Quote Originally Posted by Fluffernuff View Post
Effort was not needed to get to 50. or 60. or 70. or 80. Levekits exist. the Market board exists.
I think we both agree that leveling crafting is just a matter of time, and essentially no thought or skill is required to level it.

As for difficult/effort though, you could apply the shortcut logic to almost anything in game or in life:

It takes effort or skill to complete raids in ffxiv... no, you could buy clears, therefore endgame raids are easy.
It takes effort to earn gil in ffxiv... no, it can be bought, therefore earning gil is easy.
It takes effort to earn irl money... no, you could win the lottery or get welfare, therefore getting money is easy.
It takes effort to complete a marathon... no, you could get a ride, therefore completing a marathon is easy.
It takes effort to cook food... no, you could could eat out or buy a precooked meal, therefore cooking food is easy.

But even if someone chooses to do only leves to level crafts, and they have friends provide them everything to turn in, it is effort by definition:

"a serious attempt"

Even with leves, a player is making a serious attempt to level their crafts. It takes hundreds of leves, each leve requires HQ items, unless you want to use double the leves. They must obtain all these items somehow. Even if these items are all handed to them, effort... a serious attempt... was spent by the player as well as the others helping the player to obtain and turn in the leve items.

It takes around 1,200 leves to get crafts to 80... that is 200 days worth of leves since you only get 6 per day. So, even doing the easiest possible crafting leveling takes dedication. It is a serious attempt, so it takes effort, so it is difficult. BUT... it is difficult only in the sense that it is a huge grind, taking a lot of time. In no other way is it difficult.

Most players have to spend a huge amount of time and/or gil to level crafting, which is good, it gives a player a sense of accomplishment completing it.

Anyway, I have no issue with SE making it easier or harder to level crafts, it was never anything but a grind. I am interested in end game crafting being too easy now. That is what is "dead" now... end game crafting. Once someone reaches level 80 crafting, all they need is a set of inexpensive gear, spend a few hours producing their own materia needed for melding or just buy the materia, copy a macro from online, buy a few mats on the MB, then bam they are an end game crafter just like everyone else at lv 80 and can guaranteed 100% HQ everything. If the only way SE can think of to make end game crafting more difficult is by adding RNG and using materials which are very grindy to obtain such that each end game craft puts a lot of time and/or gil on the line, then so be it. Better that than end game crafting being what it is now with HQ end game crafted gear being sold on the market at the prices of NQ NPC gear.