After the release of Final Fantasy XIV’s Patch 7.05, we’ve received a lot of new gear, meaning there is one set of classes that are pretty much working overtime. Yep, I’m talking about crafters and gatherers.
For those who probably only got into crafting recently, as we receive more and more content patches, the “meta”, so to speak, for the best gear in the crafters and gatherers category changes, and it can be immensenly tough to figure out questions such as “when should I prepare to switch out from this set?” or “which patch adds in new gear?”
Thankfully, with the help from our good old friend “pattern recognition”, it is actually possible to make a speculative guess on how future Dawntrail patches will affect the current crafting and gathering meta. As an avid crafter and gatherer, I decided to compile this information and give my own thoughts on it.
DISCLAIMER: The following article relies on a lot of speculation and pattern predictions, and may not be 100% accurate in its predictions, depending on how the game is updated.
Final Fantasy XIV – Understanding Gear Sets
Before we get started, it is important to know that a “set” is composed of three main components. The first component is the left side. Left refers to how when you open your Character screen, this is all the gear that goes to your left. This is composed of five pieces: Head, Body, Hands, Legs and Feet.
The second component is the right side, or better known as the accessories. There are five pieces: Earring, Bracelet, Necklace, Left Ring and Right Ring. And finally, the third, and most important component is the tools, which are divided into Main Hand and Off Hand. This applies to both crafters and gatherers.
Final Fantasy XIV – Patch 7.05 Set
As of the time I’m writing this, the current patch is 7.05, where the average item level for the crafter and gatherer’s sets are all both at 690. Naturally, this set, when overmelded with all five materia slots, can craft you the Archeo Kingdom set, which is what most people will use to comfortably raid…for a while. But more in a bit.
One key factor is that you technically do not exactly require a fully melded set in order to craft this. The wizards over at Teamcraft, which is where people share their macros and their stat rotations for each recipe, have devised various sets of varying costs. And copying and executing them in the game is really easy.
Final Fantasy XIV – Patch 7.1
Now, the next update on the horizon is Patch 7.1, which given how each Final Fantasy XIV patch is released in a three-month scale, the next patch should be released sometime in late October, though that could change.
With that said, in Patch 7.1, both crafters and gatherers will obtain a new set of tools and the left side gear. This new set can be crafted and melded accordingly, but the right side from 7.0 will still be very much used for the newer recipes, which will be marked with ★ icons beside their level.
And in fact, this is why whenever you overmeld your gear, you should always try and aim for the right side first, as it will last you far longer than the left side, due to that fact. That way, you won’t have to spend as much materia, which can get expensive, and quick.
Final Fantasy XIV – Patch 7.2
Following the patterns from previous expansions, Patch 7.2, which might release sometime in January 2025, and will feature the twelfth set of Master Recipes, purchaseable with Purple Crafter’s Scrips (until Patch 8.0).
During this patch, we’ll also get a brand-new set that players can purchase with Orange Crafter’s Scrips. These can be exchanged at any Scrip Exchange which are scattered all across several city hubs, and they all share the same menu.
This “scrip gear”, as players call it, cannot be overmelded, and only has two slots that you can slot materia into. However, scrip gear is a nice way for you to get crafting some high-quality materials without risking a failed synthesis, and can be a nice starting point if you’re getting started with crafting or gathering.
However, it is worth noting that from here on out, it is practically impossible to figure out what sort of materia we’ll need to meld to these, because of the lack of necessary data to truly make a precise statement on the matter.
Final Fantasy XIV – Patch 7.3
Moving on, we have Patch 7.3, coming sometime on May 2025. This is where things get spicy. Because the entire set will be revamped, with a new left and right sides, and tools. But don’t fret!
Using the previous expansion, Endwalker, as an example here. Patch 6.3 saw the release of the Indagators’ Set for both crafters and gatherers. This set, once melded appropriately (again, with what, it is still unknown), will be the best* set for both crafters and gatherers.
Oh, hang on, is that an asterisk up there? Yes, well, there are a lot of objective factors that are considered here, so we can’t say with certainty. Heck, we don’t even know what materials we’ll require for these new recipes, so it’s practically impossible to start preparing at this point in time. All we can do is speculate and wait.
However, using pattern prediction from Endwalker, it is safe to assume that the Dawntrail equivalent of the Indagator’s Set will be what most crafters will use for the upcoming patches after 7.3’s release, all the way to 8.0. This is also where we might start getting the crafter relics, but for the purposes of this prediction, I’ve elected to not consider that, because it would require way too much speculation to even do a vague calculation.
Final Fantasy XIV – Patch 7.4
You thought we were done? Oh ho, no! Patch 7.4 will still have an update for crafters and gatherers! When Endwalker’s Patch 6.4 released, players got the Afflatus set. So Patch 7.4 will give us the Dawntrail equivalent of that Orange Crafter’s Scrip Exchange. It is at this point in Endwalker that we also got the Diadochos set, which was effectively the “final” gear set before Dawntrail.
By the time this patch comes out, players can choose to go one of two routes when it comes to the “best” crafting and gathering gear. Route A means overmelding the Patch 7.3 gear set, and Route B, which is melding the new Orange Scrip gear. Now, while Route A will certainly give you a set that will most certainly give you a higher stat distribution across the board…Route B is still a perfectly serviceable one to go through, and in fact, is what I would RECOMMEND for the more casual group.
I mean, let’s think about it for a second: why would the developers release new scrip gear just for it to be completely useless? That’s right, they wouldn’t! Which is why even the latest master recipes in Endwalker are all perfectly craftable with the scrip gear, and the developers must definitely account for that.
And as you might have imagined, the wizards at The Balance and Teamcraft are always digging away to find the most optimal skill rotation and guide. I highly recommend giving them a look, because they’ve been a prominent source for Final Fantasy XIV.
Hopefully this shed some light on what to expect. Happy crafting and gathering!
