Crafted-gear-only slots: Yay or Nay? It would solve 2 significant issues.

[NYCLouisGamer]

For this example, let's use the Goldsmithing slots: If the necklace, bracelet & rings slots could only be filled with crafted gear (no more drops for those slots or NPC vendor gear to purchase), we would have 2 amazing things happen:

1) Crafting would be useful again: Rather, it would be useful for the first time ever. If every equipment slot can be filled with superior dungeon/raid drops, crafting largely becomes busy work. The end result is not worth the gil and effort put into creating it. I love the FF14 crafting system! It is so heartbreaking that I am making things that have minimal value and will not be used.


2) The economy would be dramatically fixed:
a) Crafters who do all the DoH/DoL jobs will be in high demand. They will be able to create gear for themselves and others. If they also start slapping different materia on the gear and sell it, they would be custom pieces. It would be so RPG! Tremendous work resulting in tremendous reward.

b) Players who do craft (but don't do all the DoH/DoL jobs) would need to spend money on raw materials, thus creating a windfall for gatherers. They would get to enjoy the crafting process and make beautiful gear that they can dye & wear in combat!

c) Gatherers would need to spend lots of money to buy crafted gear. But they would also make lots of money from selling raw materials in this red-hot economy, so they can practically get their gear for free! If they are willing to fish/gather their butts off, they will be rewarded with more than just gil.

d) People who don't gather and don't craft will finally have a use for their money! Many people in FF14 are sitting on millions of gil. They have nothing to spend it on that they personally like. But they will certainly like getting gear!

Crafters could listen to gossip and create new pieces based on the meta. Skill-speed necklaces! Piety rings! The money earned from crafting would be plowed right back into the economy via the Auction House, used to buy more raw materials to create better and better pieces. FF14 Crafters would start advertising their work outside the game. A hot crafter would get invited to the most exclusive FCs! The possibilities...

[Jeeqbit]

A lot of raiders start each raid tier in crafted gear. It's useful for a very long time for any person getting into the raid tier. The normal raid gear isn't as good, has less materia slots and can't be pentamelded.

Over time, they gear up, but new people get into raiding all the time or return to the game. At the odd-numbered patch, crafted gear remains relevant because it can be augmented with tomestones to a higher item level, which is useful for people who are still struggling to progress through the tier and still have some crafted gear on, as well as anyone starting the tier.

[NYCLouisGamer]

A lot of raiders start each raid tier in crafted gear. It's useful for a very long time for any person getting into the raid tier. The normal raid gear isn't as good, has less materia slots and can't be pentamelded.

That is good information. Of course, I didn't know that. It gives me incentive to get to max level! But you are a pro! And most players never get to the raiding portion (only 5% to 25% of the playerbase, according to LuckyBancho).

I mean, this is for the non-superstars like myself. We want to have meaningful crafting and economy below level 80.

[Jeeqbit]

We want to have meaningful crafting and economy below level 80.

For below level 90, there are lots of things to craft and make gil from:

• Leveling gear (this is something people will buy for their alt jobs to meet item level reqs, or to gear their retainers).
• Crafting gear, for actual crafters/gatherers that are leveling.
• Lower level damage potions, for people doing MINE raiding.
• Furniture, for housing, which is a popular content.
• Gear that looks good for glam and is popular enough.
• Items used for daily turn-ins, leves or crafting quests, so that people can just buy them instead of crafting them.
• Maybe the items used to augment ARR artifact gear.

[Infindox]

Some mats from older treasure maps are quite expensive still and the things you can make from them still can get you a good chunk of gil. Also Jeeqbit's list is also right, I'd also include things like minions and music rolls that need to be crafted. I know that some HW rolls still can fetch 50k or more if you're willing to fix them, and they aren't particularly had to get.

[NYCLouisGamer]

Everything that you are saying is correct. Thank you for the list. It is appreciated. I can look into some of those items.

But most of those things optional and don't affect gameplay. Selling that stuff only provides gil. Gil that then has nowhere to go, other than vanity items. For lower-level content, nobody really needs crafting or crafted gear. And when they do it, the final product has worse stats than the MSQ dungeon drops that players get for free. The only exception would be things like rings. This is because they rarely drop in dungeons below a certain level.

This post partially got started because I was making leveling gear and using it! It was fun until the crafting speed greatly slowed down, I was leveling my DoM job much faster, and the dungeon drops were far superior. Even though I was spending the same amount of time on both activities as before.

The economy can be so much more fun and exciting and effective than what it is now! The crafting system that you mentioned for raid tier would be phenomenal across the board. Why are there so many fun things that are entirely blocked from lower levels? Don't they want us to stick around and get to the higher levels?

