Question about Gear

So is gear in this game similar to how it is in Eve, where it is mainly obtained through the purchase from other players who craft it?

I have not seen any gear drop, nor have I received anything as guildleve rewards.

I'm not a gear hound or anything, I'm just wondering how the game works in this fashion.

Is there a central place to purchase gear? Like an Auction house or something? I understand how the bazaar works, but is that the only option, to run around and keep browsing everyone's goods for sale until I find a sword I can afford and use? Seems like there should be a central place to purchase things of that nature. I take it NPCs don't sell that type of stuff either?

Thanks in advance for the info :D

Every town has a Market Ward area that is searchable for player-sold gear.

If you pull up your map, the wards are located near the town Aetherytes and have their own area name (for example: in Ul'dah they are called "The Dunes") and are marked with a little yellow arrow. When you approach the area, a menu will appear asking if you would like to go directly to a specific ward or search for an item. This Ask the Devs post shows where you can find what: http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com...7cd1af570568aa You can use the search function to browse through gear available in that area. (note: Search will only show you what is available in those specific wards, it is not a global search)

Some of the side quests (started by talking to the NPC's with the "!" on the mini map and over their heads) drop rank appropriate gear, and some of the lower level (R 10-20) Leve quests will drop gear as well. This doesn't happen for every leve, mind you, so make sure to at least check the new leves every cycle to see if there are gear rewards. (Note: The gear rewards becomes more scarce when you hit the R30+ leves). Additionally, the new Mid-rank (25-35) NM's also have common and special gear drops (and accessories. SO MANY accessories, LOL). So those are some other options

My advice would be to get into a friendly linkshell. Odds are good that there will be crafters in your shell who will make gear for you if you supply the mats or sell to you at a reduced rate.

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Originally Posted by Gundammeister

So is gear in this game similar to how it is in Eve, where it is mainly obtained through the purchase from other players who craft it?

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Yes. Mainly from crafting.

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I have not seen any gear drop, nor have I received anything as guildleve rewards.

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Some mobs drop gear (for example, skeletons drop eye patches). And most lower level NMs drop gear. But for the most part, mobs will drop stuff that can be crafted into gear.

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Is there a central place to purchase gear? Like an Auction house or something? I understand how the bazaar works, but is that the only option, to run around and keep browsing everyone's goods for sale until I find a sword I can afford and use? Seems like there should be a central place to purchase things of that nature.

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Like Frisque said, each city has its own Market Wards. You can do a search before entering the Market Wards for a particular piece of gear. It will tell you whether anyone in that city's Market Wards is selling the item, how much it costs, the name of the retainer selling it, and which Ward the retainer is located in. Then you just teleport into the right Market Ward, look for the retainer(s) with the red star over its head, and buy the items you want.

If you're trying to figure out what to buy, I'd suggest browsing ffxiv.yg.com. You can figure out what you want to buy, and then do searches for those items.

And keep in mind that on pretty much all servers, most players have migrated to Uldah. So if you want to find goods to buy, the Uldah Market Wards are your best bet.

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I take it NPCs don't sell that type of stuff either?

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NPCs sell some items, but most have to be purchased from players. Again, if you check YG, it will tell you whether an NPC sells a particular item, and if so, where the NPC is located.

Good luck!

Thanks for the great info. Helps a lot.