Leather and You.A guide by Jewgalka.
ForewarningI am NOT level 50 Leatherworker, this is just the path I plan on using to take to 50. So please, take this guide with a grain of salt! I'm making this guide for my own purposes so there will be no cool bells or whistles because, quite frankly, I don't care enough.
This guide will reflect on my play style for the most part being that I like crafting.. I like gathering... and I'm broke as shit. I do NOT like synths that take a crap load of materials, so I will definitely try and avoid those... infact i plan on not never looking at them even if they are a completely viable synth. That being said there is a list of things that should be done prior to starting to help speed up the process of crafting.
IntroductionI recently decided to come back to FFXIV because I truely love crafting. Sick right? But that is besides the point, the point is that I cant seem to google a leatherworkers guide without coming up on some site giving some vague information then promoting you to buy their book or something. So, I decided I'm going to make a list of things I see a viable crafting options for one to get their leatherworker from 1-50 while spending as little as possible (mainly because I'm broke).
WTF does this doEvery craft has a tool that is significant to the job, a weaver has a needle and a spinning wheel, a carpenter has a saw and erm... something else, and somewhere in there we, leatherworkers, have a head knife and an awl. But what the hell are those! So I took the time out and actually looked up a video of how one would actually use one of these tools and figured it would shed some light on my craft.
The Head KnifeThis blade is used to precisely cut larger pieces of leather into smaller ones. One could also use it to bevel the edges of the leather. With this in mind, I would say it is a safe bet that whenever I plan on turning a hide into pieces of leather, I would use this bad boy.
The AwlAt first, I never used this because I had no idea what the hell it was but upon reading the description of it, everything began to make sense. Apparently an Awl is used when stitching together two pieces of materials, in this case leather. So if SE has any sense, which obviously isnt the case, I believe that one would use this when creating a finished product OR a finished product that has some sort of material needed to be threaded thru the leather. Just my two cents, don't take it seriously.
Offical list of things that should be done before hand1) The price of shards are quite low when you look at them individually, but the more synths you do the quicker they add up. Therefore, I suggest you should take the time to find an efficent method of farming shards. Grade 1 fishing + low rank Alchemy synths can work wonders on your shard supply
All of the lower level alchemy shard synths require 4 lightning shards and a fish to result in 12 of a specific shard depending on the fish, leaving lightning shards as the most important shard for this system.
Malm Kelp or Brass Loach turn 4 lightning shards to 12.
Maiden Carp turns 4 lightning shards to 12 Earth shards and Tiger Cod results in 12 wind shards.
Or you can just find an easy fish to fish up and sell the resulting shards from that.
2) Most of the Hide to Leather synths require alumen which is easily obtainable via lower level Mining in virtually all of the starter cities except Grade 1 and 2 in Uldah (which, let's face it, you started in Uldah). Suggest you farm it or spend ~150 gil a pop.
3) While on the subject of mining for Alumen, in Limsa at Skull Valley, Grade 2ish, you can mine up Alumen AND Iron ores. Do this and it will help you out a bit for not losing as much on certain synths.
4) I'll focus mainly on making items that can be NPC'd for close to what you paid for them, sometimes youll make a little (if you gather some base mats) sometimes youll lose a little even with gathering the mats.
5) Feel FREE to throw a few of the finished products up on the market as it WILL sell for a profit and might make up some costs you lost to an NPC or even put you in the plus.
Keep up to date with gear and tools blah blah and because I forewarned you, I am going to ignore shard and Alumen costs because I took the time to gather the materials prior to starting leathercraft.
The GuideR4 Sheep leather
Cost per item : 1 Sheepskin (can buy or easily farm up the minimal number needed to get to rank 5ish)
Total cost : 0 gil
Take this synth to 5ish and move on
Dodo Leather!Should take about 90-100 dodoskins with this synth and the next to get to rank 18. If at any point you get tired of doing this synth, feel free to move onto the next combo.
R11 Dodo Leather
Cost per item : 1 Dodoskin (~400 gil)
Total cost : 400 gil
Take this synth to 14ish and save leather
R13 ~230 exp/synth 7700exp needed
R14 ~200 exp/synth 8700exp needed
R15 ~160 exp/synth 9700exp needed
R18 Dodoskin Skullcap
Cost per item : 1 Dodo Leather (400 gil)
1 Hempen yarn (0 gil)
Total cost : 400 gil
Sell to NPC price : 1296 gil
First, Hempen Yarn is written at 0 gil because you can harvest that nearly anywhere with botany (except Ul'dah...), so grab a scythe and pick some up while you are out there farming alumen and iron ores! You can sell to NPC for profit (ignoring shard costs because you fished em all up... right?) OR sell on wards for 5-10kish, ether way you profit, just one way is faster.
