Blacksmith Guide
- See also: Guides
Blacksmith is one of the eight Disciple of the Hand classes a player can equip. Blacksmiths generally craft weapons and off-hand equipment, as well as refine metals and ores. Players can unlock Blacksmith by getting any Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic class to at least lv. 10, then speaking to Randwulf, the guild receptionist in Limsa Lominsa at the Upper Decks and undertake the quest Way of the Blacksmith. Players will be able to fashion and repair most main hand and off hand gear for their jobs, as well as sell crafted goods for a large amount of Gil. Players will also be able to unlock the quest to affix Materia to equipment, giving the gear a massive bump to its stats.
Attributes
- Craftsmanship: Affects how much the progress bar fills after each action taken during Synthesis.
- Control: Increases the Quality bar based on the stat per action used during Synthesis.
During crafting, players will also use a resource called CP or Crafting Points. This functions similarly to MP and allows players to use skills during Synthesis to affect the quality of progress of the item.
How to Craft
Once players have unlocked the class, players will be able to see what can be crafted by their class by looking in the Crafting Log. Players will see a list of recipes based on their level, and the items required for that recipe. If players have the requisite items in their inventory, they will be able to select the recipe, then select Synthesize. A menu screen will appear showing the Durability of the item, the progress and quality of the item, as well as any buffs or actions in use affecting the item. Players can use various skills to improve the quality of the item being crafted without lowering the durability of the item. The goal with each Synthesis is to raise the items quality as high as possible and complete the item before the durability reaches zero. If the item is not completed before this, the synthesis will fail. Players will also vary the Condition of an item. The visual indicator of Condition is under the bar for durability. The orb of light that represents what the player is making will also change to reflect the Condition of the item. The Condition changes every step that is taken during Synthesis. Any condition other than Normal will only last for one step, and each Condition determines the effectiveness of the next action used. Once players have synthesized an item and has reached lv. 10 with a crafter class, they will be able to Quick Synthesis the item to quickly generate more. This increases how fast items are made but can have a chance to fail and will most likely not produce HQ items, as well as burn the durability of the gear a player is wearing at twice the rate.
Leveling Up
Leveling up as a crafting class is fairly simple. The options for gaining EXP are rather limited, so players will generally get in a rotation of things to do to keep crafting exciting:
- Class Quests: The items required for each of these are a great way to get EXP, and the rewards for finishing the quests are materials and gear, both of which are especially important to leveling a crafter.
- Levequests: Like with other classes and jobs, Levequests offer a fantastic way to gain EXP. Some are worth more than others in terms of ease of completion vs. cost, the best value being repeatable leves, which allow players to turn in items multiple times without a loss of EXP or Gil. It is also recommended that players turn in HQ items for these leves, as they are worth double the EXP and Gil. Some leves also require multiple items to be turned in, resulting in even higher EXP which can be doubled by using HQ items.
- Beast Tribe Quests: Players can undertake daily quests to craft items to gain a good amount of EXP, Gil and Elemental Shards.
- Supply and Provision Missions: Undertaking these at the players Grand Company headquarters can be completed daily and weekly, and offer great EXP and rewards, especially if players deliver an item that is in High Demand, notated with a star.
Of course, crafting itself also offers a good amount of experience, especially if players craft HQ items as often as possible. A mix of these methods will greatly speed the leveling process along, as well as keep the content interesting.
Gear
Keeping gear up to date is incredibly important as a crafting class, as a majority of stat points come from gear. Players should generally keep their main/off hand and chest gear up to date as much as possible, while regularly updating other body gear every 5-10 levels. Accessories provide CP, so keeping those up to date is important if players are struggling to meet CP requirements for making HQ items.
Leveling Guide
Crafting class quests require players turn in items that can either be crafted or purchased, and the materials required to make the items can be gathered from a variety of sources, so it's up to the player to decide the best method for them to obtain these items and turn in the quests. This guide will recommend a course of action for players to take while leveling and crafting to help optimize EXP gain and profit.
Level 1-20
For this set of levels, not only can the required items be purchased, but they are extremely affordable and make leveling up incredibly quick. Players can essentially buy their first 5 levels by heading to the Goldsmiths' Guild and purchasing Bronze Ingots and Bronze Hatchets, turning in the item for the lv.1 quest, then completing the leves Hells Bells and Proly Hatchet repeatedly. From here, players can complete the lv.5 quest to obtain new gear to increase stats. From here, players should undertake Levequests that that require players to turn in a single item and can be completed multiple times. These repeatable leves are worth a massive amount of EXP, and if players can either craft or purchase HQ items, they are worth even more. Players can also begin undertaking daily Ixal Beast Tribe crafting quests to supplement EXP.
