Armorsmith (ARM) in Final Fantasy XIV builds heavy armor, shields, and some accessories. I’ve played and crafted for years, and I’ll tell you plainly: ARM matters if you care about tank gear, steady gil, or running a crafting service for friends and raiders. The level cap is 90 (Endwalker, released November 23, 2021), and the job unlocks at level 10 by visiting the Armorers’ Guild in Limsa Lominsa, Gridania, or Ul’dah.
Why ARM? Because it supplies tanks and often moves on the market. In my experience, pairing ARM with Mining saves time and gil—metal is the main bottleneck. This doesn’t always work depending on your server economy, but it’s a solid default.
🛠️ Tools, materials, and why they matter
Your hammer sets your crafting stats. Files and pliers add small but important bonuses. Replace tools as you level; outdated gear reduces HQ chances and wastes materials. I’ve noticed many crafters skip upgrades and then wonder why their success rate tanks—don’t be that person.
Materials: mostly metal ingots, some leather, catalysts (grinding stones, carbon), and occasional cloth. Exact ingredients change by recipe, so keep a stash sorted by level (low to high). Organization saves more time than a slight CP boost from food, honestly.
| Levels | Primary Tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1–15 | Weathered Hammer | Gets you started |
| 16–50 | Bronze → Steel | Better stats, smoother HQ |
| 51–70 | Titanium → Gaganaskin | Access to specialist actions |
| 71–90 | Dwarven → Chondrite | Endgame capability |
⚒️ Leveling path (practical)
Start with job quests; they give abilities and gear you can’t get elsewhere. After that, mix crafting log turns, Grand Company deliveries, and collectables. Leves help if you’ve got allowances. Watch this: collectables often give the best XP per material after level 50, provided you gather or farm them yourself.
Short tip: do job quests first. Seriously.
Typical flow by range
- 1–30: job quests + crafting log
- 31–60: crafting log + GC deliveries + leves as needed
- 61–90: collectables + custom deliveries + study market for target recipes
(There are exceptions if you’re trading materials across jobs or using retainers aggressively.)
💰 Making gil as ARM — the reality
Low levels: sell basic accessories—earrings, rings, small shields. People always need them. Mid-level: mythril/steel accessories and leveling sets. High-level: current patch endgame pieces and pentameld services—high reward and high risk. I’ll be blunt: dumping pentamelded gear on the market often fails unless you’ve built trust with raiders or your Free Company. Controversial? Maybe, but I’ve watched many sellers lose gil trying to undercut pro crafters.
| Range | Best sellers | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1–30 | Basic accessories | Steady demand |
| 31–60 | Steel/mythril pieces | Good margins |
| 61–90 | Endgame accessories, melds | High investment |
🔁 Rotations, macros, and why you should learn both
Manual crafting adapts to Good/Excellent conditions; macros don’t. So macros are for repeatability and speed, not adaptability. Learn to craft by hand first; then automate common, cheap crafts. Why? Because manual gives better HQ rates in many situations, which means more profit and fewer wasted mats.
/ac "Muscle Memory"
/ac "Manipulation"
/ac "Inner Quiet"
/ac "Hasty Touch"
/ac "Hasty Touch"
/ac "Great Strides"
/ac "Byregot's Blessing"
Tip: test macros on cheap items first and expect them to fail on edge cases—macros won’t react to Excellent procs.
🎯 Endgame prep — what to prioritize
Before you attempt high-ticket crafts, sort these: melded crafting gear, full cross-class skills, material stockpile, and reliable food/medicine. I recommend keeping at least a week’s worth of key ingredients for any recipe you plan to sell consistently (yes, that’s specific). Also, study patch notes on exact release dates for new recipes — patch windows change markets quickly (example: major recipe drop on April 2, 2024, reshaped demand on many servers).
“Focus on stats first, then on clever rotations.” — my rule of thumb
Practical mistakes I see (and you can avoid)
- Undermelding gear without checking current recipe thresholds.
- Relying on market buys for every ingredient; miners and your retainers save gil.
- Overprice pentamelds without a customer base (this one stings).
Oddly enough, the counterintuitive part: sometimes making a simpler, cheaper item repeatedly nets more gil than chasing a single expensive craft. It compounds. Like planting many small trees rather than one giant oak—steady shade wins in the end.
One quick controversial thought: ARM is often presented as “the must-have crafter” for every server economy. I disagree—on some servers, Goldsmith or Weaver will out-earn ARM depending on player prefs. Depends on your niche.
Fast checklist before a big craft
- CP and stats checked
- Cross-class skills available
- Materials stacked (backup included)
- Food/medicine ready
To be fair, becoming a top ARM crafter takes time and repetition. I’ve made mistakes, and I learned faster by selling small, consistent batches than by gambling on one expensive HQ attempt. Between us, that approach saved me thousands of gil early on.
Any questions? Want a quick macro tuned for a specific recipe or server-market advice? Ask—I’ll give you the real, tested steps I use (and yes, I’ll admit when a strategy won’t work the way you expect).
