Guild Wars 2

Allow me to explain. I understand how Crafting works – the basics of gathering materials, combining random mats in the hopes of discovering new recipes, following the recipes that are already given to you – but everything else about the system seems slow and unintuitive.

I chose to roll with Artificer and Tailoring (I play a Mesmer). I gather or harvest at pretty much every node I come across, and keep the vast majority of fine crafting mats that drop randomly. I head to the crafting station whenever I stop by a city or settlement that has one and – lo and behold! – I never have the requisite materials to make even the most basic items.

I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it just seems that the only reliable way to get crafting materials is through the Trading Post, and even then you’re dealing with the arduous process of planning out exactly WHAT materials you need to buy to raise your level exactly THIS much. It’s expensive, daunting, and frankly I don’t see the use.

Is there some easy, efficient means of getting past those first 30-40 crafting levels and actually unlocking interesting stuff? A better way to get your hands on large quantities of basic materials? I just feel like there’s an unintuitive wall preventing me from having any fun with it.

PaybackPrahl.3192:

Allow me to explain. I understand how Crafting works – the basics of gathering materials, combining random mats in the hopes of discovering new recipes, following the recipes that are already given to you – but everything else about the system seems slow and unintuitive.

I chose to roll with Artificer and Tailoring (I play a Mesmer). I gather or harvest at pretty much every node I come across, and keep the vast majority of fine crafting mats that drop randomly. I head to the crafting station whenever I stop by a city or settlement that has one and – lo and behold! – I never have the requisite materials to make even the most basic items.

I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it just seems that the only reliable way to get crafting materials is through the Trading Post, and even then you’re dealing with the arduous process of planning out exactly WHAT materials you need to buy to raise your level exactly THIS much. It’s expensive, daunting, and frankly I don’t see the use.

Is there some easy, efficient means of getting past those first 30-40 crafting levels and actually unlocking interesting stuff? A better way to get your hands on large quantities of basic materials? I just feel like there’s an unintuitive wall preventing me from having any fun with it.

My recommendation at low levels is to salvage as much as possible, and kill as much as you can in the zones. I have a maxed huntsman prof on my ranger and it is fantastic to be making high lvl gear that not only you can use, but your guild and the rest of the economy can use as well.

Take some time, look into the recipes you can unlock, and just keep playing. You will get rewarded in the end.

PaybackPrahl.3192:

I chose to roll with Artificer and Tailoring (I play a Mesmer). I gather or harvest at pretty much every node I come across, and keep the vast majority of fine crafting mats that drop randomly. I head to the crafting station whenever I stop by a city or settlement that has one and – lo and behold! – I never have the requisite materials to make even the most basic items.

You are not going to have materials for Tailoring from gathering or harvesting. You get cloth from salvaging items, so you need a Salvaging Kit and then salvage cloth items you get from monsters.

Regardless, you should be able to craft some items by now. Have you noticed that you can’t just craft, say, a staff, but rather you need to craft two staff parts and then craft a staff? If you have been gathering wood and killing monsters, you should have at least enough wood and Vials of Weak Blood to make some weapons.

Erasculio.2914:

You are not going to have materials for Tailoring from gathering or harvesting. You get cloth from salvaging items, so you need a Salvaging Kit and then salvage cloth items you get from monsters.

Good point – I’ll start keeping the basic cloth items I get from monsters instead of destroying or offloading at merchants to save bag space.

PaybackPrahl.3192:

Good point – I’ll start keeping the basic cloth items I get from monsters instead of destroying or offloading at merchants to save bag space.

You should always be carrying at least one salvage kit. Salvage all blues and whites. Check market prices on runes before salvaging greens and above. After salvaging use the Deposit all

Also just a heads up, if you have two of any armor/weapon smithing one you will be severely hindered by the fact they both require fine crafting materials. If you are serious about crafting (getting to max level or using for xp) then I highly recommend having cooking or jeweling as the second craft profession. That way you don’t double up on supplies (except for some metals in jewelery)

My method for not being broke 24/7 while leveling early on was to salvage all white items and vendor the blues and greens. I still had a decent flow of money coming in but I was also able to support my crafting.

What crafting are you doing? Tailoring is the only one that suffers this problem, and that’s only because the market for cloth (the drop rate) is way out of step with all the other crafting materials.

Also, it’s foolish and harmful to consider the market your enemy in crafting. The market is your friend. If you do insist on tailoring, then you should sell the excess materials you obtain from your other gathering professions to buy the extra items that you need. Pro-tip: once you no longer gain skill points from making intermediate items, buy them. At that point, sell off your excess raw materials. I don’t think any player in the game should ever need to make a green dowel or copper hook again – the market is flooded with them. The market is flooded with many of the 1-75 crafting components. Use those to your advantage, to do it more cheaply than those who went before you.

And goodness gracious do not make any 8-slot bags! Waste of your low-level materials. Don’t make any of the bigger bags either, for that matter.

I made 4 8-slot bags. I wish I read the forums earlier. Also, items that are equippable can be salvaged? I read blues and whites….so even if it doesn’t say salvagable you can salvage armor/weapons?

Kryadan.2465:

I made 4 8-slot bags. I wish I read the forums earlier. Also, items that are equippable can be salvaged? I read blues and whites….so even if it doesn’t say salvagable you can salvage armor/weapons?

Pretty much any drop that isn’t a crafting material or junk(gray) or event item can be salvaged. You can just hover over an item with the salvage kit active. The item with get a red tint if it can’t be salvaged. Things you buy from vendors can’t be salvaged either, this includes things bought with karma. I believe Personal Story rewards are not salvageable either but I need to double check.

Salvaging lv68+ rare/exotic gear is going to be your primary way of getting the materials(like globs of ectoplasm) for crafting exotic gear.