Can you really guarantee an HQ synth using NQ materials

[TrystWildkey]

What I've seen so far, is that everyone has different methods they use, and the real determination in hq is the gear and materia you're wearing. Is this a fair conclusion?

[Nix]

What I've seen so far, is that everyone has different methods they use, and the real determination in hq is the gear and materia you're wearing. Is this a fair conclusion?

Yes, it's very helpful to have decent gear with a few melds, it doesn't need to be all capped but every little helps. If you feel yourself falling short there is food too^^

The biggest thing for me over gear is having a decent skillset to pull from ^^;

As an aside; if you're wanting to HQ iLV70 things, I always make sure as many of the mats are HQ. Things can go wrong and sometimes hasty touch doesn't want to proc as much as you'd like, even with Steady Hand II. I am not gutsy enough to attempt a reclaim (CUL50; 90% chance to reclaim your materials after a botched synth) because as we all know, SE's idea of 90% can oftentimes feel a lot less

It's best to give yourself as much of a boost as possible on these and not leave it to chance. iLV55 gear however is very easy to HQ with NQ mats.

[Pentt]

What I've seen so far, is that everyone has different methods they use, and the real determination in hq is the gear and materia you're wearing. Is this a fair conclusion?

Absolutely not, I HQ'd my own Weaver set using the method I posted on the first page. I was wearing nothing but 46~47 crafting gear at the time.

[AndrewN]

As others have said it is possible to HQ synths from non HQ mats. I can reliably (unless I am really unlucky, you don't need too many Hasty Touch failures and a few 'good''s for Tricks of the Trade) do 1 star recipes. The key is Hasty Touch when Steady Hand II is running, Tricks of the Trade to recover CP and a final buffed Byregot's Blessing (easily get 1600+ quality here).

What I've seen so far, is that everyone has different methods they use, and the real determination in hq is the gear and materia you're wearing. Is this a fair conclusion?

I have HQ gear for all my crafting and gathering classes (very little is materiaed) only because I made it all myself. The good gear only makes things a little easier, but I can do it in my old 48ish gear as well. The thing that is vital is a deep CP pool, 280 is about the minimum and at that point you need a bit more luck, 300+ is better.