Leathercraft Start-Up

[YouCanCallMeBubba]

Lately, I've come into a semi-reasonable fortune. I'm not going to ask you guys how much gil it costs to get LC from 0 to whatever. But rather this is my dilemma.

Currently I'm an Alchemist, level 93+2...

Alchemy, sucks ass. In my opinion it is an entirely worthless craft and I regret taking it above 60 every Vana'diel day of my life.

Is leathercraft a good money maker? (im not asking you to reveal your LC secrets...)

Should I plan to delevel my alchemy and re-level LC to 100, what considerations should be made? (I realize that Clothcraft must also be taken to 60)..

On my server, there is a severe lacking of LC'ers....and Alchemists = Gilsellers....

So should I invest in Leathercraft? Or just call it a day and keep my lame ass alchemy?

[Liquidedust]

Lately, I've come into a semi-reasonable fortune. I'm not going to ask you guys how much gil it costs to get LC from 0 to whatever. But rather this is my dilemma.

Currently I'm an Alchemist, level 93+2...

Alchemy, sucks ass. In my opinion it is an entirely worthless craft and I regret taking it above 60 every Vana'diel day of my life.

Is leathercraft a good money maker? (im not asking you to reveal your LC secrets...)

Should I plan to delevel my alchemy and re-level LC to 100, what considerations should be made? (I realize that Clothcraft must also be taken to 60)..

On my server, there is a severe lacking of LC'ers....and Alchemists = Gilsellers....

So should I invest in Leathercraft? Or just call it a day and keep my lame ass alchemy?

Leathercraft is a decent money-maker if you are used to running around killing stuff. And for profits there really are no need to take leather past 60.

Hunt Sheep in Konschtat Highlands while you bring 4 stacks each of Distilled Water, Dark Crystals and Windurstian Tea Leafs.

Will take around 30 to 90 minutes to synth up all this, then sell leathers at AH (usually at quite a decent profit).

You can also opt to hunt Rams and do the same with their skins (recipe caps at either 35 or 36 cannot remember off-hand), the good thing about Rams is that they drop 0-6 skins every kill the downside is that BST/THF or THF/RNG is basically a must to kill these mobs efficient.

You need both widescan and some kind of TH to make the rams drop decently.

Taking leather past 60 is really a pain since you'll get almost no reward for it until you are 95+ and can HQ some recipe's or synth commisions off end-game gear (such as Dusk).

Basically stick to Alchemy as a main craft but take Leathercraft to at least 35-40 if you want to try skinhunting out, since that is a good money-maker no matter your level (on Ramuh Ramhunting can give approx 200k profit per hour if you kill fast and synth while you hunt)

[Darkea]

It Really depends on you're server, I've been checking out prices of stuff to make once I get 100, Dusk gear is pure $$$, 2mil profit just from NQ. Tanner + making leather is nice, if you can HQ and get a stack from 1 skin that some nice $$$ too, Sells very quickly as well. Can make anywhere from 4k to 30k profit a stack depending on the leathers you're doing. My leather craft freind with 100+3 can make 34mil a week from leather, HQ random stuff and Contrating.

[Liquidedust]

It Really depends on you're server, I've been checking out prices of stuff to make once I get 100, Dusk gear is pure $$$, 2mil profit just from NQ. Tanner + making leather is nice, if you can HQ and get a stack from 1 skin that some nice $$$ too, Sells very quickly as well. Can make anywhere from 4k to 30k profit a stack depending on the leathers you're doing. My leather craft freind with 100+3 can make 34mil a week from leather, HQ random stuff and Contrating.

Sadly you cannot HQ skins, well you can HQ and get animation but there is no extra yield on leather if you happen to HQ you always get a 1skin<->1leather ratio on all tanning synths (same goes for when you use a taning wat item).

