Like most other MMORPGs in Final Fantasy XIV players can spend their free time in crafting processes. For someone, it can be another side of usual gameplay, for other players, a good option to make money for their characters, especially at the start of new content when all prices are rising. In our new guide, we will look at all you need to know about crafting classes, crafting leveling, and the profits you can get.
5.0Why is Crafting so important?
The top reason to start with crafting is probably Gil – crafting is inarguably the most stable way to achieve that. Nearly everything in the game can be crafted by a player. You can craft for yourself or for profit, buying overpriced crafted items from the Market Board directly will be a rare occurrence for you. In any way, it will be lucrative for you. Crafters are making most of the housing furniture (except a few items that are from NPCs and a few items from Mogstation), some minions, a few mounts, orchestrations, food, potions, gear, etc.
Most of these things are needed every day. For example, buff food for raiders that are sold on the Market Boards every day is very popular. You can even see that high daily demand for those items in the selling history, just to make sure. Also, these items are more likely to be bought, can be sold easier, and enable you to not waste too much time adjusting a price often, before it finally finds a new buyer.
In addition, once you level up crafter classes to 10 levels below the maximum level, you can repair the corresponding gear type on your own, even in the dungeons or any other duty, removing the need for repairing at an NPC, which costs Gil and loses time for your raid group and potentially even progress if a boss has multiple separate phases. Furthermore, crafters can meld materia into your gear depending on your level. This is especially important for the High-End content in PvE, but also in the Crafting/Gathering part of the game. It saves time and a little girl compared to a Materia-melding NPC.
Even just having one crafting class leveled gives you access to tons of new content in the game, that was specifically designed with crafters in mind (e.g. Beast Tribes or Restorations, that enrich the story with further lore, quests, and background information).
As a pleasant bonus (or maybe as an important goal for someone) crafting brings also an immense number of achievements and titles. One of the rarest mounts in the game for example is obtained via a very time-consuming ‘crafting and gathering’ achievement. It’s called Pteranodon and only 0.6% of all players in this game have it.
To have it you need to have all crafters and gatherers and put a lot of time.
Last but not least, you can also help your inexperienced friends in their journey through FFXIV by providing low-level potions or gear for them that wouldn’t be easily purchasable, because there isn’t always a market for all items – especially if they are rarer or if the demand is just not high.
Crafter classes and how to unlock them
There are currently eight crafting classes in the game. Each has its own recipes and tools. They all have the same armor (at the same level) and thus mostly can be shared between the classes. The only equipment that changes between crafter classes is their primary and secondary tools.
All this may seem not very easy at the beginning. However, all classes have the same actions. They may differ only in the names of the actions, but they perform absolutely identical functions. So if you learn how to craft, for example, on Carpenter, you will not have any problem crafting on any other crafter. This doesn’t mean you should only level up one crafting class. They all craft different items. To become a successful crafter, you must level up all crafting classes. Most high-level recipes include ingredients other crafters craft so that you will depend on them.
Carpenter
Carpenters can make most of the housing furniture items, primary and secondary tools for other crafters and gatherers, and weapons for Dragoon, Bard, Black Mage, and White Mage. They also can make a variety of accessories for different classes.
- Quest: Way of the Carpenter
- NPC: Corgg
- Location: New Gridania (X: 10.8, Y: 12.1)
Blacksmith
Blacksmiths specialize in the refining of metals and the production of main-hand and off-hand weapons, including special weapons for glamour.
- Quest: Way of the Blacksmith
- NPC: Randwulf
- Location: Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X: 10, Y: 15)
Armorer
Armorers specialize in making armor, primarily for tanks and physical DPS jobs. They can also make bardings, minions, and miniatures for housing.
- Quest: Way of the Armorer
- NPC: G’wahnako
- Location: Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X: 10, Y: 15)
Goldsmith
Goldsmiths make armor and jewelry. Jewelry is used by every single class from DoW/DoM disciplines to crafters and gatherers. Goldsmith is one of the most useful crafters.
- Quest: Way of the Goldsmith
- NPC: Jemime
- Location: Ul’dah-Steps of Thal (X: 10, Y: 13)
Leatherworker
Leatherworkers prepare hides, pelts, and furs from monsters into leather-based armor and accessories desired by multiple classes in the game. They don’t make weapons, they specialize only in clothes. And they craft tons of glamour items.
