Make Crafting Great Again!

ArchivedUser

With gear shattering and other mechanics in place for crafting it feels like the team is making great strides in making crafting matter but here's a thought that I would like to express. because I've always wanted to play a game and be that full-time guild support group that is meaningful. not something that someone can just do for themselves in 20 mins before their raid. 

The perfect crafting system for my self would allow for crafting to be as much a part of end game as reaching max level and I don't mean with just consumables and 1-time use gear enhancements that everyone can do just by putting some hours into leveling., like other games are using. I want a system that when a raid group is formed they say.
"LFG starting main raid group for <guild> we need #tanks #DPS #supports, blacksmith, Cook, and  Alchemist" 
I want a game that crafting requires just as much effort and time as leveling and raiding does. Where yes everyone could do everything to some extent but you can only specialize in 1 thing. whether that 1 thing you specialize in being that Raider (big dick DPS, healer, tank or support) OR Crafter (Shopkeeper, Alchemist, Cook, Blacksmith, etc...) OR Explorer (Sailing, Treasure hunters, Dungeoneers, etc...). I would love to see shops, Inns, Farms, and even dungeons owned and run by players and raids that don't drop BiS gear (or only gear) but (also) BiS materials to have guild crafters craft the epic equipment and consumables that allow that group to then advance further. I want classes that are explorers that must go to dungeons to unlock secrets and remove traps so that adventure groups can experience more content. 

TLDR: Pretty much make real life but fantasy and fun :P no one in real life can make a perfect diamond ring, compose an outstanding Oprah and win a MMA championship if they could then these things wouldn't be special and would lose meaning. 

ArchivedUser

I would also like to see possibility to craft top tier gear without recipe/gear drops from raids. Some kind of hard way to get resources and recipes from open world would be really nice add. Its typical to put everything inside raids and that way close most of crafters outside of the good stuff. I am not sure how devs are going to deal with crafting, but i would expect from them some kind of innoative solutions. To get hands in top tier crafting without raiding should not be easy in any case, but could there be equal hard, but some kind other way? Way that caters crafters playstyle..

ArchivedUser

That would remove the mutually dependant link between crafters and fighters.
Fighters should not be able to craft the best gear or have it drop but get components.
Crafters should not be able to craft the best gear without monster components.
Thus crafters need fighters to get the components and fighters need crafters to create their gear.

@OP Intrepid are going in that direction already. They have lots of videos on their youtube channel.

Everybody only has so much time. If they want to specialise, committing their time in one area will lock out other areas. They have trees where going down one route removes others.

ArchivedUser

There is no need to create that kind of link between crafters and fighters as mandatory. Especially not in games which has player driven economy. There can ofc be traditional raid drop system, but beside that there could be some other ways. Also in that case there is link when fighter buys that gear from crafter. It ofc depends how crafting is implemented at first place. Is it real career choise or more like side activity.