Why is crafting/gathering so difficult/grindy?

[Maeka]

Youre having gathering issues? Do this: Have stats high enough to get at least 1% HQ. Find +1/2 attempt node. Use 300 point skill to get extra swing. Successfully gather 5 items in a row. Use skill that guarantees HQ gathers. Use skill that gives you extra yield on next swing. Gather 2(+) guaranteed HQ items. Repeat yield and gather if on +2 swing node. You just spent 400-500 GP for 2-4+ guaranteed HQ drops from a single node. Respawn node, use cordial, repeat. Be done gathering much sooner then you thought.

I dunno about you, but with me, even if I use the 100 point +success skill (because I get 70% success, 3% HQ on Lv62-63 now), I still average 1 miss per node. In fact earlier today, I was gathering Larch Logs... 85% success chance after using the 100 point success skill. Guess what? two misses in a row. And then, the next node, I missed again. Node after that, another two misses. With 85% chance of success, mind you. That's 5 misses in 12 attempts. With a supposed 85% success.

That's why I hate the RNG in FFXIV. I'm pretty sure there are hidden modifiers the game does not tell you about.

Also, I cannot activate the Gather+1 nodes, because the stats required are set so stupidly high, you won't see that until you're Lv68+ probably. That's how it was in Heavensward, none of the bonuses were available until way late in levels, even on stuff like Mythrite.

It's also why I loathe Hasty Touch and Rapid Synthesis. Yeah, sure, you are SUPPOSED to get 80% after SH2, but uh. In practice, I find there are times it seems more like 50%.

[Roth_Trailfinder]

Using the crafted Ironworks gear from HW, nicely melded, I was able to get darn near 100% using the 100 GP gathering move. I'm going to guess you are not as well geared as you could be.

[Frizze]

We've all seen streaks of good and bad RNG. It happens. My first day leveling up in SB i didnt get a single miss while i was mining up my HQ GC turn ins(5ish mins of work), meanwhile my botany swings were missing like you wouldnt believe(closer to 20 mins work). And of course, both had the same exact stats - unmelded red scrip gear i had collected around a year ago and never bothered to upgrade(which has enough stats to activate most of the bonuses through level 65ish). The swing +1 node mostly activates off GP, so you could use food if you arent naturally set with that stat.

And i guess you might not already know this, but you can gather crystals to hit the chain bonus needed to activate Deep Vigor(100% hq) or its botanist equivalent.

[Maeka]

Using the crafted Ironworks gear from HW, nicely melded, I was able to get darn near 100% using the 100 GP gathering move. I'm going to guess you are not as well geared as you could be.

Right, because everybody who is currently leveling should level to 60, STOP, go grind HW Endgame or pay millions of gil, just to progress into SB. lel.

No MMO I know of forces you to grind obsolete endgame content to progress into the next expansion.

That, and they vastly under-tuned the SB Clothes/Tools just like they did in HW, which is not helping either.

@Frizze: That might be helpful, if the Gather+1 nodes actually functioned which they don't, because the stats required is set way too high, you'd have to be wearing either previous endgame gear, or full 61-63 HQs which would run you a few million gil on my server.

And now we're back to the whole point of the thread: the transition between expansions is just too harsh and difficult for someone who wasn't there early enough to have done the grinding for endgame stuff, so the rich get richer, and the poor people who are late-comers get screwed.

[Roth_Trailfinder]

Note that I used the word COULD. I did not say you SHOULD be geared to end game HW level, only that you COULD be.

And its not that difficult to get there nowadays, is it? Once you unlock red scrip as something you can get via collectible, start doing so, in order to get your i180 the i200 sets. Use those to get you into SB. Not quite as good stat-wise as fully melded i190 stuff, but still quite good. And, since red scrip start before 60, it is possible to start getting the gear before 60 as well.

[Kaurhz]

I can only really speak strongly on behalf of the crafting lag side of things as I definitely felt it during the transition when I went from crafting in ARR, to crafting in Heavensward. To ease that transition I just done the bare minimum for Splendor turn ins. It wasn't anything great, but it helped push those initial few levels for new gear, and I found the exp fairly decent. Crafting the items has always been fairly punishing I've thought, especially from the gap from 50-51, most people I'd met just found themselves doing collectables, or getting the bare minimum stats for 1/2* items and just grinding those out the initial 2 levels.


