Don't even know where to begin with the crafting tokens for relic.

[Yahallo]

So farm them....?

Stil not seeing the problem here. Getting your own mats is free. Again, I thought this was obvious. >.>

Now, if what you mean is you have literally never touched botanist or miner, well get started on it. They are good to have if you want to have gil, you can even sell all the stuff you gather while leveling and make a fortune.

I am more wondering if it would it be faster to just level one gathering class and sell things to make money and buy the materials or faster to level each gathering class to farm all of the materials. I am trying to figure out how to do this as quickly as I can. I rather not do this over a long period of time.

Also, I thought it would be obvious from looking at my lodestone profile that I am a dirty peasant who has never touched mining or botanist OTL.

[Granyala]

I am more wondering if it would it be faster to just level one gathering class and sell things to make money and buy the materials or faster to level each gathering class to farm all of the materials.

Look up the mats and assess the prices on your server.

If you need more than the initial HQ Chimera gathering gear (will cost you close a million gil even w/o melds) to gather the items, you are either time gated by the red scripts (forget end of January lol) or you need to spend A LOT MORE MILLIONS to buy crafted DoL gear.

Bottom line: waiting for the items to come down in price is probably your cheapest way out in terms of both: gil and playtime invested.

Just to make this crystal clear: this is NOT World of Warcraft. You do NOT just level up a gatherer and go on happy gathering excursions. They need GEAR and certain STATS in order to be able to collect the items (let alone get them in HQ), so no matter how you slice it you are looking at a seven figure initial investment at the least. More if you want to push through quicker.

[Yahallo]

Look up the mats and assess the prices on your server.

If you need more than the initial HQ Chimera gathering gear (will cost you close a million gil even w/o melds) to gather the items, you are either time gated by the red scripts (forget end of January lol) or you need to spend A LOT MORE MILLIONS to buy crafted DoL gear.

Bottom line: waiting for the items to come down in price is probably your cheapest way out in terms of both: gil and playtime invested.

Just to make this crystal clear: this is NOT World of Warcraft. You do NOT just level up a gatherer and go on happy gathering excursions. They need GEAR and certain STATS in order to be able to collect the items (let alone get them in HQ), so no matter how you slice it you are looking at a seven figure initial investment at the least. More if you want to push through quicker.

Wait for the prices to come down, you don't need them until you've acquired all Unidentified items anyway. Prices are steadily coming down on most servers, as the items are actually rather easy to craft for the most part, and the materials also are fairly common.

I rather get the weapon sooner than later though. I would like to be able to use it before it becomes obsolete. So I rather not wait for months. At the very latest, I want to have it in time for 3.2. Also, I would probably not look into directly acquiring the materials but rather using the gathering class to make the money to buy the materials themselves since that seems like a faster alternative to directly gathering the materials, especially if I have to spend millions to get the equipment needed. I wonder if I should do something about my general aversion to non-combat stuff in MMOs... I may need to find a way to force myself to like it.

[Zetsumei_Tsunarashi]

I may need to find a way to force myself to like it.

Crafting in this game is probably one of the most rewarding things you can do in this game, and the payoff is directly related to the amount of effort put in (unlike battle classes where you can put in little to no effort and still reach the item level cap). It's a delayed sense of gratification, but once you get there you really feel like your effort was worth it (unlike most other things in this game). So I guess that feeling of accomplishment is what makes it enjoyable for me. You feel like you're part of an exclusive club that not everyone can join (unless they put in the work).

You can become a millionaire very easily if you just research the markets a little bit and put in the work to level up crafters.

[Yahallo]

Crafting in this game is probably one of the most rewarding things you can do in this game, and the payoff is directly related to the amount of effort put in (unlike battle classes where you can put in little to no effort and still reach the item level cap). It's a delayed sense of gratification, but once you get there you really feel like your effort was worth it (unlike most other things in this game). So I guess that feeling of accomplishment is what makes it enjoyable for me. You feel like you're part of an exclusive club that not everyone can join (unless they put in the work).

You can become a millionaire very easily if you just research the markets a little bit and put in the work to level up crafters.

I feel like people pay too much attention to item level cap as disciples of war and magic. Yeah there are plenty of ways to hit the cap, but the question then becomes, are you optimizing your build? Are you hitting the accuracy caps? If so, are you going over the accuracy cap thus having wasted points? Are you getting the secondary stats that optimize your damage? Etc. If I just wanted to hit the item level cap, I would be spending my time trying to find a static to get through Alexander Savage, which I believe I would enjoy more, but since my BiS weapon is the relic weapon I (in my personal opinion for myself) have to do that instead.

Also, I don't care too much about being an exclusive club. I honestly, just find it difficult to enjoy gathering and crafting. I keep trying to force myself to enjoy it, but I have a hard time doing so.

[AskaRay]

Personally I used to hate gathering (I still don't like crafting).