And on my server Dusk gear is generally a slight profit but nothing really that validates the risk of blowing up Behemoth Hides/Leathers, and most people just do comissions on end-game gear such as Dusk or Unicorn on my server (not really something you synth and unload off at AH)

[Nakti]

I love the Papillion fireworks you would be able to make. They aren't a profitable synth on your server? What about Icarus Wings? Alchemy is filled with useful and usable items. Isn't there a regular need for them? What about the new Card synths for Corsair?

The trouble with working your way to the top of another craft is that by the time you do so, the pricing on many things will have changed. But maybe you want to check out the synths players will need for the new jobs - like the items for Puppetmaster.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

[Argenthart]

Leathercrafting can be profitable, but only if you stick to making supplies for other crafters (sheep leather, ram leather, etc.).

Getting past the beginning levels in leather crafting were the hardest, turning that profitable sheepskins into worthless solea (level 11) really hurt.

If you farm your own lizard skins (I think the dunes was the best at low levels) then getting to 16/17 is not so bad. Dhalmel leather takes you to 20 and it’s fairly profitable.

I think I did parchment to 29? Depending on server prices, it may not be too much of a loss.

Ram leather takes you to 36, and that has been a very profitable synth for me. It also helps if you have leveled bonecraft (so that you can make horn arrowheads). Between ram leather and sheep leather you can make good steady income.

As previously stated, the Konschtat Highlands (sp?) is the best, because you can get beehive chips, treat bulbs, lightning crystals, various seeds, etc. all within easy access.

Why are you having trouble making money on Alchemy? I am doing well making status bolt heads (now that they stack to 99) on my server. You have to be careful not to overload the market, but that is true of most consumables.

At any rate, leveling leathercrafting can definitely be worth the time and effort.

Good luck!

[YouCanCallMeBubba]

I love the Papillion fireworks you would be able to make. They aren't a profitable synth on your server? What about Icarus Wings? Alchemy is filled with useful and usable items. Isn't there a regular need for them? What about the new Card synths for Corsair?

The trouble with working your way to the top of another craft is that by the time you do so, the pricing on many things will have changed. But maybe you want to check out the synths players will need for the new jobs - like the items for Puppetmaster.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

Fireworks are always a very harsh loss, unless you're willing to bazaar them for weeks at a very high markup for the "im bored novelty'. Icarus wings are break even, at best. Generally Alchemy works like this, if you find a synth that you cna make money on, (Lets say S.Oil is at an all time high, with a possible 3k/stack profit).... chances are the gilsellers already know this, and have undercut it to hell.

[Argenthart]

It isn’t just alchemy that has problems like this (although I don’t know if it is gil sellers); any craft that produces consumables will exhibit a similar up and down cycle.

Selling leather will follow a similar pattern, although I think there are more problems with people powerleveling crafts than with gil sellers. I have had problems with jerks putting 10 stacks of ram leather on the AH and cutting the price by half. These people do a lot of damage, but fortunately they eventually move on to ruin some other synth.

I do think that those gil sellers that are high level crafters are a real problem; they have some high turnover items (like silent oil, shehei, and other ninja tools) kind of monopolized. What these people do is drop the prices down to break even when they see competition to drive you out of the market.

I just switch to something else (like status bolt heads or status bolts) and save my stuff until the prices return to normal.

[Ozymandius]

As a lvl 91+1 leathercrafter, i can make money alot easier with my 60 alchemy sub. I sometimes make leathers for profit, but only when i find the skins cheap at a guild, because the AH is too pricey/not enough stock and as a blm I cant farm em fast enough.

[Vivid]

if you want my opinion, having alchemy can be decent. your profit would come from things like beeswax and such, but im sure you already knew this.

as for leather craft, i would take it to 60 and try to get the leathercraft gloves, for a total of 60+1.

from here, i would go ahead and take up bonecraft to 100+3 to maximize your profit.

the only reason i say this is because at 69 (with leather sub 35), you can make SH. with bonecraft of 100+3 and leather 60+1 - on the right days and such - your chances of making SH+1 would be significantly increased.

at least, thats how i plan on making my guild profit.