Quote Originally Posted by Archona View Post
Crafting your own HQ gear COSTS gil, it does not generate gil. Also, the Materia is the only thing that makes crafted gear better than darklight, and getting good materia melds will also cost you a lot of gil. Darklight and CT gear is more than enough for starting the endgame.
You can farm all the materials, including the shards, for every synth if you put in the effort. Crafting costs you nothing that way; and it will make you money if you do leves with things you gather yourself.