Crystal Gathering too Slow

[Odd]

I just had to farm shards for the first time yesterday. I still had thousands left from 1.0 back as long as a mob gave xp it dropped crystals too.

But ya, I agree with the OP. gathering them takes way to long, and I inevitably fall asleep due to the mindless spamming.

[Hawklaser]

I can actually see the 1000 in about an hour provided you are high enough to get the extra yields, and have the abilities to increase shard yield of an element by 2 for the type you want. Which means going to have both miner and botanist at 20, and one of them 26+. You would optimize gear for Gathering points, and only use them on the extra yield nodes. Add in hitting only 3 of the four nodes, preferably the two that spawn closest to the extra yield node and should be able to farm your shards at a less tedious pace.

[Bearssi]

I like making potions and foodstuffs in games. In this game the shard requirements for CONSUMABLES is just silly. Why would a 30 minute or short duration buff cost almost as much as making a piece of armor or weapon. So everyone in this game are eating fine powdered crystals mixed in the food.

[RahlZul]

I like making potions and foodstuffs in games. In this game the shard requirements for CONSUMABLES is just silly. Why would a 30 minute or short duration buff cost almost as much as making a piece of armor or weapon.

Um, you should have made a thread, this is an argument I can get behind and support. Although, when dealing with the smallest amount being one shard, the make-up for it should be in the result. You should require less ingredients or get multiple items out, although.. this already seems to be true with some of the ingredients. On the other hand.. it seems that a lot of the best equipment comes from places other than crafting, whereas having food simply makes you stronger than an equally equipped person. Two people with top-end gear, which probably didn't come from crafting, can be given a unique advantage over others through food. It actually seems to be the best craft for making that difference between being good and being great and it is applicable at every stage in the game. On the other hand, it drops when you die, you can't convert it into materia (though you can't seem to convert the best gear into materia either), and exp bonuses don't even matter at level 50 (Unless this actually helps you soulbond faster).

[GabrielK]

They should make all consumables craft ion stacks of 3 at least. The fact that food crafts 1 by 1 is quite.. annoying.
I am happy with the potions crafting in stacks of 3.

[Shiyo]

I think that shards are too rare for how many you need to level any craft. There needs to be more ways to farm them as effective as gathering, I personally think the speed which you gather them currently is fine, what isn't fine is the fact it's the ONLY effective way to gain them. Add cooking/alchemy recipes for shards again, let us break down crystals/clusters, let mobs drop them again, do anything. Shards are currently the BEST way to make gil as a 50 miner/botanist, and will continue to be forever.

I like making potions and foodstuffs in games. In this game the shard requirements for CONSUMABLES is just silly. Why would a 30 minute or short duration buff cost almost as much as making a piece of armor or weapon. So everyone in this game are eating fine powdered crystals mixed in the food.

Yeah, I've made 2 threads about this. Food, and to a lesser extent, potions, are not worth making when food lasts 30 minutes and costs as many shards as armor, while also fading on death, and requiring materials that are 1 time per day to make the best food. This makes no one ever using food, and the +50 stat pots for alchemy are extremely expensive to make as well for having a 5 minute cooldown, meaning you'll use 2-3 per fight in harder fights. They cost about 5k for 3 STR potions not counting shards, does ANYONE want to spend 5k gil on a single fight attempt? Food is just as bad if you use the later food, and even if you farm your own mats, the food shard cost ensures everyone is farming thousands of shards per day just to keep the food buff up for end game content, completely insane.

Thread about it: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ading-on-death.

[Altanas]

I think if the Gather Twelve Ward abilities were changed it may solve shard gathering issues
At the moment 400GP to increase yield by x2 is a pain

Therefore:

a) Change Ward cost from 400 to 100 GP
b) Make 100 GP Ward increase yield by x2
c) Allow Ward ability to be spammed so long as you have GP. So you could stack 4 of the Ward costing 400GP in total and have x8 multiplier yield. For example, one node at 4 attempts with x8 multiplier would grant 32 shards/crystals, or if on nodes that have a native +1 yield, you would be looking at 36 shards for that node.

[Parodine]

I don't know if it was already said, but as a 23 Botanist, I've gotten three abilities that let me increase the crystal yield I get +2 for everytime I mine 'Melphina's Ward', 'Nophica's Ward', etc. for Wind, Earth, and Ice crystals. So potentially for basic trees/grasses, I can get 12 crystal shards per run, which is pretty decent I think.

I've been trying to level Botanist and Carpenter and keep them around the same...but Carpenter levels so much fasters, and I basically have to use my entire leve supply on Botanist, it's been hard.

[Cocytus]

I don't know if it was already said, but as a 23 Botanist, I've gotten three abilities that let me increase the crystal yield I get +2 for everytime I mine 'Melphina's Ward', 'Nophica's Ward', etc. for Wind, Earth, and Ice crystals. So potentially for basic trees/grasses, I can get 12 crystal shards per run, which is pretty decent I think.

I've been trying to level Botanist and Carpenter and keep them around the same...but Carpenter levels so much fasters, and I basically have to use my entire leve supply on Botanist, it's been hard.

The problem isn't crystals or clusters for that matter it's shards. You still only gather shards at the same rate as crystals but the consumption per synthesis on consumable items is outrageous. 12 shards per run every 6-7 node is nothing compared to the 1,100 I need to make one stack of food.

[DwightParkman]

the amount and time it takes to farm shards and crystals are perfectly fine. stop being lazy or buy them off the market board.