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The Way of crafting

Study the Ways of all professions (Go Rin no Sho, Miyamoto Musashi).

This page is ongoing, and I'll continue writing and improving it. Please, correct me, if I mistake somewhere.

Here are the common words about crafting, suitable for all crafting classes. All class-specific information will appears on corresponding pages.

Crafting is a most efficient way to supply any needed equipment, for personal use, or quest goals. While leveling, keeping weapons and gear close to your character's level without crafting will require a lot of gil (often on the Marketplace). By using crafting to create the needed equipment, the gil cost will be greatly reduced, especially if relying on the Marketplace for high quality items. High quality items have noticeably better characteristics at the same level requirements, often better than items a few levels above their own. High quality items cannot be bought from a vendor, and are much, much, more expensive through the Marketplace.

Certainly, the way of crafting also means that you need to be skilled in gathering. Without a gathering skill, a crafting will be more expensive than buying a finished products. Also the NPC vendors offer only a small assortment of low-level materials, which can cover material needs only up to 10th to 15th level. Furthermore, creating High Quality (HQ) items needs HQ materials, many HQ materials. High Quality materials cannot be bought from NPC vendors, and as with high quality items, relying on the Marketplace for them is very, very, expensive.

Crafting starts from an hours of striking a rocks with a pickaxe under the sun, which wants to fry you, of slashing a trees, wet to the skin under the falling rain, and traveling from one end of Eorzea to another, with heavy-weight backpack, which bends you to the ground. And continues by hours spent at the workbench or anvil, making a tons of billets, sorting the best of them, to finally turn them into that, what may be called a Masterpiece. This is not a way to obtain something easily. Are you ready for this? If yes- welcome to our ranks!

What profession to choose

All the crafting classes have some interaction with the others, so unlocking as many as possible, as soon as possible, is a wise idea. In particular, Carpentry, Blacksmithing, Armorsmithing, and Leatherworking have a large number of cross-requirements with each other. Acquiring these four early will help greatly for any Disciple of War class. Weaving, Leatherworking, Alchemy, and Goldsmithing interlock as well, and are a good early focus for Disciple of Magic, Hand, or Land classes. Culinarian cannot be neglected, as it is the primary source for crafting, gathering, and attribute bonuses. Because of their interactions you will wish to keep the crafting classes of roughly equal level. The gathering classes should be slightly ahead of the crafting ones to avoid material supply issues.

To coordinate your first start here is a table with the main dependencies between battle and non-battle classes:

Battle class	Weapon crafting	Armor crafting	Preferred gathering
Marauder, Gladiator	Blacksmith, Carpenter	Armorer, Leatherworker	Miner,Botanist, Loot
Pugilist	Blacksmith, Goldsmith, Carpenter	Weaver, Leatherworker	Miner,Botanist, Loot
Lancer	Carpenter, Blacksmith	Armorer, Leatherworker	Botanist, Miner, Loot
Archer	Carpenter, Blacksmith	Leatherworker, Armorer	Botanist, Loot, Miner
Rogue	Blacksmith	Weaver, Leatherworker	Miner,Botanist, Loot
Conjurer	Carpenter, Alchemist	Weaver, Leatherworker	Botanist, Loot, Miner
Thaumaturge	Goldsmith, Carpenter	Weaver, Leatherworker	Botanist, Loot, Miner
Arcanist	Alchemist, Carpenter	Weaver, Leatherworker	Botanist, Loot, Miner

Note: the Goldsmith makes jewelry, used to increase different attributes, which is useful for all classes without exceptions.

Crafting summary

As common for unlocking of other classes, go to the crafters guild and talk with the guild receptionist and then with the guild master. The guild master will give you a first lesson and your first tool. After this mandatory part you may equip your tool and begin crafting.

When you make an item which you hadn't made before, you will get an additional experience bonus.
Don't make tons of lower-level items, but focus on most complex recipes, which gain you the most experience. Always try to increase items quality as much as you can: the more quality points you reach, the more experience you earn, even if resulting item does not become high quality.
Unless you are generating base materials, avoid Quick Synthesis, as it grants a minimum amount of experience and the chance to create a HQ item is also minimal.
Keep your Disciple of Land (gathering) classes slightly higher than your Disciple of Hand (crafting) classes, and crafting classes slightly higher than Disciple of War and Disciple of Magic (battle) classes. You will hardly gain an advantage from crafting if you can't create HQ items for your level.

That's all main recommendations about crafting.

