State Alchemist's Guide Shortcuts: Alchemist - Armorer - Blacksmith - Culinarian - Goldsmith - Leatherworker - Weaver
Carpentry Shortcuts: Carpenter (Class) - Carpenters' Guild - Carpenter's Tools - Carpenter's Equipment - Carpenter's Quests - Carpenter's Levequests
Last Updated: September 11th, 2011
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With prior/upcoming changes the accuracy of this guide has been compromised. Once class changes upcoming in patch 1.20 have been implemented this guide will become temporarily unavailable as it is revised completely from the ground up. Until that time use with the knowledge that the information from here on may or may not be correct.
Welcome to State Alchemist's Guide to Carpentry. Here you will find the answers to many of your questions about Carpentry, being a Carpenter, and what to do as a Carpenter. Specifically, I strive to make your learning and leveling in the field of Carpentry a bit easier, so that you can move on to enjoy the benefits of being a Master Carpenter!
I'd like to begin by saying that this is just a guide. I have written this based on my own experiences and opinions. More importantly, you may find that some things work for you while others may not. If every aspect of the guide does not help you, I apologize, and implore to you to help improve the guide in a constructive and polite manner by posting relevant information or new discoveries on the Discussion page. Most importantly, remember to have fun!

If you decide to begin the game as an Carpenter, I recommend you begin in Gridania. This allows easy access to the Carpenter's Guild right away, without having to run all over the world to get there when you need to. To begin with you will have the following equipment, which will help you out in your starting endeavors into the world of Carpentry. (Hover over the name of the item for details.)
"The Oak Atrium straddles Gridania's Black Tea Brook, and is easily distinguished by the water wheel at its front, which harnesses the current of the brook turn to generate power for the Atrium's many devices. The water wheel itself is unique among those in Gridania, as it exhibits an unorthodox "enclosed" construction, with the blades within obscured from view by the outlying planks. Though originally no more than a mere sawmill operated by a handful of woodworkers, the building is now home to the Carpenters' Guild."
For a complete list of tools available to Carpenters, please refer to the following link:
Carpenter's Tools
As you level Carpenter, new Saws become available much quicker then Claw Hammers. Because of this they are generally easier and cheaper to obtain. I recommend sticking with your Saw while leveling for this reason. Another important thing to point out is that when synthing logs into lumber using your Saw, if you HQ you will receive a greater quantity of lumber, which is beneficial if you need the resulting lumber for leveling.
"We've secondary tools, besides. Using different tools to craft the same patterns will oft yield you different results." - Frances
For certain synthesis recipes you will (assuming you have an optimal Claw Hammer for your Rank) use your secondary tool in place of your Saw. It provides an inherent bonus to success when performing certain types of recipes. More testing will have to be done to provide more accurate information, however, so feel free to experiment.
In addition, if you happen to HQ, the result may change based on whether you use your primary or secondary tool. For example, when synthing logs into lumber, an HQ will result in higher quality (+1) rather than quantity.
As you increase your Level, new Abilities will become available to you. Some of these must be purchased from the Carpenters' Guild Mark Vendor NPC in exchange for Guild Marks. Certain Training Treatises can be purchased from the Guild in exchange for Guild Marks as well, however I will not go more in depth on how to earn Guild Marks until later in this guide.
NOTE: Optimal Level means that the action, trait, or ability will perform at full effect once you are at or above the level stated. This is not necessarily the Level at which you can obtain it.
Carpenter gets access to two abilities that allows it to interact with enemies: Stone Throw and Wrist Flick. However, it would seem these are more of a defensive measure at this point. So unless you are REALLY bored, or have a death wish, don't attack!
| Optimal Level | Name | Obtained | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stone Throw | Automatically | Throw a rock at an enemy. (Insignificant damage.) |
| 2 | Wrist Flick | Automatically | Causes your next attack to stun the target. (Used with Stone Throw.) |
| 30 | Cloudkin Eluder | Purchased | Temporarily avoid enemy encounters. Effective only against Cloudkin. |
| Optimal Level | Name | Obtained | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Tender Touch | Automatically | Temporarily reduces loss of durability. Most effective for parts. |
| 15 | Hasty Hand | Automatically | Instantly completes a synthesis when successful, but amplifies effects of failure. Most effective for parts. (Failure results in either losing 50% of starting durability, or total loss of durabilty. Must be used immediately upon beginning synthesis.) |
| 20 | Improvise | Purchased | Temporarily reduces the effects of destabilizing elements. Most effective for parts. |
| 30 | Grandmastery | Automatically | Increases rate of success of next synthesis. Most effective for parts. |
| 35 | Assemble | Purchased | Lessens aetherial sparking while advancing synthesis progress, but reduces chances of success. Most effective for finished items. |
| 45 | Comfort Zone | Automatically | Temporarily reduces risk. Most effective for materials. |
| 50 | Perfection | Purchased | Ensures success of next synthesis. Most effective for finished items. (When activated successfully, your next Standard, Rapid, or Careful Synthesis has a 100% chance of succeeding. The resulting success will incur no durability loss, and if an element is unstable it will not go chaotic.) |
Here is some helpful information regarding the effect attributes, elements, gear, and more while performing Carpentry.
Vitality (VIT): Influences synthesis when using your Primary Tool. (Saws) Affects quality. May affect other aspects of synthesis as well.
Dexterity (DEX): Influences synthesis when using your Secondary Tool. (Claw Hammers) Affects quality. May affect other aspects of synthesis as well.
