HQ Grind Help

Hi all,

I've recently discovered the joys of turning in HQ materials for levequests, so I've been trying to make as many HQ items as possible. However, it's become a terrible grind; it took me 50 attempts and 2 days to make 3 HQ ash lumber. I've got like 350 shortbows and 200 round shields.

This is the sequence I use (for lv. 16 Carpenter):

Basic Synthesis (until I'm one step from completion)
Basic Touch (until I have 10 durability left)
Maker's Mend
Basic Touch (until I have only one turn left)
Basic Synthesis (to completion).

On average, that gets me to 5-10% quality. I've got to 95% once - and it failed. I've tried eating food (stone soup for extra CP), watching for the quality changes, and keeping up with the gear curve. I know starting with HQ mats is a good way forward, but I can't make/afford/farm them yet.

I have Rumination and Steady Hand, but I can't see the point of them so far - and I sacrifice the CP for Maker's Mend if I use them. The upgraded Touch skill (at level 18) only adds 10% efficiency, so I can't see it making a huge difference.

Any ideas? Is my level just too low?

Thanks! :D

Well, just to say, you shouldn't do craft leves until you hit lvl 20, and try to not turn in NQ items, always HQ.

remember
level 20
have the best gear you can, including accessories
You should be able to complete something as basic as ash lumber in one use of basic synth, so do the following:
basic touch
standard touch
standard touch
mend
standard touch
basic touch
basic touch
basic syth

Level other DoH classes to 15. Each one gives you a cross-class skill when you hit 15 that you can use to help get you there. At lower levels, you can't quite guarantee HQ, but you can get a heck of a lot closer.

What I've generally been doing is Inner Quiet, Basic Touch x3, Master's Mend, Basic Touch as many times as I can and still leave enough durability to finish, Rumination to get back CP from all those Basic Touches, Steady Hand, Basic Synthesis. (That's for a 40 durability recipe.)

Here's a nice guide to a more complicated routine: http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen..._let_crafters/

Getting HQ results can be tricky for a low level craft, especially if it is your first. Most crafts have useful skills that can be used on other classes at level 15, I would recommend getting some of them to help. Also, if you use HQ materials you will start the synth at half quality which is probably the best way to help get an HQ result.

Thanks for all the help!

I've got one of the cross-class skills (Careful Synthesis) and a few classes near 15, so I'll try to level them first. And my weaver is level 21, so I can try out a few of the HQ routines.

TYVM :)

My typical starting routine is Inner Quiet -> Waste Not (LW 15 Skill) -> Steady Hands before starting on the synth and touch steps. New items and items of higher level than my crafting level i tend to Synth till i get 1 step away from completeing, and then Touch until i hit 5 durability and then Synth the final step.

I've found that in using Waste Not, whilst i end up with 1 less synth/touch step available to me compared to Mend, at lower levels, even with full HQ crafting gear on i don't generally have the CP to make full use of Mend's 30 durability boost, and the 32 less CP used lets me use touch at least once more.

Careful Synth is good, i tend to use it as the final step in any job so that i don't end up with a HQ item failing on me on the last step. I also tend to Synth on new items so i can find out how much durability i need to spend to actually create the item.

Try and get or make some HQ versions of the crafter clothing/tools as well.