The Devs have no idea what they are doing with FFXIV’s crafting and economics..

[Wrestlefire769]

If players have to pay the fee upfront instead of only after it sells, they're more likely to consider whether the item is worth listing at all. Maybe it would clear out a lot of the junk on the MB that's getting sold at or below sell to vendor price. I'd miss being able to make tens of thousands of gil on my new characters before they even do their first combat quest but it might lead to a healthier marketboard.

I'd almost replace "listing" with "making", and that could create a scarcity of things. And, though I am not one, I would think the dedicated crafters would openly say that if it's not worth listing, it's not worth making either.

[Jojoya]

I'd almost replace "listing" with "making", and that could create a scarcity of things. And, though I am not one, I would think the dedicated crafters would openly say that if it's not worth listing, it's not worth making either.

Which is why there are items I used to make and sell but no longer do. Where once they were worth listing, they no longer are either because players no longer want the items or because quick ventures have flooded the marketboard with the items.

But the MB is more than just crafted items. SE needs to take into consideration the other items being sold when making decisions about fees to be charged.

[Sqwall]

I'm in analytics and looking at data is my thing. This helps a lot when I notice markets tanking and I buy large swathes of materials. It also helps to notice when a market is rising with no supply to produce LARGE profits.

I'm no major player by any means, but I will have 10mil one day and spend 8mil the next, but I take that 8mil investment and turn it into 20mil. The most I have ever had was 42mil and spent most of it (20mil) on sublime solutions, mid tier crafting mats (duskcourt, brashgold, defthands solution) and made 32mil just off of the demand going up. I only know this because I keep an excel spreadsheet on my purchases, cost per unit, and profit margins if sold. It's just what I do as a OCD kind of thing, but it helps me turn a profit vs. a loss.

If something doesn't sell at the price I listed I just pull it down until the next time that market goes up. And the key for any seller/crafter success DON'T OVER COMMIT! Making one item until you have 400 that you need to move to turn your profit is not good. You will playing the undercut game forever if you have to much of one thing to move.

Small amounts at a high price will almost always sell. Alchemist and Culinarian are a great example of crafting to much of one thing. Over commit on smoked chicken and the market will turn on you in hours, and you can thank bots for that, and people that what a quick buck for their goods.

I hate it just like anyone else when nothing sells, but patience and smart selling goes a long way.

Example: Seller 1 want's to sell 99 stack of Smoked Chicken for 6k a piece = 594,000 Gil needed for a stack
Seller 2 want's to sell 99 of their smoked chicken for 6k a piece also without undercutting, they sell theirs as stack of 6 for 6k a piece = 36,000 Gil needed for each stack

Now the real question is.... Which seller is taking more risk. Seller 1 with a all or nothing approach? Or seller 2 with a "cherry-pick what you want" approach?

Seller 1 has high risk high reward...everyone LOVES seeing those huge gil amounts splash on the screen don't they! But this could take much longer for the "right" buyer

Seller 2 has low to medium risk, and will more then likely sell everything in around 6-8 hours. The control is in the sellers corner giving the buyer more choices of the exact same item, just smaller purchase price. Low risk to seller, and low risk to buyer.


This hasn't failed yet for me and grants me loads of gil in practice. I'm constantly helping out my FC for market advice and buyout strategies that work for them. I don't intend on stopping even IF there is a fee for adjusting my price.

[Barwara]

This is going to be an unpopular opinion haha... but I detest crafting/the grinde-iness of levelling crafting skills. I absolutely, absolutely, detest the time sink related to levelling those skill. Not only in ffxiv, but in any other game. It's so, so boring to me...

I can enjoy crafting If I know I need/want the item (ex; housing furniture). It's satisfying to be independent in that regard and not have to rely on the market board.

But yeah, I kind of appreciate that levelling crafting skills goes by so fast (so far). I just want to get to the point where I can craft the items i actually want or need, or that are going to serve me in any way in the game. (I don't craft for the money btw).

But I sympathize with your qualms about this aspect of the game being too easy. I feel the same way when it comes to dungeons/fighting instances.

[Nabril]

lol? im happy it’s gone, the reason I mentioned it is because it’s to prove the point that they have no idea what they want for the future of crafting. the changes are very inconsistent

How does this surprise you? Every expansion adds things that were never considered when they were designing the previous expansion. You know this and so does everyone else who has ever played an MMO.

"they have no idea what they want for the future of crafting."

Well duh. No one at Square Enix was thinking about level 80 crafting when the designed level 50 crafting, or level 60 crafting, or level 70 crafting. And no one at Square Enix is thinking about level 90 crafting until it comes time to design level 90 crafting.

And if you want crafting to be difficult so that HQ materials matter, stop penta-melding your crafters. I'll tell you a secret- SE is not going to design crafting around penta-melding except for the expert crafting in the Firmament.

[Sqwall]

And if you want crafting to be difficult so that HQ materials matter, stop penta-melding your crafters. I'll tell you a secret- SE is not going to design crafting around penta-melding except for the expert crafting in the Firmament.

