Crafting...need nexbie advice

Hi All ~

I've been leveling (43) my Hyur Archer, but haven't dipped my toe in the crafting side of the game. I'd like some advice as to what profession I should start with. A profession that is maybe the least technical and preferably one that is most beneficial to the Archer class.

TYVM ~

Januaria

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Originally Posted by Januaria81

Hi All ~

I've been leveling (43) my Hyur Archer, but haven't dipped my toe in the crafting side of the game. I'd like some advice as to what profession I should start with. A profession that is maybe the least technical and preferably one that is most beneficial to the Archer class.

TYVM ~

Januaria

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The way crafting works is that all (except CUL and maybe ALC) crafters work together and supply mats for each other. Unless you feel like buying the missing materials forever, you're better off ultimately leveling them all eventually to save some gil and be self-sufficient.

Specifically for Archer (although you should look into getting your job stone if you haven't already to become a Bard, it's rather important), you'll want Carpenter (which is in Gridania, your weapons and maybe your accessories) Leatherworking (Also Gridania, your armor) and maybe Culinarian if you want some food buffs. If you want to manually gather everything for your crafting leveling you'll definitely want to grab Botanist and Miner as well.

Culinarian (CUL) is probably the best to start with, it's in Upper Deck of Limsa. It's probably the only crafting job that doesn't need items from other crafters, all of it's materials come from vendors, as drops from mobs in the open world and from the gathering jobs.

Try and get them all for now, they changed the xp so its really fast to 50. Vendors sell all mats you need until lvl15, after which you will need gathering jobs or marketboard.

As a Archer you will want Carpenter and Leatherworker as it makes most of your gear.

Again i would do them all at same time as they share clothes and will save you money, especially when you get to repair your own gear.

Carpenter for your weapon, Leatherworker and a bit of Weaver for your left side gear, Goldsmith usually for accessories and Culinarian for food. It really helps to level them all together, though, since you often will need base components from other classes to make a bow or piece of gear.

Crafters are also a valuable source of Grand Company (GC) seals (via the daily Supply Missions) you'll need to level your rank in the GC. These missions also provide very good XP for leveling the crafters.

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Originally Posted by CaptainLagbeard

Culinarian (CUL) is probably the best to start with, it's in Upper Deck of Limsa. It's probably the only crafting job that doesn't need items from other crafters, all of it's materials come from vendors, as drops from mobs in the open world and from the gathering jobs.

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It does if you craft your own gear. In which case:
ARM - main hand
BSM - Secondary tool
WVR - Left side
LTW - Left side
CRP - Right side
GSM - Right side

* You can also add ALC in there as well if crafting your own capstone gear.

OP, it's best to look at crafting as the tools you need more so than individual classes. And to be honest, you need them all.

As LianaThorne said, they're all meant to work together and there's no single class that favors Bard/Archer. If you just aren't interested in trying to tackle them all, then Carpenter (bows), Goldsmith (accessories), and Leatherworking (armor) will provide most (but not all) of the crafted gear that a Bard/Archer uses.

I would suggest starting with Mining and Botany first, though. That will let you gather most of the raw materials you're going to need for crafting and greatly reduce the gil expense.

If you haven't assigned your retainers jobs yet for ventures, I would suggest assigning your default two combat jobs so they can gather the creature drops you will need (skins for Leatherworking as an example). Gathering ores and logs is far less annoying than trying to gather skins. If you've purchased additional retainers, then you can mix what jobs they have between gathering and combat.

As I've recently discovered, pretty much everything crafting related is tied together. If you do one, then you really have to do them all.

On the flip side, once you've gotten them unlocked; you can usually level them (abet slowly) through Grand Company Supply and Provisioning Missions.

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Originally Posted by kcj

As I've recently discovered, pretty much everything crafting related is tied together. If you do one, then you really have to do them all.

On the flip side, once you've gotten them unlocked; you can usually level them (abet slowly) through Grand Company Supply and Provisioning Missions.

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Tradecraft leves are the fastest way to level your crafters without question. However, they are limited to allowances and you can burn through them quite quickly if leveling all the crafters. For this reason it is important to turn in HQ only as they give a large bonus to exp. GC turn-ins are great too, and again, be sure to turn in HQ. The starred items give ridiculous exp, and an HQ turn in doubles it. More methods involve tribe quests relative to your level, and log completion. The latter is the slowest method and floods your inventory. However, if you go the really slow route and gather all your materials, process them towards log completion, AND sale everything, you'll come out on top with a crap ton of gil. This method does not require tradecraft leves.

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Originally Posted by Gemina

Tradecraft leves are the fastest way to level your crafters without question. However, they are limited to allowances and you can burn through them quite quickly if leveling all the crafters. For this reason it is important to turn in HQ only as they give a large bonus to exp. GC turn-ins are great too, and again, be sure to turn in HQ.

