Have a Materia Melding NPC

[Steady]

Seems long overdo to me. As someone who isn't a big fan of crafting, but appreciates crafters.. I feel kinda bad asking them to crack dozens of materias for a pentameld, or really having to stop anything to help with them.

I don't think anyone bothers tipping for it anymore since it's such a widely done thing amongst friends. It also requires no skill to do it, outside of getting the level.

Just seems like something I should be able to bother an NPC with rather than my friends.

[Aethaeryn]

Agree with this. I was big on crafting in 2.x, and after a while it did get kind of boring standing around for 30mins at a time clicking to confirm melds for friends/FC mates. The request meld stuff is also really clunky.

[Gunspec]

Oh, but the feeling of breaking other people's expensive materia! CRASH, CRASH, CRASH, I am the destroyer of wealth!

[Limecat]

We don't even need the NPC, get rid of the crafting level requirement entirely.

[Derio]

They are just fine the way they are.

[CompSci88]

Yeah just get rid off all the social interactions that's left in the game one by one.

[Khalithar]

Definitely agree with the OP, +1 to that. But this is another idea that is acceptable:

We don't even need the NPC, get rid of the crafting level requirement entirely.

Edit:

Yeah just get rid off all the social interactions that's left in the game one by one.

If anything it will just become more like chat you'd see in an MMO like WoW except it will be: "LF crafter to attach materia, will tip, have mats." Is it really that big a loss to not see that? I don't think so, we'll be fine without interactions like that. Also, for the folks that have crafters leveled already, they still have no need for the social interactions anyway.

[Gunspec]

We don't even need the NPC, get rid of the crafting level requirement entirely.

But then crafting will be worthless! But then crafting... will be worthless...

but then crafting will be WORTHLESS !!!

Seriously though, on one hand there needs to be a reason for why crafting exists, on the other hand, two many subsystems are shackled to the anchor that is crafting grind. Glamour crystals, materia melding, gear with materia slots, gear that can be turned into materia, certain dyes, etc.

Hopefully we're going to be seeing more changes, what with tomestone gear having meldable slots in 3.2, and materia redeemable from airship exploration missions.

Yeah just get rid off all the social interactions that's left in the game one by one.

Some people have crazy behavior in this game, and while I'm chill with that and all, it does become something of a drag when their crazy behavior requires me to sit by their side and spam something for an hour. If you want to glamour all of your clothing 3 times a day, especially while leveling a new class, that's fine, but stop asking me for truckloads of glamour crystals when you can't even help me get the toadleather, velveteen cloth, steel ingots, or whatever. And yes, I get that you really want to get that 5th materia in the slot, but we've been trying for 20 minutes, and I'd really like to do something else.

The occasional "help me make something, meld a materia for a quest" is fine, but for the more ambitious requests, I'd love to have an NPC to point to.

[Khalithar]

Snip

Not sure if serious about crafting being "worthless" or if that was sarcasm. Assuming it's the former, crafters still have the stranglehold on glamour crystals (and with lots of new gear coming out there will always be a market for them) and they still make the best gear for gatherers and other crafters to until you start the BS that is scrip farming. If they reduced (or better, removed) the level minimum for melding, it would be fine. Another thought though, is that you could make it so that to overmeld (i.e. materia that has a chance to fail) it has a much higher chance of success based on the level of the crafter. That can actually encourage people to seek out higher level crafters or to just level it themselves.

[Gunspec]

they still make the best gear for gatherers and other crafters

Look, I love crafting, but come on. Its a classic case of the industry creating a demand for itself.

Outside of raid food and pots, and the occasional penta-meldable item that assists raiders in getting an edge, crafting has no point for endgame, and penta-melding is getting an overhaul soon. Crafting is mostly useful in keeping yourself and others geared while leveling, and providing various fun cosmetics either as personal glamour or housing decorations.

Glamour crystals is just a sub-system that was tacked onto crafting to make us feel relevant, but it comes as a determent to non-crafter's fun.