whats the point of crafting...

[Naoki_Yoshida]

FFXIV: A Realm Reborn Producer and Director Yoshi-P here with a few thoughts on crafting and high-level items.

As always, I appreciate the constructive feedback that many of you have offered on this important topic. In this post, I’d like to discuss our vision for the role of crafting in Eorzea.

Crafting of High-Item-Level Gear

As you all know, the item level cap in FFXIV Version 2.0-2.1 is item level 90.
(We will be implementing a slight balance adjustment based upon our observations of item distribution within the player population.)
There are currently two ways to obtain item level 90 gear: by conquering the game’s most challenging dungeon, or by collecting and exchanging Allagan tomestones.

In contrast, the highest-item-level gear that is currently craftable is item level 70. Looking simply at the difference, this appears to a very significant gap. That said, the materia system (including advanced materia melding) allows for the crafting of gear more powerful than its item level would suggest, gear that can—when augmented with effective materia combinations—serve players well even in the most challenging battles.

That said, it is impossible to craft higher-item-level gear, or gear that is completely equal in power to the highest-item-level gear available.

This is an intentional decision that we made for a few reasons, which I would like to explain in detail.

Preserving the Appeal of Dungeons

While there are a variety of ways to enjoy FFXIV, the desire to become powerful is a great motivator for many players. In particular, the impressive weapons and armor obtainable by triumphing in high-level PvE encounters attract many players to take on these challenges.

If the same items were made craftable, some players might find it easier to save up their gil, robbing them of this motivation to undertake the game’s toughest battles.

I realize this is a worst-case scenario. In a perfect world, it would simply be another option, and players would have the choice of either fighting or saving money to obtain their desired gear. Unfortunately, this remains a concern.

Ensuring Item Rarity

We also believe that the strongest gear available at a given time should not be obtainable by all players.
As of Version 2.0-2.1, this position is held by the Allagan gear that may be won by completing the Binding Coil of Bahamut. With only the most skilled of adventurers able to complete this challenge, many others must settle for obtaining high-item-level gear via tomestones while biding their time, waiting for the difficulty of this battle to be eased.

Crafted gear plays an important role in allowing players to triumph in battle and obtain the strongest gear. Furthermore, as the item level cap is raised in patches to come, new recipes for higher-item-level gear will be added, preserving the valuable role of crafters while maintaining this intentional gap.

As our first patch has not yet arrived, it may seem as if the current state of items and crafting is static, but rest assured that subsequent patches will introduce higher-item-level gear, along with many new opportunities for crafters.
The class/job level cap will remain at 50 for the time being, meaning that gear (including crafted gear) will play an increasingly important role in character growth in the months to come.

At the moment, players are striving to improve themselves within a relatively limited range of power, but this range will gradually expand as new content is released, and as the difference in play styles between players leads to greater disparity over time. As a result, even if they lack the ability to create the highest-item-level gear, crafters will always have an essential role in Eorzea.

RMT Concerns

“What if high-item-level gear was made craftable with materials dropped in the Binding Coil of Bahamut?” is a popular argument. As I alluded to in a previous section, we believe that the prices for such gear would be high, forcing players to choose between sacrificing time to earn gil, or taking on the battles themselves.

It is nevertheless an understandable suggestion, and one which is of course possible to implement.
However, we stand by our decision not to have the highest-level gear available for purchase. One of our primary reasons is that such a change would encourage RMT. Our team is working tirelessly to stamp out RMT entirely, closing thousands of accounts and seizing massive amounts of gil every week—this even in the game’s current state, where many believe that crafted items are in low demand.

Were the highest-item-level gear made craftable and available for purchase, it’s easy to foresee a problematic situation where RMT abusers would:

• Overrun instances for item farming (monopolizing materials)
• Buy high-item-level gear at excessive prices to drive up value (market manipulation)
• More persistently solicit RMT gil purchases from players (increased spamming)

This would, in turn, lead to more players choosing to purchase gil, creating a vicious cycle that would feed further RMT abuse.

At one time, we considered the option of adding a more valuable, non-tradable currency that could be used to purchase these items on the market, but this idea was scrapped, as it made little sense from an overall gameplay perspective.

Existing Concerns and Future Plans

To summarize, in the game’s current state, the limited item level range for available gear means that many players are able to meet their needs with gear obtained in the course of leveling. Crafted gear remains useful for only a short period of time, resulting in low demand on the markets.
We are aware that this is especially true for weapons, with relic weapons becoming a sort of standard.

These issues will eventually be dealt with by raising the level cap, but crafters need not wait that long for change. Patch 2.1 will see the addition of the Wolves’ Den and the Housing system, and the services of crafters will be in high demand for both PvP-related items and furnishings. Looking ahead to Patch 2.2, crafters will be able to alter gear designs using a “template” system (official name TBD), giving them yet another role in creating desirable gear.
Rest assured that we will not sit idly by as crafters go neglected.

In closing, I would like to emphasize that we will continue to look at the demand for crafted items in all aspects of gameplay, from PvE and PvP to housing, end-game content, and so forth. We will continue to explore options for expanding the role of crafters—if not by allowing for the crafting of the highest-item-level gear—with a close eye on that which is in the greatest demand in the ever-evolving world of Eorzea.
I hope all crafters will look forward to the changes to come!

