Clothcraft Guide by Ctownwoody

Category:Clothcraft
Clothcraft Guide 1.0
0-60+
By Ctownwoody of Asura
Disclaimer: This worked for me and is based on my research and efforts on Asura. Prices have increasingly normalized in the last 18 months, but I still suggest going to ffxiah.com to research your particular server.
== Clothcrafting Tips ==
1. Raw Materials -> Thread -> Cloth is the basic pattern. Each Cloth represents 4 synths! The more advanced pattern adds Cloth + Thread -> Clothing but this varies in profitability.
2. Selbina is your friend; a few persistent campers aside, it's not as frequently camped as the Windurst Guild. The selection isn't as extensive, but they should carry most of what you would be buying anyway.
3. Fletchings are your friend; they use very cheap materials and are extremely stackable. They usually aren’t profitable, but offer the quickest path between profitable synths.
4. There are times when you will need to make your own thread and cloth as it is cheaper than the Guildshop or AH. There are other times when the Guildshop or AH is much cheaper (and easier), though. Keep your eye out for bargains and try to prepare for major projects by shopping around.
5. Cross-crafting is great here. Leathercraft, Bonecraft and Smithing all can team up with Clothcraft at times for very profitable items and/or Armor Sets, if not much for skill-ups.
6. Cotton Thread and Saruta Cotton are too valuable to synth into Cloth or Thread respectively. Sell them for a good profit in Jeuno, or use them in other recipes. Also, the addition of Ninja-Sneak has raised the price of Cotton Cloth, so beware.
7. Don't neglect Beastmen drops that can be desynthed. Go with Goblin and Antican for Cotton and Tonberry for Linen. Not a good source of skill but a good source for materials once you've past cap.
== Guide Itself ==
=== 0-10 ===
*Chocobo Fletchings (2)-Wind Crystal, Chocobo Feather x2—-Feathers are cheap, 8 gil tops. These won’t sell because they are so easy to make, but that’s why you should get your first two levels this way.
*Grass Thread (3)-Lightning Crystal, Moko Grass x2—-If you can buy the Thread for cheaper than you can make, do so. You could also make thread with Yagudo Necklaces and Wind Crystals (Cap of 1), but the necklaces are usually worth more than the thread. 
*Grass Cloth (4)-Earth Crystal, Grass Thread x3—-Take to cap. Don’t sell this stuff, as you will be using a lot of grass cloth between now and the 20s.
*Cape (8)-Earth Crystal, Grass Thread, Grass Cloth x2—-NPC these back to the guildshop in large chunks, saving one for the cap test. This is usually best done in Selbina, as the guildshop there is only camped for cotton and silk threads, usually. Only make until 6 or 7; Hachimaki are cheaper to make, but save one as a TEST ITEM.
=== 11-20 ===
*Hachimaki (11)-Wind Crystal, Grass Cloth x2--Make these until 11, and then NPC them. This gap sucks because nothing in the gap from grass cloth to linen thread makes any money consistently.
*Bronze Bed (19)-Fire Crystal, Cotton Cloth x2, Saruta Cotton, Grass Thread, Bronze Ingot x4--This requires Smithing 19, but they make an okay profit. They sell okay, and the market is prone to super-saturation. You can use this to make up for lost gil at times.
*Linen Thread (19)-Lightning Crystal, Flax Flower x2--Only buy when they cost under 200 (187 is lowest). The airship vendors only sell them when your nation is in first place, if a Guildshop (all 3 sell them) isn't feasible. This can be a huge jump (8 levels) so get Advanced Support. This and Linen Cloth can be used just as bridges to get your skill up to around 16 or 17 for Yagudo Fletchings, so around 6 stacks of thread (2 stacks of cloth) should do it. 
*Cotton Headband (20)-Earth Crystal, Carbon Fiber, Cotton Cloth--Headbands have made a comeback thanks to Dancer and parties built around hate-sharing rather than straight tanking. Carbon Fiber is a mid-40s Alchemy synth, but can usually be found on Jeuno AH. Make a few, as profitable, if you need to make up lost gil.
TEST ITEM: Cotton Cape: Earth Crystal, Cotton Cloth x2, Cotton Thread: Get however is cheapest. You can usually get the materials from the Guild but the AH might have a cheaper one.
=== 21-30 ===
*Linen Cloth (22)-Earth Crystal, Linen Thread x3--Between these and Yagudo Fletchings, you want to hit 22. If you are planning to make the fletchings, I'd take Linen Thread and Linen Cloth to about 16 or 17 though because it's a long way from 11. These sell for a profit generally, and singles do better than stacks because of Gobbiebag quests.
