[Feedback] Crafting too complicated

[Jeydra.4386]

Today I attempted to outfit my Ranger with full ascended equipment for the first time. I don't lack materials - I have almost 1k gold and 10k gems, as well as tons of laurels, rare crafting materials, level 500 Leatherworkers, etc. It didn't go well. GW2's crafting is too complicated.

 

I knew I wanted Harrier's stats, so I went to the Wiki and searched for it. The resulting page had over a hundred equipment with Harrier's stats. I knew I wanted medium armor, but even with e.g. Medium armor ascended boots there were six different pieces of equipment (That's not counting the link for "further results"). I knew I wanted to craft, not raid for them, so I made two Insignia of the Harrier, but then couldn't use them to craft equipment because I apparently need Zehtuka's Harrier's Insignia. Then it turns out I can't make them because I don't have the recipe, so I went to do the meta and got it and made two Zehtuka's Harrier's Insignia. And then it turns out that I _still_ can't craft because to make the actual armor pieces I need even more recipes which require a collection and/or aren't guaranteed to drop. What. Not to mention it's apparently possible to stat change.

 

At this point the biggest reason I play only two classes is because I don't want to figure out how to equip the others. It's just too complicated. I don't lack materials, but I also don't want to click through a hundred links to figure out what's the most efficient way to craft the equipment.

 

Please simplify, thanks.

[Danikat.8537]

You've picked probably one of the most difficult stat combinations to make, which is certainly not ideal for your first set of ascended equipment.

 

However it looks like you've gotten past most of the complicated parts, and the good news is the recipes you need for the specific armour pieces can all be purchased from the Trading Post. Just search for "Recipe: Zehtuka's" and they'll all come up, and once you've got that it's just a matter of getting the materials together.

 

Be aware that some of those materials are time gated (Silk Weaving Thread and Thick Elonian Cord) but you can buy the materials they're used to make - Bolt of Damask and Elonian Leather Square from the Trading Post if you don't want to wait. (If you have a level 500 crafter it's a good idea to make the time gated materials whenever you have enough of the base material, either to keep for your own use or because you can then make the tradable materials and sell them to get gold.)

[Funky.4861]

The wiki would have told you that you needed to unlock the recipes for the insignia/inscription and the armour pieces. You do have 2 exotic harriers' insignias, which you can use in the mystic forge to convert 2 pieces of existing ascended armour into harriers, so now you have 4 pieces of ascended harriers' armour. Assuming you have the mats for the rest, you should be done within a day, which is pretty good for BiS gear which you can move to any other medium-armour character you have. You might have more issues with getting harriers' trinkets; i think the LS4 trinkets u can buy with map currency have them as an option.

[Luthan.5236]

Crafting isn't complicated. Once you know the basics and how recipes are set up ... it should not be that hard with the wiki. Important is that for some stuff that might be discoverable for a few prefixes ... for other ones it needs recipes.

 

The main problem with crafting I guess is that it isn't fun. (One of the more boring crafting systems in MMORPG I saw so far.) You just do it if you need own stuff. Or once to level to 500 for the achievements.

 

Cooking probably needs the most "work" and research. If recipes require multiple steps and you don't only want to produce the last step but everything yourself.

[Khisanth.2948]

It is exactly the same as the things you needed to do to level the discipline to 500 ... did you learn nothing from the process? O_o

 

> @"Funky.4861" said:

> The wiki would have told you that you needed to unlock the recipes for the insignia/inscription and the armour pieces. You do have 2 exotic harriers' insignias, which you can use in the mystic forge to convert 2 pieces of existing ascended armour into harriers, so now you have 4 pieces of ascended harriers' armour. Assuming you have the mats for the rest, you should be done within a day, which is pretty good for BiS gear which you can move to any other medium-armour character you have. You might have more issues with getting harriers' trinkets; i think the LS4 trinkets u can buy with map currency have them as an option.

 

As a result of the recent changes you can use any of the stat selectable trinkets from LS3 and LS4 or actually just any stat selectable trinkets from nearly anywhere as long as you own PoF.

 

My Renegade has a full set of Harrier trinkets with rings and accessories from LS3, back item from a HoT achievement(Magister's Pack) and the amulet from a PoF achievement.

[Jeydra.4386]

> @"Khisanth.2948" said:

> It is exactly the same as the things you needed to do to level the discipline to 500 ... did you learn nothing from the process? O_o

 

This complexity is why it took me ages to get the discipline to 500 too. A big part of why I eventually did it is because there was a guide to get from 400 to 500 in all the crafting disciplines (you can Google for it). If there's a guide somewhere for how to do the same to acquire equipment of X stats, let me know.

 

@"Danikat.8537" It's not my first set of ascended armor. One of the other two characters I mentioned is in ascended armor, the other is in legendary armor. I'm not new to the game; I even have almost 31k AP. Doesn't change the fact that crafting is very complicated. If the Wiki ever went down, how many people would know how to acquire one of these armors?

