Always HQ?

Explanation: I always start off with Inner Quite so that I can start building the (stacks as I call it) to combo with Byregot's Blessing. After that I use Waste not II, followed by Steady Hand II ( If at any point RED Crystal pops go ahead and get CP back, It's fine if your consuming ticks during this time so don't think of it as a waste of Waste not II or Steady Hand, it's going to pay off at the end). After SHII you have two options depending on the Lv of the Synth, if the item has 200+ durability your going to want to use Rapid Synthesis. This will push your progress up more then any other skill, though it has an 80% success it's a better choice at the start then Careful Synthesis. After one successful now we start building quality with Hasty Touch.

Remember Red crystal at this point is still used for Tricks of the Trade. When you exhaust SHII you will have 2 ticks of Waste Not II left, you now have 2 options again. If the Synth was a 200+ then you can use Careful Synthesis II to push it up further( Careful Synth has a 100% success rate which is why you want to use it after SHII expires) . Remember to watch out for how much it was raised so you can do the math and see if another use will either finish it or bring it within a few points of finishing (Which you want!). If not then simply refresh SHII and keep on pressing with Hasty Touch combo. Now here's the important part, after you refresh WNII you are now in your end phase of your craft, which means you are most likely sitting at 50/80 durability or less. This means red crystal is now for building quality not CP. Your focus is now to watch your ticks on WNII and SHII to time the best possible time to use Great Strides + Byregot's Blessing.

To do this I always use this rule, at 2 ticks left in SH2 I have to decide if I'll have enough CP to activate both Great Strides and Byregot's Blessing, if I do I'll use it, unless I get lucky and rainbow crystal comes out in which case I can max it by simply using Byregot's Blessing while SHII is active. If you don't have enough for both then your focus is simply building quality with Hasty Touch until you have 1 tick left in SHII and use Byregot's Blessing. Either way by this point you should have pushed your quality into the 70+% even if you had several botched rolls with HT. When your durability hits 5-10 depending on how long you had WNII active you should use Careful Synthesis one last time to finish out the craft and your done. Remember that finishing with 0 durability is still a win for you so long as the last action maxed out progress, and for the most part that's about it.

This method does require several other cross class skills but after making the end game items, this has proven to be the most effective for me. Hope it helps!


Solaire Belmont

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Originally Posted by suzaku333

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Thanks for all the tips, Solaire!

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Thanks! I'm new to posting so I figured someone would help me out :)

I don't think it's possible to "always" HQ an item with NQ mats, unless the item is considerably lower than yours.

I can HQ somewhat reliably AF gear without HQ mats, but it's still a matter of luck.

Obviously were I to get Ingenuity it could make a difference. (And also better gear, I wear BiS everything, but no materias yet)

So I had a brief chance to try these out. I've been having great success so far. Haven't been able to consistently get 100% quality, but I usually fall between 45-80%, and I've HQ'd 8/10 items so far. I was even able to HQ my next level gear. I'm still working on getting my 40 durability synths up, and the 70+ synths can use a bit of tweaking for more efficiency, but overall my crafting has improved a ton.

Thanks, everyone!

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Originally Posted by suzaku333

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How much control does that get you?

I usually end my crafts at around 800 control, 900+ if I'm lucky with Hasty Touch (a.k.a only 2 failures or so).

For me, Great Strides is also the key skill. I ALWAYS have it up and then use my best Touch action when I get Good, Excellent or when GS is about to expire. Then GS straight back up! Inbetween I improve progress or use Steady Hands or Observe.

I'm confused about the crystal thing. I assume you mean the little ball that the crafter works with when making something. But what's the meaning of the different colours?

My method is to use Inner Quiet -> Steady Hands -> Waste Not -> Great Strides/Standard Touch (depends on condition). Repeat until durability goes too low or HQ rate is 100%. It might not always HQ but it does so often enough that I use it regularly. And because I keep my equipment in top condition (HQ and materia-loaded), I can HQ stuff that's 4 or 5 levels above my level fairly often. Which lets me do the triple turn-ins of the highest level I can do while still handing in HQ :D