*Yagudo Fletchings (22)-Wind Crystal, Yagudo Feather x2--You will want to take this one to 22 if not on Linen Cloth. These don’t sell, but you can NPC them just the same because Yagudo Feathers are cheap and easy to farm around Windurst (up to 4 can drop from a single Yagudo of any level). 
*Moblinweave (23)-Earth Crystal, Moblin Thread x3--This is a quirky item because the thread is farmed from Moblins and the cloth is only used in a Gobbiebag quest. Still, profitable and decently selling. Make a stack or two and sell singly to reduce the number of Heko Obi required next.
*Seer's Tunic Set/Noct Doublet Set (24-26)--Varies but Earth Crystal, Sheep Leather, Linen Cloth and Thread are common. Good sets of armor for profit, but the items require Leathercraft 20+ and highly competitive, if simply because so many jobs use and then sell the pieces. Make a set of each for yourself if you want, though; eventually you'll be leveling a job that uses them.
*Heko Obi (27)-Earth Crystal, Grass Thread, Cotton Cloth x2--Buy the cloth at the AH or a guildshop, whichever is cheapest and NPC these puppies to the guild. This is part of a long bridge to 35. Save one for a TEST ITEM. Beware of the Cotton Cloth because of competition with people making tools for Monomi: Ichi.
*Kaginawa (29)-Earth Crystal, Bronze Ingot, Grass Thread, Manticore Hair--You’ll need Smithing 15+ to do this recipe. Be careful; Manticore Hairs don't stack and are limited in supply, making inventory an issue. However, these can be profitable.
*Fly Lure (30)-Earth Crystal, Bat Fang, Chocobo Feather, Animal Glue--Profitable, cheap and sells well, plus usable for fishing. Doesn't stack and uses Bonecraft 8, so be warned.
=== 31-40 ===
*Shinobi-Tabi (34)-Earth Crystal, Saruta Cotton, Grass Thread, Cotton Cloth x2—Ninja tools sell well, but cotton supplies and prices can be touchy. This can be a good money-maker, but watch out for high-level crafters HQing this for profit. Also, beware non-high level crafters Harvesting or Gardening the Saruta Cotton and considering it "free" (and under-cutting you by a substantial amount). However, since wool tanked, this may be the better alternative... 
*Wool Cloth (37)-Earth Crystal, Wool Thread x3—Take this to 37 as profitable. As they are used in Gobbibag II, you can sell them singly for more gil than in stacks. Or you can use these in Wool Hats or Power Bows if you aren't in anything that resembles a hurry.
**Update: You can make the Wool Thread yourself as a level 35 synth but the cost of Sheep Wool is now more than the AH price for the thread, so it's cheaper to skip it.
*Wool Hat (40)-Earth Crystal, Brass Sheet, Linen Thread, Wool Cloth x2, Linen Cloth--Used in a Mog House quest, so they are in a somewhat steady demand, based around weekends (You can only flag one Mog House quest per Conquest Update). Unknown amount of Goldsmithing but shouldn't be more than 20. Use as a bridge if stingy, but mostly a good way to make back some gil.
TEST ITEM: Feather Collar: Earth Crystal, Wool Cloth, Bird Feather x7: Most often made for the HQ version (neck piece with +2 Ranged Accuracy for 8-15 Rangers), but should be found cheaply on the AH; the feathers are better used for fletchings.
=== 41-50 ===
*Sanjaku-Tenugui (41)-Earth Crystal, Cotton Thread x2, Cotton Cloth x2--This is a good item to make. They are profitable and sells well in Jeuno. 
**Update: The market for Cotton items has gone up since these were introduced and the only way to make profits with this recipe is to HQ them, but if you are making them for yourself, you'll stay roughly even. Another bridge towards Bird Fletchings.
*Mohbwa Thread (41)-Lightning Crystal, Mohbwa Grass x2—Another quirky item because the thread is profitable and sells modestly, but the cloth doesn’t even come close. I’m listing it because it is profitable and sells around 2 thread daily on Asura. Use as a profitable bridge at most.
*Bird Fletchings (42)-Wind Crystal, Bird Feather x2—Take these to 42. Very cheap and available, if not as cheap as Insect Fletchings, which is your next synth.
*Velvet Cloth (45)-Earth Crystal, Silk Thread, Wool Thread x2--There are two ways to make this cloth, one with Wool and one with Cotton. The Cotton path is higher in skill and cheaper and it's easier to lay in a large supply of materials. However, now that Wool is down in price, this can be profitable. Velvet is a Gobbiebag cloth and a very common item for all manner of clothcraft-related synths. Use as profitable and/or a bridge to Insect Fletchings.
