HQ Crafting Guide - Now With More Drama!

This is a general guide to HQing items. It assumes you know the basics and are level 50 in your chosen crafting class, though it can be done at lower levels with higher risk. If you don't know the bare bones of crafting, please check the crafting grinding guide in this same forum. This guide is also for level 50+ HQing, mainly because anything lower should be relatively trivial. Not that you can't use these techniques to do things that are lower.

I am not going over anything that is not 100% provable. Even if it's a rumor that I think, through my own testing, might actually have some merit. That includes any speculation on moon phases, guardians, directions, weather, synth ball colors, blah blah blah. You are welcome to discuss them, but I don't personally have any interest in drama wars.

This should be a given, but this is not a guide to grinding crafting levels. Not that you couldn't do it this way, but if you want a safe don't-have-to-pay-attention-much way once again check the crafting grinding guide.

UNDERSTANDING HQs
I touched on this in the other thread, but it is important to note again here. Nothing is a guaranteed HQ unless it has 1000 quality. You will even see failures at 99%. If you are synthing recipes 50+ it is likely that sometimes you will see a lot of explosions, even if everything normally goes your way. It's completely random. If you can't handle failure beyond your control, don't try to HQ.

If you can accept that the game is purposely made for you to lose at times, can't have the market flooded with only HQs after all, then here's my generic number list I posted from the other thread for you to look at:
~300 Quality = 1% chance to HQ
~500 Quality = 7% chance to HQ
~660 Quality = 30% chance to HQ
~750 Quality = 50% chance to HQ
~800 Quality = 70% chance to HQ
~870 Quality = 80% chance to HQ
~900 Quality = 85% chance to HQ
~1000 Quality = 100% HQ
The more Quality you have the more you stack the deck in your favor. And that usually leads to more HQs unless you get unlucky. Using all HQ materials you should be shooting for 800s in the low end, 850-950 average. Even if you are really good at the mini-game, sometimes you will have horrible luck and get some low end number like 700. As long as that 700 doesn't become a habit, You are fine. Just keep trying.

So, how do you get more quality? Well, The longer your synth lasts, the more risk you accumilate which makes it harder to succeed which means less potential quality. The more quality you have the harder it is to get more quality out of your successes so getting larger quantities of quality at once is preferrable to slowly chipping away at it. Standard Synthesis gives low quality and Rapid gives none, so you want to cut those out of your crafting rotation as much as possible. So the ultimate goal is to finish the synth in as little turns as possible, using only Careful Synthesis and appropriate abilities to increase your quality. It's really that simple.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH?
Before you start attempting HQs for fun and profit you have to set yourself up to be able to do so. So here's a handy list of questions you should ask yourself:

- What gear do you have?
The abilities you can get the most use out of depend a lot on what kind of gear you wear. And is pretty much going to dictate what kind of playstyle you should go for. Cheap gear with very little control or low crafting levels in general could use a high risk build that revolves around Unstable Elements, like Improvise (CRP 20), Brand of (Insert element that is present in the thing you are synthing here) abilities or even High Return (BSM 36). Great gear that stacks everything perfectly for your class would make better use of a more stable build with no "oh shit" abilities. Remember, the more you stack of the proper stat for the synth you are attempting the less likely you are going to fail a synth action. The less you fail, the less risk you take, which means less chance to go unstable. It might be good to note that the special crafter hats and the Militia Wristlets give a little extra Double Down chance. Worth it if you have the space in your inventory.

- What classes do you have leveled?
The abilities you have available to you can make or break your HQ attempts. If you are serious about HQing there are some crafting classes that you really should level to certain points. No, it's not fair, but there is no way around it until SE changes the way crafting works in 2.0. At least get CRP, ARM and GLD up if you are serious about HQing.

- What do you want to accomplish?
If the synth fails to HQ, do you want to keep the NQ item? Or do you want to risk a double down? If you are ok with not getting an HQ item, adding a safety related ability as one of your 5 is a good thing, for example the ALC 45 ability Master's Mend, which gives you an extra 30 durability to play with should you just fall short of completing the synth. You will get less quality, but you will not lose your item. However, if you are the Double Down all or nothing type do not waste your slots on safety. Go for 3 quality abilities. It should be noted here that it is possible, though unlikely you will completely fail a synth before Double Down if you know what you are doing.

SETTING YOUR ABILITIES
Now that you have an idea of what you are capable of and the style you would like to try it is time to set your abilities. As always, only equip 5 and make sure you have Hasty Hand off your bar before you start. To be honest, no matter what playstyle you use the recipe is almost the same.

