Crafting 101 : FFXI General Discussions

Idealy, the item you wish to skillup on should be 2-4 levels above your current level. 4-6 is ok, though a little riskier, and 7 or more is beginning to get too high. The difficulty of the synthesis is determined by the formula:

Recipe Cap - (Current level + modifiers) = Difficulty.

Modifiers include Guild support and Guild clothing, such as the sunglasses, aprons, hats, etc. Normal Guild support gives you +1 to that craft for a certain amount of time, while Advanced support gives +2. For the best skillup, maintain a gap of 2-4 while crafting, and DON'T use modifiers at 3 levels below the cap.

Example: You're trying to make Yagudo Drinks, which cap at 60 Cooking. Currently, your Cooking is at 56. You get Advanced support from the guild, giving you 56+2. While crafting, you reach 57, then 58. Your guild support wears off. To keep within the 2-4 level range, do not get guild support (advanced or normal), and continue crafting to the cap of 60.

Now to the moon cycle. Only two stages of the moon will affect your crafting: Full Moon, from 95% Waxing to 95% Waning, and New Moon, from 5% Waning to 5% Waxing. Full Moon raises your success rate, reducing break and break loss, but lowers your HQ/skillup rate. New Moon is the exact opposite: your HQ/skillup rate will be enhanced, but you are more likely to fail and critical fail (critical failure is losing all items along with the crystal).

We move onto the days of the week. Following the elemental weakness chart:

- Fire is weak to Water.
- Ice is weak to Fire.
- Wind is weak to Ice.
- Earth is weak to Wind.
- Lightning is weak to Earth.
- Water is weak to Lightning.
- Light is weak to all elements but itself, which it is strong to.
- Dark is strong to all elements but itself, which it is weak to.

Take notice of Light and Dark. Light is weak to everything, but Light is strong vs. Light. Dark is strong to everything, but Dark is weak vs. Dark. This can be confusing, and it takes some time to memorize it all.

Crafting on the day your crystal's element is weak to (i.e. Fire synth on Watersday) or Darksday raises your chance for HQ/skillup, but lowers success rate. Crafting on your crystal's day (i.e. Fire synth on Firesday) or on Lightsday raises success rate but reduces HQ/skillup rate.

Have you got all that? We're continuing on anyways.

Mog House element affects your crafting, *but only in your Mog House, not outside*. The same rules for the days apply here. Craft with the element's weakness on or Dark element gives you better HQ/skillup, but lowered success. Craft with the same element on or Light element gives you better success, but lowered HQ/skillup.

Believe it or not, the direction you face while crafting *does* affect you. Below is the element-direction table:

North: Dark
Northeast: Light
East: Ice
Southeast: Wind
South: Earth
Southwest: Lightning
West: Water
Northwest: Fire

The same rules for the days of the week apply to the directions. I'll try and include a drawing for this one soon.

Now, using all this knowledge, let's set up an example.

Example situation: You're an Alchemist, and you attempt to skillup on Cermet Chunks (second recipe: Fire crystal + Doll Shard x2). This caps at 60. Your current level is 55. After getting the ingredients, you decide the day you should craft and when on the moon cycle. Watersday is approaching soon (Fire is weak to Water), and the moon is just entering the New Moon phase (5% Waning)[HQ/skillup rate is greater during New Moon]. You choose then to craft. After reaching the guild, you get Advanced support (+2 to craft, giving you 55+2) and face west (the direction for Water). You begin crafting. After running out of the batch of materials you brought, you're now at level 57 of Alchemy. Watersday is over, so you go about your business until Darksday. The moon is still in the New phase, so you gather another batch of material and head back to the guild. Once there you don't get support (current level 57, cap of 60, best not to), and face north (the direction for Dark). You start crafting again.

For the best possible HQ/skillup results (when you really really need to cap on those Yagudo Drinks), craft on New Moon Darksday, inside your MH, with a Dark element prevailing, facing north. Use a combination of guild support and/or guild clothing to stay within 2-4 levels of your cap.

For the best success rate (for when you had better not fail that Opaline Dress), craft on Full Moon Lightsday, inside your MH, with a Light element prevailing, facing northeast. Use advanced support and/or guild clothing to raise your skill as high as possible.

Remember, success/HQ/skillup rates are not set in stone. You may skillup and get to the cap fast, but not get any skillup the next time. Same applies for HQs and success. Also remember the execptions of Light and Dark elements; they affect what day you craft and which direction you face.


That about wraps it all up. Study study study, sooner or later you'll memorize the basics. Have fun, and good luck crafting.