Leveling

See also: Crafting Facility

When you first unlock a crafting class, (approximately until 9-10th level) you may be able to level fast enough only by crafting items. (You can see which item recipes are available in your crafting log.) Later you will focus on levequests and your guild quests, as they unlock your crafting abilities.

Levequests: If you need to speed up your leveling, there are levequests, available for each crafting class starting from level 1. These quests may be taken form Levemetes in the regions of Eorzea where the corresponding guild halls are located. Unlike in the common quests, providing an HQ item will double the experience gain and reward. And unlike in common quests, you can provide high-quality items along with normal-quality ones for the same order. The reward will be increased proportionally to percent of HQ items. Some levequests allow you to provide an extra items above required quantity for the additional reward. (Typically, you can extend this amount three times.)
Supply missions: When you join to one of Grand companies, you'll be able to participate in Supply missions - daily duties, available for each crafting class. They require only one item (or a bunch, e.g. potions that are made 3 bottles at a time) and rewarded with a huge amount of EXP and in addition - with some Grand Company seals. As in the levequests, HQ items rewarded with double experience. These missions requires minimum amount of time and materials. But from the other hand, it may make you to run all over Eorzea in a single day to collect all necessary materials and have time to craft all required items. Nevertheless, a large amount of experience pays off all efforts.

Crafting progress

Crafting progress is a quite simple. One thing is to be mentioned: the progress generated by Synthesis grows as the recipe becomes easier for your level. Therefore you can't rely on progress value for lower-level item while crafting a higher-level one. But on the other side, the progress, made by any same-level class (with equivalent equipment) for any same-level item will be the same.

Increasing of quality

In fact, the crafting is a task of solving a "Knapsack problem": how to combine different actions to obtain maximum quality and successfully complete synthesis. This is too complex task to make a single universal formula for it, but on following simple example I'll try to illustrate main principles of solving it:

For example, we need to make some material with minimal difficulty (we can synthesize it by 1 step) and we have 192CP for improving of its quality. Lets compose a different combinations of available crafting actions, which we may take with given amount of CP. Then we need to compute how much quality points we may obtain via each combination.

In addition, we shall keep in mind that most of crafting actions have probabilistic nature, which we need to take into account

Success rate - is probability of that whole sequence of actions succeeds.

Actions taken	Success rate	AVG efficiency	Max efficiency
1 Masters' Mend (CP:92), 5 Basic touch (CP:18, eff:1.0, prob:0.7)	0.17	0.84	5
1 Masters' Mend (CP:92), 1 Steady Hand (22CP), 4 Basic Touch (CP:18, eff:1.0, prob:0.7+0.2)	0.66	2.62	4
1 Masters' Mend (CP:92), 3 Standard Touch (CP:32, eff:1.25, prob:0.8)	0.51	1.92	3.75
1 Steady Hand (22CP), 3 Standard Touch (CP:32, eff:1.25, prob:0.8+0.2)	1.00	3.75	3.75

Here we see, that maximum amount of quality we may obtain using Basic touch 5 times. But probability of this seems too small (16.8%*). So this method is most suitable when you couldn't approach to 100% of quality points, but have a lots of materials, lot of time and need to make one or two HQ items.

The Standard Touch in this conditions losses in both of average and maximum efficiency due to much more CP cost and lesser advantage in efficiency. So it isn't a right choice when you have small amount of CP, but it will be useful when limit of Durability is more tight, than limit of CP.

At last, the most interesting method: buffing Basic Touch with Steady Hand, which increases probability of first one up to 0.9 (90%). This method gives a maximum average efficiency and is a best choice if you needs to create a lot of HQ items (commonly - crafting materials).

* Probability of that an event will occure m times in n trials is Pm,n=(n!/(m!×(n-m)!)) × p^m × q^(n-m), where p is probability of an event and q=1-p - is probability of that event will not occure. If simplify this formula for m==n, then Pm,m=p^m. For comparison, the probability of that the event will occures 5 times of 5 trials will be 0.59 (59%) if p==0.9, and 0.328 if p==0.8, and only 0.168 if p==0.7.

//TODO FIRST: correct this example, meaning a calculations of actions probability.

//TODO: Write a note about that "50% success rate" not means a "one guaranteed success in each 2 attempts".