The most common, and often the strongest present elements in most Carpentry synths are(from order of importance:) Wind, Earth, and Lightning. Wind is the basis of a huge percentage of synths that you will perform. Earth is the second most predominant element in Carpentry, followed by Lightning. The rest of the elements, Fire, Ice, and Water are used mainly for making shoes and weapons.
The Amount of points you have in an element increases your affinity with that element. It is theorized that each recipe has an elemental balance. Distributing points into different elements will affect the balance of your synthesis, sometimes resulting in an unstable element. It is not yet known exactly how each recipe is affected exactly, but it is known that having a high affinity with an element effects the appearance of that element when obtaining shards/crystals/clusters from Botany, Fishing, Mining, or killing creatures.
When I know I am going to be doing a lot of synths using one recipe, I will typically allocate more points into the elements that are used in the recipe. However, I have no data to back up any claims on whether this actually helps success, or any other aspect of actual synthesis, so I will let you decide what to do in this area.
The equipment you use and wear also greatly effect your Carpentry synths. Certain recipes will be influenced more by Craftsmanship, others by Magical Craftsmanship. Control will reduce the amount of Risk you accrue from each synthesis action, and theorized to influence the stability of elements. However until there is more knowledge on how these mechanics work, just try to stay equipped with crafting gear that is optimal for Carpenter, at whatever your current Level is. I will try to update this section as we learn more about synthesis mechanics.
Various Training Treatises are available for purchase from the Carpenters' Guild Mark Vendor NPC located in the Carpenters' Guild within The Oak Atrium, in Gridania. Certain recipes will "require" different types of Training. Not having this Training doesn't mean you cannot attempt the recipe, however it will affect your success. If you find you will be making certain types of items that involve a particular type of Training, it may be worth it to you to save up the Guild Marks necessary to purchase it. For a list of Training available and their cost, please refer to the Carpenters' Guild page.
Carpentry is a bit unique, in such that it is easy to skill up because you can continue to use the products of your synths as you level up. I HIGHLY recommend you level up Botany alongside Carpentry. By doing so you will basically level up Carpentry for free, save the cost of shards. A good strategy to leveling Carpentry is to farm on your Botanist until you fill your inventory, then NPC your garbage, synth all the logs you can into lumber, store your lumber for later, and repeat.
State's Carpentry Tips:
| Min. Level | Item | Recipe | Sweetspot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maple Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x3 + Maple Log x1 | -2 |
| 1 | Lauan Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x3 + Lauan Log x1 | +4 |
| 1 | Willow Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x3 + Willow Log x1 | -1 |
| 1 | Elm Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x3 + Elm Log x1 | 0 |
| 3 | Cedar Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x6 + Cedar Log x1 | +3 |
| 4 | Ash Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x6 + Ash Log x1 | -2 |
| 9 | Walnut Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x6 + Walnut Log x1 | -3 |
| 13~16 | Pine Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x9 + Pine Log x1 | +2 |
| 13~16 | Chestnut Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x9 + Chestnut Log x1 | -4 |
| 13~16 | Yew Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x9 + Yew Log x1 | +3 |
| 17 | Oak Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x9 + Oak Log x1 | -1 |
| 20 | Mahogany Lumber x4→ | Wind Shard x9 + Mahogany Log x1 | +3 |
| Min. Level | Item | Recipe | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lauan Half Mask x1→ | Ice Shard x1 + Wind Shard x1 + Lauan Lumber x1 | NPCs for 280+ Gil. |
| 10 | Willow Half Mask x1→ | Earth Shard x2 + Wind Shard x2 + Willow Lumber x1 | NPCs for 630+ Gil. |
| 20 | Oak Half Mask x1→ | Earth Shard x3 + Wind Shard x3 + Oak Lumber x1 | NPCs for 980+ Gil. |
| 30 | Yew Half Mask x1→ | Ice Shard x4 + Wind Shard x4 + Yew Lumber x1 | NPCs for 1330+ Gil. |
| 40 | Walnut Mask x1→ | Ice Shard x4 + Wind Shard x4 + Walnut Lumber x1 | NPCs for 1505+ Gil. |
There are many different quests available to a Carpenter, across the realm of Eorzea. You can find Local Levequests available in Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah, and occasionally a Guild Quest which, so far, always begins in Gridania.
Local Levequests are available at any Adventurers' Guild. They vary in Level, so as you level up more will become available to you. If you complete Carpentry Local Levequests in Gridania you have a chance to earn Guild Marks, which can be used to obtain various Taining Treatises and more by visiting the Carpenters' Guild Mark Vendor NPC, located in the Carpenters' Guild inside The Oak Atrium, in Gridania.
Local Levequests offer an alternate route to obtaining SP. Depending on the Levequest's Level (1,5,10,15,20,25,etc...) you can obtain a great amount of skill points if the recipe they ask you to perform is of sufficient difficulty; providing you can succeed.
A few things to keep in mind when using Local Levequests to try and help skill up:
As you level up your Carpenter, various Guild Quests will become available to you. I have provided links and some basic information below.
| Name | Required Level | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| The Mouths of Babes | 20 | 20000 Gil / 2000 Guild Marks |
| Hide and Seek Shenanigans | 30 | 30000 Gil / 3000 Guild Marks |
| Spanning the Spectrum | 36 | 36000 Gil / 3600 Guild Marks |
This is a list of the major and minor contributors to my guide. Without them this would still be a blank page. And of course to my viewers, who continue to show their support and keep me motivated to strive to make this the best guide to Carpentry online.
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