The Myth of Mining

[rog]

Well, you're kida-sorta right, but not really.

The guide from which this is taken is to demonstrate a skill-up path. If you just sell the materials, you get no skill-ups. By mining your own materials, you get both the skill-ups and the proceeds from the sales.

If not taken in the context of leveling your skills, I agree with you.

Does not matter. Unless you can make more money mining than by doing anything else, you are still better off doing something else to make gil, then buying the ores.

[Sagian]

Does not matter. Unless you can make more money mining than by doing anything else, you are still better off doing something else to make gil, then buying the ores.

I agree with that also, but the condition "Unless you can make more money mining than by doing anything else" means that the original assertion doesn't apply when you can't, so it's not a 'myth'. It's just that there are certain conditions where mining either 'is' or 'is not' the profitable thing to do.

[rog]

I agree with that also, but the condition "Unless you can make more money mining than by doing anything else" means that the original assertion doesn't apply when you can't, so it's not a 'myth'. It's just that there are certain conditions where mining either 'is' or 'is not' the profitable thing to do.

Sure, but that condition applies to everyone in 2011.

[Sagian]

Sure, but that condition applies to everyone in 2011.

No, it applies to everyone who can make more money doing something else. A relatively new player starting in smithing isn't going to have a way to make the gil to buy the ores.

The guide, which is a resource for new players, gives the false impression that it is never a good idea to mine and fails to take into account that most people are following the guide to level their smithing skill. In fact, it is those very people that need to mine... to acquire the materials... to acquire the skill-ups.

Anyone with two brain cells to rub together can figure out the most gil-efficient use of their time, and sometimes that means mining.

[Alkalinehoe]

No, it applies to everyone who can make more money doing something else. A relatively new player starting in smithing isn't going to have a way to make the gil to buy the ores.

The guide, which is a resource for new players, gives the false impression that it is never a good idea to mine and fails to take into account that most people are following the guide to level their smithing skill. In fact, it is those very people that need to mine... to acquire the materials... to acquire the skill-ups.

Anyone with two brain cells to rub together can figure out the most gil-efficient use of their time, and sometimes that means mining.

When I first started out I bought Copper Ores for like 4gil a piece from the Goldsmithing guild in Bastok and make Copper Ingots and sold those for 6k/stack. It was really good money for a new person, and there was a near endless supply of dirt cheap ores.

Crafting is almost never profitable for anyone just starting out in the game. You generally don't hit money making recipes until you are nearing 100 so you can have a better chance to HQ/Higher skilled Recipes/Less chance to break. And that was back before Abyssea where Khroma Ores were worth way more than 5k... Now, it really isn't worth the investment at all for a new player.

Generally, mining isn't profitable anymore. Prices have dipped, the rare, expensive ores, like Khroma, can be found in chests in Abyssea and are often flooding the market. So what's the point of mining if all the ores can be bought for dirt cheap? It's better to just farm gil a more efficient way then use that gil to buy the mats. I really don't think you should advise a new player to take up a craft like Smithing off the bat.

Let's face it, crafting levels outside of Synergy use aren't very useful anymore.

[rog]

No, it applies to everyone who can make more money doing something else. A relatively new player starting in smithing isn't going to have a way to make the gil to buy the ores.

ie, everyone.

In fact, it is those very people that need to mine... to acquire the materials... to acquire the skill-ups.

No. Mining is equally profitable for someone looking to skill up as it is for someone who is just going to sell the ores. Maybe back before we had 2 satchels, but really with 240 inventory, being able to craft in the field does not really increase profits much, since you don't need to leave very often anyway.

[Andylynn]

Funny you should say that, I asked my economics professor this question, as well as 2 business professors and an accounting post-grad. They all say that the only loss is time and time doesn't have any qualitative cost unless one is imposed upon it. Like I said originally, the counter-arguments are valid.

Appeal to authority (whether it be you claiming it's you, or that you 'asked an expert') is a logical fallacy, just fyi. :[

[Flunklesnarkin]

Time has value.. don't waste it mining

make gil elsewhere and buy ores

if you are a noob exp and sell crystals >>> buy ore

that is all ;o

[Wenslydale]

If the time you spent mining could have been spent farming something else for greater profit then yes, mining is a net loss.

This of course assumes an availability of material. If you're only option to acquire the materials is through mining, then of course mining wins.

Time is a commodity, and has a real value. It's just subjective and circumstantial. Everyone has an abundance of time to spend, and and how you choose to spend it is your prerogative.

For me, I always judged an hours worth of time by 4 stacks of ladybug wings. So, 36,000 gil. If I couldn't pull 36k an hour mining then it wasn't worth my time.

[Karinya_of_Carbuncle]

And yes, you do in fact lose it. Before synthing the ores, you have 10k worth of assets. After synthing them, you have 6k worth of assets. That is the definition of a loss.

Actually, it's even worse than that, because you took time to synth, which you could have spent mining another 5k of items and then you would have had 15k.