I rebuilt my approach to the Ishgard Restoration after years of crafting in Final Fantasy XIV, and I want to give you clear, usable advice from that experience. I’ll tell you what to do, why it works, and what tends to trip people up (honestly, some parts still annoy me!).
- 🏰 How to join the Restoration
- đź“‹ What you need and why it matters
- ⚒️ Which crafting jobs matter (and why)
- 🎯 Diadem and gathering strategy
- đź“Š Expert recipes and how to hit collectability
- 🏆 Ranking, rewards, and a frank take
- Practical checklist (quick)
- Surprising, useful insight
- Closing practical notes
🏰 How to join the Restoration
The Firmament opens after you finish the Heavensward quest “Litany of Peace” and have a Disciple of the Hand or Land job at the required level. Talk to Augebert at the Firmament (I usually head to X:11.4, Y:14.1) to start contributing. The Firmament is where you turn items in, buy specialist tools, and check the Skybuilders’ Board for current needs.
Skybuilders’ Scrips are the special currency you’ll earn by turning in crafted or gathered items. You trade scrips for mounts, minions, materials, and other exclusive rewards. The place has its own aetheryte, so you can hop back quickly when you’re doing daily or weekly runs.
đź“‹ What you need and why it matters
For crafting contributions, you can start at low levels, but higher-level crafters (level 60 and up) unlock expert recipes that pay far better. Gathering contributions work from level 10 up and often rely on the Diadem and other special nodes. You must finish the Heavensward MSQ through “Litany of Peace” to access the content.
I’ve noticed that decent gear makes a real difference: better stats = more successful high-quality submissions. That’s why upgrading your kit early on pays off (depends on your niche, of course). Joining a Free Company helps with shared resources and faster progression.
| Activity | Min Level | Recommended | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Crafting | 20 | 60+ | MSQ required |
| Expert Crafting | 80 | 80+ | Specialist boosts help |
| Gathering | 10 | 60+ | Diadem access recommended |
⚒️ Which crafting jobs matter (and why)
Structural jobs like Carpenter, Blacksmith, Armorer are often the heavy-hitters because they make beams, plates, and reinforcements that the Firmament regularly needs. Goldsmith, Leatherworker, and Weaver produce finishing and decorative pieces that sell steadily—surprisingly stable demand. Alchemist and Culinarian supply consumables and compounds that keep things moving; they’re small but crucial.
Watch the Skybuilders’ Board. Jobs in demand rotate each season, and chasing the wrong job wastes time. I’ll say it bluntly: the system rewards timing and planning, not just raw crafting skill.
🎯 Diadem and gathering strategy
The Diadem is the main place for Skybuilders’ materials (special nodes, weather-dependent spawns). Sessions are time-limited and shared with others, so coordinate. Outside the Diadem, overland nodes in Coerthas and The Sea of Clouds give useful raw materials.
- Coerthas Central Highlands — stone, ore
- The Churning Mists — specialized woods
- The Sea of Clouds — gems and atmospheric materials
Diadem tips: bring GP potions, aim for high-demand nodes, and join emergency missions when they pop. You’ll get more rare items that way. (Also—watch for node overlap; party coordination matters.)
đź“Š Expert recipes and how to hit collectability
Expert recipes are for level 80+ crafters and give the best scrips and ranking points. They need precise rotations, good stats, and sometimes Specialist status. The trick is to build quality steadily and finish with a big quality burst—inner quiet stacks plus Byregot’s or similar finishers.
/macroicon "Byregot's Blessing"
/ac "Inner Quiet"
/ac "Byregot's Blessing"
Practice these sequences on easier collectibles first. Keep food and medicine active. Why? Because expert crafts often cost a lot of CP and fail if you rush the rotation.
| Tier | Craftsmanship | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Expert I | ~2480 | ~2195 |
| Expert II | ~2620 | ~2540 |
🏆 Ranking, rewards, and a frank take
Seasons run roughly every 3–4 months and rank players by contribution points. Top spots get titles, mounts, and bragging rights. Top 100 gets the best prizes; Top 500 and participation tiers get solid rewards too. But be warned: chasing the leaderboard often means heavy gil and time investment. It favors players who can grind consistently or who are wealthy—controversial, I know.
“You can win by skill, but money speeds the process.” — practical, and a little bitter.
Want to aim for rankings? Set realistic goals. Want casual rewards? Contribute steadily and you’ll still get useful scrips and items. Which do you want: leaderboard stress or steady progress?
Practical checklist (quick)
- Unlock Firmament and talk to Augebert.
- Gear up crafting/gathering jobs.
- Check Skybuilders’ Board daily.
- Join sessions in Diadem for rare nodes.
Surprising, useful insight
Oddly enough, farming certain lower-difficulty turn-ins during the right season can give you a better scrip-per-hour rate than attempting the hardest expert recipes if your gear or time is limited. I’ve found this more than once. Try it before you sink gil into top-tier materials!
Here’s the funny part: people assume expert = best ROI. That won’t work the way you expect if your stats aren’t there. So practice, level up your gear, and pick battles.
Closing practical notes
To be fair, the Restoration is one of the more community-driven systems in FFXIV. It rewards steady players. It also has flaws: seasonal swings feel punishing, and the top tiers can look pay-to-win. But I’ve seen real teamwork—people trading materials, coordinating turns—and that’s worth it to me.
One last tip (between us): keep a small stock of high-quality materials on hand for emergency turns. You’ll thank me when the ranking push begins. Good luck—see you in the Firmament!
— she
