*****Official Reactivating Account Thread***

[Che]

I just wanted to start an official thread so anyone with questions could come here instead of having 60 of the same thread.

I just reactivated tonight(9/11/09). Currently installing updates. I want to complete all the stuff I never did now that they have the level scaling thing. Also looking to just have a good time, whether that be actively involved in stuff or just crafting my ass off in town until FFXIV comes out. I have a 75 RNG and NIN on Cerebus server. Gear isn't amazing, but it's not completely terrible. Anyone play on Cer, or is everyone here still on Alexander? And how many people still actively play?

I'm also thinking about leveling BRD or BST or something.

[Fluffy]

I still play and am on Alexander. Last I saw, Phinn also plays on Alexander. And I think I still see Dawezy around on that same server. At least I assume it's still him.

I don't know of any others who I'd consider active.

[Andromeda]

I'm still there. Though I haven't played a lot in recent months due to other things that I've been doing. I've meaning to get back to it and finish up WHM, but I don't know when I will. If I call it is possible to switch servers at this point. So you can travel wherever you want.

[Loaf]

I would totally play again but last time I played, even with the new party thing, I got no group. Plus that 12+ hour installing patch what not, no thanks. I'll just wait for FFXIV.

[postalblowfish7]

{All right!} {Welcome back.}

I play on Alexander still - RDM75. Character's name is Phinn - Psiko changed servers but keeps a mule on Alexander still, and Cesar has a gf irl and is never on anymore haha.

Dawezy is still ballin on Alexander as well, though usually he's doin HNMs and the like.

[Che]

Is crafting dead? I haven't been able to sell hardly anything I make since I've returned. Does everyone just make their own shit?

[Fluffy]

I wouldn't say it's dead, but it's a lot worse than what it used to be. I barely even craft anymore. Have to wait for the right time to sell, so I only craft once in a long while.

[postalblowfish7]

the economy's been... weird lately. the prices of every deflated a whole lot once the implemented the 90-day hold on gardening with new characters, shutting down billions of RMT gil sellers (and my newest mule >.>).

i bought an emperor hairpin a couple months ago for 500k on the nose - now they're practically giving them away at ~350k ; ;

[Andromeda]

I thought the price on pins was like 250, but like you said Square done a lot to alter the economy. It is no longer run by the RMTs and as a result the economy has had some difficulty. It's been harder I think to make a gil, but if you had a pretty gil before hand your savings worth a lot more now than two years ago.

Back when I was playing activity I had a million gil savings, which was pretty modest I think and possibly considered poor. You couldn't even buy a Scorpion Harness for that much. A million didn't get you very far when you wanted a little above average gear back then. However, I still have that savings, because well I'm thrifty and inactive for a long time. So now that million can get be a lot more these days. I think a Scorpion Harness is like 100k or 200k down from the 15 million it used to be. My goldsmithing is down a lot as well, mining. On a good run you could make a like 200-400k, now you're lucky if the same run nets you like 100k. Gold's value has dropped quite a bit along with platinum and other high valued materials. Which is mostly the case of the people buying not being able to afford the highway robbery prices that used to be run years ago. If you weren't synthing from your pocket or just making money off those that were, you could make a pretty gil off of materials because people paid anything for them. Only reliable mostly non-luck system I found to make gil for myself.

About the only stuff that hasn't really changed greatly in price are the high volume and high expend markets, meaning foods and crystals and some lowbie gear. Crystals have dropped, but in the end the crystal market was probably the most comparable to the stock market with its trends. There were always highs and lows in it and if you tracked it long term it was pretty clear how unstable it was to bring with. All very fascinating stuff.

However, I would say that the crafting market has always been difficult. If you find the right niche then you can be fine, but until you get to the high end stuff profits are typically low and sales numbers poor. Unless you spend your time cooking, which has a pretty good yield, but the profit margin is typically lower meant for long term investors planning to eventually make money.

Wow I sound so weird talking about crafting like its a stock portfolio. >.>

[Che]

Well I finally got my DNC to 37 from 32 yesterday, and decided to go play as 75NIN/37DNC. I went to Sea Serpent Grotto and was just opening coffers for like 4 hours. I ended up making about 100k off straight gil from them. Which was good, since I only went there with 10,000.

Also, oddly enough, I did realize that food still sells frequently and for a good price and I started leveling my cooking skill. I've been trying to sell Holy Bolts the entire time I've come back and haven't even sold one stack (I don't think, maybe I did the very first day...) It seems very few people still play Ranger, and those who do can already craft their own ammo. :/