Another noob question about crafting

[A_nonymous]

Is it really useful at all? I have found that it's not so far. I'm only lvl 23, but so far everything I craft is way, way, way crappier than the stuff I loot or buy at merchants. Plus, once I gather the materials for it I'm not convinced I'm coming out ahead money wise either. I've tried Amstech and cybertech as a trooper and bounty hunter respectively. Neither seems appealing to me. Is it worth it trying to craft anything and gather the resources to do so?

[DPCummerbund]

Is it really useful at all? I have found that it's not so far. I'm only lvl 23, but so far everything I craft is way, way, way crappier than the stuff I loot or buy at merchants. Plus, once I gather the materials for it I'm not convinced I'm coming out ahead money wise either. I've tried Amstech and cybertech as a trooper and bounty hunter respectively. Neither seems appealing to me. Is it worth it trying to craft anything and gather the resources to do so?

 

I'm a little higher up than you, but not by much. Most of my toons are in their upper 20s or low 30s. I have tried all the crafting skills except Biochem, and have most of them in the upper 200s or low 300s now.

 

As for whether the gear is better or not, that depends on what you're making vs. what you're looting. In general, I have not found this to be the case at all. Everything I craft for my toons is either Blue or Orange. I rarely get Blue or Orange stuff from vendors or as loot. Orange and Blue stuff is available on the GTN, but there's no way I could afford to buy entirely new sets of blue and orange stuff every few levels on the GTN, and I can do that with crafting. I can certainly craft purple items, but I have found that they're not really worth the extra effort, at least for me.

 

However, having said that, I'm not sure all the crafting skills are entirely "worth it" while you're leveling, except for Cybertech. With Cybertech, I can afford to have the best Armor and Mods in my Orange gear at every level, and as I said before, there's no way I can buy that kind of stuff from a vendor, and I haven't been that lucky in looting. Armstech is worth it for non-Force users for the barrels, and Artifice for the crystals and hilts, and both for Enhancements. Synthweaving and Armortech are particularly weak due to the ease of getting Orange stuff and re-modding it.

[Kerensk]

At 10-30 you level up so fast you quickly outpace your gear so I think it's less useful then. Up in the late 30s and 40s you'll spend more time in your level so crafting the purple gear starts to make more sense.

[A_nonymous]

I'm a trooper. As an example, I can create a mod that has the stats +8 aim, +6 endurance. I can go down to the mods vendor and buy a mod that has +12 aim, +10 endurance. So the crafting seems worthless to me. If I try to sell the mod I made, it gets me like 10 credits but gathering the materials to make it costs way more than that.

[Gidrea]

I don't think it's useful at all, at least not in terms of the investment needed. You get much better mods from your planetary comms than you can make at your level, and leveling up a crafting skill takes a TON of credits, which may leave you short of funds for training.

 

And there's really not much profit to make from it in the long run. If you really, really like crafting, then do it. Otherwise, it's more profitable to have gathering skills and sell the stuff you get.

[westcoastmos]

A question for those of you who believe crafting to be useless: Have you kept current on your crafting skill? Have you visited a crafting trained to increase the goods you are able to craft? I ask because I just recently discovered this and it has made a world of difference.

[A_nonymous]

A question for those of you who believe crafting to be useless: Have you kept current on your crafting skill? Have you visited a crafting trained to increase the goods you are able to craft? I ask because I just recently discovered this and it has made a world of difference.

 

I have, but am not eligible to learn better materials. I am saving for a speeder so I don't have the money to spend on crafting.

[KuroshimaiHD]

To be honest, most of the crafting skills are worthless and aren't worth the time put into them. The only one I would consider using at this point is Biochem, but it'll probably be nerfed into the ground soon.

[Inspecter]

I'm a trooper. As an example, I can create a mod that has the stats +8 aim, +6 endurance. I can go down to the mods vendor and buy a mod that has +12 aim, +10 endurance. So the crafting seems worthless to me. If I try to sell the mod I made, it gets me like 10 credits but gathering the materials to make it costs way more than that.

 

You do know about Reverse Engineering, right? break down the green items you make and you can learn 3 different blue (more and better stats) versions of it...each of which can be further REd to get 5 purple (even more and even better stats) versions.

Granted, it takes a while to do that, so it's generally not something worth doing early on...but as you get higher in level and spend more time in a level it can work out. Generally in the 30's it's worth going to blue on things you craft as you're running around, I've found. Especially on those crafts where you can get materials from things you're killing any way in addition to resource nodes.

[Gidrea]

A question for those of you who believe crafting to be useless: Have you kept current on your crafting skill? Have you visited a crafting trained to increase the goods you are able to craft? I ask because I just recently discovered this and it has made a world of difference.

