Guild Wars 2

Hello.

Is crafting essentially the same here as the majority of MMO’s, in that by the time you can craft an item you will have out leveled it’s usefulness?
My cunning plan is to level two characters with crafts useful for both of them. I have started with an Engineer [Cook, Jeweler] and Thief [Huntsman, Leatherworker].
The idea is to have buff food, Jewellery, ranged weapons, and armour.
Does this make sense or should I just gather everything as I travel around and craft at a later date?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Crafting while leveling is viable…. honestly, I have the reverse problem more often…. I can craft things I can’t wear yet!

One thing I will tell you is that your engineer will have a comparatively easy time while your thief will have two crafts competing for fine mats. My advice would be to put huntsman on your engineer and move jeweler of cook to your thief.

Both Huntsman and Leatherworker use fine mats (scales, venom sacs, blood, etc), while neither cook or jeweler do. By splitting the between the two characters, it’s a bit easier to manage your crafts and keep things marching in line as you level.

Either way, good luck to you!

In my opinion it is not. You can buy every think you need for far less (i.e. up to 20% of the crafting cost) on the TP.

If you only use materials you collect than you will outlevel the item before you learn to craft it because you need to craft a lot of stuff that you don’t need to level your crafting skill.

Haha just waited for CassieGold to say that it is. We have discussed this in at least two other threads. Some (like CassieGold) think it is, some (like me) think it isn’t.

CassieGold always has good arguments. But my argument is that finished items cost less than the materials to build them. Buy 5 items or craft 1 for the same price. Also in my experience you will not get enough materials along the way and need to buy additional stuff from TP. Of course this depends on how you play.

@TheBluel, I tip my hat to you as we do seem to keep running into eachother. To add to the dialogue without repeating tired old arguments, I thought I would approach the question from the perspective of: What playstyles lend well to crafting.

There are a few major leveling trajectories that can affect how well you will function as a crafter based on your own efforts.

Method #1: Map Completion / Renown Hearts. The goal in this method is to complete the map, finish each heart / vista / poi and move on. Hit gathering nodes along the way, but your focus is the things to complete. This can be fast leveling because the XP reward from the Hearts and other completion objectives is substantial. When using this method, I find that I finish the 1-15 zone around lvl 13, and if I start a 15 – 25 zone, I finish it around 22. The key for crafters is this method does not produce a significant volume of fine mats. Most of your XP is coming from completion objectives, so it’s not rewarding a lot of drops.

Method #2: Level like a Skritt: I often call this the ‘Ooooh, Shiney!’ method of leveling as you follow whatever draws your attention, moving from heart, to event, to personal story…. do whatever is fun. Nothing wrong with this method, it’s motivated by having fun, which is the point of a game! In the end, people who level this way tend to do better at crafting than completionists because they seem to be drawn to nodes, often chasing across the map for yet another gather. They get swept up in more things that produce drops, and that’s also good. Still, it’s not the best method for the crafter.

Method #3: Give me Events! Leveling this method is all about staying in events whenever possible. Follow chat in /map, and go where the action is. The leveling in this method is achieved through kill xp and the large exp awards at the end of events. This is the best method for the crafter. Here’s why: Events will do what hearts and personal story will not: produce wave upon wave of mobs that you slaughter…. and gain loot from. The 3 things of most interest to the crafter are; Loot Bags, Fine Mats; and White rarity weapons and armor (which you will salvage.)

As an example, 1 run of the harpy event outside the entrance to AC results in 6-12 vials of weak blood. That’s enough to craft 2-4 blue items in a 3 minute event. Or, more often than not, enough to craft 1 green item.

The world is full of event chains that will produce this kind of wealth for the crafter. Grubs in Queensdale, Centaur events in Hrathi Hinterlands…. the list goes on.

The savvy crafter can self source fine mats via event chaining as they level, and trust me…. you won’t buy mats often.