[Electra.7530]

I agree that crafting is extremely complex in this game at higher levels obviously. It is as challenging as the higher level maps, if you will. I am kind of lazy and don't like to have to constantly alt + tab out of the game to figure things out. I'd like to be able to stay in game and craft my stuff. But, that's not possible. So, I'm thankful there is Guild Wars 2 Wiki. I wouldn't have half the things I have in game without it.

[Rauderi.8706]

Dunno if I would use "complicated."

Convoluted.

Obfuscated.

Badly in need of razing and rebuilding.

But overall it's straightforward, unless you're relying on a wiki'able "Discovery" system that was tired since launch.

[Chichimec.9364]

> @"Jeydra.4386" said:

>...I don't lack materials, but I...don't want to click through a hundred links to figure out what's the most efficient way to craft the equipment.

This. I understand the op's frustration because I've been through the same thing myself.

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"Jeydra.4386" said:

> GW2's crafting is too complicated.

 

It only seems that way because there are tons of recipes that are completely useless and you can't filter them properly. Once you get used to that and get the hang of it, it will become a lot easier. You'll still have a way too long list of things you can craft, but at least you will learn where to look.

 

Tip: Filter by the term "ascended" (and look under "Refined" for the basic ascended daily ingredients like Elonian Leather), or by the [prefix](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Attribute_combinations "prefix") of the set you want to craft (e.g., "Zojja" for Berserker's).

 

P.S. As for insigniae and inscriptions: yes, I agree that it's handled in the most complicated manner, because of the different ways you get hold of them, depending on the stats. It's almost as bad as getting used to the hundreds of currencies this game features, but again, you'll get used to it. :) In some cases, crafting something cheaper, then [changing the stats in the Mystic Forge](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Stat_changing "changing the stats in the Mystic Forge") is the easier approach.

[JusticeRetroHunter.7684]

It's not just complicated, but it makes completely no sense. I shouldn't have to learn how to craft all the professions in order to reach a build i'd like to use.

 

A profession is by definition the specialty of an individual that makes one qualified to do something. Because nothing of value between professions is trade-able, we have to learn how to CRAFT everything and learn all 8 proffessions...that makes absolutely no sense.

 

It should be like this.

 

I am a professional huntsman. If you want something that only a huntsman can offer, you need to trade me something for my time/money/efforts etc....That's how the real world works and it makes perfect sense...Why would an astrophysicist need to learn how to do maintenance on a jet engine in order to make a rocket ship? In reality you'd hire a specialist (an aircraft mechanic) to help you build your jet propulsion system.

[Alexa Scorpionwitch.8567]

The whole progression to make something is what drives me nuts. If I want to build a bench then I have to make chairs, then I have to use those chairs to make better chairs, then I build a bench, but not the one I want. I use that bench to build another bench...just build a damn bench and who needs a pen, paper, ink set, sandpaper, and linseed oil to make a campfire? I need wood and fire, that should be the recipe.

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"JusticeRetroHunter.7684" said:

> It's not just complicated, but it makes completely no sense. I shouldn't have to learn how to craft all the professions in order to reach a build i'd like to use.

 

1. MMO crafting is needed as a material sink.

2. MMO crafting doesn't have to make perfect sense, it's not reality. ;)

[JusticeRetroHunter.7684]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"JusticeRetroHunter.7684" said:

> > It's not just complicated, but it makes completely no sense. I shouldn't have to learn how to craft all the professions in order to reach a build i'd like to use.

>

> 1. MMO crafting is needed as a material sink.

And material sinks only exist because nothing is rare...and the things that are rare aren't tradeable. Why do you think the profit margins on the T.P. are RAZOR thin...

 

> 2. MMO crafting doesn't have to make perfect sense, it's not reality. ;)

"It doesn't have to make perfect sense."

My boss tells me this at work when she wants me to do something completely stupid and redundant. It's a good thing i never listen to her otherwise the company would have gone under years ago.

 

[Funky.4861]

Crafting is not complicated apart from Chef; it's really formulaic and intuitive unless you're going for specialised stats or items. For most crafting, you need a recipe for the insignia/inscription and a recipe for the piece of armour/weapon, then you make the components in the recipe- how hard or complicated is that? To level-up in crafting is also very easy; use the 'gives exp' filter and craft as many of the cheapest item/whatever you have the most mats for. Chef is the only one which annoyed me because it's unintuitive and most of what you make is a waste of time and money. Having said that, getting it from 400-500 was easy given that the quests gave you 10 levels each.

[Jeydra.4386]

> @"Funky.4861" said:

> Crafting is not complicated apart from Chef; it's really formulaic and intuitive unless you're going for specialised stats or items. For most crafting, you need a recipe for the insignia/inscription and a recipe for the piece of armour/weapon, then you make the components in the recipe- how hard or complicated is that? To level-up in crafting is also very easy; use the 'gives exp' filter and craft as many of the cheapest item/whatever you have the most mats for. Chef is the only one which annoyed me because it's unintuitive and most of what you make is a waste of time and money. Having said that, getting it from 400-500 was easy given that the quests gave you 10 levels each.