First, make sure you have a way to finish your synth, since using Careful Synthesis only gives 3-5% progress each time you use it. Having 2 progress abilities, such as Piece by Piece and By the Book is the best way to do this. They will never fail you and you will know exactly which percentage you need to hit to finish the synth. Everything after that is a bonus.

Next you need a way to get quality that matches your playstyle. If you are an ability stacker pick a 3 turn ability like Byregot's Blessing and some 1 turn abilities such as Purification to layer on top of it. It has it's risks such as having poor luck and/or barely hitting your target percentage, but is relatively stable. If you are a crafter who likes to risk it all on Unstable Elements, pile on the abilities that would work well with that, like Improvise and a Brand of X appropriate to your synth which you can also stack if you want, but make sure to use the Brand on Improvise's last turn. Keep in mind that even though this playstyle is an easy one to set up with lower crafting levels it is very unstable because you may have synths that don't destabilize or stabilize with terrible timing. If you are a careful crafter, you might want to choose abilities that drag the synthesis out, such as Fit for Kings or Sublimation, instead of betting the farm on RNG. You will not get as much quality as most playstyles, but you'll get very consistent numbers. All playstyles can make use of Byregot's Blessing so if you have it it's a very good idea to try to fit it in.

For careful crafters who wish to preserve the item as NQ should it fail to HQ, I suggest using only 1 of your 5 slots, one that would normally be filled with a quality ability, with an "oh shit" ability of your choice. My personal favorite is Master's Mend, which gives you 30 durability to do whatever you want with so it always has some use no matter the circumstance.

THE "MAGIC" SETUP
Now that you hopefully understand the whys and hows and have set yourself up with abilities that will fit your own playstyle, here is the "magic" setup that many high yield crafters use. It also happens to be what I use when I attempt HQs. It has a very high yield rate and takes very few turns:

Piece by Piece (ARM 45) - 30 Progress
By the Book (GSM 45) - 30 Progress
Byregots Blessing (CRP 45) - Increases Quality by 100% for 3 turns
Purification (ALC 36) - Increases Quality by 125% next action
Heart and Soul (CUL 36) - Increases Quality by 125% next action

Purification or Heart and Soul can be replaced by Magnum Opus (CUL 45 - Increases Quality by 150% next action if the synth ball is Prismatic) for the extra risky folks out there. It is important to note that none of these abilities change the color of the synth ball. That is very important for some playstyles.

It's very easy to use. If you are not using Magnum Opus, just use Byregot's Blessing > Purification > Careful Synthesis > Heart and Soul > Careful Synthesis > Careful Synthesis (Byregot's Blessing fades) > Careful Synthesis to 40% or until you have less than 11 durability left (25 if Unstable) > Piece by Piece > By the Book. If Using Magnum Opus Instead start off by doing Careful Synthesis and hope you get a Prismatic Glow before you hit less than 30 durability and start your ability chain then. It's very likely this will happen, but there is always a chance that it won't. Anyway, if you get Great success, or even regular success during the first two to three carefuls you can expect extremely high quality in a very short period of time due to stacking the effects. You can replace these abilities with their lesser versions for lower, but decent enough results.

All that said, this technicque is not for everyone and has an element of risk that many feel uncomfortable with. If you don't like it, don't use it. I do suggest that, whatever set up you shoot for, include Byregot's Blessing, Piece by Piece and By the Book. Those are the golden three that no hardcore HQ attempter should be without.

"BUT WHAT ABOUT X?" "Y IS SUPERIOR!"
If you find something that you are comfortable with, use it. Doesn't matter if it is the most effective or won't yield as many HQs in the long run. That said here's my opinions on the various abilities and how they pertain to HQing (not grinding) to get it out of the way. Flame on:

CARPENTRY
Tender Touch (CRP 10) - Worthless.
Improvise (CRP 20) - Amazing if you have bad gear and like to be risky. Not a stable choice though because the damn synth ball has a tendency to restabilize when it is active.
Unerring Hand (CRP 30) - Only use if you don't have ARM and GSM to 45.
Grandmastery (CRP 30) - Not a Great Success so not worth it.
Perfection (CRP 36) - A decent replacement ability to stack with Byregot's Blessing if you don't have better abilities.
Byregot's Blessing (CRP 45) - Get this.

BLACKSMITHING
Maker's Muse (BSM 10) - Worthless.
Brand of Fire (BSM 20) - Decent if you are an "Unstable" type crafter.
Ingenuity (BSM 30) - This is an interesting one. Not worth it if you have gear and are good at the mini-game, but if you are struggling with a high level recipe it can actually give you a decent short term boost. Questionable.
Sublimation (BSM 30) - Not a bad one. Use if you don't have Byregot's Blessing or if you are a low-risk-long-synth type crafter.
High Return (BSM 36) - Not as good as Perfection, but a decent choice if you are an "Unstable" type crafter.
Greater Calling (BSM 45) - Only regular success. Absolute garbage for 50+ synths. I have heard people claiming to be able to replace Piece by Piece and By the Book with this by using it with Rapid Synthesis, which is why I wasted my time testing it over and over again. I call bullshit. Go ahead, provide me with screenshot proof that shows you getting 60 Progress with the name of the item you synthed (better be 50+) if you can.

