So itâs no secret to anyone that I started playing FFXIV because I played FFXI first over the span of several years. One thing I like to do is to take little tidbits that I remember from FFXI to apply to FFXIV rp, especially in crafting. I can imagine this stuff isnât news to many people, but I mostly wanted to write it down so I have something handy to refer back to, and to share with people that might be interested.
Crafting in FFXI was not so streamlined as it is in FFXIV (at least in my experience); crystals of all elements were used regardless of the craft, the process was automatic and had a chance of failure, the day of the week could impact the effectiveness of each crystal, and each crystal had a specific use (all of which can be found on FFXIclopedia). The role of each crystal is as follows:
Fire - Burning or heating
Earth - Bonding
Water - Diluting, Dissolving, or Liquifying
Wind - Carving or Cutting
Ice - Freezing or Congealing
Lightning - Disintegrating or Desynthesizing
FFXIVâs system is very simplified; each craft predominantly uses two crystals (occasionally using others depending on the recipe). My assumption has always been that this is done most likely for balance, so each crystal type has only 2-3 classes itâs needed for. Hereâs the following breakdown of crafts and their respective crystals:
Carpentry - Wind and Ice
Blacksmithing - Fire and Earth
Armorsmithing - Ice and Earth
Goldsmithing - Wind and Fire
Leatherworking - Earth and Wind
Weaver - Lightning and Wind
Alchemy - Water and Lightning
Culinarian - Fire and Water
Arguably, the same uses for the crystals can still apply (based on my limited knowledge of the craft, so people are always welcome to correct me):
Fire - used to heat the metals used in smithing and allow culinarians to cook food on the go without fumbling with wood, coal, etc
Earth - used to bond materials together for leatherworking, blacksmithing, and armorsmithing
Water - used to dilute, dissolve, and liquify reagents and ingredient in alchemy and cooking (or even just to produce water obviously, which serves the same purpose)
Wind - used for cutting cloth for weaving or carving up wood and metal for carpentry and goldsmithing
Ice - cools the metal for armorsmithing or to congeal the glue used in carpentry
Lightning - used to break down materials to make thread during the carding process for weaving or to help break down reagents for alchemy
As far as roleplay goes, characters donât need to be restricted to just these crystals. There are many ways you can use crystals outside their designated craft. Leatherworkers and carpenters can use heat to help shape leather and wood. Smiths could easily use fire crystals to heat the metal before shaping it, ice crystals to cool it after the metal is shaped, and perhaps a mix of fire and earth to bond the pieces together (people have already mentioned using fire crystals for welding, so hereâs a possible example of using both in tandem).
Not a crafter? Fire crystals can potentially heat a home or water crystals could be used to help produce fresh water during a long journey. It all depends on how you want to use them.
Characters certainly donât have to rely on them, either; itâs simply some added flavor based on how you feel your character fits into the world. There are risks with working with crystals after all, such as potential aether sickness depending on your level of sensitivity, or at worst, potentially creating dangerous entities such as primals. It all depends on how you want to play it for your rp.
With that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoyed it, and Iâd love to hear your thoughts. Iâm always open to hearing more ideas.