Quote Originally Posted by RVallant View Post
As for ideas, I have none. I just wanted to put forth my limited experience on the matter, if it would help any. >_>
It's always helpful to be reminded of the pre-endgame stages of the game (especially by someone who's actually taken interest in crafting in a timely, DoW/M-matched fashion), and to see how they've changed.

One idea I'd seen from other games is the idea that crafting should play a more vital part in gear acquisition, not just by crafting your own items from scratch, but by being able to make alterations, and more meaningful repairs. In turn, all these auxiliary uses should also give reasonable crafting experience, making it all the easier to keep up with your combat uses.

Other, even more common solutions include by-material crafting proficiency or long-spanned materials, allowing a given item or resource or hunting ground to last a longer number of levels because material groups overlap, so long as proficiency is sufficient. More importantly, a crafter can go dormant for some amount of time, skipping a material in the time that his crafting has fallen behind his combat class progression, but easily return to work during a later material. If he has kept up, the transition into the new material goes quicker, but even if he has not, he quickly reaches nearly the output within the given material.