TEST ITEM: Wool Bracers: Earth Crystal, Wool Cloth x2, Wool Thread, Saruta Cotton x2: Not a pleasant item to make and not readily available on AHs. Suffer through it...
=== 51-60 === 
*Velvet Cloth (51)-Earth Crystal, Cotton Thread x2, Silk Thread—Unlike using Wool Thread, this version is always highly profitable. Used in a lot of clothcraft-related synths and a gobbiebag quest, so sells better and faster as singles. Beware of the intense competition.
*Silk Thread (51)-Lightning Crystal, Crawler Cocoon x2--Not a ton of cocoons on the AH and the price of thread at guilds and AH is usually below the cost of making yourself but worth considering to eek out the extra skill from 42~45 to 51. Also, helpful to keep in mind as 50~mid 70s is considered "The Silk Road" (or Silk Hell).
*Silver Obi (51)-Earth Crystal, Silver Thread x3--Somewhat cheap, slow but steady AH sales and very limited uses for silver thread make a good combination here. For whatever that is worth.
*Insect Fletchings (52)-Wind Crystal, Insect Wing x2—Insect Wings are infinitely cheaper than feathers and they sell profitably on AHs. Just watch out for hitting the wall at 50…skill-ups slow down considerably. Power-craft these and sell them in Jeuno or Sandy, just be sure to cap at 52.
*Silk Cloth (53)-Earth Crystal, Silk Thread x3—This, along with Velvet Cloth should form a major source of income from now until 60 (or much higher if taking beyond 60). This is where you should stop, at a minimum, with Clothcraft. Taking it to 60 from here, for completion, or for 60+, will be a pain but this is the profit-plateau for a while.
*Scarlet Linen (54)-Earth Crystal, Linen Thread x2, Bloodthread--Very profitable, if not quickly selling at times. Bloodthread is a drop from Diremites, a CoP area mob, so it's hit or miss at the AH for supplies. Good for that extra level before trying to work with gold ingots.
*Karakul Thread (55)-Lightning Crystal, Karakul Wool x2--First step in the Karakul Cloth sequence, for Clothcraft at least. Step one overall is to take 2 Karakul Skins and make 1 Wool, using Leathercraft 15 (although it is more profitable to make Karakul Leather from the skins). The thread is useless except...
*Karakul Cloth (57)-Earth Crystal, Karakul Thread x3--Last step, second step, whatever, but this is where the profits/resales are. Used in a few AF, AF+1, misc quests and the synergy cuffs. It won't sell in large volumes but this is a good 2-fer bridge towards 60, supplies allowing. 
=== 61-70 ===
*Green Ribbon (62)-Wind Crystal, Silk Cloth--These NPC for just over 2k each, and are sold on AH for 4-5k. Make your own at around 3k each. Now that you can make silk cloth fairly easily, I suggest making 1 stack of cloth to sell for each stack of cloth used to synth. This will either take a long time that way or simply destroy your gil.
*Gnat Fletchings (62)-Wind Crystal, Gnat Wing x2--New~ish item with a use for some high-end arrows but not a big seller. If you get/find wings or they are cheap on AH, consider this another way to get to 60.
*Hunter's Cotton (63)-Earth Crystal, Cotton Thread x3, Carapace Powder, Distilled Water--Another pure-loss synth, and you'll almost certainly have to make your own powder (Bonecraft 21), and only use for AF-upgrades. But it is cheap and will help, if you are sick of Green Ribbons.
*Apkallu Fletchings (67)-Wind Crystal, Apkallu Feather x2--NPC's decently for a fletching synth but not used with any arrow you'll sell or make. Feathers are good side effect of farming eggs for pet food.
*Platinum Silk (69)-Earth Crystal, Platinum Ingot, Silk Thread--The price for ingots has crashed enough that these are quite viable to make and NPC. Sub of Goldsmithing of 53, but if you made your own ingots (cap at 64), you've already gotten that far.
*Black Chocobo Fletchings (72)-Wind Crystal, Black Chocobo Feather x2--Good way to finish things off, as these are needed for Demon Arrows, a big synth for both Bonecraft (63 cap on arrowheads) and Woodworking (69 on arrows).
==Post-70==
I haven't figured this part out, really, beyond the low 90's. It's the final run to 100 to which I can't find a good route. However, I am considering adding in a bit more about some post-70 ideas...but the guide may stop at 90 or so.
--Ctownwoody 16:05, April 22, 2011 (UTC)