[Jeeqbit]

most of those things optional

Everything in the game is optional... that means nothing. You could argue playing the game itself is optional and that you can play another game. Playing that other game is optional too. Using a PC is optional. I have a family member who does everything via mobile and iPad.

and don't affect gameplay.

Gear affects gameplay. It allows you to kill things faster, craft/gather things with a higher success rate and meet item level requirements.

Selling that stuff only provides gil.

Selling stuff results in gil, yes. That does not mean it does not benefit the individual.

For lower-level content, nobody really needs crafting or crafted gear.

Well no, but it is an option and some people will use that option.

when they do it, the final product has worse stats than the MSQ dungeon drops that players get for free.

That really depends. If they are a higher level than that dungeon, they can wear higher level, high-quality crafted gear. They might also not feel like farming the dungeon for all its loot (in fact, I doubt most people will bother with that). They might get 1 or 2 relevant drops and that's it.

The crafting system that you mentioned for raid tier would be phenomenal across the board. Why are there so many fun things that are entirely blocked from lower levels? Don't they want us to stick around and get to the higher levels?

Even that is an option. They can use normal raid gear which is worse. They can wait ages to start raiding (3 months) to outfit themselves in weekly tomestone gear first. Or they could try and sneak into a raid party thoroughly undergeared for it in previous-tier gear.

Everything is an option, just like in real life. If you sell a keyboard, some people will buy yours and some people will buy another person's.

[Jojoya]

But most of those things optional and don't affect gameplay. Selling that stuff only provides gil. Gil that then has nowhere to go, other than vanity items. For lower-level content, nobody really needs crafting or crafted gear. And when they do it, the final product has worse stats than the MSQ dungeon drops that players get for free. The only exception would be things like rings. This is because they rarely drop in dungeons below a certain level.

This post partially got started because I was making leveling gear and using it! It was fun until the crafting speed greatly slowed down, I was leveling my DoM job much faster, and the dungeon drops were far superior. Even though I was spending the same amount of time on both activities as before.

When crafting gear to equip for use instead just using for glamour, you should always be making HQ. The stat budget for HQ items is in line with that for the dungeon drops while NQ gear has a stat budget that's much lower.

Just for example:
Lvl 73 ilvl 400 Voeburtite Jacket of Fending 142 STR/155 VIT (from Dohn Mheg)
Lvl 74 ilvl 403 NQ Bluespirit Cuirass of Fending 130 STR/140 VIT (crafted)
Lvl 74 ilvl 403 HQ Bluespirit Cuirass of Fending 144 STR/ 156 VIT (crafted)
Lvl 75 ilvl 406 Ravel Keeper's Vest of Fending 145 STR/ 157 VIT (from Qitana Ravel)

So the HQ crafted body is right in line with the dungeon drops. It's the NQ body that isn't.

The crafted items also have the advantage of not being gated by RNG. Someone might need to run the dungeons a half dozen times before they get that free body while the crafted body can be made as soon as desired. This is a big advantage for players that want to keep their gear up to date with their job level but don't have the MSQ progression needed to have a chance at getting the "free" gear. The crafted gear is their only resource most of the time.

Crafting the gear as HQ will also give you up to 3 times as much XP on completion compared to crafting NQ (increasing quality rating on an item you craft adds bonus XP that scales based on the amount of quality rating added and not whether the final product ends up HQ).

Crafting is in better shape in this game than any other MMORPG I've played.

[Kes13a]

there is nothing wrong with crafting in the game and crafted gear is useful.

the "problem" with the game economy is, as always, the bots. but crafting itself is far better than many games. most mmo's while they have "crafting" its essentially a hobby. here its decent. people already do put materia on gear to sell, to make it more "attractive" but there is no high demand. my friend and I are max level crafters, and are always out harvesting so we could potentially make gear for our FC mates. Some do not ask for the gear we provide for free.. they still buy off the market from the bots *shrugs*

usually crafters in any game do it because we enjoy it. not sure how many of us want to turn it into a business...

[Heroman3003]

It would just make leveling and gearing unnecessarily painful. Economy doesn't need fixing, because you might quickly find that in any game with economy the only things that matter are things relevant to current content, and rest are nigh worthless. That's normal, and not sign of something bad. If you don't keep up with current stuff, your production is of no value, that's literally capitalism 101. Plus, leveling crafted gear does exist and has some demand. There's no reason to make leveling gearing more annoying just because crafters who aren't willing to actually reach the current content are upset they aren't needed.