- Quest: Way of the Leatherworker
- NPC: Randall
- Location: Old Gridania (X: 12.5, Y: 8.3)
Weaver
Weavers primarily make gear for caster and gatherer jobs, but like leatherworkers, they can also make a lot of glamour items making them one of the most popular classes for people who are into glamour in this game. And don’t forget that weavers can make most of the craftable minions.
- Quest: Way of the Weaver
- NPC: Maronne
- Location: Ul’dah-Steps of Thal (X: 13, Y: 13)
Alchemist
Alchemists are masters of potions. They are grinding and blending materials to produce useful consumables, elixirs, inks, wands, and grimoires for Scholar and Summoner. Only alchemists can make Orchestrion Rolls for housing music.
- Quest: Way of the Alchemist
- NPC: Deitrich
- Location: Ul’dah-Steps of Thal (X: 9, Y: 13)
Culinarian
Culinarians make food, which grants temporary stat and exp boosts. Unlike other classes, they do not craft any equipment. Each recipe includes a large number of ingredients. That is why culinarians are known to be the most difficult crafting class.
- Quest: Way of the Culinarian
- NPC: Charlys
- Location: Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X: 0, Y: 7)
Crafting leveling process
There are a few different ways for leveling crafters. Some are faster, and some will take much more time but will be cheaper. We highly recommend a combination of these methods. Leveling your classes in parallel or one at a time is entirely up to your preference.
Grinding
One of the easiest ways at the beginning. Choose a recipe, purchase materials, turn on “Quick Synthesis”, and that’s all. But it will cost a lot of materials and crystals, so you want to buy very cheap and simple materials from the Guild Supplier.
Don’t forget that Quick Synthesis requires level 10 in any crafter class. Once you get level 10, it will be unlocked for the rest of your crafter classes from level 1.
Levequests
Levequests are repeatable quests, and you are interested in tradecraft levequests for crafter jobs. You can unlock levequests at level 10 by visiting the Levemete NPC in your starting city’s Adventurer’s Guild. Accepting a Levequest will require one “Levequest allowance”, which generates at a rate of three every twelve hours in real-time.
Levequests of the Charity category (young and older women on the leve illustration) give the most experience because it asks you to turn in items three times. HQ items will provide you with x2 EXP.
If you have enough Gil you can choose not to craft the items for the levequests, and you can simply buy them from an NPC or from the Market Board.
Grand Company Turn-Ins
Grand Company Turn-ins are a daily source of experience and company seals.
You can find what you need in game at Duty ->Timers -> Next Mission Allowance.
All items they request will be around your current level. HQ items will give you x2 EXP. Try to deliver only HQ items. Especially the items marked with a star will net you additional EXP. Like for levequests you can buy items for Grand Company dailies at the Market Board.
Beast Tribe quests
Beast Tribes are additional content that players can access after completing a certain part of A Realm Reborn’s Main Scenario Questline. You can accept three quests per day from any Beast Tribe. Only four of the Beast Tribes are based around crafting and gathering.
- Ixali – a Realm Reborn Beast Tribe quests. Relevant for level 1-50. The quest to unlock: A Bad Bladder, NPC Scarlet, New Gridania (X: 9.9, Y: 11.4);
- Moogle – Heavensward Beast Tribe quests. Relevant for level 50-60. The quest to unlock: Tricks and Stones, NPC Stonemason, The Churning Mists (X: 27.2, Y: 34.5);
- Namazu – Stormblood Beast Tribe quests. Relevant for level 60-70. The quest to unlock: One Size Fits All, NPC Enlightened, The Azim Steppe (X: 6.1, Y: 23.2);
- Dwarf – Shadowbringers Beast Tribe quests. Relevant for level 50-60. The quest to unlock: It’s Dwarfin’ Time, NPC Townsdwarf, Kholusia (X: 15.7, Y: 30.3).
Usually, these quests require less than 10 minutes to complete so it’s an easy way to level up your crafter classes. As a nice bonus after you complete a reputation tier with a certain Tribe you will be able to buy different items like unique mounts, minions, glamour, orchestrion rolls, gold saucer cards, and much more.
Custom Deliveries
Custom Deliveries are a weekly source of experience, and you can unlock it once you reach any level 60 crafter.
Custom Deliveries NPCs will start to trust you more and more as you complete deliveries and increase their satisfaction level. Upon reaching a new satisfaction level, you will earn not only Gil, exp, and crafter scrips but also other rewards from deliveries.