I have to agree with both CassieGold and TheBluel. On my first toon I decided to to the completionist way of playing. But I did hit every node I could find while doing it. The amount of fine materials is lower this way. I used the weapon and armors I picked up along the way. I also did Chef and Artificer on this toon. Chef levels pretty well because of the shear number of recipes he has. Now on my alts I have taken a different path where I am playing them for the fun on it. I also have mats left over from when my first toon played through. This has allowed me to craft my own weapons and armors and have a lot of fun doing it. I have three alts which each one covers the remaining 6 crafting professions. I actually had enough mats from my first toon to take Jewelry from 0 to 400 in one setting without having to get anything else. So I am able to craft jewelry for any level of toon and My other professions are moving up as my characters do as they get more materials. So I should finish off all the crafting professions around the same time. So I think it is more a matter of play style as stated above if you can craft while leveling to keep your character in stuff.

I’m a Skritt (additionally to your description I do that with multiple alts).

Maybe I should do more Method #3. So I often find it not so easy to find enough events and complete them in reasonable time. I’m currently on Whiteside Ridge and often find myself alone in events which can’t be won.

For me, the answer has been a definitive no. I’ve leveled a necromancer to 45 and an engineer to 62 so far, leveling off of an even mix of zone completion, events, and WvW (plus the crafting itself). Collecting enough of the fine claws/venom sacs/etc. for even one craft that requires them (per character) has trailed so far behind my leveling progress that it’s ridiculous. By contrast, equivalent items on the trading post are dirt cheap, and even that is expensive compared to the nearly effortless approach of keeping yourself outfitted in karma gear.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but for me it has been very disappointing. I like doing crafting in any game that offers it, and I really like the discovery mechanics GW2 has, but keeping myself equipped in my own crafted gear as I level has been so expensive and time-consuming compared to the alternatives, that I’ve given it up until I hit 80 and see if things are different then.

My opinion is no. I have 3 level 80s and several other toons in their 30s, 40s and 50s. The first character I leveled I tried to do it the “right” way. I crafted as I went thinking I wouldn’t have to buy from the TP.

While it’s definitely true that you can craft stuff that you can use, it’s a waste of money. You can make far more cash selling the mats on the TP and then buying what you want rather than crafting usable stuff.

In the end, I gave up. I’ve leveled up all but a couple of the crafting skills but did it just for completionist purposes. It’s not even worth using to twink out my alts because, again, I can sell the mats and buy the alts what they need and still end up with profit.

Its certainly possible to gear yourself up with crafted goods as you level. You’ll probably have to hit the TP to buy certain fine materials unless you’re really lucky on drops, but other than that its doable.

Whether its cost-effective is another issue altogether. As many have said, its probably cheaper to sell the materials and buy the crafted goods you want. Crafted goods (aside from Rares and higher) sell for dirt cheap most of the time, where materials sell for a decent chunk of change.

However, if you’re going to level up crafting anyway, when it can still be beneficial to craft as you go. You’ll still be losing money in the long haul, but in return you’re getting yourself even more character levels and getting your crafting skill up in small increments rather than having to grind out all 400 crafting all at once (personally I find small increments to be much more preferable than doing it all in one sitting), and you actually get to use some of the gear you make rather than selling it for little return.

If you’re into the aesthetics, you also might appreciate crafting as the crafted armor has unique looks compared to the stuff you loot, and the Rare quality weapons you can craft have unique looks and will be one of the only things you can probably make cheaper than you can buy.

So in short… if you’re going to craft anyway you may as well do it as you level, but if you don’t really think you’ll be crafting its cheaper to sell the materials and buy your gear.

GW2 has taught me to first goggle “is crafting worth it?” And read many reviews before purchasing the game. This is very helpful if meaningful/profitable crafting is very important to you in gameplay.

My first character… no I did not use crafted gear while leveling much. Maybe some pieces here and there to supplement gear I got from karma or other sources, but that was it. However, on alts I HAVE been keeping my crafting ahead of my current level easily. I have tons of fine crafting mats just from a couple of alts leveling through areas, and you don’t need many fine crafting mats if you do it right. It helps with leveling and keeps you slightly ahead of the game and keeps you in level-appropriate gear…. for your alts of course. You could do it on a main, first time character but you will spend a lot of time farming for mats and not actually playing the game.