[Torquil]

Make the material drops in coil and subsequent result unreadable and have a system where you can offer the material to crafter without actually trading it like you can with melding catalysts.

You're still essentially getting untradable drops but you're now involving crafters.

[YuriRamona]

RMT Concerns

“What if high-item-level gear was made craftable with materials dropped in the Binding Coil of Bahamut?” is a popular argument. As I alluded to in a previous section, we believe that the prices for such gear would be high, forcing players to choose between sacrificing time to earn gil, or taking on the battles themselves.

It is nevertheless an understandable suggestion, and one which is of course possible to implement.
However, we stand by our decision not to have the highest-level gear available for purchase. One of our primary reasons is that such a change would encourage RMT. Our team is working tirelessly to stamp out RMT entirely, closing thousands of accounts and seizing massive amounts of gil every week—this even in the game’s current state, where many believe that crafted items are in low demand.

Were the highest-item-level gear made craftable and available for purchase, it’s easy to foresee a problematic situation where RMT abusers would:

• Overrun instances for item farming (monopolizing materials)
• Buy high-item-level gear at excessive prices to drive up value (market manipulation)
• More persistently solicit RMT gil purchases from players (increased spamming)

This would, in turn, lead to more players choosing to purchase gil, creating a vicious cycle that would feed further RMT abuse.

At one time, we considered the option of adding a more valuable, non-tradable currency that could be used to purchase these items on the market, but this idea was scrapped, as it made little sense from an overall gameplay perspective.

"They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Letting the elimination of RMT drive development by trivializing crafting (and, by extension, gathering) is ultimately a narrow-minded approach to design. By severely limiting the viability of the non-combat professions, it is true that RMT will be slowly pushed out of the market. However, because RMT will always value their time lower than regular players, they will always be present in the market.*

Trivialization of crafting and gathering has an unintended effect: a majority of players will value their time above the threshold that crafting and gathering yields, opting for other activities, which will they will eventually lose interest in. When players lose interest in those activities other than crafting in gathering, they may choose not to play the game or unsubscribe.

I would argue that not allowing newer or more casual players to invest and later trade in their time is harmful to the game's long-term health. RMT easily monopolize that market by offering services such as power-leveling, gil-selling, and full accounts. By making crafting and gathering a time sink that doesn't translate well into combat/dungeon progression, RMT will continue to enjoy their monopoly.

The developers may counter that some of the upcoming content, including PvP equipment and furniture, will offer crafters and gatherers meaningful things to do. While this is helpful, it doesn't get to the core of the issue, which is that the value of time invested in crafting and gathering will still be inferior to the value of engaging in combat-related activities.

*There is an exception to my argument.
Because RMT exist outside of this specific game, there might be a threshold at which they will find better value for their time in a different MMO, and RMT may actually be eliminated. I'm not particularly optimistic of this possibility, but others might be.

[Kallera]

*There is an exception to my argument.
Because RMT exist outside of this specific game, there might be a threshold at which they will find better value for their time in a different MMO, and RMT may actually be eliminated. I'm not particularly optimistic of this possibility, but others might be.

"If we become unpopular again, maybe they'll leave! Until then we'll just have to conform...."

[Hybris-Maenad]

Were the highest-item-level gear made craftable and available for purchase, it’s easy to foresee a problematic situation where RMT abusers would:

• Overrun instances for item farming (monopolizing materials)
• Buy high-item-level gear at excessive prices to drive up value (market manipulation)
• More persistently solicit RMT gil purchases from players (increased spamming)

This would, in turn, lead to more players choosing to purchase gil, creating a vicious cycle that would feed further RMT abuse.

Couldn't all of this be avoided by giving any potential lv.70+ crafted gear an "untradable/unsellable" status?

I think it would be a great way to entice more people to invest their time into crafting and reward players that put in all the hours and effort of leveling the various crafting classes.

Perhaps the creation of crafting items for purchase with mythology tomes would also help even out this situation.

[Hybris-Maenad]

Another idea for the implementation of higher level crafted gear would be to include crafting "job" classes obtainable by equipping a crystal earned by getting a warrior class to lv.50.

While making the specific classes recipes appear, it could also raise the crafters stats and restrict it's cross-class skills thus raising the difficulty bar in getting high-quality results.

'with untradable, unsellable results this would create quite a challenge for players that would otherwise only log on once a week to run through coil.

[Fantasy9]

If the same items were made craftable, some players might find it easier to save up their gil, robbing them of this motivation to undertake the game’s toughest battles.
As of Version 2.0-2.1, this position is held by the Allagan gear that may be won by completing the Binding Coil of Bahamut. With only the most skilled of adventurers able to complete this challenge, many others must settle for obtaining high-item-level gear via tomestones while biding their time, waiting for the difficulty of this battle to be eased.
Buy high-item-level gear at excessive prices to drive up value (market manipulation)
More persistently solicit RMT gil purchases from players (increased spamming)
This would, in turn, lead to more players choosing to purchase gil, creating a vicious cycle that would feed further RMT abuse.

