Suggestion: Get rid of the crystals for crafting

[AlaineIV]

This is a pointless system already. It just adds more complexity to an already dreadful system of crafting. Well I wouldn't say complexity, but definitely grind. If they don't wanna get rid of them, jsut make them 1 single crystal that is unaspected or something. It's ridiculous wiht how many crafts there are at this point in the game.

[AnimaAnimus]

I've been saying this for awhile. When I brought it up last ppl here acted like I kicked a puppy.

[Elkanah]

I've been saying this for awhile. When I brought it up last ppl here acted like I kicked a puppy.

How dare you talk about quality of life changes that the community should have! How dare! D:

[Kukajoo]

IMO crystals support gil sellers and farming bots, you'd have to be a bot to get crystal in any large amount any sane person just buys their crystals off the market board which funnels that gil to the gill sellers. Get rid o' the crystals.

[Enkidoh]

The use of crystals in crafting is a hold-over from FFXI actually which used the exact same system. Ironically though, lore wise crystals are required in crafting because despite appearences you're not actually crafting the item with your hands, you're using instead what is essentially a very crude form of creation magic to turn the raw materials into the desired item, with the crystal acting as a catalyst to provide the necessary aether to initiate the magical process. This is the reason for the alternate name for crafting as literally Synthesis. Your tools are basically therefore just a focus for the process to transform the materials (cue old jokes about using a frying pan to make orange juice).

I don't see SE removing crystals even if they ignored that aforementioned lore explanation, as using a crystal does add a bit of complexity to the mechanics of it gameplay wise (and provides a 'penalty' if you fail the synthesis - you lose the crystal if it fails.).

[Asari5]

yeah, simplifying everything will turn out just fine.
*looks at all the complains in other aspects because of oversimplifying*

[Neoyoshi]

I would just make it a 'bound' untradeable resource instead of removing it, eliminating one of the core gil sinks from the botting community, and at the same time increasing the value of crafted items across the board.

And the lore stays intact.

[AnimaAnimus]

yeah, simplifying everything will turn out just fine.
*looks at all the complains in other aspects because of oversimplifying*

Simplifying would be removing most or all of our abilities/gear to create 1 click crafting or a system near it like other games have.

Simplifying is not removing an item that is not needed and just adds another layer of tedious grinding to an already grindy system.

[lilwitch]

Since ShB I haven't seen the need to buy crystals, unless it's a flavour (like Earth) that's not part of my farming loop or they're like so cheap it'd be wasteful not to. By crafting in the field u get really efficient crystal / value generation for the 15s or so it takes to whack the node.

The Giving Land gives avg 15 per whack. 12's bounty +3 per whack. Ageless' 300gp restore + Eureka 50% avg 28.5. On a regular 4 node, this then gives you 104.5 avg crystals for min 5 whacks for the 15s or w/e it takes. I don't use 100gp yield+3 since it's too much gp to regen in 3 min. Each triangle set of 6 nodes = 25 whacks (5x 4, 1x 5) with occasional 6 spawn. With just the regular spawns, 104.5/4 * 25/6 = ~108.9 crystals/node @ ~120g = 13k which isn't individually a lot, but few other activities can regularly generate value in a similar time frame without also requiring a retainer slot / sale to take place - a limited asset. It's also enough to sustain / outgenerate collectible crafting (or food/pots), which I'll do with SB pot/buff running (or quicksynth), while gp regenerates.

e.g. If gathering rocks, it's easy enough to just mash TGL on cooldown in between regular gathering. The cd is 3min, so thats 2k+ crystals / hr for occasionally pressing TGL. I'm crafting all my hq cordials rn and just swapping over to bonk crystals is super easy n fulfills that self-sustaining comfy feeling.

Command Syrup leves give ample elec/water. Fish desynth gives ice/water; aethersand farming generates them as a byproduct too.

I don't think the answer is ever simplifying the game as a way to offset botters, rather just ban the ppl botting zz. They'll just move from the crystal market to something else. Removing crystals IS simplifying, and you're also removing value generated from all the other avenues: sub ventures, leves, maps, desynth, etc. "Another layer of tedium" is still a layer of inconvenience and thus a simplification without it.

Even lore-wise, I like the idea of smooshing a bunch of crystallized elemental energy together w/ some magic sticks to make stuff.

Making them bound is interesting, I'm neutral to that.

[Arohk]

The amount of crystals we need will probably go up in Dawntrail too, from 8 to 9 per craft, i dont think the crystals add much or anything to crafting anyway, but since i got 8k+ of every crystal all the time i dont really care.

just send one retainer to collect them all the time and you should never have a problem.