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Another question I see asked a lot, is "I'm this level on that craft. How do I level? What do I synth?"
And I've seen a number of good guides, however, since the Economy changes and new recipes are added to the game, some of which can be viable skillup (Hunter's Cotton, anyone?) alternatives to what is already known, this makes it kind of tough to write a guide and keep it always updated with current prices and what works well, and what doesn't. Also, on the AH, prices change every day as different crafters walk down their paths of crafting.
So what I am going to post here, is a Self-Help guide. This works on all crafts, all levels except Fishing.
I'm going to give you two URLs first, both of which are essential to my method of finding ways to craft:
SOMEPAGE: http://ffxi.somepage.com
MYSTERYTOUR's GUILD SECTION: http://mysterytour.web.infoseek.co.j...uild/guild.htm
With those two URLs Bookmarked, you are ready to undergo any crafting skillup from Lv0 Alchemy to Lv90 Goldsmithing.
"So how do I use these to level?"
Simple. What you do, is you look up your current craft and level. For this example let's say you are a Lv28 Alchemist.
1). Step One: Find your Craft in Mystery Tour. In this case, Click the "Alchemy" link on the upper left under "Synthesis". Do not click the "Desynthesis" one.
2). Scroll down past the "New Recipes" section and find the Lv28 recipes.
3). Once you have found this, scroll down to Lv38 -- Ten Levels Above.
4). Scroll back up the list slowly, and write a few attractive recipes down, and their ingredients/yields. What do I mean as "Attractive"? Normally you are looking for:
a). Cheap Crystals. Does it take Earth... or the dreaded Fire/Dark crystals?
b). Does the result sell on AH... or is it something stupid that nobody buys?
c). The ingredients. Do they stack? Or.. does it require something like Flour?
d). The more ingredients found on regional vendors, the better. Less hassle in having to guild-camp.
e). Is the result stackable? Or is it a weapon, or piece of equipment that you will get overrun with?
With these things in mind, scroll down the list:
Lv29: Sneak Oil (this is lose-money unless you are making to HQ these.)
Lv29: Glass Fiber Rod (ouch.. this will cost you big-time)
Lv30: Eye Drops (not too bad, if the Tears weren't so hard to get.)
Lv30: Seiglinde Putty (rare ingredients, probably not something you wanna skill on)
Lv30: Eye Dropsx4 (The "Bulk" Synths aren't really meant to be skillups...)
Lv31: Blind Bolt Heads (Here's a possible one. If you made Blinding Potion earlier and still have some, bronze ingots are easy to get. Animal Glue, though, can be pricey)
Lv31: Poison Kukri (I've never heard of anyone actaully using one of these, and the result doesn't stack)
Lv31: Minnow (Another possible one. Copper Ingots are incredibly easy to obtain, Lv1 Goldsmithing, use Lightning on Yag Necks. 1 Glass Fiber loop isn't too bad either. Kinda sucks it uses Fire Crystals, though)
Lv31: Brimsand (this takes a Key Item, which most Lv28s don't have.)
Lv32: Blind Dagger (something people don't use and something that doesn't normally sell)
Lv32: Busuto (I normally stay away from weapon synths...)
Lv33: Poison Cesti (ditto)
Lv33: Moblin Putty (eeeh.)
Lv34: Artificial Lens (if they are currently selling on your server, you could do this one)
Lv34: Blind Knife (yuck.)
Lv35: Little Comet x33 (ick. Bast Parchment? That's better off used in Shihei IMO)
Lv35: Poison Baghnaks (ick.)
Lv36: Prism Powder (let the big boys HQ this one, glass fiber is kinda expensive)
Lv37: Jusatsu (something else that's better off HQ'd.)
Lv38: Bronze Bullet (Not too bad, if they sell well currently)
Lv38: Kongou Inaho (eeeh. No thanks.)
Lv38: Poison Claws (ick)
I know I said only 10 levels, but if you scroll down 2 more, you see:
Lv40: Potion (bingo!)
