So, this Scrip system...

[LineageRazor]

What do you think this will do to the materia market?

If, as SE has indicated, there will still be meldable equipment that is superior when fully melded, I'd say this will to jack-all to the materia market.

After all, crafters already have "casual" gear options available in the form of the gear available through 2-star token trade-ins, so it's no surprise for me that SE plans to add high-level casual options as well. The current token trade-in armors are better than fully-melded ilvl 55 crafted armor, but worse than fully melded ilvl 60 crafted armor.

Unfortunately, the need is still there for melded accessories and/or off-hand before you'll be able to manage 4-star crafts. Perhaps this is the new gear that's planned through scrip? Right-side accessories and off-hand to match the trade-in left-side armors we already have, and thus fully remove the need for melding for casual crafters?

[barberofsevilleo]

If, as SE has indicated, there will still be meldable equipment that is superior when fully melded, I'd say this will to jack-all to the materia market.

The quote says players who want to "stay ahead of the pack" can meld gear. I read it more as "you get top of the line gear faster" if you meld rather than "melded gear will be better". It would be more like groups who challenged coil early. Instead of saving up myth/soldiery/poetics they would pentameld accessories so they could tackle coil more quickly compated to collecting tomes for a few weeks in order to hit gear checks. Of course since most of the profit is made within a month of updates it would mean the same thing....those who can afford to meld will get most of the profit. Those who wait to gear through scrips will arrive to the party late.

[GenJoe]

Either way, if scrip system gives equal level gear to fully melded... I still have a feeling it'll take weeks of grinding.. Probably with a daily or weekly limit as well. So I won't be bothering with those, there's no good reason to save money in favor of time.. Time is always more precious to a crafter than money is. Get geared 2 weeks quicker, you'll be in the black 2 weeks faster.