Currently crafting is worth nothing unless you want to have to skill in the end to craft some legendary weapons. I have maxed all 8 crafting skills, because I like to craft. The system provided even the fun i used to get from a crafting system, but its value is zero. Whenever a twink needs more equipment, I twink a lot, I now could craft anything it might need. But to be honest, when I look only at the raw materials needed for any item of any level for any purpose – name it, it fits – selling the stuff and buying greens other people put up for selling, I would make profit.

The cost of making my own stuff is higher, then buying equal or better loot from other people.

Unlike you need xp for leveling (which I never ever need for one of my 8 chars) or you intend to build yourself a legendary, crafting is complete and utter useless.

One exception to each rule: cooking. You won’t possibly get rich, but since it will be used up, you could at least make some more for yourself.

So here is one for ArenaNet: give crafting some meaning. Currently it is a dead horse.

I use crafting to speed level my alts.

I got my first toon to level 80 used him to farm gold then use that gold to buy materials to craft with my alts. What i usually do is right from the start on a alt buy him a trade XP booster from gemstore transfer him 20 gold and max crafting of two crafts. This usualy results in me getting my alts over level 20 sometimes in the high twenties without even leaving my home city.

I find it more than worth the 20-25 gold to get the boost on leveling. Sometimes its alot less gold than that if i have a supply built up of materials.

There’s a fourth play-style to add to CassieGold’s list:
‘Crafting Geek’: This method levels and gains gold mainly by crafting. After earning an initial grubstake, you watch the TP for items you can craft profitably that also earn you levels. This method relies on completing events and dailies to earn karma, since most of the profit opportunities on the TP are rare (yellow) items made with parts from karma recipes. Other than that, you can sit in Lion’s Arch. Like any real-life manufacturer, you have to search hard for lowest-cost ingredients/parts, and adapt to the market quickly. Unlike a real manufacturer, you won’t develop a clientele and are therefore completely reliant on reacting to market conditions. You’ll need to watch the TP in real-time, rather than relying on web sites for analysis (they lag by a half-hour or so, which is way too long). You’ll make short production runs, since once the opportunity shows up on the web sites, it quickly disappears. Sometimes there won’t be a profit opportunity, and you’ll have to be patient. Getting your craft skill up to the first L35 rares is probably the hardest part. [Some people consider anything that involves watching the market to be merchanting rather than crafting. Since real manufacturers have to carefully watch costs and react to the market, I’d draw the line between the two elsewhere – merchants make money buy buying, transporting, and selling or buying in bulk and selling retail. Manufacturers buy, transform the materials, and sell them.]

Daulnay.4971:

There’s a fourth play-style to add to CassieGold’s list:
‘Crafting Geek’: This method levels and gains gold mainly by crafting. After earning an initial grubstake, you watch the TP for items you can craft profitably that also earn you levels. This method relies on completing events and dailies to earn karma, since most of the profit opportunities on the TP are rare (yellow) items made with parts from karma recipes. Other than that, you can sit in Lion’s Arch. Like any real-life manufacturer, you have to search hard for lowest-cost ingredients/parts, and adapt to the market quickly. Unlike a real manufacturer, you won’t develop a clientele and are therefore completely reliant on reacting to market conditions. You’ll need to watch the TP in real-time, rather than relying on web sites for analysis (they lag by a half-hour or so, which is way too long). You’ll make short production runs, since once the opportunity shows up on the web sites, it quickly disappears. Sometimes there won’t be a profit opportunity, and you’ll have to be patient. Getting your craft skill up to the first L35 rares is probably the hardest part. [Some people consider anything that involves watching the market to be merchanting rather than crafting. Since real manufacturers have to carefully watch costs and react to the market, I’d draw the line between the two elsewhere – merchants make money buy buying, transporting, and selling or buying in bulk and selling retail. Manufacturers buy, transform the materials, and sell them.]

Careful there, you’re going to draw out the crowd that says that crafting isn’t profitable, and when you tell them how to profit via crafting, they insist that you’re only playing the TP, not crafting.

I happen to agree with you, and I’ve got at least two characters who are lvl 400 in 4 crafts, so it’s entirely viable to level characters at speed with crafting.

Also, thumbs up for not using the websites, TP in realtime is way better!

If you gather all the resources while levelling and salvage every piece of armor you find, you’ll be able to craft all the armor you need. Also, crafting is a great way to gain some extra XP.
Crafting while levelling is great.