Quote Originally Posted by Silverbane View Post
I craft because I enjoy crafting, not to become a gagillionaire. So I don't mind that end-game crafting is no longer a gil-minting machine for a small number of crafters. I was never in that company anyway.
You kind of contradict your own point here. I too enjoy crafting, but the current system forces you to jump through a LOT of hoops just to get to that stage. If you're not a millionaire already, you have to gather all of the ingredients yourself which requires a LOT more work, most of which has nothing to do with the actual crafting. If you ARE a millionaire, your argument is moot.

Honestly, for me I was shocked just to discover that the requirements for the level 60 class quests often require you to have the level 3 recipe book, and a rather excessive amount of rare materials and high stats just to craft the items needed. You can't simply craft for the fun of it when these silly restrictions are in place. Without high level HQ gear and some extensive melds, you can't even get close to the first tier.

This was the same issue I had when they introduced 3-star and 4-star level 50 crafting, and it sucks. I have no qualms with them adding barriers, but they set the bar incredibly high. It's not a smooth curve as it should be, but a giant leap. They gave us meaningless specializations which I've never found a use for, and our level 60 crafting skill can only be utilized with a consumable item.

It's a horrible, and unjustifiable system. You simply can't defend it.