Please advise for gathering / crafting

Hello to all gatherers and crafters. I have a few questions and would really appreciate some help working out the answers :) (btw I cannot post in other forums yet :( )

1] what is the simplest order to start gathering and crafting to save money while leveling all DoL and DoH up? (it looks so interlinked as to be major confusing)

2] Looks like level 15 cross class skills are very important so is it better to spend gil power leveling all crafts to 15 before swapping to becoming self sufficient?

3] Is there a good website showing marketplace trends that I can browse when I don't have access to the game? (like during break-times at work)

Any other good advice you are willing to share will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading :D

1: I advise leveling them all more or less equally. As you mentioned, crafts are very interlinked, but outside of a few exceptions anything you need from another class will be the same level or lower. For example, if a blacksmith is making a level 20 recipe, and needs some lumber, a level 20 botanist should be able to gather the logs for a level 20 carpenter to produce the lumber. This also applies to what's made with your crafts (using the aforementioned example, that level 20 recipe would be about level 20 to use), and any drops you need can usually be gathered by a DoW/DoM of the corresponding level.

2: That's one way to do it, though the main reason for the level 15 abilities is to help ensure HQ results. You can be self-sufficient beforehand, and even if you don't HQ a recipe you'll get bonus xp for how much quality was added, and as of the latest patch the gap between turning in an NQ and HQ item for a leve was shortened.

3: Not really.

Look as crafting as one Job, needing several abilities. I say this because of the way you can cross class 10 abilities at level 50. Make sure you go to abilites tab and add your cross class...


I would take classes to 15, then max weaver for Careful Synth II right away, followed by CUL 37 for Steady Hand II. Then finish off BSM for Bregett's and CRP.

Don't buy all your mats off the AH for those 15 levels, use the NPCs as much as you can. Between the Trade NPC and the Guild (Yes, check the guild for craft items), you will save a lot of gil. Gamerescape has a good wiki for looking stuff up.

Use http://craftingasaservice.com/ for lots of info...and use your Leves to save even more gil. Look at which items are used for what leves and check the AH. These usually sell faster, so do items used for Guild Quest turn ins.

There isnt a FFXIVAH to scrape data yet, unfortunately.

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Originally Posted by Leyra

1] what is the simplest order to start gathering and crafting to save money while leveling all DoL and DoH up? (it looks so interlinked as to be major confusing)

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If you level them up together you can save nearly all your money, as the only thing you have to spend on is occasional equipment repairs. Gathering all your own supplies, making all your own equipment, and making your own intermediate ingredients (like turning logs into lumber or cotton into cloth) provides a lot of the XP you'll be leveling with.

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Originally Posted by Leyra

2] Looks like level 15 cross class skills are very important so is it better to spend gil power leveling all crafts to 15 before swapping to becoming self sufficient?

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Spending gil to level faster is generally about skipping over some portion of the process. If you only want to level a single craft, you can buy all the materials provided by other crafts. Or if you want pursue crafting classes but not gathering classes, you can buy all the gathered ingredients. However, if you're eventually going to pursue them all, buying your ingredients makes less sense.

If you buy a bunch of ore so you can level your armorer, for instance, it will get your armorer class leveled more quickly than if you gathered all that ore, but if you're then going to end up spending time gathering the same ore later anyway in order to level your miner, did it really save you any time in the long run?

You can level up each class to 15 really easily just purchasing materials from NPCs. From there, if you want to save money you'll have to look at leveling gathering classes. Fishing doesn't have much use outside of cooking and alchemy, so if you're not focusing on those mining and botany will probably get you by. If you can gather your own materials your main expense will be the upkeep of your crafting/gathering gear.

Leveling them all together is by far the cheapest. Your biggest problem will be inventory space.

I recommend looking at Leves and seeing what's easiest to make. You can probably gather or make whatever you need. Whatever has the mats that are the fewest and easiest to acquire should be your target. If you level MNR and BTN you can get a lot of the mats you need for yourself and not even need to play the market.

I'd recommend starting both MNR and BTN. Gather ores and logs. Then take up BSM, ARM and CRP. You can turn the lumber into logs, and the ores into ingots. You'll need them.

Some things you need for WVR, such as a cotton and flax, can be gathered with BTN. MNR will get you access to things like silver ore, mythril ore, and ultimately darksteel and gold ore.

Also, if you're leveling your crafts, you'll be able to repair your own gear. I buy dark matter with GC seals so that I don't have to pay for repairs.

The hardest to level will be LTW, because you need to farm mobs for mats, or buy from the market / NPCs.

The best thing to do is level the disciples of the land first, except for fishing. Fishing and culinarian are stand alone and are exempt from the bonfire quest to learn materia melding.
All other crafts pretty much intertwine like you thought. You will need almost all of them to some extent to avoid buying materials. Luckily most only require the basics up to level 5 to get you going on another craft class. For example miners get copper ore, goldsmith makes copper ingot, used in weaver crafting. Goldsmiths work also closely evolves with the alchemist.

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Originally Posted by Merryl

The best thing to do is level the disciples of the land first, except for fishing. Fishing and culinarian are stand alone and are exempt from the bonfire quest to learn materia melding.
All other crafts pretty much intertwine like you thought. You will need almost all of them to some extent to avoid buying materials. Luckily most only require the basics up to level 5 to get you going on another craft class. For example miners get copper ore, goldsmith makes copper ingot, used in weaver crafting. Goldsmiths work also closely evolves with the alchemist.

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Well, if one is looking to be truly self-sufficient, you may wish to level your crafts alongside your gatherers, and include fishing and cooking. That way you can gather materials for xp, then use those materials in recipes you use to level. In addition, food bonuses can help. Finally, the same gear you're using for your other gatherers and crafters can be used on fisher and culinarian.