The Soul of the Crafter is a currency item in Final Fantasy XIV that may be used to buy or sell Crafter Soul Crystals between players.
These crystals can be used to “specialise” in a specific type of crafting, giving the user access to a new set of skills and a boost to their statistics.
Since the game’s job system is so user-friendly, you won’t need a huge number of alts to try out all of XIV’s many professions.
It is highly recommended that committed crafters eventually max out all of the Disciples of the Land/Hand professions.
Of course, you’ll need to devote a considerable amount of time to this.
However, if you play your cards well, you can get a tonne of free gil and supplies.
So, it seems that we have the ability to serve as masters of many disciplines.
To succeed, it’s helpful to be proficient in a wide variety of areas.
However, much like the combat classes, you will likely develop a preference.
Soul of the Crafter allows you to automate your favourite crafting tasks and enjoy some benefits in return.
How Do I Get er?
You can begin the quest “Beloved of the Builder” in Revenant’s Toll whenever you reach level 55 in any Disciple of the Hand profession.
Lydirlona appreciates your skill as a craftsperson and advises that you pursue specialisation.
Trip purpose: deliver letter to Mr. Alderan in Ishgard (nothing to do with the destroyed Star Wars planet, unfortunately).
In exchange for your assistance, Alderan will give you three Soul of the Crafter after he has received Lydirlona’s approval.
These, following his directions, are utilised to determine the areas of expertise in which your artisans will be focused.
Stop trying to be a master of all trades!
There is plenty of room for everyone to pursue their individual interests in three different crafting disciplines.
You can choose to specialise in crafting roles without affecting your ability to perform other professions.
That being said, your first option is not as important as the others.
There are no secret recipes hiding behind your chosen area of expertise; there is nothing you can fail to notice.
In other words, making a switch is simple and convenient.
What Do I Get From Specializing?
Three of your chosen jobs, when equipped with the appropriate specialty crystals, will get access to the “Careful Observation” action, which allows you to take no action for a step while keeping all other active actions intact.
It also grants a minor stat boost, which is, in all honesty, the more valuable of the two benefits.
Add them to the crafting professions you anticipate using most often.
Is this a required step in XIV crafting?
No, probably not.
However, gaining access to it doesn’t take long, and the resulting stat boost is nice.
I Changed My Mind, Can I Specialize In Something Else?
Providing you have access to more Souls of the Crafter, then yes.
These can be gained through involvement in The Firmament, or with crafters’ Scrips.
While you can collect several Souls of the Crafter, you can only carry three specialty crystals at once.
To get a new one from Alderan, you must trade in one of your existing crystals.
There is no limit to the amount of times you can switch specialisation, as long as you have the Souls to do it!
If you have a boatload of Souls and no desire to shift specialisation, you can trade them to Alderan in Ishgard for 480 Yellow Scrips.
It’s definitely more advantageous to have the currency in all honesty, as you actually won’t need to trade specialties that often at all.