Let's back up here. I can speak for pentamelded gear users here and say this. "Pentamelding is pretty much required for 510 HQ's" Food and Medicine can only get you so far, and without pentamelds...your pretty much wasting gil.

The pentamelded crafters will make HQ recipes easier and cheaper, and in doing so can purchase NQ mats. The perks of spending millions on materia melds. I don't have to farm or make HQ mats to make 510 items, and this is why most pentamelded crafters have the buying power to inhale normal mats over HQ. We just don't need them. Bonus is I just sell my HQ mats I don't need and rely mostly on NQ mats. Quick synth normal mats, sell the HQ's to someone without pentameld. Win-Win.

Same goes for gathering. HQ isn't my target, but a bonus. If 100% chance of HQ?...Kings Yield or Bountiful it is and just sell them.

I spent years in the trenches making NQ 60-70 items for 1/2 the price of HQ items, until I had enough gil to purchase all my first HQ Facet set, and I melded it to perfection. I decided I had enough of making little to no gil and dropped 8mil gil for one set of gear +materia. But that has made me 50 mil gil with the investment. I simply got serious about crafting, and pushed myself to become omni crafting/gathering.

Let me emphasis though! NQ and NON pentamelded isn't required to make gil! But if you want to be swimming in gil and have the buying power for the items you want....invest in your crafting gear BiS/Pentameld. I know it's hard to stay on the wave of "relevant" items and gear. I dropped 6 mil gil on asheste's gear/melding for 5.3 and made that back in 2 days, and didn't even think twice as I had the gil. The choice is ultimately up to every player, but let it be known "Your profits will be significantly impacted!"

Let's be crystal clear here. Pentamelding/BiS for crafting IS THE ENDGAME FOR CRAFTING! You won't make any serious gil with NQ gear and non-pentamelded gear.
You will craft faster, rely less on luck, and make WAY more gil when you spend less on HQ mats.

[Jojoya]

Let's back up here. I can speak for pentamelded gear users here and say this. "Pentamelding is pretty much required for 510 HQ's" Food and Medicine can only get you so far, and without pentamelds...your pretty much wasting gil.

You might want to stick to speaking for yourself. You can get to 100% HQ on 510 gear with minimum required stats, 545 CP and HQ Blood Bouillabaisse if you're using mostly HQ mats. It's not hard to get mostly HQ mats this time around, especially if you're starting with some HQ raw mats.

Are you going to need a few melded pieces to get to the minimum requirements? Yes. Does anything need to be pentamelded? No.

Personally, I think end game is pretty poor if all there is to it is grinding out the right gear.

[Ftail]

I get the feeling most of y’all would hate the fact I purposely try to crash the market for items I want to buy. It’s really easy to do too, just reduce the price of an item by a significant amount and wait for people to start undercutting. If I crash the costs of mats needed to make an item, usually the price of the item I want will drop significantly the next day. The added bonus is if you find a botter you can then rob them blind.

Another way to rob botters is by relocating your house to a new plot, and placing your retainer close to them so the bot auto clicks on the items your retainer is selling instead of the placard. You can list trash for millions and watch them buy it all up.

[Sqwall]

The pentamelded crafters will make HQ recipes easier and cheaper, and in doing so can purchase NQ mats. The perks of spending millions on materia melds. I don't have to farm or make HQ mats to make 510 items, and this is why most pentamelded crafters have the buying power to inhale normal mats over HQ. We just don't need them. Bonus is I just sell my HQ mats I don't need and rely mostly on NQ mats. Quick synth normal mats, sell the HQ's to someone without pentameld. Win-Win.

You might want to stick to speaking for yourself. You can get to 100% HQ on 510 gear with minimum required stats, 545 CP and HQ Blood Bouillabaisse if you're using mostly HQ mats. It's not hard to get mostly HQ mats this time around, especially if you're starting with some HQ raw mats.

Are you going to need a few melded pieces to get to the minimum requirements? Yes. Does anything need to be pentamelded? No.

Personally, I think end game is pretty poor if all there is to it is grinding out the right gear.

If you would have read my next line...I don't use HQ mats. I only use NQ mats, and your going to need to pentameld for that. Good luck using NQ mats trying to HQ a 510...because it is literally luck.

[Jojoya]

If you would have read my next line...I don't use HQ mats. I only use NQ mats, and your going to need to pentameld for that. Good luck using NQ mats trying to HQ a 510...because it is literally luck.

Your next line was irrelevant to what I was addressing. It was only relevant to how you personally choose to do things.

Read exactly what I quoted again.

Let's back up here. I can speak for pentamelded gear users here and say this. "Pentamelding is pretty much required for 510 HQ's" Food and Medicine can only get you so far, and without pentamelds...your pretty much wasting gil.

I am a pentamelded gear user.

You do not speak for me.

Pentamelding is NOT required for 510 HQs. Certainly it makes things easier (which was pretty much the point of the person you had originally quotes) but it is not mandatory.