shards/crystals/clusters

Can we please implement something that makes getting shards less tedious? Even just something where we could break clusters into crystals and then into shards would be amazing. Alternatively the cost of the wards that let you harvest faster could be cut significantly. Collecting shards is a boring, aggravating, and tedious time sink that disrupts the flow of play.

Aetherial Reduction
Aetherial Reduction Guide

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Originally Posted by ChameleonMS

Aetherial Reduction
Aetherial Reduction Guide

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That only yields crystals and clusters. Shards remain tortuously tedious to get.

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Originally Posted by FJerome

That only yields crystals and clusters. Shards remain tortuously tedious to get.

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That is role the RMT gather bots fulfill within the game economy. While we do not have an efficient way to gather ourselves, the MB price of them is pretty insignificant in most situations.

The DEVs have made it pretty clear, this is not going to change, it has been an issue for years. So, suck it up and perpetuate the RMT cycle until SE gets a clue.

For recipes that require shards, there should be an option to substitute in crystals (depending on the number of shards originally required).

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Originally Posted by DarkDedede

For recipes that require shards, there should be an option to substitute in crystals (depending on the number of shards originally required).

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A request for the ability to "break" Clusters into Crystals and Crystals in to Shards was asked for by the community way back, years ago. It fell on deaf ears then, I have no confidence in the SE dev team that it will change.

My apologies if I sound terse about this topic. I have been annoyed by this problem for a very long time. My attitude is not directed you my fellow community members, it is directed at SE.
SE gave us Aetherial Reduction to help but intentionally omitted shards.

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Originally Posted by Arulas

Can we please implement something that makes getting shards less tedious? Even just something where we could break clusters into crystals and then into shards would be amazing. Alternatively the cost of the wards that let you harvest faster could be cut significantly. Collecting shards is a boring, aggravating, and tedious time sink that disrupts the flow of play.

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Shards are easy to get - just send out your retainer(s) to gather them while you are doing something else.

To add to the tip above, use plant pots and grow them, if you also have a house you can get around 1k clusters per day just essentially doing nothing :)

Have miner retainers and send em to get grade 3 shroud topsoil. U can also buy shroud topsoil with poetics via some weird exchanhes. Then plant lightseeds and gg 800 shards per garden per day

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Originally Posted by Mirch

U can also buy shroud topsoil with poetics via some weird exchanhes.

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Since this is very unclear, the exchange is poetics for Unidentifiable Shell, and then exchanging it for Grade 3 Shroud Topsoil.

Or they could come up with a way to break clusters into crystals and crystals into shards.

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Originally Posted by MistakeNot

Shards are easy to get - just send out your retainer(s) to gather them while you are doing something else.

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This unfortunately is one of the least efficient uses of your retainer. It has been awhile but IIRC you get 60 shards per venture.
Shards sell on the MB for approximately 30-100 gil. (I cannot speak to the economy of all servers of course). Thus, all you need to do is have your retainer get you anything that is worth about 6k per venture to equal the shards produced by a venture.
I can usually send my retainer to get me stuff worth 15K-30K, thus, with that same venture I am now able to purchase 150-300 shards.