Crystal Gathering too Slow

[Felis]

I need 12000 wind shards, you expect me to mine up that many?

The cap is at 9.999

12 shards per run every 6-7 node is nothing compared to the 1,100 I need to make one stack of food.

4 shards each node. That would make 12 shards per every 3th node.

Say you would need to start gathering, get all 4 shards and run to the next node ~ 20 seconds.
1100 shards = 275 nodes = ~ 1,5 hours

[Blackcat75]

Shards are to slow. But the fact that so few mid level recipes if any use crystals is what hurts more.

I have a 36 Miner and 20 Botanist. I also have a 45 GSM, 32 BSM, 30 ARM, 30 WVR, 23 CRP, 22 LTW, 15 ALC, 15 Cook.

Out of all that the only recipe that I have seen use crystals is dyes in my gold smithing. But when I hop on my miner to farm what do I want to farm... things that at least make a contribution to my leveling as well. Why do something for one reason when I can do it for 3. If I had to at least use crystals for mid level stuff and clusters for high level stuff before 50 there would be a nice progression. But as it is all the Level 40-45 Electrum Ingots I crafted took a ridiculous 5 shards each, Not crystals at L41-L45, not clusters, but freakin shards. I burned through 1200 wind shards in the span of 2 hours.

Then add to that on my server that wind shards go for 40 gil a unit on average. When I looked at the AH price for an electrum ingot I made mabey 2% profit until it got undercut not 20 minutes later to less than what I could have made selling the shards and the ore.

[illukar]

I kill sprites for shards. Those low level wind sprites in La Noscea will drop up to five shards at a time.

[Rhas]

I kill sprites for shards. Those low level wind sprites in La Noscea will drop up to five shards at a time.

^^^ This

Spend time crafting a few HQ leve items and turn in for profit. I manged to HQ 13 of my last batch of 17 on single turn ins with level a 15 leve and went from 26 to 28 in minutes (not including crafting time) using so few shard I found it pretty quick and easy. I mean what else am I spending my 99 leves on

[GakkuPlove]

^^^ This

Spend time crafting a few HQ leve items and turn in for profit. I manged to HQ 13 of my last batch of 17 on single turn ins with level a 15 leve and went from 26 to 28 in minutes (not including crafting time) using so few shard I found it pretty quick and easy. I mean what else am I spending my 99 leves on

not if your an alchemist and Culnarian Like i Am

[Rhas]

not if your an alchemist and Culnarian Like i Am

I am a culinarian, if you check my profile. I went from 14 to 23 on HQ turn in leves in about 30 minutes (not including gathering/crafting time) and a few more levels in between 23 to 26 and then from 26 to 28 (and a half) on 13 HQ turn ins yesterday. Crafting time for my HQ time was around 30 minutes and each of the 13 HQ turn ins were 18k xp and 600 gil each.

[GakkuPlove]

I am a culinarian, if you check my profile. I went from 14 to 23 on HQ turn in leves in about 30 minutes (not including gathering/crafting time) and a few more levels in between 23 to 26 and then from 26 to 28 (and a half) on 13 HQ turn ins yesterday. Crafting time for my HQ time was around 30 minutes and each of the 13 HQ turn ins were 18k xp and 600 gil each.

where do all the shards go and how are they replaced when your lvl 50? No one would be stupid enough to waste leves just for the sake of shards when they are lvl 50 for that craft
Poitions and food need to be replaced and that means Shards and gathering them

:Edit we only get a limited number of leves per hour too they run out pretty fast what will you do if you run out of shards then with the current gil shortage?

[GakkuPlove]

I kill sprites for shards. Those low level wind sprites in La Noscea will drop up to five shards at a time.

the chance decreases with high level Fighting classes if your on par with the enemy lvl then the chance is fairly high its just something i noticed when Killing General mobs

[illukar]

the chance decreases with high level Fighting classes if your on par with the enemy lvl then the chance is fairly high its just something i noticed when Killing General mobs

I've noticed the exact opposite, especially when I was farming diremites. When I was on par with the mobs, I got terrible drops. When I was a couple of levels higher than them I had about four times as good a result. My level 30 Thaum sits in La Nosc dotting level 8 wind sprites and gets a drop every second or third kill. More time spent running from mob to mob than killing them. I stopped harvesting crystals once I realised this, and now just kill every sprite I run past.

[GakkuPlove]

I've noticed the exact opposite, especially when I was farming diremites. When I was on par with the mobs, I got terrible drops. When I was a couple of levels higher than them I had about four times as good a result. My level 30 Thaum sits in La Nosc dotting level 8 wind sprites and gets a drop every second kill.

not if your LVL 50