Making Neo-Ishgardian for retainers, does HQ matter?

[Angelhearth]

Does it matter if the gear is HQ when you make it for retainers? I'm about to make full sets for 9 retainers, which will take me a couple of hours if I make it HQ, but maybe less than 1/3 if I make it LQ. So, does it really matter?

[DPZ2]

HQ makes a minor difference if you're considering the Gathering stat only, since that is the only stat on gear that a gatherer uses. Also, 'full set' should only be those pieces of gear with the gathering stat. Perception and GP are useless to your retainer.

For the hunters (combat jobs), a full set of HQ might make some difference when retrieving rarer items.

I've somehow managed to fetch almost all the rarer items with the gathering stat just over the minimums required. And yes, fishing retainer is the one who gets the fat cat minion.

[Angelhearth]

HQ makes a minor difference if you're considering the Gathering stat only, since that is the only stat on gear that a gatherer uses. Also, 'full set' should only be those pieces of gear with the gathering stat. Perception and GP are useless to your retainer.

For the hunters (combat jobs), a full set of HQ might make some difference when retrieving rarer items.

I've somehow managed to fetch almost all the rarer items with the gathering stat just over the minimums required. And yes, fishing retainer is the one who gets the fat cat minion.

I only make hunters on my alts, not going to raise more than 1 job to 80, the alts are there to earn money, playing the game I do on my main.

[Eclipse12187]

Neo-Ishgard is battle, not crafting. That being said battle retainers are based on average ilvl (so hq will not matter) and gatherers are based on the gather stat (hq left side and tools will add to it).

[MistakeNot]

Does it matter if the gear is HQ when you make it for retainers? I'm about to make full sets for 9 retainers, which will take me a couple of hours if I make it HQ, but maybe less than 1/3 if I make it LQ. So, does it really matter?

Won't matter at all.
For battle retainers the average ilvl is the only thing that matters.
For gatherer retainers Gathering is the only stat that matters.
Everything else is irrelevant for retainer gear.

[Liam_Harper]

Neo-Ishgard is fairly unnecessary. As far as I know hunting retainers cap at a fairly low ilv. You could kit them out in dungeon gear, older tome gear, cheap Centurio (Sack of Nuts) gear, whichever is easiest. I'd lean towards Centurio gear myself.

[Shadygrove]

Sorry.

Perception increases HQs on gathering (mining etc. and 18 hour) ventures. It is not useless. iL on gathering retainers maters on quick and 18 hour ventures. Only GPs are useless.

Just dressing them on your castoffs is enough.

[Angelhearth]

Neo-Ishgard is fairly unnecessary. As far as I know hunting retainers cap at a fairly low ilv. You could kit them out in dungeon gear, older tome gear, cheap Centurio (Sack of Nuts) gear, whichever is easiest. I'd lean towards Centurio gear myself.

If you dress a hunter retainer in low lvl 80 gear you get half the return as if you get him in HQ. Where the break point is, I don't know, but it's somewhere above absolute minimum lvl 80 gear.

[MistakeNot]

Sorry.

Perception increases HQs on gathering (mining etc. and 18 hour) ventures. It is not useless. iL on gathering retainers maters on quick and 18 hour ventures. Only GPs are useless.

Are you REALLY sure that Perception helps your retainers? Because I have seen no evidence of that, nor have I heard anyone else claim that Perception helps

[Jojoya]

Sorry.

Perception increases HQs on gathering (mining etc. and 18 hour) ventures. It is not useless. iL on gathering retainers maters on quick and 18 hour ventures. Only GPs are useless.

Just dressing them on your castoffs is enough.

If you did some prolonged testing using Perception, I and others would love to see the numbers. Only thing I tried at start of the expansion that had an effect on HQ was Gathering. Melding Perception wasn't changing anything for me. I don't know if the greater ilvl range on now available gear would allow Perception to show a difference since it can get stacked higher than at the start of the expansion.

Considering HQ mats are nearly useless now as long as your gear is up to date for what you're crafting, it really doesn't matter either way. HQ might make a difference with gear being added in 5.4 but our retainers won't be able to gather those materials.

If you dress a hunter retainer in low lvl 80 gear you get half the return as if you get him in HQ. Where the break point is, I don't know, but it's somewhere above absolute minimum lvl 80 gear.

Yield caps somewhere between ilvl 425 and 430 (can't remember the exact number). 440 seems to trigger a decent, though not consistent, percentage of HQ. What the ilvl for max HQ yield is, I don't know. I don't care about getting HQ back anymore so I haven't been paying attention to what percentage my retainers bring back now their gear is up in the 460s.