[Suggestion] Lower the Focus on Crafting

Your wrong. I do not want a single-player rpg. I want an MMO that FOCUSES on high fantasy adventures. I need a few things in an MMO:
1. Fun Battles.
2. Comradery (wont get that in a single player rpg).
3. Loot (by this I mean actual gear drops).
4. Epic Storylines.

So far FFXIV only holds the promise of #4. I have every faith in SE to excel at #4 and to creat some great content. But because of the current crafting system I'm a bit worried about #3. And because of lack of party dynamics and strategy, and lack of class uniqueness I'm worried about #1 and #2. Also the way the battle system is, will indirectly effect #2, due to less chatting which in my opinion lessens community and communication vastly more so than crafting interactions.

Crafting has, and always will be, a side chore. I understand that SE wanted it to be on the same scale as leveling an actual job. But let's face it: No one starts an MMO and says "Yeah! I'm going to be an epic blacksmith!"

In most MMOs, crafting is meant to be a side thing we do in between leveling. XIV's crafting system is cumbersome, takes too long, and ultimately isn't fun. It's even more annoying that XI's crafting system. So at this point, they have actually defeated their own purpose.

I completely agree with the OP. There is far too much emphasis on crafting. It takes away from my time adventuring to sit down and craft. At this point, I just try to avoid it all together. It isn't fun in the slightest. If it were a lesser part of the game, I wouldn't mind dabbling in it. But the idea to turn crafts into a class that equals in importance to a real class is simply laughable. Or it is, at least, until you realize that it actually happened. Then it just gets annoying.

So yeah. I won't be crafting until they fix some stuff.

Did someone need an epic blacksmith?

Battlers are going to have to get used to not being directly paid by the mobs. Crafters are not second class citizens to you.

No...... but I would like the Epic Dragon Armor of Invincible Leetness, and the War Hammer of the Thunder Gods! Direct drops off of Bahamut and Odin respectively.

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Originally Posted by Heartfire

Crafting has, and always will be, a side chore. I understand that SE wanted it to be on the same scale as leveling an actual job. But let's face it: No one starts an MMO and says "Yeah! I'm going to be an epic blacksmith!"

In most MMOs, crafting is meant to be a side thing we do in between leveling. XIV's crafting system is cumbersome, takes too long, and ultimately isn't fun. It's even more annoying that XI's crafting system. So at this point, they have actually defeated their own purpose.

I completely agree with the OP. There is far too much emphasis on crafting. It takes away from my time adventuring to sit down and craft. At this point, I just try to avoid it all together. It isn't fun in the slightest. If it were a lesser part of the game, I wouldn't mind dabbling in it. But the idea to turn crafts into a class that equals in importance to a real class is simply laughable. Or it is, at least, until you realize that it actually happened. Then it just gets annoying.

So yeah. I won't be crafting until they fix some stuff.

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Just because crafting always has a side chore doesn't mean it should stay that way.

Back when the first ever game was developed on the pc it was a side chore, and now we have people who use their pc only for games.
There are countless examples in history of things that used to be a 'side chore' but became the main focus of people.

I disagree with your statement of "No one starts an MMO and says "Yeah! I'm going to be an epic blacksmith!"". I've seen a lot of people in ffxiv who have multiple crafting jobs at rank 30 and 40 but their battle job is at rank 20 only. They value the crafting more than the battles, else they would have had higher rank battle classes.

So why is it that you don't often hear people say "Yeah! I'm going to be an epic blacksmith!"? Because they often don't have the chance. How many mmo's are out there that will allow you to be an epic blacksmith, and just that? Most of them allow you to be an epic blacksmith, but only if their fighting skill/level/rank is also 'epic'.

But now there is ffxiv, and crafting can be your main focus, and you can become an epic blacksmith. And what do we see?
We see people choosing that path.

I applaud the developers for this. They tried something new and they were even nice enough not to make crafters the main focus of the game, but have battle classes at equal height. I'm not saying their execution was/is flawless, but without innovation and trying out new ideas we would still be in the stone age.


Yes, I do agree crafting need improvements. It would be nice if it was made more fun(that's true for the complete game actually). But to degrade crafting to an 'optional' feature, something to point at and laugh, never!.

Crafters are second class citizens......... or at least they should be. A better way to put that would be to say that crafting should be secondary and that battle classes should be the focus.

I have no problems with putting crafters on equal footing with everyone else and making that a focus. I also have no problem with NMs dropping mats instead of gear. I only have a problem with balancing the main storyline so that crafters and gatherers can solo it. If you want an epic adventure, level an adventuring class, or find some folks who did to go with you.

Right now we can't have any epic storyline battles because crafters wouldn't be able to do them >_>

It's funny about how people want their own opinion to be the one and only absolute rule in the galaxy. Fact: You don't like to craft but someone else does. There are MMORPGs out there that are dedicated to crafting, some even has only crafting. Some guy on Entropia Universe sold his asteroid and the facilities within it for $650,000 total (which is 100% legal in that game) and is one of that game celebrity, not because he killed some big fat boss. EVE has almost everything player crafted, most sand-box games do. So no, statement like nobody want to become a blacksmith, epic or not, is absolutely false. FFXIV isn't a sand-box game, but doesn't mean it has to be 100% against crafting either. Compromise, make NM drop both direct loot and material. If someone is unhappy with compromise, then they will be unhappy with anything and everything. You are not the absolute being, get over it.

I think my two main Linkshell's are weird.

Most of us spend a lot of time hanging around at our favorite spot in Ul'dah, crafting, gathering materials, sharing what we make, repairing other people's stuff, and generally having lots of fun with the whole crafting and gathering process. Never ever had a problem getting something repaired, or finding a friend of a friend who could do the job.

When more members are online, we also get together to do regional leves and occasionally even hunt NMs.

I think we have a really nice, well balanced group of people.
This is my first MMO and I thought this was what it's all about. But maybe we're just weird?

Honestly, I do think it is wierd, but to each their own. Like I said before, I don't hate crafters, I just wish there was less focus on it becuase it seems counter-productive to my ADVENTURE. However, even though I am the absolute being^.~ (couldnt resist), I can compromise.
1. Reduce durability to where I can grind a full RL 8 hr day before I even need to worry about gear damage.
Thats not eliminating repair/durability, its just making it acceptable.
2. Either create seperate adventures/quests for DoH and DoL than those of Battle classes OR don't design adventures/quests/missions/main story/endgame with DoL and DoH in mind.
I am not trying to exclude DoH and DoL, but as someone else said you cant have epic content if it needs to be dumbed down to keep DoL and DoH in the loop.
3. I would be fine with a healthy mix of crafted and dropped gear.
So if I defeat NM X, it should drop 1 rare mat and 1 rare gear. And I guess let the gear drop and the finished product of the mat be equal in stats, but different in looks. Not to mention other things like dying or signing the crafted items.
Fair enough?