Why "Bingo" on Potion? Because the Materials are Cheap and Easy to obtain. Sage is bought from Regional Vendors, everybody sells water, and Lizard Tails are a dime a dozen. With an easy-to-get crystal like Water, you can't go wrong there either. I wouldn't even bother AHing the potions, unless they are actually selling, I'd just normally dump them on NPC for minimal loss. Trust me, doing 10 levels on this costs you what, 10K at the most? Chump change compared to the rest of the recipes. But there's a small problem. You are Lv28. This is Lv40. We need something to bridge the gap.
I'd suggest Making/Desynthing Minnows until Lv30-31. Copper Ingots are easy to find, and it wouldn't take very many glass fiber loops to get from Lv28 to Lv30-31. Some of your Desynths may yield either the ingot or the fiber loop, which allows you to recycle some of your ingredients. Once you get to Lv30-31, go wild on Potions for some cheap and easy skillups!
Sometimes, waaay later in crafting levels, it can be a bit of a challenge, as you have to pick the lesser of the two evils.... kinda like choosing between getting kicked in the nuts, or getting your teeth bashed in with a hammer.... they both suck, but you gotta pick out which one sucks less. Such is the world of crafting. But by then you should have a good idea of what sells, what doesn't, and where you get what.
As far as why I included Somepage: Use that to look up where what item comes from. Questions like "...where do I get Rattan Lumber?" ... go to Somepage, type "Rattan Lumber" in the Item Search box, and click the Search button. It tells you exactly where you get Rattan Lumber.
Also, after typing this up, I realized that some people say a 10 Level Gap is a bad thing... well....
10 Level Gap: Try to only do this on something Cheap. You will break many crystals, but when you finally do succeed, you will get that sweet .3 sometimes. Guild Support is mandatory, and if you believe in it, facing the right direction (NQ/success I mean) helps a lot.
8 Level Gap: The ideal gap for most common synths. Keep Guild Support, and if you believe in it, keep facing NQ/Success direction.
5 Level Gap: You begin to skill off of breaks. If the recipe is cheap, you can even do this away from the guild if you face NQ/Success. With Guild Support, I'd face HQ/Skill direction instead.
4-1 Level Gap: You don't need Guild Support at this point, and you can face HQ/Skill, too. This helps if you are doing something like repairing fishing rods, or making anything that involves any type of flour, or any other bought-from-npc non-stackable item.
--Xylia
And I've seen a number of good guides, however, since the Economy changes and new recipes are added to the game, some of which can be viable skillup (Hunter's Cotton, anyone?) alternatives to what is already known, this makes it kind of tough to write a guide and keep it always updated with current prices and what works well, and what doesn't. Also, on the AH, prices change every day as different crafters walk down their paths of crafting.
So what I am going to post here, is a Self-Help guide. This works on all crafts, all levels except Fishing.
I'm going to give you two URLs first, both of which are essential to my method of finding ways to craft:
SOMEPAGE: http://ffxi.somepage.com
MYSTERYTOUR's GUILD SECTION: http://mysterytour.web.infoseek.co.j...uild/guild.htm
With those two URLs Bookmarked, you are ready to undergo any crafting skillup from Lv0 Alchemy to Lv90 Goldsmithing.
"So how do I use these to level?"
Simple. What you do, is you look up your current craft and level. For this example let's say you are a Lv28 Alchemist.
1). Step One: Find your Craft in Mystery Tour. In this case, Click the "Alchemy" link on the upper left under "Synthesis". Do not click the "Desynthesis" one.
2). Scroll down past the "New Recipes" section and find the Lv28 recipes.
3). Once you have found this, scroll down to Lv38 -- Ten Levels Above.
4). Scroll back up the list slowly, and write a few attractive recipes down, and their ingredients/yields. What do I mean as "Attractive"? Normally you are looking for:
a). Cheap Crystals. Does it take Earth... or the dreaded Fire/Dark crystals?
b). Does the result sell on AH... or is it something stupid that nobody buys?
c). The ingredients. Do they stack? Or.. does it require something like Flour?
d). The more ingredients found on regional vendors, the better. Less hassle in having to guild-camp.
e). Is the result stackable? Or is it a weapon, or piece of equipment that you will get overrun with?
With these things in mind, scroll down the list:
Lv29: Sneak Oil (this is lose-money unless you are making to HQ these.)
Lv29: Glass Fiber Rod (ouch.. this will cost you big-time)
Lv30: Eye Drops (not too bad, if the Tears weren't so hard to get.)