 

Thanks for warning me I have another episode of playing GW2 with the Wiki open in another window to look forward to :(

[LucianDK.8615]

Do remember you can gobble unwanted food now, to turn it into ascended food ingredients.

[Shena Fu.5792]

It's hard to see the whole picture from a wiki. It's nothing but links to links to links. Then you have opened a dozen tabs in your browser. It's a rabbit hole problem with wikis.

 

You should use something like GW2Efficiency, that breaks down every component and subcomponent in very easy organized table. It also tells you what items or components are time gated, or other restrictions. It also compares the prices between crafting or purchasing from trading post.

[Zaklex.6308]

> @"Chichimec.9364" said:

> > @"Jeydra.4386" said:

> >...I don't lack materials, but I...don't want to click through a hundred links to figure out what's the most efficient way to craft the equipment.

> This. I understand the op's frustration because I've been through the same thing myself.

 

Hundreds of links is extreme exaggeration, you don't have to click through hundreds...if you know what you want to make you search for that specific item on the wiki and it will take you to that item...at the most there will be 2 or 3 links additional...but to say hundreds doesn't lend itself to even believing the OP tried to craft.

[Leo G.4501]

If it's your first ascended set, it becomes easier as you have/find more and more recipes and get more crafts to max.

 

As you do content, find out what rewards drop and likely you'll want to pick it up and use it. I mean, what else do you have to do in-game but fill out your account?

[Knighthonor.4061]

The customization crafting should been more of a thing in this game instead of how they have it here.

[Chichimec.9364]

> @"Zaklex.6308" said:

> Hundreds of links is extreme exaggeration, you don't have to click through hundreds...if you know what you want to make you search for that specific item on the wiki and it will take you to that item...at the most there will be 2 or 3 links additional...but to say hundreds doesn't lend itself to even believing the OP tried to craft.

 

Hehe, people do tend to exaggerate when frustrated but saying there will be 2-3 additional links at most is also a bit of an exaggeration, albeit in the other direction. I've been thinking about trying my hand at crafting legendary sigils in anticipation of their use in build templates. So I compiled the checklist below of what's involved in crafting a sigil. Just getting the list of all required ingredients took following some 15 links. There are 37 different ingredients so if I needed information on how to acquire them, that would mean following more links for each, and so forth. Crafting one sigil could involve following 53 different links or more.

 

Now I understand that this is legendary crafting and that should be an intricate process. Just gathering the necessary information seems needlessly complicated though. What the solution is I don't know. Certainly I wouldn't fault the wiki contributors. They are already doing heroic work that benefits the whole community. I don't have the time or the knowledge to try to re-work the wiki myself so I am not criticizing them at all. Normally I'd expect the game makers to provide all required information for their game in a concise, usable form. That doesn't seem to be the case with Anet though. Given the cutbacks, it's not clear that Anet has the capability to even do what the player community is already doing. So I'm not sure there is a reasonable alternative to the present information system.

 

Legendary Sigil:

*[]Gift of Sigils

[]Gift of Craftsmanship

[]Gift of Condensed Might

[]Gift of Condensed Magic

 

Gift of Sigils:

[]75 Mystic Motes (each mote = 75 lucent crystals; 1 control, enhancement, and pain symbol)

[]30 Mystic Clovers

[]150 Globs of Ectoplasm

[]75 Obsidian Shards

 

Gift of Craftsmanship:

[]50 provisioner tokens - https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Provisioner_Token

 

Gift of Condensed Might:

[]Gift of Claws (100 vicious; 250 large; 50 sharp; 50 claw)

[]Gift of Scales (100 armored; 250 large; 50 smooth; 50 scale)

[]Gift of Bones (100 ancient; 250 large; 50 heavy; 50 bone)

[]Gift of Fangs (100 vicious; 250 large; 50 sharp; 50 fang)

 

Gift of Condensed Magic:

[]Gift of Blood (100 powerful; 250 potent; 50 thick; 50 blood)

[]Gift of Venom (100 powerful; 250 potent; 50 full; 50 venom)

[]Gift of Totems (100 elaborate; 250 intricate; 50 engraved; 50 totem)

[]Gift of Dust ( 100 crystalline, 250 incandescent; 50 luminous; 50 radiant)

 

* All these brackets are check-boxes in the original to make for easier tracking.

 

[Funky.4861]

Or use a crafting booster and a crafting guide; ideally you'd look up the guide first to make sure you have all of the mats u need.

[Razor.6392]

it really isn't tho

[anonymous.7812]

Crafts Legendary armor, has 31k AP.. can't figure out crafting. Either this was a bought account, or someone is making things up.