Mining Blues: Help with my favorite DoL

[Flipside101]

If you can't afford the materia themselves, go buy i45-49 gathering gear and/or accessories and find a Spirit Bond party in Urth's gift (at least on my server its pretty common within my time zone)

SB Guide: All Here

[CGMidlander]

I like mining. I find it relaxing and fun. I like the flavor of my hero spending his downtime covered in dirt digging for the materials that keep Eorzea moving. But I'm stuck.

I have my Mammon, and a full set of HQ "Miner's" gear. I need HQ Umbral Rocks to upgrade I believe but I can only seemingly get them if my FC has the buffs up (which is rare). I'm ridiculously poor, so just outright melding isn't ideal, but if I must, what and where?

Also, are DoL worth progressing? I keep hearing that they aren't from my crafter friends...

You don't need to perfect meld stuff to reach the threshold needed to start mining the stuff.
Remember that you can remove and redo melds later.

This set uses nothing higher than Grade 2 Materia and will let you meet 370g/332p for 1 star nodes. Heck, it doesn't even have the bracelet lol
http://ffxiv.ariyala.com/P488
If you have more money, you can meld even better than that for 600+GP for more skill flexibility.

[EricCartmenez]

You don't need 370 gathering, they changed it in 2.4:

The gathering rating required to harvest items at the following gathering points has been lowered from 370 to 353:
South Shroud
Unspoiled Mature Tree: Fragrant Log
Unspoiled Rocky Outcrop: Umbral Rock, Grade 3 Shroud Topsoil

Middle La Noscea
Unspoiled Rocky Outcrop: Grade 3 La Noscean Topsoil

Western Thanalan
Unspoiled Rocky Outcrop: Grade 3 Thanalan Topsoil

[CGMidlander]

You don't need 370 gathering, they changed it in 2.4:

The gathering rating required to harvest items at the following gathering points has been lowered from 370 to 353:
South Shroud
Unspoiled Mature Tree: Fragrant Log
Unspoiled Rocky Outcrop: Umbral Rock, Grade 3 Shroud Topsoil

Middle La Noscea
Unspoiled Rocky Outcrop: Grade 3 La Noscean Topsoil

Western Thanalan
Unspoiled Rocky Outcrop: Grade 3 Thanalan Topsoil

Oh, I didn't know that :o
Even easier, then.