How optional is Crafting?

[Erghiez]

Subject title is slightly ambiguous so I'll specify. Apologies in advance for the vagueness.

Lets assume I find my way to the end game. Is it viable to ignore crafting/gathering altogether and still maintain a respectable flow of incoming Gil and other relevant gear?

While I share many of the same issues and concerns that a large population of players have, I can be reasonable and overlook them. I enjoy the game as a whole and have no problem shelling out my time and cash to play it. But the crafting system...If I could roundhouse kick it into nothingness, I would. Its terribad. Every time I've tried it, I immediately look back to mornings where I woke up after a night of binge drinking, saw a random naked person in my bed stealing my blanket, and realized that those mornings weren't so bad afterall.

Apologies to those who do enjoy it. I personally can't get behind it, and want absolutely nothing to do with it.

(edit due to 1k char limit.)

Can/will crafting offer me an 'edge' so to speak for end game content? Will I be capable of producing highly (or even slightly) useful items that are otherwise unobtainable via 'trading' or using the Market for?

[Shirai]

For now you can get by without any crafting or gathering.
Most of the essential gear you need right now either drops from dungeons or can be obtained by farming tomestones (from those dungeons) and do not require any other gil than your repair costs.
I expect this to be no different when the Crystal tower comes out.

Once you get to the point where you start doing events like The Wanderer's palace and Amdapor keep dungeons the mobs in there will drop small amounts of gil which should cover for things like gear repairs and a bit of teleporting.

It is however always handy to have a better form of income at the ready for the times where you need to buy some higher priced items for quests (Like for your Relic weapon for example) and the best buyable accessoires when you reach level 50.
When you want to start doing higher tier content like the Binding Coil you may want to have a steadier form of income because your repair costs will go up and most groups will require you to use food.

[jabbywocks]

I've yet to level any crafting ability to any useful level for myself. My intent was to level high enough to meld materia, but I never did because, like you, I don't really care for crafting. But, by level 50, I was using AF gear which can't be melded and moving on to Darklight Gear which also can't be melded so there really was no point for me, personally. On lower levels, what I didn't get from quests or GC, I bought from the market.

I guess it really comes down to how you like to play and how optimal you want your gear to be through the game.

[ruinedmirage]

I've yet to level any crafting ability to any useful level for myself. My intent was to level high enough to meld materia, but I never did because, like you, I don't really care for crafting. But, by level 50, I was using AF gear which can't be melded and moving on to Darklight Gear which also can't be melded so there really was no point for me, personally. On lower levels, what I didn't get from quests or GC, I bought from the market.

I guess it really comes down to how you like to play and how optimal you want your gear to be through the game.

I have to agree with this statement. Contrary to this case, though, I might stay at the same level for days or weeks while I level another job. I've used the market boards once or twice, but everything I have is usually HQ crafted because I plan to level slower than others.

It truly is about your playstyle. If you want to level up quickly, it's almost not worth it to pick up any new gear except when going to new dungeons. This style works especially well if you want to specialize in one class/job. The more classes you decide to play, the more you'll eventually need to grind, and having some HQ crafted gear ready for any level is my playstyle.

In the end, you can get most of your gear without spending much gil through class quests and later by gaining Grand Company seals, then dungeon runs. Crafting (including materia melding) takes time, but you can make a nice profit doing so, too.

[Rivienne]

It is viable to be end game without crafting. Mainly by supplying items for the crafted gear, while for your own gear you primarly use grand company gear from seals, then darklight and dungeon drops.

At end game, top end crafted gear requires both materia from spiriting bonding crafted gear, and special crafting items that can only be purchased through tomestones of philosophy, which you get from running level 50 content.

So some dungeon runners use philo tomes they get from running dungeons to buy crafting item, which they then turn around sell for gil, and some do spiriting bonding to sell materia. (Though this itself requires an investment in gear if you don't make the gear you are spirit bonding yourself) Spirit Bonding is a big income source for some because top tier crafted gear requires materia via forbidden meld which has a very low success rate. (You can go through a lot of materia before one finally affixes).

[WellFooled]

Farming monsters can net you plenty of gil without leveling up a crafter/gathering class. Fleece, raptor skin, everything off an Aldgoat...all bring in 200-300 gil a pop on my server and that's just a handful of the expensive monster drops.

[Erghiez]

I should iterate that I don't mind the gathering 'Jobs' so much. So I'll Swing away at trees or rocks if there is Gil to be made from it. Its just the crafting. The interdependency on other players at the capacity the crafting system is, is just a poor mistake. A poor poor poor mistake. The mini game is 'neat', but seriously inconvenient. I want to play a game and have fun when I get off of work, not beat my head against a desk because I logged into a game only to find myself laboring away on a chore of a task.

Sorry. I don't mean to rant. I just hate the crafting system that much. At any rate, thanks for all of your replies. Means a bunch. Thanks =)

[BobbinT]

The iLvl 70 crafted gears with up to pentamelds are among the greatest gears one can only hope to achieve, especially accessories.

[Mikedizzy]

You can make money by selling mats like the other poster said and just farm them by fighting...no biggie. Level 3 Materia is worth a ton if you do it right to get the cost right.