Farming Vs. Crafting

Given all the changes to the game over the years and introduction of synergey. Is crafting still a viable way of making gil? With the mass effects on the economy due to the ease of getting some items now is farming still viable? If farming is viable any suggestions on what or where? As far as crafting any suggestions on a profitable craft?

Fishing, I can make around 300k/day NPCing fish
Or when I find a buyer I make a lot more selling Legendary fish.

I farm what i need to craft so my crafting is 100% profit. Shihei is a good craft to make profit on, also it is good to look at what your server has that sells at a good rate and for a good amount. On Odin my main two are shihei and different types of food. New spells for jobs sell well also, at least for a bit.

It really depends on what type of person you are. I couldn't stand farming, while crafting wasn't a pile of fun itself, I found farming to be extraordinarily boring. More times then not, you can make the same amount of gil, if not more by selling the mats you farmed for crafting.. But it really depends on what you're crafting.

Thanks for all the good information guys. Anyone know how profitable gardening is these days.

All the stuff i know you can garden don't sell for much on the ah anymore but pick something you want and have a look you may find something worth it.

Not necessarily. By forgoing the opportunity to sell the mats you farm, they implicitly become a cost (opportunity cost). Meaning that if you spend the time to farm the mats and you use them to create an item, the only "profit" you make from that item is whatever you profit above what you could have sold the mats for.


Technically you don't have any cash expenses, but time is money.

Thanks, finally someone who understands basic economic theory. Every time the topic of farming is brought up, people explain how they achieve higher profits by crafting using the materials they have just farmed. Consider your comparative advantage here: of you make your money farming, stick to farming; if you think you can make more money crafting, stick to crafting. Farming your own materials implicitly means you are lowering your gil/hour potential. If you think your ratio improves through farming, you shouldn't be crafting in the first place but sell the materials to other crafters. Stick to what you think you do best. The only reason anyone should consider betting on more than one horse is when you operate in a highly unstable market, which in the context of ffxi doesn't really exist. Saturated markets however do; if you find yourself unable to sell your product at a profit due to high supply and low demand, change your product.

Think entrepreneurial and stick to what you do best. Farming your own crafting materials is not more profitable than buying them. If there is no supply of the mats you need, farm them and sell them to other crafters while trying to reduce their markup in favor of yours.

OMFG! FINALLY some smart players!

Smithing is only 86 and all I do is wake up or before I sleep, camp the AH for ore to profit on or skill on. Also beastmen items. Desynth spamming and make items that npc for lots of profit. Sitting on 11m right now with nothing I really want to buy. Kinda sucks.