Regarding the removal of HQ items from gathering...

[Jojoya]

Yes you can HQ items off NQ mats, with the correct (HQ/expensive equipment) easily, which most dont have, the HQ items help those with lower/merchant bought equipment make HQ items/equipment for themselves. I understand your point, but my point is the equipment you say should be sufficient, is normally expensive equipment made by others, sold the (supply and demand) way, sometimes making them out of reach for the common/new player.

You don't need HQ Aesthete for anything other than Expert, and no one should be tackling that if they're incapable of making their own HQ Aesthete from NQ materials since HQ materials aren't even an option in Expert.

All a crafter needs for anything else is Handsaint. That's a simple white scrip farm for anyone who has hit 80 as long as they're not using sub-70 gear.

Remember it's just raw materials that will lose HQ. Intermediate crafts (ingots, bolts, etc.) can still be HQ. With Handsaint, you can macro craft to get about 80% HQ intermediate crafts for Exarchic from all NQ gathered/tomestone materials. That 80% is sufficient to get HQ Exarchic final product. End up with a higher percentage of NQ intermediate crafts for some reason? Make some more and sell off the excess NQ to those who don't need HQ intermediate. I doubt I'm the only one who gets lazy and buys the NQ materials off the MB to save time.

[JoeSnuffy8]

I get the need for reducing the bloat of inventory however I hate this idea. At times it is hard enough to make a HQ gear even when ALL HQ materials are used and now they are taking away the HQ bonus(including job quests that always require HQ items to advance). In addition I will be the one to say it, it makes FFXIV gathering no different than the lame "one click" gathering of a certain other MMO that had been dumbed down to the point of being boring. One of the things I love and enjoyed most about FFXIV is the crafting and gathering system being just as challenging as the combat jobs, but now it seems that is being slowly removed. It would have been better to expand inventory (without cash shop purchase).

[Lokiner]

Personally, I like the change.

I see this as gaining double inventory space because I only need one of each material now.

Gathering for the simple thing like a different sound and a ping is kind of ridiculous to be completely honest when this change makes the game itself make more sense and gives us more space for other things without having to be forced to buy retainers for more inventory or throw it away.