot of time to figure out what you actually had to do. After awhile you could look online I guess, but at first...... You didn't know about days, facing directions, HQ tiers, etc. This system was very "hard" and very "non player friendly". It was one of the many things that really felt like it belonged in FFXI, because a lot of things aren't explained to you in FFXI, and you have to figure them out yourself. It was slightly painful at times, but many of the people that actually played FFXI for a long time found this type of system rewarding.

Synergy is not like this. The only semi-mysterious things about synergy are the skill caps and how you actually gain skills. Synergy is very player-friendly. It tells you how to HQ. Nearly anything you can do gives you a skill-up. There is little risk in leveling synergy. You can fail on purpose over and over and over to skill up, at a very small cost. Compared to old crafts, this system is much more casual, and was released at the time where the dev team seemed to want to more casual features to FFXI. Other than the annoyingly long time it takes to sit in one spot and spam commands at a furnace, it is a pretty easy craft where you don't have to figure things out much for yourself.

Its not for me. I'm not saying I'm anti-casual either, I just don't like using it.


You make some true points and some untrue points in your post. 1st all that stuff about weather and direction surrounding tradition crafting is a fallacy, the only things the effect old-school crafting is the moon phase with new moon greatly enhancing the chances of breaks, and the IV tiers at 0, 11, 31, 51. 2nd synergy is easy and understandable once to learn the basic mechanics on how to work the furnace. However trying to HQ or complete a difficult synergy is a whole other story. There are special techniques that allow you too raise and lower elemental balances, you need to have knowledge of the complete elemental wheel, understand the various reasons why leaks occurs. Knowledge on how too prevent leaks and more importantly knowledge on how to plug leaks. Each craft have a specific certain way in which it attacks the furnace and build elemental balances to complete a synergy, NO CRAFT synergizes in the same way. Understand what impurity values cause explosions and what pressure values causes one-shot deaths. Learn techinique on how too extend your time on the furnace. There alot of things to consider when you push the furnace to try too make that HQ.

Not too tell my secrets but just to give a general idea on want is needed to be a good synergist, each craft have there own set of hidden abilities acquired through there guild gear. However once you understand those hidden abilities that your craft possess, one should build their synergy skills around those abilities, for example a Goldsmith is the only synergist that has the ability to thwack a furnace 7 times. The furnace is a beast, to understand basic principles are easy but to master, manipulate, and understand the wide variances to precisely control it is very challenging and requires a wide range of knowledge and a steady hand. Furthermore, synergy is not for the casual crafter, but rather its for the hardcore crafter that takes their understanding pass the lvl 100 crafting cap. There is a reason why all the HQs of big ticket synergy items are sold by the same few names on the AH, and its because although its easy to learn the basics and it very difficult to master the craft.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

Synergy is "easy".

As it stands, EVERYTHING in FFXI is Easy, so it fits in well.

[Wenceslao]

I'll just say: I HATE SYNERGY... but our craftskills are worthless now T.T (that's why I stoped crafting, rather not craft than using that bothersome synergy stuff)