I have been playing Final Fantasy XIV since Patch 5.1 and the game pretty much instantly turned me into a gil-obsessed maniac. I've spent almost three years engaging in marketboard PvP across two datacenters, and it's now time to spread the disease. Here are some ways to ruin your life in everyone's favourite fantasy MMO with a free trial up to level 70 now including the critically acclaimed Heavensward and Stormblood expansions.
This guide is roughly current as of patch 6.51, prior to the release of Dawntrail, and does not cover money-making ventures related to either gardening or Free Company workshops. I'll be releasing parts as I finish them, depending on interest!
- Part 1: Market Analysis --- Released!
- Part 2: Crafting and Gathering --- TBA
- Part 3: Benefiting from Supply and Demand --- TBA
- Part 4: Money-making Through Gameplay --- TBA
High-Level Thoughts
When it comes to money-making in FFXIV, there are two primary approaches. Those are crafting and gathering, and marketboard fuckery. Both require the following:
- A good understanding of the basic concepts of supply and demand
- A willingness to do plenty of research, and
- Patience.
The secret third option is to farm high-level content for drops or various endgame currencies but that requires playing the game. Ew. I will elaborate on that in a later part of this guide.
FAQ: Do I have to spend money to make money?
Pretty much, yeah.
Hit that read more button to have your life ruined.
Part 1: Market Analysis
In marketboard PvP, the winners are invariably the well-prepared: the ones who keep an eye on the game at a holistic level, tracking variables including:
- Usage of various crafting materials in recipes
- Upcoming demand of gathered, crafted, or farmed materials
- Major content patch release dates, the new items they'll introduce, and the implications that will have on demand
FFXIV has an extremely well-defined patch cadence. Roughly speaking, patches x.0, x.2, and x.4 are raid patches. This means that a new set of hardcore raids is implemented to the game, and combat-related items like the latest gear, food, and potions will be in high demand. Conversely, patches x.1, x.3, and x.5 are focused on side content, including crafting and gathering.
Patches x.0, x.1, and x.3 will introduce new gathering and crafting gear in preparation for upcoming raid patches, as well as some (but not all) of the ingredients for the next patch's crafting recipes.
An example: It's patch 6.3. The latest raid gear, introduced in 6.2, is the Rinascita set. Demand for this set is low and actively falling, due to both the upcoming launch of patch 6.4, which will introduce higher item level gear for raiders, and the fact that the majority of demand was at the beginning of patch 6.2. After 6.4's release, demand for Rinascita gear will be essentially nonexistent. At this point in time, given market trends, it would be a poor idea to invest time and resources into crafting Rinascita gear. You would be unlikely to make a return on investment.
Market analysis not only consists of figuring out what you're selling, but also who you're selling to. The three major audiences are crafters/gatherers, content enjoyers (aka raid sickos), and housing enthusiasts. These segments consume content and goods differently, and need to be approached in unique ways.
- Crafters and gatherers have:
- Upfront costs for their gear and tools
- Ongoing costs for consumables like cordials (used to regenerate GP) and food (used to boost stats temporarily), with variable demand depending on specific circumstances
- Convenience costs for crafters: mid-tier crafts like lumber and reagents
- Content-focused players have:
- Upfront costs for their gear and weapons
- Significant ongoing costs for consumables (food and potions), with high demand
- Housing enthusiasts have:
- Often significant upfront costs for all housing items, most of which are provided by crafters or gatherers
- Assuming they have any money left after buying their houses, that is
- There is a significant overlap between housing enthusiasts and crafters/gatherers
Demand from these various segments of players will wax and wane depending on patch releases, as mentioned above.
Thank you for reading. Part 2 (Crafting and Gathering) will come when I'm done with it, or maybe sooner if I hit Ctrl+Enter by accident while typing it up.