Level 20-30
By lv.20, players should be looking into replacing their gear for the next tier. Purchasing gear is fine, however crafting the gear comes with the benefit of EXP as well. Players should also start looking into updating accessories by this point.
For the next job quest, players will need to craft an Iron Cross-pein Hammer with a piece of Materia. Players can either have this Materia affixed in one of the beginner city-states, or they can undertake the quest Waking the Spirit from F'hobhas, a Goblin located at The Bonfire in Central Thanalan. Upon completing this quest, players will gain the ability to attach Materia to any gear that has available slots. Players should also complete the quest Forging the Spirit, given by Swynbroes in the same area. This will give players the ability to extract Materia from gear with 100% Spiritbond, then attach it to any gear they may need to turn in, as well as sell it on the Market Board for extra Gil.
For leveling, players can undertake the Levequests available at lv.20, with Claw Daddy and Unseamly Conditions both great sources for EXP with easy and cheap items to craft, especially the Iron Pickaxes for the latter. Crafting Iron Ingots and Iron Rivets is a worthwhile thing to do as well, both for their versatility and profitability.
By lv.25, players can also check the Levequests in Quarrymill, especially the leve That's Some Fine Grinding, which requires players to make Initiate's Mortars. For the class quest, players need to make a HQ Steel Ingot. Player should also begin crafting Steel Ingots and Steel Rivets for their inventory. Mixed in between crafting items and Levequests, players can also continue with Ixal Daily Quests to supplement their EXP.
Level 30-40
Players should begin looking at having an up-to-date gearset, accessories included, as crafting quests and leves will require HQ items for turn-ins and maximizing EXP, so skills that increase Quality without sacrificing Durability will be important from here on out. Players should also use Food to increase stats, as well as increase EXP gain by 3%. Fish Soup and Cawl Cennin are great for increasing CP, and Pan-fried Mahi-mahi is a great way to increase Control to help improve the Quality of items made.
Starting off, for the class quest, players will need to craft a HQ Plumed Iron Hatchet. Players should also consider upgrading their gear to the most current gear they can. If Gil is a concern, focus mainly on the main and off hand gear, as well as the chest piece. If keeping up with CP requirements is a challenge, food is also a good alternative.
Players should head to Costa del Sol to pick up new leves, especially Don't Fear the Reaper and Can You Spare a Dolabra. By crafting HQ items, players will quickly level up to the next class quest, requiring players to craft a HQ Steel Bhuj. At lv.35, players should be going to the Observatorium in Coerthas to grab the leve Seemed Like the Thing to Get which has players crafting and delivering Wrapped Steel Culinary Knives as well as Colder than Steel, which has players crafting Steel Round Knives. Both of these are easily crafted items and are cheap to make If players have been crafting Steel Ingots up until now. Players should craft Mythril materials, as they are effective for creating weapons and other gear, will be useful for upcoming crafts, and are most likely premium priced items, depending on the servers Market Board. Rotating through the currently available Levequests and undertaking Supply Missions and Ixal quests will give players more than sufficient EXP to reach lv.40.
Level 40-50
Players will be tasked with crafting a HQ Wrapped Crowsbeak Hammer for the lv.40 class quest. Players can buy a Steel Crowsbeak Hammer from Syneyhil in the Lower Decks of Limsa Lominsa, or the Merchant and Mender in Coerthas Central Highlands, whichever is closer. For leveling, players can also pick up the new leves from Whitebrim and Limsa Lominsa. Most of the items to be crafted will use Mythril parts and components, but if they were crafted earlier, this shouldn't pose a problem. Players should focus on the leves A Mixed Message, Kitchen Casualties and Get Me to the War on Time as they are all relatively quick and affordable, especially on leve allowances.
For lv.45, players will need to make several weapons in HQ. Players will also be able to undertake leves in Saint Coinach's Find in Mor Dhona, however, only a few of these are going to be worth doing to level up, namely the leve No Refunds, Only Exchanges, requiring players to make a Cobalt File, and I Maul Right, requiring 3 Cobalt Sledgehammers. While this can be expensive to make, it yields a great deal of EXP. For players who want to stock up on items, especially for this leve tier, players should spend their time crafting Mythril and Cobalt materials, as they continue to be very important for upcoming tiers. If players have some higher level Ixal Tribe quests left, they can be mixed in as well to increase the variety of crafting objectives.
