Smithing Guide by Ayrlie

The smithing guild shop is your best friend. Wait for Bronze Ingots be sold for 60 gil and Bronze Sheets for 69 gil for your best results - these are the cheapest that the guild will sell those two items for.

Level 0-2 Bronze Ingots

Fire Crystal + Copper Ore x3 + Tin Ore

Level 2-4 Bronze Sheets

Fire Crystal + Bronze Ingot

Level 4-10 Bronze Scales

Wind Crystal + Bronze Sheet

If you hit the guild shop at those recommended prices, you can go from 0 to 10 at the cheapest prices possible.

Level 10-13 Scale Greaves

Earth Crystal + Bronze Scales x2 + Cotton Thread + Leather Highboots

Buy the Leather Highboots from the NPC in Southern San d'Oria. The Cotton Thread can be bought from the Guild in Selbina. I found this a nice way to get rid of those bronze scales and used this as a bridge synth. Once my inventory filled up, I went with this:

Lightning Crystal + Scale Greaves

I even got a few skillups by desynthing them. The NQ result is 3 Bronze Ingots, and the HQ results is Cotton Thread and Sheep Leather.

Level 10-14 Bronze Bolt Heads

Wind Crystal + Bronze Ingot

Save these to level up your woodworking sub.

Level 14-18 Aspis

Fire Crystal + Ash Lumber + Bronze Sheet x 2

I used this as a bridge synth to Iron Ores. You won't be taking this to 18 but you will need at least 1 Aspis for the next rank up. Feel free to desynth these with Lightning Crystal.

After this, you won't need anymore Bronze Ingots except on Guild Point days. You can buy some maple lumber and craft Pickaxes for the next step.

Level 14-20 Iron Ingot

Fire Crystal + Iron Ore x 4

Buy from the Guild NPC if the Iron Ores are under 700 gil. If they are over 900 gil, buy them from the Airship Vendor NPC. You can also obtain pickaxes and mine Zerhum Mines for Iron Ores if you want to try something cheaper.

Level 20-22 Iron Sheet

Fire Crystal + Iron Ingot

You need to make at least 3 or 4 stacks of Iron Sheets for the next step.

Level 22-26 Iron Scales

Wind Crystal + Iron Sheet

Save these scales

Level 26-29 Iron Mask

Earth Crystal + Brass Sheet + Iron Sheet

Brass Sheets can be costly but should be easily done if you got Sheeting key item. Desynth these.

Level 29-31 - Iron Finger Gauntlets

Earth Crystal + Iron Scales x2 + Cotton Thread + Leather Gloves

Use all the Iron Scales up. Desynth all results hopefully to get back some Iron Ingots.

Level 31-36 - Targe

Fire Crystal + Iron Sheet x 2 + Holly Lumber

Depending on the needs, the Targes will be either Guild Points, or used by Goldsmithers for skill ups.

Level 36-41 - Iron Mittens

Earth Crystal + Iron Sheet + Lizard Skin

Lizards can easily be farmed in Crawlers Nest. Desynth these results. A leathercraft subskill of 10 is required.

Level 41-45 - Iron Subligar

Earth Crystal + Iron Sheet + Lizard Skin + Cotton Cloth

Cotton Cloth can be farmed off the Ghosts or obtained by desynthing Antican Robes with Wind Crystals. Again, desynth these results unless it is guild point day.

Level 45-53 - Gorget

Fire Crystal + Iron Sheet + Sheep Leather

Desynth these results.

Level 53-57 - Gauntlets

Fire Crystal + Iron Sheet x 2 + Leather Gloves x 2

Buy the gloves from the NPC vendor. Sell all Gauntlets to the NPC vendor for almost 3000 gil each.

Level 57-66 Nodowa

Earth Crystal + Iron Sheet + Silk Thread

Farm the threads off the crawlers, with a good place being Maze of Shrakami. Desynth these to obtain the Iron Ingots.