As for gathering I didn't feel it too much, but again, I just done the bare minimum requirement for the splendor exchange. No great exp, but, again,

Can't say there's even any need for mass grinding whatsoever. I think on my journey from 50-60 I only used around 100 leves and the majority of those were when I go to the expensive items such as Chimerical Felt, adamantite, and titanium. Similarly, only used around 118 or so from 60-70 on my main character, and this was because I decided to get on with this almost immediately upon reaching Kugane, both level ranges only taking around 1-2 days.

Make sure you do your daily GC turn ins, jesus, it's almost 1/4 a level for regular HQ turn in, and if the item is in demand (gold star) then it's near close to 1/2 a level.

If you want to ease the transition and make it easier, then getting the i180 gear isn't exactly a long ride. I had to do it for my alt character which only had the Level 54-ish gear.

I can only somewhat agree on it, you spend those countless hours, and plenty of gil wasted (probably) only grinding from 1-50, only to be gated by a 7 step or so synth for basic Heavensward materials, then to potentially do the same heading from Heavensward into Stormblood. But equally, as someone that had way above the necessary stats heading into Stormblood, if I felt as though my gear could be replaced almost immediately then I'd be somewhat frustrated, as would many others that spent effort making the Ironworks, and the tireless effort of melding everything.

On that note, it may be worth checking out the series done by Ashe10 or Mithrie, as last I checked both of those started a guide from flat out regular i150 gear.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCOXSkxAQwY

[Frizze]

@Frizze: That might be helpful, if the Gather+1 nodes actually functioned which they don't, because the stats required is set way too high, you'd have to be wearing either previous endgame gear, or full 61-63 HQs which would run you a few million gil on my server.

Ill say it one more time. The +1 swing node activates based on how much GP you have. Not the other stats. The hard level 65 nodes require 610. The standard collectables rotation uses 600. There are quite a few cheap foods that can give you 10 gp.

[Nixxe]

Right, because everybody who is currently leveling should level to 60, STOP, go grind HW Endgame or pay millions of gil, just to progress into SB. lel.

No MMO I know of forces you to grind obsolete endgame content to progress into the next expansion.

That, and they vastly under-tuned the SB Clothes/Tools just like they did in HW, which is not helping either.

@Frizze: That might be helpful, if the Gather+1 nodes actually functioned which they don't, because the stats required is set way too high, you'd have to be wearing either previous endgame gear, or full 61-63 HQs which would run you a few million gil on my server.

And now we're back to the whole point of the thread: the transition between expansions is just too harsh and difficult for someone who wasn't there early enough to have done the grinding for endgame stuff, so the rich get richer, and the poor people who are late-comers get screwed.

The gil-averse players in my FC got DoL classes to 70 just fine, despite two of them not having Ironworks gear at all and the other one having unmelded Ironworks gear. I skipped nearly all of HW and only came back to the game in January. I had two DoH leveled to 50 and that was it. Everything else and all of my DoL were 30 and under. I was a 70 omnicrafter/gatherer the first week of SB and have no problems making gil. If you'd rather complain than find a solution, that's your business, but whining isn't profitable.

[Shadygrove]

Using the crafted Ironworks gear from HW, nicely melded, I was able to get darn near 100% using the 100 GP gathering move. I'm going to guess you are not as well geared as you could be.

L 68 MIN and BOT not full Ironworks, but close, I really have no problem riding this to 70. I don't have a problem with 68% to collect and 7% HQ either.

Just buy HQ SB stuff for your level, stuff 2 G5 materia in, and you will be much better off. My crafts are 62 - 63 otherwise I would have pentamelded SB stuff around 63-65 and I would be much better off.

[Jelly_Baby]

It's 70-73% with 3% HQ if you have the Lv61 clothes, Lv62 main hand, and Lv63 offhand doing a Lv62 item.

I'm really not sure why you're having a low gathering chance, I'm level 67 mining and still using the blue augmented Minekeepers gear which is level 60. It has no melds in and with food I get 691 GP and its better than the level 66 NQ gathering gear.

Also I have a 78% gathering chance and 9% HQ chance on a level 69 node.

Even doing the level 66 collectable "Raw Azurite" I still get a baseline of 88% gathering chance.

Gatherings free, so go get those collectables and red scripts!