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Why collect Gathering Materia Pre-Dawntrail?
Before Dawntrail comes out, it’s a smart move to prepare for the gathering materia that will be needed for melding gear at the expansion’s start. Just like in previous expansions, the trend has been to use older materia initially. So, for Dawntrail, I expect the same pattern to occur. That means both Materia IX and VII are going to be quite important. But, let’s not overlook how accessible Materia IX is, which is why I think it’s worthwhile to start gathering now.
Even if you don’t think you’ll need a lot of materia in Dawntrail, there’s always the option to sell what you don’t use for a hefty profit when Dawntrail hits – a nice way to pocket some extra Gil.
Remember all sets here are designed to run Superior Spiritbond Potion HQ, so remember to pop it!
So how does it work?
First off, you need the right Perception, specifically 3850, to gather from the 6.4 nodes.
Next up, fully meld your gear. This might sound pricey, but remember, the type of materia you get from spiritbonding depends on the gear piece, not what type of materia you meld into it. So, my advice? Meld a Grade X materia into all the guaranteed slots and another Grade X into the first overmeld spot, which usually has a decent success rate. From there, it’s up to you if you want to risk another overmeld on Accessories, focusing on hitting that 3850 Perception. For the rest, feel free to overmeld anything you want. I usually go for Skill Speed, Tenacity, or Piety since they’re pretty cheap on the market.
You can find full gear and meld setups further down!
The only actions you will want to use is these:
The Best way to farm Gathering Materia with DoL
To net the most materia per hour, I can’t look away from the Ar-Caean set, released at the start of Endwalker. With the right melding and use of the new Indagator offhand-tool, gathering from all legendary nodes in the game, including the new 6.4 nodes, becomes entirely feasible. The standout feature of the Ar-Caean set is its ability to gather from 18 nodes that all provide the maximum spiritbonding percentage per gather. This effectively means we’ve significantly increased the number of nodes that yield high amounts of spiritbonding. Consequently, this set will outshine a full Indagator set. However, you’ll need to pentameld almost the entire Ar-Caean set, so be prepared for a dedicated effort in gathering a substantial amount of materia. But I would argue its certainly worth the effort.
The results, which you’ll see listed below, speak for themselves. They are significantly better and will generate a lot of materia with minimal effort after the initial investment.
The list of nodes that should be gathered with this set:
- Raw Zoisite
- Maghemite
- Ilmenite
- Raw Spodumene
- Ash Diatomite
- Field Mustard
- Lovingbloom
- Haritaki
- Dark Cherry Log
- Paldao Log
- Softsilver Ore
- Mornveil Tree Bark
- Rime Dolomite
- Lunar Adamantite ore
- Mempisang Log
- Double-edged Herb
- Golden Cocoon
- Rhodium Sand
The Best set for Farming Gathering Materia
Full Ar-Caean + Ophiotauroskin accessories + Indagator offhand with food (3341/3850/875)
This set provides the highest level of spiritbonding per hour as you are running 11 items that all benefit from 18 nodes, and one offhand that benefits from 6.
Remember to meld cheap materia into the empty slots in Body, Hands, Legs and Feet!
Farming Gathering Materia with Pactmaker
This set allows you to have 12 nodes to gather that all are good for spiritbonding with the Pactmaker set, while also giving you stats that allows for some decent gathering for materials and leveling in Dawntrail.
Best Pactmaker set
- Raw Zoisite
- Maghemite
- Ilmenite
- Raw Spodumene
- Ash Diatomite
- Field Mustard
- Lovingbloom
- Haritaki
- Dark Cherry Log
- Paldao Log
- Softsilver Ore
- Mornveil Tree Bark
Full Pactmaker + Ophiotauroskin accessories + Relic + Indagator offhand (3900/3853/877)
These are the needed melds for the best spiritbonding per hour with pactmaker. I used a indagator offhand and max level relic mainhand. If you do not have the relic, you can try one of the two Alternative budget builds that I have listed underneath.
Alt Budget set with food
Alternative setup without relic and with food (3914/3856/899)
Alternatively use this setup if you dont have relic and don’t mind using food
Alt Budget set without food
Alternative setup without relic and food (3906/3856/884)
This set uses the indagator mainhand and indagator helmet. Remember to fill in the last two overmeld spots in the helmet with filler materia (i.e. piety). This build allows to gather without food.
Farming Gathering Materia with Indagator
A no-brainer for starting your materia farming is with Indagator gear. It’s relatively easy to get your hands on this gear, either through the marketboard or by crafting it yourself or with a little help from friends. The investment in Indagator gear is not only about farming materia. It also helps you get a good start in Dawntrail leveling.
Something that shouldn’t be forgotten is the nodes we will be gathering also net you materials that is still decently priced on the marketboard.
Finally, just go out and gather from the newest nodes. I’m talking about:
- Softsilver Ore
- Maghemite
- Raw Spodumene
- Field Mustard
- Lovingbloom
- Dark Cherry Log
Best Indagator set
BIS: Pentameld Indagator set with max relic (4006/4048/922 stats)
Alt Indagator set
Budget: Full Indagator set (3908/3855/884) No relic, No food
For the easiest budget set, you simply just fill in the last free slots with cheap materia. This is important as you need to have everything fully melded to get the most out of your spiritbonding!
The Best set (AR-Caean)
Gathering Materia
- GP X 8
- GP IX 12
- Perception X 7
- Percetion IX 28
- Gathering X 14
- Gathering IX 26
Results are based on:
- 1 hour (2xRotation)
- Only gathering the listed materials
- Only using the listed actions
- FC buff “That which binds Us”
- Superior Spiritbond Potion HQ
- 3341/3850/875 stats
- Using Cordial HQ between nodes
Best Pactmaker set – Test results
Gathering Materia
- GP X 9
- GP IX 8
- Perception X 3
- Percetion IX 9
- Gathering X 8
- Gathering IX 15
Results are based on:
- 1 hour (2xRotation)
- Only gathering the listed materials
- Only using the listed actions
- FC buff “That which binds Us”
- No food or potions
- 3900/3853/883 stats
- Using Cordial HQ between nodes
The Best Indagator set – Test results
Gathering Materia
- GP X 4
- GP IX 4
- Perception X 3
- Perception IX 5
- Gathering X 1
- Gathering IX 5
Results are based on:
- 1 hour (2xRotation)
- Only gathering the listed materials
- Only using the listed actions
- FC buff “That which binds Us”
- No food or potions
- 4006/4048/922 stats
- Using Cordial HQ if needed between nodes
Happy Gathering!
Remember, the materia game isn’t about cashing in right now; it’s about being ready for the moment when everyone else hasn’t prepared.