HQ probability

HQ-probability

If the crafting progress has absolutely linear scale, the chance to create HQ item has more complex dependency from amount of quality points. As you can see on the picture, filling of quality bar on about 65% grants only 20% probability to obtain an HQ item in result. But after reaching of this point, the probability starts to grow much more quickly. So what all these numbers are means in practice? For the most high-level recipes, available for the certain level, you will be able to fill only a half of quality bar (or even less), so chance of HQ will be nearly zero. But if at least a half of ingredients are HQ, this may significantly increase this chance.

This diagram based on measurements made while crafting 25lv. items, which requires 1296 quality points, and was prooved by measurements on several lower-level recipes.

High quality ingredients

Using of high quality ingredients gives you some initial quality points. As higher the level of ingredient and as many HQ ingredients are used, as much initial quality will be gained. On the average, about a half of high quality ingredients will allow you to reliably produce HQ items from about a middle of your current recipe list. With full set of HQ ingredients, initial quality reachs about a half of maximum and allow to get very high chance to make HQ item from any recipe, available to your current level.

Low-level ingredients in high-level recipes gives no significant amount of quality. Considering a small amount of exp they gives and the low price, the better solution is simply to buy them from nearest NPC.

Materials condition

Very important feature in the crafting process is the materials condition - randomly appearing buffs, affecting quality points gain while using touch actions. Except default "normal" condition, there are two helpful: "good" and "excellent" and the one detrimental: "poor".

"Normal" is the initial condition, and it always follow the "good" and the pair of "excellent"->"poor" conditions. Because of this rule the real average frequency of appearing of "good" or "excellent" conditions is noticeably lesser than their expected value.
"Good" condition multiplies quality gain by 1.5 and appears with a chance of ~25-50%(?). Its the best if you has already cast Steady Hand and Great Strides at this moment and ready to use yout most powerfull touch action. In the other cases it may be better ignored or used to restore some CP using Tricks of the Trade. In fact, all depends on certain situation.
"Excellent" multiplies quality gain by 2?, but it is rarely appears (chance ~10%) and followed with the "poor". It's like a Limit Break if you catch it at a good moment and successfully used a touch. But if touch fails then consequences becomes more hard than usual.
"Poor" follows the "excellent" condition and lowers quality gain on 10%?. If you need or can do something else than to increase quality at this step, it is good.

Crafting of materials

Materials are usually has quite low difficulty, which avails to synthesize'em by a single step. But maximum quality is not. Also, low durability applies tight restrictions on increasing of quality. From 7th to 20th level use Inner Quiet and restore durability with Masters Mend to get more steps. Since the Inner Quiet buff is increasing after each increasing of quality, use "touch" actions in order of ascending of their efficiency. If you have some lack of CP, try to use food, which increases CP, it may be more effective than increasing of Control (if it'll allow you to take more touches or buffs like Great Strides).

Starting from ~21st level, when Great Strides becomes unlocked, the most effective strategy, that I tried, is "forsage": get as much quality as possible by first three steps and synthesize at last one. In details, use all buffs that increases quality gain, and most effective touch actions which available. My common sequence is Inner Quiet>Great Strides>Steady Hand>* Touch>(Great Strides>* Touch)x2. "* Touch" means the most effective set of Basic, Standard or Advanced Touches, which I can use with available CP, in order of efficiency ascending. Also, if materials condition becomes good or excellent before I casted the Steady Hand, I'm using Tricks of the Trade to restore spent CP. At last, I'm casting Rumination to restore some CP for synthesis, or to use Waste Not and get extra step to try luck with Hasty Touch. I tried other ways, like to "charge" Inner Quiet with Hasty Touches as much as possible, but low success rate of Hasty Touch and the high CP cost of Masters Mend makes this way useless.

Note: With Steady Hand II (at 37th level) the Hasty Touch becomes more reliable, and such charging usually gives better result, but the random still have significant influence on it.

Crafting of common items

The feature of crafting of middle-complexity items is that you able to mix increasing of quality with synthesis, aiming to catch more moments when condition of materials becomes good or excellent, and do it without loss of productivity. Start crafting with synthesis and keep an eye on materials condition. When it turns good or excellent, use that touch action, which has maximum efficiency and success rate. But always prefere to ignore the material condition when you need to (re)cast Steady Hand, because if touch will fail, you will lose both material condition bonus, and increasing of quality at this step, and the current step itself.

Crafting of a complex items

In the each group of recipes there are several items, which differs from another by ~20%-higher difficulty. They are always have 10 points of durability above common ones, but requires much more steps for synthesis. The most problem with them is that you may miss out of look its difficulty and become unable to complete synthesis, by getting carried away with increasing of quality.