 

Yes, and for example: every time I buy a new schematic, or re-engineer one to purple level, BW puts out a better crystal that be purchased from a vendor or given as a reward.

 

To be honest, most of the crafting skills are worthless and aren't worth the time put into them. The only one I would consider using at this point is Biochem, but it'll probably be nerfed into the ground soon.

 

Biochem is OK, the stims that persist through death and the medpacs that heal you and your companion are only available that way. So far...

[DPCummerbund]

I'm a trooper. As an example, I can create a mod that has the stats +8 aim, +6 endurance. I can go down to the mods vendor and buy a mod that has +12 aim, +10 endurance. So the crafting seems worthless to me. If I try to sell the mod I made, it gets me like 10 credits but gathering the materials to make it costs way more than that.

 

Then your crafting is below level. It depends on how spec your trooper , but for level 23, the best Aim Mod you should be able to make is "Reflex Mod 8", which is a level 21 mod. The base green stats are +12 Aim, +4 Endurance. If you reverse engineer the Green item to a Blue, your Aim Mod becomes +15 Aim, +5 Endurance. I haven't reverse engineered a Blue into a Purple at that level, but the stats would be even higher. The stuff at the vendor is higher in Endurance if you're a tanking trooper, but Aim is still your primary stat, so either way I think you can do better.

[A_nonymous]

Yeah, that's not me. I can make 1 and 2 stuff.

[DPCummerbund]

Yeah, that's not me. I can make 1 and 2 stuff.

 

 

Then keep crafting! The great thing about crafting in this game is that it's really easy to craft above your level. If Level 2 stuff is still at least green for you, you'll be leveling your skill when you make it. If it's greyed out, you're not leveling your skill, and you need to go back to your crafting trainer to learn more.

 

It is a little hard to craft in your low 20s if you're saving up for a speeder. After that, it's really easy for crafting to take off, as there's nothing else to save up for after that.

[DanteKardo]

It really depends on your playstyle. I've found Synthweaving to be very resourceful for Sorcerers considering Light armor drops aren't as frequent as the other ranges and what you craft in Synth usually keeps you geared for your current level range.

 

on the other hand, I've found Synthweaving to be completely pointless on my Jug since every next-best drop of armor exceeds my currently crafted material, and I keep leveling the crafting stats constantly on the side.

[Eternalnight]

Then your crafting is below level.

 

Or he is not reverse engineering.

 

As a matter of fact for a character below level 50, crafting crew skills are the easiest way to get the best possible gear you can get at that level. You get very few purple mods if you don't craft them.

 

Of course the materials costs and time taken to craft and reverse engineer all the greens until you learn to make blues and then to craft and reverse engineer blues until you learn to make purples are quite high, but for low level player who can't get endgame gear, this is the best gear you can get, if you can afford the materials costs and can take the time. Not always an option when leveling your first character.

 

Even if you reverse engineer only up to until you can make blues (which even most "new players" should be able to afford) the crafted stuff will be at least as good as stuff like commendations gear or fp loot.

Sometimes even the blue crafted stuff is better than blue commendation stuff.For example the only way for a low level player to get barrels/hilts/armorings with primary stat>endurance is to craft them as commendation vendors only sell ones with endurance>primary stat

[Cleet_Xia]

How to make crafting worth it while leveling.

 

1) Gather mats to grind that skill without spending credits

2) only send comps on the longest missions (rich, abundant)

3) don't buy all the paterns - just the one's you can use for yourself or a companion

4) don't research anything to purple quality, the optimal blues for your spec are better than most anything that will drop.

5) crafted blues on level are better than modable gear from an on level planet. Use your comms for gear you can't make yourself.

6) companion affection, makes a big difference in crew mission yields. You can push most companion's affection to 6K with 33k credits spent on level 1 gifts. And it will pay you back in mats from your crew missions, every time.

 

Something that will help a great deal with your economics while leveling is, don't buy speeder II or III. They seriously are not worth what you pay for them. And you won't need the protection from being dismounted until you're doing the dailies at 50.

 

running speed = 1

speeder I speed = 1.9 (+90% to running speed)

speeder III speed = 2.1 (+110% to running speed)

 

((2.1 -1.9 )/1.9 )*100 = actually only a 10% speed increase. But it costs the better part of 500,000 credits to get, between the cost of the training and the speeders.

[DPCummerbund]

It really depends on your playstyle. I've found Synthweaving to be very resourceful for Sorcerers considering Light armor drops aren't as frequent as the other ranges and what you craft in Synth usually keeps you geared for your current level range.