Aldgoat Leather! The next three synths should take you up to Rank 27 and result in an over all profit if you took the time to mine up your own iron ore!
R18 Aldgoat Leather
Cost per item : 1 Aldgoat Skin (1000 gil)
Total cost : 1000 gil
Feel FREE to buy the SKINS from the marketwards if the cost is 1000 gil or less. If you happen to see any leather on the market for 1000 gil, pick that up also.
R22 Leather Jacket
Cost per item : 3 Aldgoat Leather (3000 gil)
1 Antelope Sinew (180 gil)
Total cost : 3180 gil
Sell to NPC price: 4410 gil
Great place to rub out all of those Aldgoat Leathers you just got. As soon as you hit Rank 21ish you can move on to the next if you have the iron ingots, if not continue on this one until Rank 23
R27 Leather Crakows
Cost per item : 1 Iron Ingot (2500 gil)
1 Aldgoat Leather (1000 gil)
1 Diremite Sinew (400 gil)
1 Rubber (200 gil)
Total cost bought: 4100 gil
Total cost w/Mining: 1600 gil
Sell to NPC price: 1622 gil
If you mined up Iron ores (please tell me you did) and made the iron ingots yourself (level 13 synth) then you should break about even on this synth.
R27 Leather Crakows > leather Crakows of Invoking/slaying/toiling
Cost per item: 1 Leather Crakows (4100 gil)
1 Aldgoat Leather (1000 gil)
Total cost: 5100 gil
I prefer Toiling because it gives crafting stats, turn around and load some up on the market at a decent price, youll profit.
Boar Leather!Farm yourself around 600 boar hides (more would be better) and start working. I'm very serious... 600 hides sounds like a shit ton of work.. and it is, but you can use the boarskin all the way to 50, that and I dislike the cost/NPC price of the raptor path. So please... farm as many as possible.
R31 Boar Leather
Cost per item : 1 Boar Hide (4500 gil)
Total cost: 3000 gil
If you buy this item, you are going to be taking yourself into the negative very quickly (NPC wise). Its a good thing I roamed around the whole god damn map and found a decent area with mobs that actually drop this crap. Check out Coerthas Eastern Lowlands at Camp Ever Lakes (X35 Y32) for decent drop rates on level 40-42 mobs
R38 Boar Himantes
Cost per item : 1 Boar Leather (4500 gil)
1 Iron Ingot (2500 gil)
1 Hippogryph Sinew (700 gil)
Total Cost: 7700 gil
Sell to NPC price: 3456 gil
If you farmed the iron ores and the Boar hides, this is almost 3000 gil a synth in your pocket (to an NPC). If you didnt then I'm ashamed of you. Take to 38 and move on.
R44 Boarskin Tool Belt
Cost per item: 2 Boar Leather (9000 gil)
1 Cobalt Rivet (700 gil)
Total Cost: 9700 gil
Sell to NPC price: 1999 gil
I rezlize it took forever to farm all that Boar hide stuff, and it probably really hurts using 2 per synth. Just bare with it until you hit 41 and move on to the next synth
R47 Boarskin Moccasins
Cost per item: 1 Boar Leather (4500 gil)
1 Aldgoat Leather (1000 gil)
1 Hippogryph Sinew (100 gil)
1 Rubber (200 gil)
Total cost: 5800 gil
Sell to NPC price: 3273 gil
so this synth only cost 1 Boar Leather (which you painfully farmed) and all the other mats you could just buy from the markets for pretty cheap! Take this up to 47ish and move on to another Boar Leather synth!
R52 Hunting Moccasins
Cost per item: 2 Boar Leather (9000 gil)
1 Raptor Sinew (1400 gil)
1 Rubber (200 gil)
Total cost: 10600 gil
Sell to NPC price: 3645 gil
Whew that was painful. Most likely I was off on my 600 Boar Hides estimate, but if you were an over achiever you should breeze right thru those last 3 levels.
A Closing WordAs the market stands right now, you can practically buy any basic mat and turn it into a profit with enough time. Therefore, Please feel free to do so. However, you are only allowed 20 slots (I think) on the markets at any giving time and if you flood the market with a produce some asshole is going to come along and undercut you so your stuff will never sell.
Feel free to throw out any input/comments/trolls you have! Maybe ill make another guide if this one ends up working out
Edited by user Thursday, February 23, 2012 5:42:07 AM(UTC)
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