New player level 50 crafting questions

I've been leveling all of the DoL and DoH classes to 50, and now that I'm almost to 50 with all of them, I'm confused about what I should do to move into HW crafting content.

I've read that you can just go to Ishgard with current gear (not all AF crafting gear, but some HQ level 50 pieces, and not melded) and move ahead. I've also read that it's difficult to make the level 51 items at level 50, and leveling to 51 or 52 with the level 50 1 and 2 star items is a good idea. However, it seems fairly difficult to make even twinthread with my current gear--I can do NQ but no way HQ--so I really have no idea which is better/easier.

Should I try to get HQ AF crafting gear and meld it to go the level 50 1 and 2 star route, or just go on to HW crafting content?

/confused

You should get the level 50 MH tool from the class quest. Beyond that, its up to you.

You may not be able to HQ them, but things like Twinthread and Darksteel Nuggets, and Rose Gold Nuggets, are your targets to grind out through 50 to 51 on. Once you hit 51, consider the crafted level 51 set (left side gear; the right side jewelry is going to range from 52 to 55). The penalty for being below recipe level is fairly severe in Heavensward, so try not to level too high before being able to make any refined materials.

I'm not saying I remember the numbers exactly, but I went from something like 70 Progress on a CS2 at level 50 to 190 Progress on a CS2 on that same recipe, at level 51, without any gear changes. Just removing that penalty more than doubled the Progress I was getting.

Awesome, thank you so much for the reply.

I did just have another thing happen that was great for my WVR class as well--The GC turn in today was for a Patrician's Coatee and it was a starred item, so the xp granted was a lot more than usual. I made one HQ to turn in and got about 415k XP, which was HALF of the xp required to get to 51! I'll be watching for those starred turn ins at the GC as I level these DoH classes to 51 for sure. I did complete the level 50 quests as well and have the MH tool--I'm really enjoying the stories in the class quests so I definitely won't skip them! :)

TY again sir!

GC hand ins are worth 12.5% of your level's exp. HQ it, and you get double the reward, or 25% of the level.

Starred GC hand ins are worth double, or 25% of your level's exp. HQ it, and you get double the reward, for 50% of the level!

They are a worthwhile thing to look for, but the stars can be quite random.

Oh I hadn't noticed that there was actually a formula there, and the xp wasn't just some semi-randomish calculation! Good to know, and ty! :)

If you are leveling, consider doing the Ixal quests, or at least the turn-ins, and the related challenges in the challenge log. Leves are good as well, but once you hit 50 all non-HW leves give worthless experience.

As for the gear, the top level 50 gear is more or less equivalent to level 53-55 gear in HW. but it should be much easier to get the HW stuff, and move on from there, as you can get stuff much more easily than the turn-ins for gear that is, ultimately, outdated. Be sure to pick up the master books eventually, however.

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Originally Posted by elfolampo

If you are leveling, consider doing the Ixal quests, or at least the turn-ins, and the related challenges in the challenge log. Leves are good as well, but once you hit 50 all non-HW leves give worthless experience.

As for the gear, the top level 50 gear is more or less equivalent to level 53-55 gear in HW. but it should be much easier to get the HW stuff, and move on from there, as you can get stuff much more easily than the turn-ins for gear that is, ultimately, outdated. Be sure to pick up the master books eventually, however.

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Yep, I have been doing those, especially when there are just not that many different recipes to make for some of the classes at certain levels. I'll definitely be getting the master books at some point as well. Thanks!

So, I'm back with more questions.

I now have BTN and MIN at 51, and all DoH classes except ALC and CUL at 50-51. The struggle at this point is that my gathering gear isn't that great (since I don't have all the end-game gear from ARR) and to make any new HW gathering gear, I have to be able to gather Coerthan Tea Leaves at a reliable rate so that I can level LTW. It seems to be a punishing "chicken and egg" problem here. It's very, very slow gathering tea leaves in present gear, yet to make other gear I have to have mounds of tea leaves.

