clvl - character level
ilvl - item level of the gear
At certain parts of the game, yes, at end game no. During the early game HQ crafted gear is better but the difference is very small, usually +3 stat points. The biggest difference is availability. Crafted gear is easy to get, dungeon gear is random, so it can easily take you many runs to get the pieces you need.
At clvl 45, you get your Artifact gear,ilvl90ilvl50, which is way better ilvl45 crafted gear.
At clvl 50, you get your ilvl90 Artifact gear and with poetics (a current form you start earning at 50) will allow you purchase i120 gear, which is better than any gear you can craft at lv50.
Between clvl 51-59, you will be given HQ crafted gear by the main story quest.
At clvl60, you can get i250 crafted gear, to allow you access to all of the Heavensward content immediately because much of it is locked behind ilvl walls, including the Expert Roulette, which is your best source of the Scripture currency. The other option is start earn the Lore currency to purchase i230 gear, which will unlock most of the Heavensward content.
If you want to tackle crafting, here is some help for that.
Crafting for Beginner's:
First get all your crafters to 15 to gain access to all basic cross crafting skills.
Then get them all to 50 (CUL and GSM 53) to gain access to full set cross class crafting skills. These skills allow you to reliably make HQ items with NQ materials.
Crafting is expensive, you pay with time or GIL.
Lower Gil with higher time, if you gather your own materials.
Truck loads more Gil, with way less time, if you buy your materials. Many, many base materials can be purchase from in game vendors at significantly lower prices than the Market Board.
Do the Beast Tribes to unlock additional vendors and materials.
To assist in your crafter leveling the Ixal Beast Tribe is available after completing the quest In Pursuit of the Past.
It unlocks the quest A Bad Bladder. This is available after lv41.
To further assist you, Moogle Beast Tribe is available after completing the quest Laying the First Brick.
It unlocks the quest Tricks and Stones. This is available after lv53 but most people just do after having a DoW at 60.
DoW Gil Guide, you need GIL to pay for your crafting. At least until you have the skills to make items HQ that population wants to buy from you.
Caimie's Crafting Guide something every craft should read at least once.
Crafting simulator for practising different rotations without burning your materials
Unspoiled Nodes for end game gathering.
Emphemial Nodes gathering rotation.
Gear Guide for end game crafting.
Fisher Reference.
Desynthesis Guide
Crafting Rotations follow some basis rules:
1. The opener, Comfort Zone, Inner Quiet.
Each successful quality touch will increase your Inner Quiet stacks. Each increase makes you a stronger quality crafter. Inner Quiet has no effect on completion.
2. Get your completion to within one Careful Synthesis / Careful Synthesis II of 100%.
Using skills such Muscle Memory, Piece by Piece or Rapid Synthesis for very large completion gains. These are needed for high level crafting.
3. Use skills to restore/conserve your CP.
Comfort Zone, costs 66 but over 10 steps, restores 80, thus, +14 effect.
Hasty Touch and Rapid Synthesis, costs 0 CP as the expense of RNG.
Tricks of the Trade, restores 20 CP for each use.
4. Use skills to buff your skills.
Steady Hand (22 CP), Steady Hand II (25 CP), increase reliablitiy of your actions.
E.g. Pop Steady Hand II, the use Hasty Touch mutliple times. This will give you an 80% success rate on 5 quality touches costing 0 CP.
Great Strides doubles your next touch effectiveness.
Innovation increases your skill for up to 3 touches.
Ineguity II is generally only required for crafts above your own level.
E.g. Lv60** or Lv60*** crafts
5. Use skills to restore/conserve your Durabitliy.
Masters Mend, Masters Mend II, Manipulation, Waste Not, Waste Not II
For Durability 70/80 crafts, Master Mend II is the most efficient.
For Durabiltiy 35/40 crafts, Manipulation is most efficient, followed very closely by Masters Mend.
6. The quality finisher for post lv50 crafting, you have many, many Inner Quiet stacks built up, time to use Byregot's Blessing/Brow for a hugh quality jump.
E.g. SH2, Ingenuity II, Innovation, Basic Touch, Great Strides, Byregot's Blessing.
I use this as the finisher for macro crafting. As it prevents the possibilty of getting a Poor condition on for the Byregot's touch.
E.g.
/ac "Steady Hand II" <wait.3>
/ac "Great Strides" <wait.3>
/ac "Ingenuity II" <wait.3>
/ac "Byregot's Brow"
/ac "Innovation" <wait.3>
/ac "Byregot's Blessing"
/ac "Careful Synthesis II" <wait.3>
/ac "Careful Synthesis II" <wait.3>