Level 50-60
Once players reach lv.50, they will need to craft a HQ Cobalt Winglet with a Savage Might Materia III affixed to it. If players are regularly extracting Materia from complete Spiritbonded gear, the Materia should be easy to come by, as well as being fairly affordable on the Market Board. After this, players will also undertake a quest to be introduced to the next quest giver, Fremondain in Ishgard. Payers will also be able to undertake the quest Inscrutable Tastes in Mor Dhona, allowing them to unlock the Collectables system. With this, players will be able to craft Collectables and turn them in to Collectable Appraisers in exchange for EXP and Yellow Scrips (or White Scrips if players are lv. 80), which can be exchanged for high-end gear, items and materials. Players will be able to craft Collectables simply by activating the Collectable Synthesis and completing the Synthesis. The quality of the item doesn’t matter, as long as the synthesis is completed. These items cannot be stacked or sold and should be traded right away.
In terms of gear, players should wait until around lv.53 to look at upgrading gear, assuming they have been staying up to date with upgrading gear every 5-10 levels. The slowest part of leveling Blacksmith will be from level 50 to level 53. Players will need to continue grinding to lv.51 to unlock new recipes. The leves available in Foundation are rather slow for grinding EXP, with With Bearings Straight requiring a HQ Mythrite Nugget, which can be difficult to make. An easier option is Punching Your Way to Success, and fairly cheap as well. Once players reach lv.53, upgrading gear to a Mythrite Lump Hammer and a Mythrite File will greatly help, as well as a HQ Rainbow Coatee. Craftsman's Competence Materia is also a significant way to increase stats past a threshold where players will need to worry about gear for a while. Players will also be able to undertake the first of the Ishgardian class quests, requiring players to turn in 3 HQ Mythrite Rivets. Players can accept the gear upgrade to fill in the gaps of any gear that's starting to fall behind.
Another useful way to gain EXP is to unlock the Moogle Beast Tribe quests, allowing players to undertake daily quests that offer massive EXP and are much simpler than previous Beast Tribe quests. These can be included to supplement EXP gain. At lv.54, players can undertake the leve Freight and Barrel for cheaper, decent EXP. From this point, players will rotate between these activities until reaching lv.56. For now, players should stock up on Mythrite materials, as they are used in a large portion of recipes for quests and leves.
At lv.56, players will be able to go and do the next class quest (the quest can be done at lv.55, but more crafting and leveling options are available at this point, making it somewhat easier). Players need to turn in a HQ Titanium Bastard Sword. Players will also be able to craft Titanium Ingots now, which should be stocked up. Players can also begin doing the leves Unbreaker and Spirituality Inspector, both of which reward massive amounts of EXP and can be repeated. Players should also upgrade their main hand gear to a Titanium Lump Hammer, an extremely useful tool that will get players through until lv.60. These are also turn in items for the leve mentioned above and the next class quest. These unfortunately are the only additions to grinding levels until lv.58.
Once players reach lv.58, they can complete the class quest right away by turning in the HQ Titanium Lump Hammer made previously. Players can then also grind Adamantite Nuggets to stock up for later tiers. However, they are rather difficult to produce at HQ, and the other leves unlocked are not much better. The only option is for players to continue grinding the same leves and daily turn-in quests as before until lv. 60.
Level 60-70
Upon reaching lv.60, players will need to complete the final quest in the Heavensward tier, Integrity, wherein players will craft a HQ Adamantite Winglet. Players can then immediately pick up the quest unlocking the Stormblood content A Missive from the Far East. This will bring players back to Brithael in Limsa Lominsa. From here, players can begin grinding and crafting to get to lv.61 to unlock new recipes and Levequests. Players should unlock the Namazu Beast Tribe questline by undertaking the questlines for Courage the Cowardly Lupin from Fukudo in Yanxia and Perchance to Hanami from Ochimi in Yanxia, then after completing those, Something Fishy This Way Comes from Floundering Namazu in The Azim Steppe. This will allow players to complete daily quests like the tiers before. Players can also unlock Custom Deliveries for this tier by undertaking the quest None Forgotten, None Forsaken from Galiena in Rhalgr's Reach. This will unlock another weekly turn-in quest. These two unlocks are crucial, as they provide a massive heaping of EXP, which is especially useful when leveling to lv.61 to undertake new leves.
Players shouldn't worry about gearing up just yet, unless their gear is extremely far behind, as upon reaching lv.63, players can do an equip purchase that will last them until lv.70, with one main hand and chest piece change before that. Once unlocked, players can take on the leves Have Blade, Will Travel and High Steal. High Steal is incredibly useful for the entire leveling tier. High Steel Nuggets are valuable and the Levequest doesn't have much – if any – penalty to repeating it over and over. Players can grind these methods to reach lv.63, using the Commercial Engineering Manual to help increase crafting ability. The leves for lv.62 don't reward very much in the way of EXP and take time to complete.