 

on the other hand, I've found Synthweaving to be completely pointless on my Jug since every next-best drop of armor exceeds my currently crafted material, and I keep leveling the crafting stats constantly on the side.

 

 

Yeah, I think Synthweaving is really only useful for light armor wearers. Even then, I wouldn't choose it. To me, Synthweaving and Armortech are both fairly useless. I find Cybertech to be far and away the most useful, then Armstech or Artifice depending on whether you're a Force-user or not. Then, maybe the other two and Biochem.

[bobmcbo]

if you keep it up (seems like you've been neglecting to train to get new schematics), it's SEMI useful. Stuff you make is better than vendor trash, some drops, and some quest items, but alot of rare and special stuff is still going to be much better

[DPCummerbund]

How to make crafting worth it while leveling.

 

1) Gather mats to grind that skill without spending credits

2) only send comps on the longest missions (rich, abundant)

3) don't buy all the paterns - just the one's you can use for yourself or a companion

4) don't research anything to purple quality, the optimal blues for your spec are better than most anything that will drop.

5) crafted blues on level are better than modable gear from an on level planet. Use your comms for gear you can't make yourself.

6) companion affection, makes a big difference in crew mission yields. You can push most companion's affection to 6K with 33k credits spent on level 1 gifts. And it will pay you back in mats from your crew missions, every time.

 

This is absolutely correct. Blue is the point of diminishing returns for crafting while leveling. You'll only need to make 5 Greens on average to make a Blue item. But you'll need to make 25 Green items (on average) to reverse engineer a Purple.

 

And depending on your server, you may be able to make a lot of money selling extra Blues on the GTN.

[bobmcbo]

if we're talking biochem, researching up to purples is DEFINITELY worth it. Who doesn't love infinite medpacks?

[Gidrea]

if we're talking biochem, researching up to purples is DEFINITELY worth it. Who doesn't love infinite medpacks?

 

The reusable medpacs can only be used if you have the biochem skill. And there's a Rakata schem you can buy to make one for yourself. They are BOP, though, sadly. There's a stim, too, also BOP, so only buy the one you can use!

Edited July 25, 2012 by Gidrea

[Cleet_Xia]

The problem with biochem is that the drop rate for medpacks while leveling is so high that you'll probably never use all the ones that drop before you level to the next grade of medpack. You end up vendering them. Biochem is far more useful while leveling as a source of implants, which drop only rarely, and to my knowledge can't be bought from any vender.

 

The armor professions are actually the best crafts for leveling imo. So long as you don't care what your toon looks like. Because the crafted armors are signifigantly better than modded gear on level, specialty vender gear, commendation gear, or anything that will drop. The green versions only require gathered mats & supplements, so there is almost no credit cost. And then you only have to run enough mission skill missions for the blue mats needed for your basically Best in Slot (for level) piece of gear. Between grades- you run companion gift missions.

 

Crafted blues will sell well on the GTN for roughly double the mat cost. But you will never sell lowbie crafted purples for what the mats are worth.

[parmie]

Crafting is like other parts of the game you get out of it what you're willing to put into it. If you sink some credits, time and thought into it, you should be getting out items you can use while levelling regardles of what skill you've chosen.

 

I'm levelling a synthweaver alt and he even the green boots he could make at my new level were better than I had. I might quickly replace them but they took about 6 minutes to gather mats and make all while I was moving around the environment.

[A_nonymous]

It sounds like I'm doing everything wrong with crafting. I went Armstech, diplomacy and scavenging. I found I couldn't craft any of the blues I had plans for because I couldn't get the materials. So I went to the trainer and unlocked all the plans I could even if they didn't work for me. I could make vibroblades and electro staffs although I can't use them as a trooper. Then I scrapped armstech and went to cybertech but again, couldn't craft the blues. It sounds like I need to scrap diplomacy and go with underworld trading. Does that sound right?

 

I unlocked the speeder and love it at first blush. One came with my game copy so I only had to pay $35k for the skill.

[Owsley]

It sounds like I'm doing everything wrong with crafting. I went Armstech, diplomacy and scavenging. I found I couldn't craft any of the blues I had plans for because I couldn't get the materials. So I went to the trainer and unlocked all the plans I could even if they didn't work for me. I could make vibroblades and electro staffs although I can't use them as a trooper. Then I scrapped armstech and went to cybertech but again, couldn't craft the blues. It sounds like I need to scrap diplomacy and go with underworld trading. Does that sound right?

 

I unlocked the speeder and love it at first blush. One came with my game copy so I only had to pay $35k for the skill.

 

Anyone who crafts needs to read these two threads before they do anything, including picking their crafting skills:

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=132015

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=45866