But after I got my Zeta weapon and had about a month and a half to kill until HW, I decided "you know what, I have time I'm going to get my miner Lucis". Now before they super nerfed the Lucis tools, that was pretty much the fastest way to get to hate yourself. But I did it anyway. Along the way I made tons of money (and promptly spent it on gathering tools and gear). I barely did any combat that last stretch, only doing stuff if friends asked me to. Everything else was geared towards gathering. I found out a lot of stuff:
-fishing is very relaxing
-selling ore to the crafters makes me ton of money
-botany sucks no matter what because who cares about plants (joking sorta)

I'm not trying to say "take a month off to level your gathering" (it doesn't take a month anyway but the point is there). I am saying though, what do you NOT like about crafting/gathering? Maybe if you try to look at it a different way, you may turn it into an activity you like. Like for me, gathering is MONEY and RELAXATION (one button fishing ftw). Even after maxing out my Goldsmith I can see why my crafting friends really like to do it. I was trying my hand out at some higher level crafts (and remember I'm not an omnicrafter so I don't have all the crossclass skills). It's insanely challenging if you haven't been crafting for 2+ years like some people. I'd probably like it more if no HQ =/= thousands of gil lost. But thinking up "which crafting rotation is the best for me?" is actually a bit fun.
Not fun enough to make me a full time crafter, but it's there.

/pet

[Granyala]

I wonder if I should do something about my general aversion to non-combat stuff in MMOs... I may need to find a way to force myself to like it.

Dude, it's a GAME. You character will be perfectily fine w/o a 210 weapon that carries suboptimal secondary stats for many classes (Not sure about DRK though) anyway.

If you're FORCING yourself to do something in a videogame... you're clearly doing it wrong.

I honestly, just find it difficult to enjoy gathering and crafting. I keep trying to force myself to enjoy it, but I have a hard time doing so.

It is difficult to enjoy. Esp gathering... such a snoozefest and ultimately all up to RNG.

Don't get me wrong, using the crafting skills gaming the RNG based procs and HQing an item can feel rewarding and fun.I esp like it when I clothe my kitty in complete selfmade HQ gear.

It's just that there is so much grind and timesinks attached to it, you basically have to no-life crafting if you want to get anywhere quickly.
(RMT would be the other option but you know what they say about the size of a cheaters private parts... )

I am saying though, what do you NOT like about crafting/gathering?

Like for me, gathering is MONEY and RELAXATION (one button fishing ftw).

What I don't like:
-Time limited Nodes. Be there within 5 minutes every half hour or bust
-Super retarded slow SP reg
-Can't change your mind mid way and interrupt the gathering -> node vanishes
-Ultimately no way of guaranteed HQ items in bulk (intended to keep them somewhat scarce I know, just so frustrating when you need them in bulk). All up to that 45/55% chance....

Yes a 1 button keyboard macro is DEFINITELY needed for extended farming.

[Yahallo]

Personally I used to hate gathering (I still don't like crafting).

But after I got my Zeta weapon and had about a month and a half to kill until HW, I decided "you know what, I have time I'm going to get my miner Lucis". Now before they super nerfed the Lucis tools, that was pretty much the fastest way to get to hate yourself. But I did it anyway. Along the way I made tons of money (and promptly spent it on gathering tools and gear). I barely did any combat that last stretch, only doing stuff if friends asked me to. Everything else was geared towards gathering. I found out a lot of stuff:
-fishing is very relaxing
-selling ore to the crafters makes me ton of money
-botany sucks no matter what because who cares about plants (joking sorta)

I'm not trying to say "take a month off to level your gathering" (it doesn't take a month anyway but the point is there). I am saying though, what do you NOT like about crafting/gathering? Maybe if you try to look at it a different way, you may turn it into an activity you like. Like for me, gathering is MONEY and RELAXATION (one button fishing ftw). Even after maxing out my Goldsmith I can see why my crafting friends really like to do it. I was trying my hand out at some higher level crafts (and remember I'm not an omnicrafter so I don't have all the crossclass skills). It's insanely challenging if you haven't been crafting for 2+ years like some people. I'd probably like it more if no HQ =/= thousands of gil lost. But thinking up "which crafting rotation is the best for me?" is actually a bit fun.
Not fun enough to make me a full time crafter, but it's there.

/pet

It ends up feeling like a job to me. I don't really play a game for relaxation, but for excitement. In the end, I end up trying to not fall asleep. I guess, I may have to end up treating it as a job to force myself; pretend that I will get fired if I don't do it on time.

Dude, it's a GAME. You character will be perfectily fine w/o a 210 weapon that carries suboptimal secondary stats for many classes (Not sure about DRK though) anyway.

If you're FORCING yourself to do something in a videogame... you're clearly doing it wrong.

Nothung is Best in Slot for Dark Knight; out of all the current available weapons, it is the most optimal Dark Knight weapon. Even if I hate the process, I need to get it; it is the kind of gamer I am. If I can get it and it is optimal, I need to get it. If I can't get it, then I need to change myself so I can get it. I don't hold anyone but myself to this ideal. I don't care if it is wrong, I am still doing it. I don't care if people call me crazy, stupid, etc. I don't care if they laugh at me for thinking like that, I am adamant about following this mindset I made for myself.

As a crafter / gathere i would say, u dont need a lot of money for this. if u got a friend that can gather, he can pick up some stuff for u and sell ur cheaper . and u can find a crafter that does not charge rediclus pricing. i am a crafter who likes to make free stuff for his fc memebers. but sadly I can't craft all of them because of specialist. between me and my crafting friends we can make most of the items.

the prices will surly drop for them over time anyway.

I will always pay market price for anything my friends give me, even if they try to just give it to me. It is just how I do things.