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Once you unlock them in Idylshire, Custom Deliveries provide very quick crafter/gatherer leveling.
The problem with them is they are even more limited than levequests: you can only do at most 12 a week.
And unlike GC missions and levequests, you can't buy (or have someone else make) the turn-ins for Custom Deliveries.

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Originally Posted by Bun_Vivant

Once you unlock them in Idylshire, Custom Deliveries provide very quick crafter/gatherer leveling.
The problem with them is they are even more limited than levequests: you can only do at most 12 a week.
And unlike GC missions and levequests, you can't buy (or have someone else make) the turn-ins for Custom Deliveries.

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I actually reserve custom deliveries for gatherers, which is why I did not mention them. But still a valid route if that is the person's preference. While I don't shun anyone who buys their turn-ins or has someone else craft them, I do kind of laugh at it considering they don't really require that much effort. Plus you also lose out on the exp for crafting it yourself.

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Originally Posted by Gemina

I actually reserve custom deliveries for gatherers, which is why I did not mention them. But still a valid route if that is the person's preference. While I don't shun anyone who buys their turn-ins or has someone else craft them, I do kind of laugh at it considering they don't really require that much effort. Plus you also lose out on the exp for crafting it yourself.

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I'm on Road to 80 world with 7 characters already leveled to 90 DoH / 90 DoL.
Crafting turn ins for the other two characters I'm leveling saves me from having to make them gear until they hit 90. They go straight from base gear to Indigators. And then I do their crafter quests, to get Manipulation. :)

Sometimes I think I have an unusual perspective on what's fun.

TY Liana. I just want to start with ONE crafting profession and see how it works. I was confused by the responses to my post. Do you need "tools" to craft? Can you farm the mats or do they need to be purchased from vendors? Just looking to dip my toe in the water before I take the plung.

~ Januaria

TY Lagbeard.

So I should start with Culinarian? Do I need to purchase "tools"? And the mats come most from vendors? You can't get the mats from drops?

~ Januaria

Hi Asako ~

Doing all the crafting professions is a bit too overwhelming right now, I'm barely able to do the basics, I'm just face-rolling and spamming a few key strokes to level. Do you need to purchase "tools" particular to that craft? And where does one acquire the mats, is it mostly from vendors?

~ Januaria

TY for the response. From the other responses it sounds like crafting is more complex than just simple leveling. I'd like to start with one super simple craft and go on from there.

Ciao for now.

Thx Gemina. Sorry but your response was way over my head at this point. I am the newbiest of newbs and I didn't understand any of the acronyms in your post. Maybe when I'm more familiar wit the game world.

` Januaria

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Originally Posted by Januaria81

TY Lagbeard.

So I should start with Culinarian? Do I need to purchase "tools"? And the mats come most from vendors? You can't get the mats from drops?

~ Januaria

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Just like combat classes need weapons, crafter and gatherer classes need tools to do their job. And just like weapons you will get basic tools that are enough to get by with, by doing your class quests. Better tools can be crafted, or bought from the Market Board.

For low-level recipes (up to level 15) practically all mats can be bought from the guild vendor. Higher level mats can be obtained as random drops from landscape mobs, gathered by a gatherer class, or bought from an NPC vendor, or crafted, depending on the mat. Or you can buy mats from the Market Board, but that is often expensive.

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Originally Posted by Januaria81

Thx Gemina. Sorry but your response was way over my head at this point. I am the newbiest of newbs and I didn't understand any of the acronyms in your post. Maybe when I'm more familiar wit the game world.

` Januaria

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Doing the quest to unlock a crafter will give you the basic tools you need to get started. Continuing to do the class quests every 5 levels will get you upgrades(along with some other crafting gear along the way). The crafting itself is its own content(you could think of it as a minigame) and you unlock new abilities slowly as you level up. As MistakeNot points out, the earliest crafting mats are just available for sale to get you started but you always have the option to go and get your own if you prefer. Best of luck!

Hi Lagbeard ~

I took your advice, traveled to LL and joined the Culinary Guild. But when I tried to create (synthesize) the first item "Table Salt" I get the message: "Unable to craft. Current class not set to culinarian." So I'm a bit stuck. Any advice would be appreciated.

~ Januaria

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Originally Posted by Januaria81

Hi Lagbeard ~

I took your advice, traveled to LL and joined the Culinary Guild. But when I tried to create (synthesize) the first item "Table Salt" I get the message: "Unable to craft. Current class not set to culinarian." So I'm a bit stuck. Any advice would be appreciated.

~ Januaria

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Did you change class to Culinarian first? It works just like the combat classes - you equip the main-hand tool/weapon to change class, and you can use the Armoury system to make changes easier.

SO I need to equip my main hand with the frying pan that I was given when I joined that guild. Oh that is too funny! TYVM!

IS there no end to the complexity of this game? It just gets deeper and deeper. It's like the Marianna Trench of MMORPG's. :O

TY, everyone for your great advice. Great community here on the Forums!