Post 50 Crafting Gear - Request for advice

I've just started Heavensward and my crafters are wearing the L50 gear that I used to produce HQ about 90%. Most of my crafters are 52 (due to GC Crafting) but I still found it difficult to craft a L52 item as the quality and progress were so high.
What gear is recommended - most guides seem to refer to pre-Heavensward days?
I use no materia yet - should I?

Just craft a set of level 52 left side and you should be fine.

The progression goes Blue Scrip Gear -> Crafted 170 + Crafted HQ 150 -> Red Scrip Gear -> (over)Melded Crafted HQ 170 Gear.

It's kinda strange, and really convoluted, but that's how you get to a point where you can craft the Heavensward Master Book Recipes.

Oh, and you need to talk to the guy in Foundation to become a specialist.

Don't worry about materia too much, although I did add some really low grade (1s and 2s) craftsmanship to my 51 (Archaeoskin/Raptorskin) gear to boost my synthesis by a few points so I saved 1 step to complete a craft. Always plan for about 3 crafts to HQ at this stage, although if you omnicraft, careful synthesis II, byregot's blessing and steady hand II will save you a ton of pain.

If your right hand side and belt were fully melded don't bother replacing them until you get to 60. Left hand side and tools should probably be replaced as you level, depending on how you are leveling. Please know that there are some Leves that are really easy EXP (Ishgardian Muffins, anyone?) so be sure to take advantage of them until Blue scrip leveling is open to you. Oh, and don't forget to do your class quests like I did for some classes.

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Originally Posted by Jpec07

The progression goes Blue Scrip Gear -> Crafted 170 + Crafted HQ 150 -> Red Scrip Gear -> (over)Melded Crafted HQ 170 Gear.

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I've never heard of this progression before.

Blue scrip gear is horrible and only good for glamour, you should go straight to a crafted white set (easy to craft with level 55ish gear), and then go straight to a crafted 170 set from there, with a red scrip main hand (if you can afford it, because it takes 3 weeks).

All there is to it tbh. It's even easier if you have friends or FC mates who can help you make the stuff, then you don't even have to meld the white set.

Try get the Lucis until you level 55 and buy those Artisan gear at MB that cheaps now because retainer give HQ Artisan sometimes.

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Originally Posted by Eul

Try get the Lucis until you level 55 and buy those Artisan gear at MB that cheaps now because retainer give HQ Artisan sometimes.

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Lucis is a huge waste of time, for anything but glamour. You could put that time towards just leveling faster :P.

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Originally Posted by FoxyAreku

Lucis is a huge waste of time, for anything but glamour. You could put that time towards just leveling faster :P.

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Isn't that good to prevent making another tool? The stat will be same with level 55 tool if I remember correctly

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Originally Posted by Eul

Isn't that good to prevent making another tool? The stat will be same with level 55 tool if I remember correctly

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Nah. It takes multiple turn ins and a decent amount of gil to do lucis even after its nerfs, you'll spend less time and probably less gil just outright buying multiple tools.

oh i had the same problem! so i just went after the mastercraft book 1s so i could get the itm lvl 70 artisan gear and primary tools. which i have all now except alc bc mine is still 45. is this enough to craft hq lvl 52 tools and lvl 53 gear? once i reached heavensward, i could not craft any lvl 51 hq so i just kind gave up on the notion and just focused on my artisan itm lvl 70 stuff. most of my crafters are lvl 51 with wvr lvl 53 being my highest. with food, i can craft 3-star recipes.

The jump in difficulty from ARR to HW is enormous.
This guide should help you out (it's huge and very detailed but worth following) Caimie Tsukino HW Crafting Guide There are suggestions for what to do if you don't have the best in slot gear from HW and solid rotations that should help with synthesis.

You may find levelling to 52 using ARR recipes is the best way to go (assuming you are levelling by crafting and not leves), that's the way I did it.
As to gear, the blue scrip chest is worth getting but I wouldn't bother getting the rest. You won't be getting into scrips straightaway though. If you can afford to buy or get a friend to make you HQ tools or Chest for your level, that should give your stats a significant boost.