Lv30: Seiglinde Putty (rare ingredients, probably not something you wanna skill on)
Lv30: Eye Dropsx4 (The "Bulk" Synths aren't really meant to be skillups...)
Lv31: Blind Bolt Heads (Here's a possible one. If you made Blinding Potion earlier and still have some, bronze ingots are easy to get. Animal Glue, though, can be pricey)
Lv31: Poison Kukri (I've never heard of anyone actaully using one of these, and the result doesn't stack)
Lv31: Minnow (Another possible one. Copper Ingots are incredibly easy to obtain, Lv1 Goldsmithing, use Lightning on Yag Necks. 1 Glass Fiber loop isn't too bad either. Kinda sucks it uses Fire Crystals, though)
Lv31: Brimsand (this takes a Key Item, which most Lv28s don't have.)
Lv32: Blind Dagger (something people don't use and something that doesn't normally sell)
Lv32: Busuto (I normally stay away from weapon synths...)
Lv33: Poison Cesti (ditto)
Lv33: Moblin Putty (eeeh.)
Lv34: Artificial Lens (if they are currently selling on your server, you could do this one)
Lv34: Blind Knife (yuck.)
Lv35: Little Comet x33 (ick. Bast Parchment? That's better off used in Shihei IMO)
Lv35: Poison Baghnaks (ick.)
Lv36: Prism Powder (let the big boys HQ this one, glass fiber is kinda expensive)
Lv37: Jusatsu (something else that's better off HQ'd.)
Lv38: Bronze Bullet (Not too bad, if they sell well currently)
Lv38: Kongou Inaho (eeeh. No thanks.)
Lv38: Poison Claws (ick)
I know I said only 10 levels, but if you scroll down 2 more, you see:
Lv40: Potion (bingo!)
Why "Bingo" on Potion? Because the Materials are Cheap and Easy to obtain. Sage is bought from Regional Vendors, everybody sells water, and Lizard Tails are a dime a dozen. With an easy-to-get crystal like Water, you can't go wrong there either. I wouldn't even bother AHing the potions, unless they are actually selling, I'd just normally dump them on NPC for minimal loss. Trust me, doing 10 levels on this costs you what, 10K at the most? Chump change compared to the rest of the recipes. But there's a small problem. You are Lv28. This is Lv40. We need something to bridge the gap.
I'd suggest Making/Desynthing Minnows until Lv30-31. Copper Ingots are easy to find, and it wouldn't take very many glass fiber loops to get from Lv28 to Lv30-31. Some of your Desynths may yield either the ingot or the fiber loop, which allows you to recycle some of your ingredients. Once you get to Lv30-31, go wild on Potions for some cheap and easy skillups!
Sometimes, waaay later in crafting levels, it can be a bit of a challenge, as you have to pick the lesser of the two evils.... kinda like choosing between getting kicked in the nuts, or getting your teeth bashed in with a hammer.... they both suck, but you gotta pick out which one sucks less. Such is the world of crafting. But by then you should have a good idea of what sells, what doesn't, and where you get what.
As far as why I included Somepage: Use that to look up where what item comes from. Questions like "...where do I get Rattan Lumber?" ... go to Somepage, type "Rattan Lumber" in the Item Search box, and click the Search button. It tells you exactly where you get Rattan Lumber.
Also, after typing this up, I realized that some people say a 10 Level Gap is a bad thing... well....
10 Level Gap: Try to only do this on something Cheap. You will break many crystals, but when you finally do succeed, you will get that sweet .3 sometimes. Guild Support is mandatory, and if you believe in it, facing the right direction (NQ/success I mean) helps a lot.
8 Level Gap: The ideal gap for most common synths. Keep Guild Support, and if you believe in it, keep facing NQ/Success direction.
5 Level Gap: You begin to skill off of breaks. If the recipe is cheap, you can even do this away from the guild if you face NQ/Success. With Guild Support, I'd face HQ/Skill direction instead.
4-1 Level Gap: You don't need Guild Support at this point, and you can face HQ/Skill, too. This helps if you are doing something like repairing fishing rods, or making anything that involves any type of flour, or any other bought-from-npc non-stackable item.
--Xylia
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