Can someone help me understand HQ crafting?

[Ventus]

So I'm an up and coming crafter trying to get to a respectable rank and I've really found little chance to gain a quality number high enough to HQ so I figured this was the place to run to for asking how everything works.

1. Do the moon phases have a dramatic effect on HQ crafting?

2. Is there a set quality number that, once exceeded, will gaurantee an HQ?

3. Does quality essentially increase the chance of getting an HQ and nothing more?

4. Is HQing really only possible with +1-+3 materials to jump start the quality really high?

This is really all I can think of to ask so far, but I really hope that I can figure this all out because someday I'd like to craft my on HQ gear for maybe around rank 50 and really make a difference for my stats =). Thanks for the help in advance ^_^!

[tragic]

1. Depends on how well im doing during that session.
2. No
3. Maybe
4. HQ mats just increase quality at the start.

[CainaMalebolge]

It looks like you want to hit 1-200 for +1, 200-300 for +2, and anything above if you want a +3. The higher the quality the better the chances, but its not a good chance no matter what. I think you can get any of them with any amount of quality, you just have a better chance of winning the lottery.

[Mikita]

I feel it is very, very random.

Q1. This is still up for debate. Moon phase seems to affect general success rates, but not sure if it affects HQ.
Q2. Not at all.
Q3. Not really. I often end up with NQ even with high Quality numbers, and sometimes get HQ when using Hasty Hand with Quality around 5.
Q4. HQ materials give you higher starting numbers for Durability and Quality.


Just as one recent example:

The other night I was making a Bone Ring with a Bone Chip +3. I am at Rank 29 for Goldsmithing and it is a Rank 4 recipe. Using Bold Synthesis the entire time, I got Quality to 543 and did 12 Retouches, and ended up with a Bone Ring +1.

My friend is a Rank 22 Goldsmith and got a Bone Ring +3 from Quality at about 240.


Another example:

I asked a friend who is a Rank 46 Goldsmith to upgrade my Horn Staff +1 to a Decorated Horn Staff.
I gave him +3 Blue Yarzon Legs, a Bone Chip +3, a NQ Wing Glue and the original Horn Staff was a +1.

Despite his best effort at getting an HQ, I ended up with a NQ Decorated Horn Staff.


It can be quite frustrating, but at the same time it makes +2 and +3 items very valuable -- which is probably the way it should be... ?

[twinkles]

1. Hot topic of debate in my LS and many others i know in the crafting circles. Personally I don't give it much thought, have HQ'ed under every lunar phase. Conversely I have also NQ'ed under lunar phases RNG......

2. No, it is all RNG it seems. I had the same crafter make me up a batch of Crab Bows. All the attempts were 320+ quality/110+ durability before touch up... and all went nq. The next day i had someone burn some nq mats and i got a +1.

3. For finished items i would say yes this is true, for parts i haven't found this to be true.

4. If you want +2/3 finished items then yes using some or all HQ parts is the way to go. The exception to this would be on items that you (the crafter) severely outrank. Think a gold smith R50 making Bone Rings etc(rank 1 synth)...

[TheVedis]

The basic idea is the higher the quality the better your chances for an HQ result

note it is "better chances" not "guarenteed HQ"

so you still wont always get it, but it does help alot

basicaly, if you want hq, quality, quality, quality

[Peregrine]

The whole system is so random that the only thing quality effectively does is tell you what you won't be getting.
You won't be getting an aeolian +3 unless you have a HQ blunt sword or buffalo grip or the level cap is raised. What you WILL be getting...who knows.

[Bigglesworth]

well I can say for #1 that I've seen too much evidence that it effects to ignore. New moon seems to give better HQ results. It was the same formula in 11. Besides, if it is a HQ you really want, and you have spent time to gather +3 mats, why even chance it?

[Betelgeuzah]

The whole system is so random that the only thing quality effectively does is tell you what you won't be getting.
You won't be getting an aeolian +3 unless you have a HQ blunt sword or buffalo grip or the level cap is raised. What you WILL be getting...who knows.

Yes, so random that the effects of stacking quality are easily researched and proved, not to mention the difference is substantial.

http://static2.finalfantasyxiv.com/a...KzM1CS-naU.png

But no worries- even for being so hilariously wrong this is still your best Post of the Month. Congrats.

[Airlea]

As far as the moon is concerned, we got a tidbit of info in the gathering Q&A that I think sheds some light on it.

When asked if the moon phases affected gathering, they said something along the lines of "neat idea, we'll think about adding that." So in other words, it has no effect on gathering, not even fishing.

This leads me to believe that it has no effect at all currently. Now, it's by no means concrete as gathering is obviously quite different. I just feel that if something that fundamental was left out for fishing (which was affected by moon phase in XI) then it was probably something that was left out entirely. I mean...we still don't even have a sort function, yet people think they incorporated this?

Personal experience makes me lean towards saying it has little to no effect as well. I went back and forth on it for a while, but the past couple of months my HQs have been coming with the same frequency regardless of moon phase. Placebo imo.