[Sabaron]

Recently, I've been crafting a lot of status bolts. This procedure (if you are unfamiliar with it) goes like this:

1. Craft Glue, Bronze, and <<insert status potion here>>
2. Craft Status Bolt Heads and Ash Lumber
3. Craft Bolts

Now I have noticed that over the creation of some 20 stacks of glue that even though I am a level 60ish alchemist, I get a good percentage of failures (say 1/10). I get a similar but lesser effect when using wind crystals to do the bolt heads, but that can be attributed to my rather meager smithing skill, but when I go to do the Bolts themselves (wood 16), I get only about a 2% failure rate. Therefore I hypothesize (can also be read: Start a rumor):

1. Fire crystals are relatively unstable and have more "flux" in their production statistical curve (i.e. HQ and Failure are increased probability)

2. Earth crystals are relatively stable and have little "flux".

Has anyone else noticed similar effects?

(Side note): I synth a lot of mercury as well. Lightning crystals seem to be "Unstable" as well. Note that this is a synth, not a desynth.

[EDIT: Add Flame Retardant Below]

Please note, I'm not trying to base a wild rumor on a single type of product synthesis. I'm looking for similar observations with the same and OTHER products for a comparative study into this possible effect.

[sevenpointflaw]

I've been wondering the same thing, though I haven't decided whether it is different crystals, or just whatever it is being synthed is easier/harder. I mostly notice this when I am skilling up on Fletchings, which unlike other things I can skill up on for 11-12 levels with little to no loss. I can't seem to do this with other items that seem to use the same crystal. Generally I'm only skilling up 4-6 levels above my skill. Another good example is Shinobi Tabi; another item I skilled up on for about 11 levels and hand very few breaks. Yet same crystal to make, say, cloth, results in a lot of break.

Dunno what it all means, but its consistant so I think there's something to it.

[balvenie]

I had really bad "luck" with earth crystals when I would synth within my mog house. Even at capped levels, I would break an inexplainable amount of earth crystal synths. Although, I had a wind energy with the furniture I had (Moghancement Experience). I now have Earth energy and it has seemed to stop.

The only item I consistantly make is pineapple juice. If there is supposed to be a built in 5% break rate, i'm not seeing it with water crystals.

I have no other significant or recorded data to make a legitimate claim on anything else. While a very small sample, of the last 8 synths i've done of shrimp lures, 2 have critically failed and i'm over the cap for both crafts. (Fire crstal synth)

Elemental factors play a part, how much no one knows. Your mog energy, day of the week, and clothes should be noted when comparing crystals though.