Short Thought: How FFXIV Makes the Mundane Worthwhile.

Final Fantasy XIV is a game I've played on and off for some time now, but only recently have I begun to dive into the games “Disciple of the Hand / Land”. These consist of the game’s gathering and crafting jobs, from blacksmithing and carpentry to fishing and botany.

Typically, I wouldn’t engage with systems like these, finding them boring and the payout often unworthy. Despite this, however, I find myself leveling these classes incredibly often, sometimes even more so than my main combat classes. Thanks to the way FFXIV incentivises these jobs, along with having streamlined methods to level them, they’re unquestionably worth your time. Money is not the easiest thing to come by in large amounts, however, high-level crafters can earn an ungodly amount of money in a relatively short time through crafting items and weapons for other players. These can be anything from furnishings for player homes to quest items, for people that want to skip the grind. The player-controlled market controls what sells for the highest price. This can even help when you reach the endgame for yourself, being able to craft all of your own items will save you a ton of money in the long run.

Alongside this, all of these jobs tie into each other really well, higher level blacksmiths with require materials from high-level mining and botany. While this can most definitely increase the time you’ll spend if you want to level only one or two jobs, over time, this will save so much time and money. FFXIV manages to keep everything worthwhile, and even makes them feel incredibly rewarding.