These Resplendent tools are a joke

[_Kakera_]

I haven't posted on the forums for a long time and I logged on to comment on this too.

I remember picking up crafting during ARR. Caimie's guides really helped me get geared up and going through the myriad of paths one could take through the process and I enjoyed how many ways there were to steadily climb up the gear steps, since I started in late ARR and I didn't have to do it patch by patch. Since then crafting's gone through a lot of changes and I've more or less kept up to date. I have four out of the eight "Master" crafter titles, and someday I'll get all of them. But even with that, having crafted around 50 to 60 thousand HQ items overall, I think that this grind is absurd.

To begin with, the relics were already absurd because more doesn't equal harder, it just equals more tedious. I thought expert recipes were pretty fun to figure out and wiggle good collectability in there while working with what you had (until you run into 30 turns without pliant, but I digress), but doing it not just once, or thrice (I remember you, Supra and Lucis tools), but something in the range of 50 times per tool was very demoralizing. Still sat down for the grind, since it was feasible, and eventually you get the hang of it, so it just turns into a bit of a small waste of time, and you get the tool. Not the most fun grind, but still okay.

These tools are absurd. I already said it, and I'll agree with everyone else here. I actually started them tonight and I got 10 out of the 16 I crafted into suitable turn-ins, collectability-wise; 18 material B, then. But then I took a jab at the second step, and it's already a hassle with the change of condition lineup midway through the triple steps. I can't imagine what the five star item will be like. The fact you not only have to attempt making these things, which are the hardest thing ever made to craft in-game (I'd say they're even harder than the old "3.5 stars monstrosities") around 30-60 (but likeliest around 90-120) times but that if you fail, you have to start over and do step A and step B minimum twice total, possibly four-six times, just to get another shot at it?

I've made 60 thousand HQ items and while they're easily spammable now, this grind is what might cause me to burn out for real if I attempt it for even one tool. You'd think doing the hardest items ever maybe five times would be enough to satisfy the need for difficulty, but up to sixty times if you get unlucky with collectability (if the item is even usable in the first place) is way too much.

At a given point, more does not equal harder. More equals tedious.
This cements in my head the thought that Square Enix still has no idea of what crafting grinds should be.

Edit: Oh yeah and the absolute best joke is how EASY the gathering tools are to get. Just mine / chop / fish everything. Well, okay, fishing is legitimately a rough trip, but the rest are nowhere as hard as this. Miner and Botanist gold tools are a huge actual joke to get, not so much a joke as in the process like these tools. I think Fisher has the best balance, since getting almost every single fish recorded is pretty rough, but a fun trip.