Thanks to the in-game Market Board system, players can sell goods to other players in Final Fantasy XIV. This makes it possible to acquire items created by crafting recipes, even when you can’t make the item yourself. Carpenters, Weavers, Alchemists, and more – they all have valuable items to put up for sale. Let’s first answer this question simply: Crafters can make items unavailable for purchase from vendors. So while you technically can buy everything, without crafters, there’d be a massive amount of items unavailable to you. This includes furniture, clothing, weaponry, and food. There are even mounts exclusive to crafters, like the legendary Magicked Bed. Without a level 80 Carpenter, nobody’s zooming around Eorzea in their pajamas. That’s not the only thing crafting has to offer, though. It’s actually a rich activity all by itself, which for some players ends up becoming more important than XIV’s storyline and endless procession of dungeons. If you want to just go ahead and buy everything, you’re totally free to do that. But you’ll be at the mercy of the economy. If an item requires expensive or rare materials to craft, you can bet the selling price is going to be cranked up to compensate. People have to make their gil somehow. Even if the item doesn’t need valuable materials, it could still end up fluctuating in price pretty dramatically based on demand. It’s a cut-throat world. Sellers will undercut each other by a single gil, boost their prices to profit from demand spikes, buy up all the cheap options and relist them at double the cost. My point is, there’s often no “fair price” when it comes to the Market Board. So if you want cool crafted items for whatever purpose, it might be more practical to take up a trade yourself. Not only can you make your own items, but you can take advantage of the Market Board yourself.
Can I Make Money With Crafting?
Yes, but it’s not an overnight process. You’re going to have to put some serious work in before you see significant returns. If you’re crafting just to make money, you’re probably going to burn out with it before you reach that goal. I’d recommend following a guide like this pretty closely if you want to get the absolute most out of your profession. FFXIV Guild is a really useful resource, especially at the start of your journey, as their guides break down what each profession is capable of making. If you don’t fancy playing the markets with crafted goods, then gathering might be the path for you. Plenty of crafters are just too lazy to gather their own materials. Bank on that laziness – pick up Mining or Botany and deliver the goods straight to the Market Board. You can make a reasonable amount of gil just keeping an eye on which type of wood is currently in high demand, for an absolute bare minimum of work.
Do I Have To Craft?
Crafting is entirely optional, so if you’d rather just kill monsters and not make anything out of the things you take off their corpses, that’s fine too! At no point will you miss out on anything essential. You can miss out on a few gameplay features, though. Crafters and gatherers can help in the rebuilding of The Firmament – an entire district of the city of Ishgard that comes to life based on what players contribute to it. It has unique rewards, and offers a chance to socialize with other like-minded players who want to build something instead of relentlessly killing monsters. Fishers can take a ship journey out into the sea to partake in Deep Sea Fishing, mounting, and framing their catches for their walls at home. This might not be the sort of thing you’re looking for from a game, and that’s fine. XIV really has an activity for everyone. The point is, whether you’re looking to make money or just unwind with something a bit different, crafting can be a worthwhile use of your time in-game.
Which Crafting/Gathering Job Is Right For Me?
That really depends on what you’re looking to get out of it. If you want to profit, take a look at Blacksmith, Carpenter, Goldsmith, and Culinarian for the big bucks. These jobs can all make highly sought after equipment, furniture, and stat/EXP boosting consumables. None of these are guaranteed routes to financial success, though. You’re still going to have to put the work in – and any profit you make will potentially be impacted by your individual server’s economy. If you just want to craft for fun, maybe take a look at picking up crafters that compliment your main combat job. Making your own weapons and armor can feel really satisfying. Even if you might not be able to take your own handcrafted gear to endgame content, it can still be an enjoyable process. Really though, you can make a decent enough income from basically any crafting/gathering jobs besides fishing. And you don’t have to become an omni-crafter, maxing out every possible job. You can dabble, you can have a good time, or you can ignore crafting entirely!