ARMORSMITHING
Sure and Steady (ARM 10) - Worthless.
Brand of Ice (ARM 20) - Decent if you are an "Unstable" type crafter.
Great Strides (ARM 30) - Not worth the space.
Resolution (ARM 30) - Not a bad one. Use if you don't have Byregot's Blessing or if you are a low-risk-long-synth type crafter.
Eye for Detail (ARM 36) - A risky one. I have never got much out of it, but I didn't test it for long. Questionable.
Piece by Piece (ARM 45) - Get this.

GOLDSMITHING
Pride of Labor (GSM 10) - I suppose it could have some use if you didn't have the 3 step ones. Only use if you are desperate.
Brand of Wind (GSM 20) - Decent if you are an "Unstable" type crafter.
Meticulous Mind (GSM 30) - It can be an ok "oh shit" ability if you are a careful crafter and don't have anything better. Not terribly good though.
Manipulation (GSM 30) - An "oh shit" ability. Use only if you don't have better and are not paying much attention, which means you probably shouldn't be trying to HQ anyway.
Inspiration (GSM 36) - Not a bad one. Use if you don't have Byregot's Blessing or if you are a low-risk-long-synth type crafter.
By the Book (GSM 45) - Get this.

LEATHERWORKING
Fullfillment (LTW 10) - Worthless.
Brand of Earth (LTW 20) - Decent if you are an "Unstable" type crafter.
Bold Endeavor (LTW 30) - Only regular success, so not really worth it if you have better.
Inner Quiet (LTW 30) - A pretty decent substitution for the 125% abilities if you don't have them yet and like the stacking playstyle.
Clean Slate (LTW 36) - Eh. I suppose this is the ultimate "oh shit" ability if you are a very careful crafter. I wouldn't bother personally.
Determination (LTW 45) - Worthless.

WEAVER
Masterpiece (WVR 10) - Only regular success. Only use if you like the stacking playstyle and are desperate.
Brand of Lightning (WVR 20) - Decent if you are an "Unstable" type crafter.
Grand Design (WVR 30) - Only use if you don't have ARM and GSM to 45.
Good Measure (WVR 30) - A pretty decent substitution for the 125% abilities if you don't have them yet and like the stacking playstyle.
Flawlessness (WVR 36) - An "oh shit" ability. Personally I think there are better, but if you are a careful crafter and/or not paying attention you could do worse.
Fit for Kings (WVR 35) - Not a bad one. Use if you don't have Byregot's Blessing or if you are a low-risk-long-synth type crafter.
Culmination (WVR 45) - A pretty decent substitution for the 125% abilities if you don't have them yet and like the stacking playstyle.

ALCHEMY
Aspect Balance (ALC 10) - Not amazing, but could do worse if you are a careful crafter. There are much better choices though.
Creative Urge (ALC 20) - Regular success. Stinks.
Tricks of the Trade (ALC 30) - Only use if you don't have ARM and GSM to 45.
Innovation (ALC 30) - Not a bad one. Use if you don't have Byregot's Blessing or if you are a low-risk-long-synth type crafter.
Comfort Zone (ALC 36) - An "oh shit" ability. Great successes are the bread and butter of frequent HQs, so I am not a fan. But if you are a careful crafter it's a decent choice I suppose.
Purification (ALC 36) - Amazing if you are a stacking type crafter.
Master's Mend (ALC 45) - Probably my favorite "oh shit" ability. I don't use it to HQ, but if you are a careful crafter you can't go wrong with this one.

CULINARIAN
Make the Most (CUL 10) - Worthless.
Brand of Water (CUL 20) - Decent if you are an "Unstable" type crafter.
Life's Purpose (CUL 30) - Regular success. Don't bother.
Waste Not (CUL 30) - An "oh shit" ability. Personally I think there are better, but if you are a careful crafter and/or not paying attention you could do worse.
Elemental Appeal (CUL 36) - Better than Aspect Balance.
Heart and Soul (CUL 36) - Amazing if you are a stacking type crafter.
Magnum Opus (CUL 45) - Amazing if you are a stacking type crafter and you like a little risk/reward. Be amazed at how many synths you can go without seeing a Prismatic Glow.

Hasty Hand (Everything 15) - No.

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