The gear on the MB is hideously expensive. It's not that I can't afford it, but this should NOT be the only way to get started in HW gathering/crafting content. The gear is apparently not sold by a vendor, and there is no other catch up mechanism that I've seen.

Any advice from those who have "been there, done that"? There is one vendor in Ishgard that sells the tea leaves at 1400+g each, but is this really how this goes for newer players who weren't around to get the end-game gathering/crafting gear in ARR, or am I missing something?

Do Leves to level crafting classes, as well as the GC hand ins and, if you feel up to it, the Ixali quests. I am not sure how good they'll be, exp-wise, for any class 50 or higher though.

Remember, if you are not doing Leves, then any class that is UNDER 51 you want to use 1 star ARR recipes to level, not level 51 HW recipes. If your LTW is 50, make Hippogriff Leather. If it is 51, then start on your Archaeoskin recipes. As for needing "mounds of leaves" don't forget about your Blessed Harvest II skill, if buying them off of the vendor is not a feasible option.

LTW is 51, but the problem is that getting the tea leaves in current gear is ridiculously slow. I'm able to get four leaves per node is all, and I don't have enough GP to even use Blessed Harvest (because current gear is not great). I need tea leaves to make better gear, but need better gear to get tea leaves at a reasonable rate.

And it's not that buying them from the vendor isn't an option--I've made plenty of Gil and even managed to have plenty left over after I was finally able to buy a small plot and a house just a couple of days ago--it's that it seems like there should be a better option than gathering eight leaves per hour or paying for them from a vendor, and I mean a better option for getting the gear, not necessarily getting the leaves.

I guess I'll just keep picking up my eight leaves per hour, and eventually be able to make a couple of pieces of new gathering gear, which will get the ball rolling.

That is a 6 swing node. If you are getting 4 per visit, that suggests you are either using Toil and getting something else, or you are taking two swings to clear away the obstruction.

How much GP do you have? That's counting any GP food you eat prior to gathering stuff.

Yeah the GP is the issue. I only have 555 and that was after upgrading a piece of jewelry after my last post here. I did manage to use Toil and then Field Mastery III so that I could get six leaves, but still. There's no way for me to use Blessed Harvest I or II, since after uncovering the item it only shows a 60% chance to gather it, so then I need to use FMIII so that I don't waste any opportunities to gather.

I'm working on some slightly better right side gear pieces from ARR to get me through, since at least those won't be replaced with HW pieces as soon as the left side gear. It's slow, but it seems to be the only way to go unless I want to drop a million gil on new gear from the MB.

Upgrade your gear. Period.

If you need gil, there are far fewer people working the ARR unspoiled nodes and some of their yields have jumped in price. I try to get cocoons, scarlet sap, G3 Thanalin and Shroud soil (the dark mater clusters that often accompanies them sells well too), and T mistletoe. Indeed, although I am MIN and BOT 60, most of my gil comes from those nodes.

And you do get EXPs from them still.

Look at the MB prices on coke and aqueous whetstones. I burn my GC seals on those and ventures.

Also one of the vendors in Ishguard sells NQ Dzemael Gratin. GP 24. Perception 10. Beef stew too but I forget the stats on that. It has gathering and GPs.

Thanks for the tips! :) I have been picking up some dark matter clusters and unaspected crystals from the same node that I've been stalking to get topsoil for my garden, so I've been selling the things I don't need of course.

It's not really that I couldn't spend gobs of gil on new gear, it's just that I don't WANT to. ;-P I'm perfectly happy to sell things for a lot of gil (the HQ low level gear bits that I've made while leveling my DoH classes for example), but I dislike spending a lot of gil on gear for myself. I'd rather just muddle through slowly if that's the only other option, which is what I'm doing at present. I did manage to craft the gathering gloves and chestpiece--HQ even!--and I'm working on gathering enough skins and leaves to make the legs today maybe.

Thanks for the help all. :)

Cool! Don't forget melding though.

