Help needed! :)

[Enkidoh]

Thanks for the info!

But why are there crafting classes?

That's a legacy of the original version of FFXIV which ARR is a reboot of (version 1.0) - for that the Armoury System (the class and ability changing system in the game) was designed so that the player would have full freedom over what they did in the game - it was meant to be more laid back in that the original development team (not the current team that made ARR) envisioned that the player would start on a melee class like Gladiator, kill some enemies, then switch to a mage class like Conjurer to help out a friend in a fight, then during a break would switch to a harvesting class like Botanist and farm materials, then finally switch to a crafting class and make items to use or sell, all by simply equipping the relevant weapon or tool of that class (hence why each class only has one or two weapon or tool types associated with it).

The above was pretty much how SE described the Armoury System on the original FFXIV website (now long gone) and how they suggested players use it. Of course this has been changed considerably with ARR, but the basic idea is still there, in that once you unlock the Armoury System fully and join each class's guild, you're free to switch to any class you like, regardless of whether it's a Disciple of War (melee fighter), Disciple of Magic (mage), Disciple of the Land (harvester) or Disciple of the Hand (crafting).

[Goldhawk]

You said you were a mage, and a lot of the gear from that may come from weaving but there are other items that are required to be made that come from other craftskills (for example carpentry or goldsmith).

Ah, looks like I should hop on crafting! Got weaving to level 10. I would really like to make gear of my own, and then enchant the crap out of it so I can have a little more of an edge in battle.

Since I am a mage (and will probably stick to mage style attacks/healing) should I invest in a majority of the guilds or just a select few? Going to try to get weaving up as much as I can.

Also, unrelated to crafting:

I was wondering about the style of robes that cover your head so you can't wear a helmet. Is there any way to actually equip any form of headpiece while wearing one of these? (like the evil mages with the masks) Seems odd that they would make a robe like that...though the one I found was pretty spectacular at the time.

[Anova]

There is a slippery slope to crafting in terms of class synergy and cross-class skills. Essentially, you will have an enormous benefit if you have several crafting classes leveled 15 or higher. The additional skills you can access will help guarantee that your items have higher stats and are more reliable (lower failure rate) compared to others. That said though, it is entirely possible to focus on one and then branch out later, especially when you have access to more difficult and/or profitable item recipes.

When leveling your crafting, the fastest way is to use your leves. Leves are available after a quest starting from level 10 (varies depending on starting city). After this quest, you will gain 3 leves every 12 hours, to a maximum of 100. Crafting leves essentially are work orders. You craft a specific item and turn it in to a npc for bonus xp, gold, and items. If the item is High Quality (easier to gain with more crafting classes leveled), you will gain double the xp and gold bonus. This can offset the cost of buying materials for those items and help you level faster.

As a mage, weaving will give you the majority of your armor. Carpentry will provide the majority of conjurer weapons, goldsmith for thaumaturge, and alchemy will make all arcanist weapons.

Cowls, which are armors with the hood, will not allow you to use a headpiece with it. As cool as it would be, there is currently no way to obtain a mask and cowl on your character.

[Amnesia]

The main problem with starting crafting early (...) is that it can get expensive.

Only if you don't gather your own mats.

[Zidaryn]

If your doing some crafting look into eventually getting a gathering class (disciple of the land). You know how you have to buy a ton of stuff from the crafting supplier, you can gather them with the gathering classes. As with the diciples of war and magic they're in thier respective cities. Look into that once you progress far enough in the main story to get the airship.

[Goldhawk]

Thanks for the info guys.

Btw, are there more character creation options in the final build? Beta had like none at all and I notice some of you on these boards have really cool looking characters. One guy had the exact same guy as me, but with WAY cooler hair...made him look beast. Can you edit your character after you create him (mostly superficial stuff) or can I only get my hair cut?

[Failia]

Thanks for the info guys.

Btw, are there more character creation options in the final build? Beta had like none at all and I notice some of you on these boards have really cool looking characters. One guy had the exact same guy as me, but with WAY cooler hair...made him look beast. Can you edit your character after you create him (mostly superficial stuff) or can I only get my hair cut?

There's a quest available around, hrm...15? for the aesthetician (aka barber) that gives you access to change some of the less permenant aspects of your character when you're in your room at the inn. that quest starts in Limsa Lominsa. Also, your avatar displays what you're currently wearing in game so that's why everyone looks the way they do.

[Enkidoh]

You also do get an item called a 'Fantasia' mailed to you after paying for a certain length of time on your subscription - a Fantasia allows you to completely change all aspects of your character (except name, guardian and birthdate) once only. Apparently SE will be offering more Fantasias for sale as optional services at a later date on the Mogstation, but at the moment, you can only get one (if you had a character from version 1.0 you're sent a second one though, as a lot of 1.0 players messed up recreating their characters during the transfer).

[Antonio_Xul]

Also, unrelated to crafting:

I was wondering about the style of robes that cover your head so you can't wear a helmet. Is there any way to actually equip any form of headpiece while wearing one of these? (like the evil mages with the masks) Seems odd that they would make a robe like that...though the one I found was pretty spectacular at the time.

The only Robe I see that has a mask is the Seer's Cowl which is level 38 & item level 40.