There are currently eight NPCs that have Custom Deliveries:
- Zhloe Aliapoh. The quest to unlock: Arms Wide Open, NPC Geimlona, Idyllshire (X: 5.8, Y: 7.0);
- M’naago. The quest to unlock: None Forgotten, None Forsaken NPC Galiena, Rhalgr’s Reach (X: 9.8, Y: 12.5);
- Kurenai. The quest to unlock: The Seaweed is Always Greener, NPC Kojin Hireling, Kugane (X: 10.1, Y: 9.9);
- Adkiragh. The quest to unlock: Between a Rock and the Hard Place, NPC Geimlona, Idyllshire (X: 5.8, Y: 7.0);
- Kai-Shirr. The quest to unlock: Oh, Beehive Yourself, NPC Kai-Shirr, Eulmore (X: 11.7, Y: 11.7);
- Ehll Tou. The quest to unlock: Oh Crafter, My Crafter, NPC Foncrineau, The Firmament (X: 14.2, Y: 12.7);
- Count Charlemend de Durendaire. The quest to unlock: You Can Count on It, NPC Maurilette, The Firmament (X: 8.9, Y: 8.4);
- Ameliance. The quest to unlock: Of Mothers and Merchants, NPC Well-dressed Attendant Old Sharlayan (X: 12.6, Y: 9.7).
Once you unlock NPC for Custom Deliveries, you can turn in items to them on any crafter that is above level 50.
Note: you have only twelve allowances per week to make deliveries.
Ishgardian Restoration
In the Foundation in Ishgard, you can access the Firmament via the Aetheryte Crystal and participate in the Ishgardian Restoration. You must be in the level range of 10-90 of any crafter to participate in the Restoration.
It is a very efficient way if you gather your materials in the Diadem for the Restoration exclusive crafting recipes. But it will be pretty expensive if you plan to buy all the required materials from the Market Board to craft the items. This method is ideal for players who don’t want to do daily quests and want to level up their crafters in a very short time. In the process of submitting the items, you will gain Skybuilders’ Scrips. This special currency can then be used to buy unique items, like mounts, glamour, and furniture. You can use it for your collections. But these purchases are also costly on the Market Board if you decide to sell them.
As a pleasant bonus, every time you deliver collectible items for Restoration, you will have stamps (one stamp per item) for the Kupo lottery. As in any lottery, you can win completely insignificant and costly items here. If luck is on your side, then the profit from the sale of expensive things will cover all the costs of materials for crafting.
Note: you must choose the right items to deliver to have stamps. In the collectibles list, they are marked with a special icon.
Collectibles
Collectible crafting is unlocked at level 50. Collectibles are different forms of crafting. Instead of filling the quality bar to make the item HQ, you fill the quality bar to increase the item’s collectability. It is profitable for you to turn in items with the highest collectability as it is possible. Collectibles are turned in at any Collectible Appraiser around the map. You can find them in major cities. Depending on the level of the craft, and your crafter’s current level, you will get EXP and Crafters’ Scrips.
This is a simple process and for more automation, you can use special macros. To have high collectability you need to have good gear.
Weekly Challenge Logs
Every week there is a reset of a challenge log, which also includes Crafting related missions. To gain EXP you need to complete those missions. You can also look into completing levequests challenges.
They require, mostly, that you complete a certain number of crafts or levequests in order for you to get rewarded.
Some other tips
There are a handful of ways to make your leveling process much easier:
- Eating Food. It provides a +3% EXP bonus. It’s not much. But it’s almost free. Because you can buy the cheapest food from any NPC;
- Free Company Buffs. The Helping Hand buffs provide various crafting EXP boosts. If you are a member of any Free Company you can ask to turn on FC buffs for your crafters EXP;
- Engineering Manuals. These items grant a +150% EXP boost and can be obtained from any scrip exchange NPCs (be aware of their limited level range, at which you can use them – as it is written in their description) and your Grand Company respectively (but Grand Company Manuals grant only +20% EXP);
- Road to 70 (Preferred Worlds). Those who are on Preferred Worlds can receive a +100% bonus to all EXP gained until Level 70.
5.0All these above looks like you’ll have something to do in FFXIV. So good luck, and don’t forget to rate our article if this guide was helpful for you!