Upon reaching lv.63, players will be able to fully upgrade their gear to the HQ Bloodhempen and HQ Gaganaskin gear with a HQ Ruby Cotton Apron, the HQ High Steel Cross-pein Hammer and the High Steel File. For the accessories, players can equip the HQ Larch accessories. Fitting the left side gear (other than the main hand) with Competence and Command Materia, the belt with Cunning Materia, and the accessories with Cunning and Command Materia, players will have little to no need to upgrade gear for quite a while. Leaving the Materia slots on the weapons open allows players to compensate for stats they may be having trouble with. Players will also be able to take on the next class quest. However, this time the NPCs will simply give you the materials and players must simply craft the item, making these quests quite a bit easier.
Players should focus on grinding the methods listed above to continue leveling up, as well as crafting High Steel Nuggets and Ingots, as they are useful for many crafting recipes later. Once players reach lv.64, they can begin taking on the next tier of Leves, Killer Cutlery and Meddle in Metal. Crafting Oroshigane Ingots are the best choice for crafting as players will need to craft a lot of them for this tier and beyond. Players can also turn in High Steel Nuggets for a good amount of EXP on top of these.
From here, players can continue their rotation between leves, daily Beast Tribe quests and weekly deliveries while farming Oroshigane Ingots until reaching lv. 65 where players can complete the next Crafter's class quest. Players can also update their gear with the HQ Kudzu Robe of Casting and the HQ Doman Iron Lump Hammer with the same Materia as before, altering what is affixed to the main hand to suit whatever is needed. Players should continue their method of grinding as before up until lv.68, as the Levequests don't offer much value for their cost.
At lv.68 players can complete the next class quest and begin turning in ingots crafted in previous levels to help get past the massive EXP requirements to level up, as well as begin crafting HQ Molybendum Ingots for the leve Ingot to Wing It. These are also great for end-tier crafting for most crafting classes, so players can use these methods to reach lv.70 and finish the final class quest.
Level 70-80
The first thing players should do is unlock the Dwarf Beast Tribe quests, by taking the quest It's Dwarfin' Time from the Affable Townsdwarf in Lakeland. These are very simple daily quests to complete that scale with the players level and offer massive EXP to help fill in any gaps left from completing weekly Custom Deliveries and Levequests. Players can also unlock the Crystarium Deliveries. These act as the class quests for Shadowbringers. However, it is important to note that classes for these quests are grouped together and can only be completed once. If a player completes these quests as a Blacksmith, they will no longer be available to be completed as a Goldsmith or Armorer and vice versa. Players can unlock these quests by completing The Crystalline Mean and Iola, Forgemaster. Players can also undertake the lv.70 Levequests available in The Crystarium and should focus mainly on Here Comes the Hammer until lv. 71.
At lv.71, players can upgrade their gear with the Kings-tier gear, and accessories until their CP is 370 or higher. From here, players can continue to level up to lv. 72, where they can undertake the next level of Levequests. While Enlistment Highs is easy to complete, players need to create 3 HQ Deepgold Swords to make decent EXP. The other quests, Heavy Hitter and Selective Logging are more difficult given the materials can be more expensive, but are single turn-ins worth very good EXP.
At lv.73 players can undertake the next Crystarium Delivery, giving a massive EXP bump, and continue doing weekly deliveries and Dwarf Beast Tribe quests. Farming Deepgold Ingots is useful for Blacksmith. At lv.74, the next tier of leves unlocks. The best leve by far is Instruments of Distraction. The item is easy enough to make, and the EXP reward for the item is massive. Players can also undertake Nip It in the Bud which offers extremely high EXP, and can sometimes be more affordable, depending on the materials available. Once players reach lv.75, they can undertake the next Crystarium Delivery and quest for another massive helping of EXP.
From lv.76 to lv.78, players will complete the previous tier of leves and craft Titanbronze Ingots, both to stock up on and for this tiers leves. Depending on the price of materials, the leve Idol Hands may be the best option for farming, as Triplite and Starch Glue can be rather expensive. Once lv.78, players can complete the last Crystarium delivery.
From this point until lv.80, leveling up is fairly straightforward: complete daily Dwarf Beast Tribe quests, the weekly Custom Deliveries, and the available levequests. The final tier of leves all offer great EXP, however Bae Blade is easier to complete given the materials required and is the best option in most cases. Finally at lv.80, players can undertake the final quest in the Crystarium Deliveries quest for Forgers. From this point the next step is crafting Collectibles to farm White Scrips to obtain the current end-game gear to improve the crafting stats as high as possible. Players can also take part in the Ishgardian Restoration by turning in crafted items to improve their score, rebuild The Firmament and obtain the current Blacksmith Relic gear.