At first, you need to boost synthesis progress, and cross class action Rapid Synthesis is the best for it. 250% efficiency of this action may save up to 2 steps. The only problem is 50% success rate (70% with the Steady Hand)and because of this, Rapid Synthesis should be used in the beginning of crafting to be able to use "plan Z". However, high efficiency and no CP cost exceeds this disadvantage.

Note: make the test items, to see how much progress you make, because sometimes you may to underestimate your ability and unexpectedly complete synthesis by a single Rapid Synthesis, before you will have started to increase quality.

At first, get so much HQ materials as it possible. Full set of HQ materials gives a half of maximum amount of quality points, independently of the recipe.
Use Steady hand buff for both of syntesis and increasing of quality actions: in such conditions the 10% fail rate of Basic Touch becomes critical, but you can't replace it with Carefull synthesis without significant loss of efficiency.
Try to boost progress using the Rapid Synthesis from Armorer. Cast Steady Hand and use Rapid Synthesis (its success rate will be 70%). If it succeeds from the 1st attempt, it'll bring 250% of progress against Basic Touch. Due to low success rate, it is better use this action at the beginning of crafting process, to have fallback ways, and to correctly plan remaining steps if Rapid Synthesis fails (time to time, it may fail even twice).

Actions and buffs

Synthesis actions

Careful Synthesis from Weaver – 100% warranted result! Start synthesize with no fails right now! P.S.: 90% efficiency. Your culinarian skills must be at least 15th level. If be serious, often, 90% efficiency is enough to complete synthesis with the same number of steps as using the Basic synthesis. Also often this action is usefull to finish synthesis when the remain progress is small.
Careful Synthesis II from Weaver – 120% efficiency. When you reach 50th level, replace all Standard Synthesis with it immediately.
Careful Synthesis III from Weaver – 150% efficiency, available from level 62.
Rapid Synthesis from Armorer – synthesis overclocking giving a 250% boost. Unstable. 50/50 it may fail or may not. Active Steady Hand or better Steady Hand II is highly recommended. But not Steady Hand nor Steady Hand II makes it 100% sure, and you need take it into account while planing the action sequence. Anyway try to don't left this action for the last step if you have another choice.

Quality increasing actions

Hasty Touch from Culinarian – very low success rate, but cost no CP. Its main usage is to save some amount of CP for other actions. Note that it is better to always use it under the Steady Hand buff.
- Save CP for Basic, Standard and other Touches. For example: Start with Inner Quiet and Steady Hand, then use Hasty_Touch to save CP, for maximum number of Standard Touches. Finally, spend all remaining CP repeating Standard Touch. Why not vise versa? Because this way, the greater efficiency of Standard Touch will be 125% you will have greater bonus from Inner Quiet, unlike if use Standard Touch at the begining.

Buffs and supplementary

Steady Hand (level 9) – one of the most useful buffs, common for all crafting classes. It improves action success rate by 20% for the next 5 steps, and costs 22CP. As the most actions has success rate below 100%, Steady Hand is the basis of all crafting strategy.
- At first, it increases successs rate of almost all main actions to 100%
- It allow to charge Inner Quiet many times using the Hasty Touch (70% success rate isn't quite enough, but however it is better than basic 50%).
- Improve Rapid Synthesis up to 70% success rate and boost synthesis progress.
Steady Hand II (level 37) - +30% to success rate for the same 5 steps and 25CP cost. As it is only 3CP more expensive, you may completely remove the first Steady Hand, but on the other hand Steady Hand is quite enough for some actions and even 3CP may play their role.
Inner Quiet (level 13) – grants incremental bonus to control with every increase in quality. Cost: 18CP. Each stack increases quality gain on ~11% [TODO: check dependence from character's level]. Duration of this effect and number of stacks are unlimited. This is the first action you have to do from the very beginning of the crafting.
- Use quality increasing actions in order of efficiency ascending (i.e. spending CP without a plan will cause efficiency loss).
- Increase quality first and then use Rumination to restore some CP and finish synthesis. This method is one of the most used.
- Charge Inner Quiet as much as possible using the Hasty Touch and finally cast Byregot's Brow or Byregot's Blessing. But don't forget that Inner Quiet ends upon these actions and plan synthesis actions respectively.
Rumination - restoress CP proportionally to the number of last Inner Quiet stacks. This amount is usually greater than 18CP that allow e.g. to finish crafting using the Standard Synthesis which costs 15CP. Also some times in pair with the Tricks of the Trade you may restore CP enough for the Waste Not.