State Alchemist's Guide To Carpentry  

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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DISCLAIMER

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.

Prologue

State Alchemist (Lv. 50 CRP), outside The Oak Atrium
State Alchemist (Lv. 50 CRP), outside The Oak Atrium
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!

Carpentry

"The foremost workers of wood, carpenters possess expert knowledge of the hardness, pliability, weight, and value of all types of timber. Their creed is to bring these natural traits to bear in the form of various wares, including utensils and furniture. Woodworking techniques were, and continue to be, developed and refined by the shipbuilding endeavors of Limsa Lominsa, as well as the towering architectural pursuits of Ishgard. However, it is in and around Gridania, home to the highest quality timber, that the craft's greatest strides have been made. Gridanian carpentry produces everything from the masks used in their religious ceremonies to the enormous structures that make up their city. The primary tool of the carpenter is the handsaw."

Beginning The Game As A Carpenter

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 Carpenters' Guild

The Oak Atrium (Carpenters' Guild)
The Oak Atrium (Carpenters' Guild)
"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 more information about the Carpenters' Guild, please refer to the Carpenters' Guild wiki page by clicking here:
Carpenters' Guild

A Carpenter's Tools

"Any sprat what picks up a saw is a carpenter as far as I'm concerned. Maybe not the most skilled there is, but a carpenter nonetheless. If it's wooden, it falls within our realm of expertise. We cut and bore, joint and fit, smooth and sand. And weapons are just the tip of the iceberg." - Frances

For a complete list of tools available to Carpenters, please refer to the following link:
Carpenter's Tools

Saws

Performing a synthesis with a Saw
Performing a synthesis with a Saw
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.

Claw Hammers

Performing a synthesis with a Claw Hammer
Performing a synthesis with a Claw Hammer
"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.

Carpenter Actions, Traits & Abilities

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 Actions

Don't Attack!
Don't Attack!
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.

Carpenter Abilities

Abilities can drastically effect synthesis.
Abilities can drastically effect synthesis.
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.)

Attributes, Elements, & Gear

Here is some helpful information regarding the effect attributes, elements, gear, and more while performing Carpentry.

Attribute's Effect on 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.

Elemental Effects on Carpentry

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.

Equipment's Effect on Carpentry

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.

Carpenter Training Treatises

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.

Leveling Carpenter: Recipe Guide

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:

  • I like to synth every log I have even if I have a high fail rate. Logs are easy to get on Botanist, and with the latest SP patch even a fail can give you 300~ SP.
  • I recommend Ranking up Alchemy to Rank 10 for Preserve, and Blacksmith to Rank 10 for Maker's Muse. These two abilities will help when you are synthing difficult recipes.

Logs to Lumber

Sweetspot refers to the location of where you decide to Notch
Sweetspot refers to the location of where you decide to Notch
    • Levels listed are the minimum Level needed to attempt. Recommend using Master Guild Support if you are at or close to the minimum Level.
    • Sweetspot refers to the position (from the default position '0') in which you log as a Botanist when you a logging a tree you know has the type of Log you need.
    • I also recommend using the following if you are hunting a specific type of Log: www.disciplesoftheland.com's Resource Finder

Min. LevelItemRecipeSweetspot
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
13~16Unverified[1] Pine Lumber x4→ Wind Shard x9 + Pine Log x1 +2
13~16Unverified[2] Chestnut Lumber x4→ Wind Shard x9 + Chestnut Log x1 -4
13~16Unverified[3] 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

Masks

Min. LevelItemRecipeNotes
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.

Carpentry Quests

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

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.

Skilling Up With Levequests

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:

      • Always try the hardest available Levequest, even if you know you probably cannot complete the quest. Remember, the materials are provided free-of-charge, and while they do require you to have the necessary shards/crystals, it does not deplete your supply of shards/crystals when performing Levequest sanctioned syntheses.
      • Always remember to use all of the provided materials. If the quest supplies you with six attempts, and you finish the required materials on the first four tries, go ahead and do the last two synths. It will provide more chances for skill ups, and increase your Appraisal, which can increase your reward.
      • If you are only looking for skill ups, it is better to ignore any Local Levequest that is more than 10 Ranks below you. The SP is lousy, and if you don't need the reward (or chance to obtain Guild Marks), you will probably want to do something else that isn't a waste of time.

Guild Quests

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

Credits

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.

Special Thanks

    • FFXIV.ZAM.COM
    • PIKKO
    • www.disciplesoftheland.com

Honorable Mention

    • alcide
    • Sinvergil from www.disciplesoftheland.com

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This page last modified 2011-12-06 11:49:59.