Goldsmithing in FFXI

V D Posted: Oct 2, 2008 2:54 AM ET
Category: Guides 0

Goldsmithing in FFXI

MMORPG.com Final Fantasy XI Correspondent Adam Poma writes this guide to Goldsmithing, a frustrating but ultimately rewarding job in Square Enix's Final Fantasy XI.

Table of Contents:

Prologue
Quick Tip List
The whole 1-100 walkthrough, in Phases 1-10

Prologue:

So you want to level Goldsmithing (here after known as "GS"), eh? Well are you absolutely sure? I suppose I should actually word the question: Are you ready to tear up as you throw millions and millions of Gil at a craft that is notoriously brutal, and leaves most people crying to their mommies at about level 60? I will not lie to you, it is a long and hard road, but once you get to the 90+ range you will be pretty set financially for the rest of your game time. With all of that in mind, I present to you this guide.

The path that I personally used to obtain 100 GS. Used during the Vana'diel great depression of 2007, the recipes I chose were either as easy on the wallet as possible, or profitable. As most guides out there say, do not follow this guide blindly. Check your server’s prices (ffxiah.com is freaking' sweet) and go from there. What is profitable on one server may be a waste of time on the next. I am writing this guide assuming that the reader is decently versed in Final Fantasy mechanics as well as a decent understanding of the crafting system. Also on a final note, have a nearby punch friendly object. Because under cutters will make you want to kill kittens.

Quick Tip List:

www.ffxiah.com
www.ffxiclopedia.com
Mining is just not worth it if you are skilling up
Level your Sub crafts! Smithing and Alchemy especially
Learn your Desynths! rings and earrings to ingots = profit
Learn your Vendors! Use tips 1 & 2 to find who sells what
Have a decent income outside of Goldsmithing
Do not saturate markets, it's just bad for everything
People undercut, and Gil sellers exist. Deal with it
Do your Guild Point item every day

Main Walkthrough:

Phase 1:

0-3 = Copper Ingot (Fire – Copper Ore X 4)
3-9 = Brass Ingot (Fire – Zinc Ore X 1, Copper Ore X 3)
9-11 = Brass Sheet (Fire – Brass Ingot X 1)

Super easy, power through this part!

Phase 2:

11-20 = Silver Ingot (Fire – Silver Ore X 4)

Again super easy, buy the ore from the guild at its lowest price (350g roughly), and you will probably profit.

Phase 3:

20-24 = Brass Hammer (Fire – Brass Ingot X 1, Bronze Hammer X 1)
24-31 = Hirashin (Fire – Silver Ingot X 1, Copper Ingot X 1)

Brass Hammer is just a bridge synth. Do Hirashin as soon as you're comfortable with the gap, because it's a break even or profit synth.

Phase 4:

31-38 = Mythril Ingot (Beastcoin recipe) (Fire – Mythril Beastcoin X 4)
35-40 = Mythril Ingot (4 Ore recipe) (Fire – Mythril Ore X 4)
35-41 = Mythril Sheet (Fire – Mythril Ingot X 1)
41-47 = Mythril Ring (Fire – Mythril Ingot X 2)
41-47 = Aluminum Ingot (Fire – Aluminum Ore X 4)

Mythril road time! This is easy, for the most part you will profit until you hit rings. I looked and there isn't a better synth worth the time so just tough it out. If you can find aluminum ore on the AH then the ingot recipe is a good substitute as I believe it's a break even synth. It's just finding the ore up for sale is difficult.

Phase 5:

47-51 = Gold Ingot (Beastcoin recipe) (Fire – Gold Beastcoin X 4)
49-53 = Gold Ingot (4 Ore recipe) (Fire – Gold Ore X 4)
50-55 = Gold Chain (Earth – Gold Ingot X 2)

Ah the gold road, this is where you start to feel the pain of super expensive materials. Do the synths I gave you, break evens/some profits!

Phase 6:

55-59 = Hydro Claws (Fire – Mythril Sheet X 1, Animal Glue X 1, Claws X 1)
55-60 = Gold Ring (Fire – Gold Ingot X 2)
55-61 = Mythril Cuisses (Fire – Mythril Sheet X 2, Ram Leather X 1)
55-61 = Platinum Ingot (Beastcoin recipe) (Fire – Platinum Beastcoin X 4)

This part…. Well this part blows. Be ready to lose a bit until you can get to the next stage. Hydro Claws are good if you can get your Smithing to about 36 and can make your own Claws. If you choose to do Hydro Claws sell them to NPCs, they not even worth it to AH them takes way to long to sell. If you do Gold Rings prepare to lose gil as well but sell the AH for most of your investment back. Mythril Cuisses are a last resort but still cheaper than anything else, NPC those as well. If you can find Platinum beastcoins on the AH defiantly do that recipe as it is almost always a profit synth.

Phase 7:

60-64 = Platinum Ingot (1 Ore, 6 Nuggets recipe) (Fire – Platinum Ore X 1, Platinum Nugget X 6)
64-70 = Platinum Ring (Fire – Platinum Ingot X 2)

If you don't already know post 60 in crafting is where the skill gains slow WAY down. 1-60 it's about 12-20 synths per level roughly. 60+ it gets bad. 60-70 expect to do about 30-40 synths per level. Platinum is a break even and/or profit on most occasions. It also requires a huge initial investment, but get used to it as it only gets worse. Sell the ingots on the AH or if you can try to save them for the second stage which is Platinum Rings. These are usually a loss but if you make all your own ingots it's not as bad as it seems. Expect to lose about 2+ mil during this stage.

Phase 8:

70-76 = Gold Patas (Fire – Gold Ingot X 1, Patas X 1, Mercury X 1)
76-80 = Gold Buckler (Fire – Gold Ingot X 1, Targe X 1, Mercury X 1)

Craft, farm, garden; hell, even buy it. A huge pool of expendable Gil this stage will be needed and used. There isn't much to say here, you're going to lose gil and fast. It sucks I know but there isn't a better road out there, trust me I have looked. Expect to lose about 5+ mil after reaching about level 80. NPC them both as they never sell on the AH, and it's better to just to power through this stage. If you can find a way to get the materials cheap, more power to you as you lose about the cost of a gold ingot per synth.

Phase 9:

??-87 = Elemental Beads (Wind – (Element) Ore X 1)
82-89 = Orichalcum Ingot (3 Orichalcum, 1 platinum recipe) (Fire – Orichalcum Ore X 3, Platinum Ore X 1)

The big question is when to start elemental beads. They are usually a profit synth and never less than a break even. Auctioning them takes time but they will sell. If you pair with a higher level goldsmith and/or woodworker then selling these might be easier. Starting them to early could result in huge margin lose if you happen to break a synth, which just hurts. When starting them to late could mean losing way more in the previous stage. Start these when you feel your comfortable with the level gap. If you happen to break a synth its always a critical break, meaning you lose your ore. After you get somewhere into the 80's, start making Orichalcum ingots as they will most likely net you a profit. Milk them all the way to 89, and keep some of them for the next stage.

Phase 10 (Final Stretch):

89-93 = Orichalcum Ring (Fire – Orichalcum Ingot X 2)
93-100 = level 73 Elemental Rings (Earth – Orichalcum Ring X 1, (Element) Bead X 1)

By now your income should outweigh your synth breaks. This last road is easy in the sense that its all profit, but the final results don't sell super fast. Stick it out to 100 and enjoy having the easiest route 90-100 out of all the crafts. If you had the patience to get this far then this should seem like a walk in the park. Once you hit 100 congratulations, and go look up all the awesome things you can now HQ easily!