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The Mog Log: World of Craft-craft
Crafting is optional in Final Fantasy XIV, but that word doesn't mean what it usually means in games. You don't have to take any local levequests or take part in crafting to level up, but you'll find yourself far more constrained and advancing your physical level far more slowly if you ignore the crafting side of things. It should be obvious, really -- combining local and regional guildleves gives you plenty of content, but just doing one or the other might leave you feeling a bit spare, and a full half of the classes are crafting classes to begin with. Of course, the problem quickly turns from "should I bother crafting" to "where do I start?" And that's not even touching on issues of inventory, crafts that work well with others, and which crafts support which classes. So this week, I'm going to take a look at crafting as I've seen it thus far and offer some tips on keeping yourself balanced and sane. Or at least minimizing the enraged outburst when you botch the synthesis at 99%.
More information on Final Fantasy XIV's crafters and harvesters
With the beta testing in full swing and the release date just around the corner, you might think that Final Fantasy XIV fans would have all the information that they need. Of course, anyone highly anticipating the game would be quick to point out the exact opposite, eagerly looking for any more details about the game, especially with so much left to know about the various Disciplines. A recent article on Famitsu (translated by the helpful team at FFXIVCore) sheds new light on some of the less flashy disciplines -- not those of War or Magic, but the Hand and the Land, gathering and crafting. The new article gives more details on Harvesters (which may be dubbed Botanists in the official translation), Goldsmiths, Armourers (possibly due to lose the British spelling), Woodworkers, and Fishermen. Each class has a small writeup explaining their tasks and talents, such as the rapport that Harvesters enjoy with plants or the equipment-enhancing talents of Goldsmiths. Take a look at the article for a clearer picture of the plethora of non-combat activities that come along with Final Fantasy XIV -- even if many of the noncombatants will be well served by having a few combat-ready escorts.