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Originally Posted by Velisra

Yeah the GP is the issue. I only have 555 and that was after upgrading a piece of jewelry after my last post here. I did manage to use Toil and then Field Mastery III so that I could get six leaves, but still. There's no way for me to use Blessed Harvest I or II, since after uncovering the item it only shows a 60% chance to gather it, so then I need to use FMIII so that I don't waste any opportunities to gather.

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With 555 GP using toil + FM3 you should have a 100% chance to gather 6 items since neither action uses a swing. You could instead reveal the leaves with your first swing, use Blessed harvest II and FM1 for a 65% chance at 15 leaves. Statistically the second method comes out to a yield of 9.75 so it should work out better. Though 65% seems like a low gathering rate, you break even by hitting the node just 2 of the 5 times (40%).

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Originally Posted by Nutz

With 555 GP using toil + FM3 you should have a 100% chance to gather 6 items since neither action uses a swing. You could instead reveal the leaves with your first swing, use Blessed harvest II and FM1 for a 65% chance at 15 leaves. Statistically the second method comes out to a yield of 9.75 so it should work out better. Though 65% seems like a low gathering rate, you break even by hitting the node just 2 of the 5 times (40%).

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I did try that actually, but it takes more than one swing to reveal the leaves. It took three IIRC, which meant that there were only three swings left so it didn't seem like it would be better to do it that way, but I'll check again next time I'm out there gathering. Thanks!

If it takes 3 swings to reveal a slot, then Toil is what you want to use, as it will double your actual collection rate.

Toil clears away the obstruction, all 8 slots, without using a swing. That lets you then use a +Gathering move (Field Mastery 3) and gather on all 6 of the swings you get on that node.

Still, get more Gathering. That's the stat that affects how much of the obstruction you clear away per swing. You want to, eventually, avoid the use of Toil on a node, in favor of other abilities.

Yeah, I was just there at that node at the right time while passing through the zone, and it took me three swings to clear the obstruction. I used BHII, but at only 69% chance to gather, got nothing on one swing. In the end, I still ended up with six leaves, but did have a chance for nine. I like a sure thing, so I'll just use Toil and take my six leaves until I can get better gear.

Thanks again for the help and suggestions all! :)

Don't forgot to use Deep Vigor/Brunt Force on the last of your unspoiled nodes. It'll guarantee you that the final one is a HQ gather, which'll make your quality touches on crafted items less of a hassle to HQ. Also, once you get to a point where you can comfortably gather items from 2.0 nodes at 100%, it might be worth it to use Bountiful Harvest with your Toil action to make the last gather give 2x HQ quantity with DV/BF.

(Now all I'm wishing for is for Solid Reason and Ageless Words to be reduced from 300GP to 200GP so that max gatherers with 600GP might get some use from it, and Luck actions having their HQ chain reduced by 1.)

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Originally Posted by Delphor

Also, once you get to a point where you can comfortably gather items from 2.0 nodes at 100%, it might be worth it to use Bountiful Harvest with your Toil action to make the last gather give 2x HQ quantity with DV/BF.

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Actually, once you get comfortable enough to collect ARR unspoiled nodes 100%, you should have enough Gathering to clear away the obstruction in one swing. At that point, you'll want to use Blessed Harvest 2 / King's Yield 2 and collect the ten extra. Go from 3 Silkworm Cocoons per swing to 5, raising your total take from 15 to 25; raise your Volcanic Rock Salt take from 5 to 7, increasing the total take from the node from 25 to 35, for two examples.

HW nodes, of course, are going to be a bit more challenging, so continue to do your normal thing on those.

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Originally Posted by Roth_Trailfinder

Actually, once you get comfortable enough to collect ARR unspoiled nodes 100%, you should have enough Gathering to clear away the obstruction in one swing. At that point, you'll want to use Blessed Harvest 2 / King's Yield 2 and collect the ten extra. Go from 3 Silkworm Cocoons per swing to 5, raising your total take from 15 to 25; raise your Volcanic Rock Salt take from 5 to 7, increasing the total take from the node from 25 to 35, for two examples.

HW nodes, of course, are going to be a bit more challenging, so continue to do your normal thing on those.

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That's what I've been doing on ARR nodes! :)