Because of this exactly is why the content we have now is getting boring.Players are finding that in order to get this said crafted gear have to spend upwards of 2mil gil for the whole HQ set otherwise the stats just don't match that of the Darklight. And that isn't with the materia that costs 40k+ each. This is because you have to use items that are only obtainable from spending 125 Tomestones of Philosophy a piece. By the time you get enough of the items you could easily have 2 or more of the Darklight gear.

About players not having motivation to tackle the toughest battles isn't about gear. Well sort of but mostly about difficulty causing groups to take only players that have exp in the dungeon which essentially means "Have you beaten it?". I understand that it is tough for a reason but the difficulty is too high because it was meant to be run with gear from Crystal Tower, not Darklight or crafted ILvl 70 equivalent. Myself and players like me have opted to capping every week versus doing coil because it is faster to cap than to find a group that will take inexperienced players.

[Encarion]

While I see what you are saying, I believe you could solve the problem by adding for example in dungeons mining spots.
These mining spots would have rare material that is used to make gear better or equal to allagan.
Also you could make it unsellable and untradeable, So people would be forced to use the dungeons to obtain said item(material).

[juniglee]

While I see what you are saying, I believe you could solve the problem by adding for example in dungeons mining spots.
These mining spots would have rare material that is used to make gear better or equal to allagan.
Also you could make it unsellable and untradeable, So people would be forced to use the dungeons to obtain said item(material).

I like this idea, but as it stands, you can't change classes while in duty...

They should also make it spawn randomly, so that it's not a 100% chance for the node to spawn when you go in the dungeon - something like unspoiled nodes, except less predictable. This should create a good supply for them, and an income source for gatherers who are not up to par with crafting. Since I hit lv50 Miner last week, I am quite appalled to see that Astral Rock, Gold Sand and Volcanic Rock Salt, 3 items which you can only gather via unspoiled nodes as a Lv50 Miner, are only worth 35g, 30g or 40g a piece on my server.

[Nenin]

Ensuring Item Rarity

We also believe that the strongest gear available at a given time should not be obtainable by all players.
...

Crafted gear plays an important role in allowing players to triumph in battle and obtain the strongest gear. Furthermore, as the item level cap is raised in patches to come, new recipes for higher-item-level gear will be added, preserving the valuable role of crafters while maintaining this intentional gap.
...

At the moment, players are striving to improve themselves within a relatively limited range of power, but this range will gradually expand as new content is released, and as the difference in play styles between players leads to greater disparity over time. As a result, even if they lack the ability to create the highest-item-level gear, crafters will always have an essential role in Eorzea.

...

I hope all crafters will look forward to the changes to come!

I'm not trying to be rude here but I do not know how you can honestly expect crafters to look forward to, well, apparently nothing but furniture for the next 6+ months.




You've made it quite clear that crafted gear will never be Best In Slot and I'm OK with that. What I'm not OK with is how small the market for crafted gear is and how unimportant crafting is in general.

The problem is not simply that crafted gear is only worn for a short time, it's that for most people it is never even considered as a possible option. As the prices drop for philosophy tome items the cost of materia has stayed the same or in many cases gone up. So while an item might only cost 300,000 gil to make now it still costs well over 600,000 to make one and properly meld it.

Now assuming that the average player earns roughly 400,000 gil in total by completing the main quest line and getting their first class to 50 this means he/she will be unable to buy and meld a SINGLE piece of crafted 70 gear, let alone all 13 slots. The only players with the amount of gil necessary to purchase crafted gear are other crafters and Titan win sellers. This is a doubly weak market because other rich crafters can usually make the gear themselves and Titan win sellers need better gear than crafted gear to sell wins in the first place. This only leaves rich crafters with a new 50 battle class who do not already have all eight crafts at 50. I suppose you could also count people who do lots of WP speed runs but they share the problem of Titan sellers of already having significantly better gear.


In short, the only people who can afford more than 1-2 pieces of crafted 70 gear don't need it. If you cannot think of a good way to implement crafter involvement in higher item level gear can you at least reconsider the cost of the 70 gear? If you're unwilling to lower the overall cost of the gear then perhaps normalize the cost between the 70 pieces? By this I mean the current layout of ingredient requirements (9 vs 18 tome items) seems completely arbitrary. Why does it cost 18 tome ingredients to make the tank chest, head, and arm pieces combined, but 36 to make the same pieces for a Dragoon?





As a final note I'm also somewhat worried about the wording of 'PVP-related items'. I'm not sure if you're referring to new PVP gear/weapon recipes or just the increased demand for consumables in PVP. Alchemy has suffered from the worst of the two-star woes having the only useful recipes (X-Potions, X-Ethers, Hi-Elixirs) drop for free in dungeon chests. Three Hi-Elixirs also cost the same as the combined tank head+chest item. Can you imagine getting Heavy Darksteel items in random chests and having people sell them for 5k? Many of the high level Alchemy potions require Pudding Flesh and it currently only drops from one single monster in the entire game who can only be fought in a leve quest. The only other consumables are from Cooking and they have their share of problems like unreachable stat caps.