Bonecrafting Skill Guide version 2.0

Last updated: 1-17-06

Bonecrafting in FFXI is all about working with bones.  You will work with all types of bones to make weapons, rings, earrings, and armor.  In some cases, bonecrafting is used to make ingredients and consumables for other tradeskills.

The best subskill to level with bonecrafting is leathercraft.  Work on this subskill as soon as you can, you will need to get it up to 60.  You will also need to work on a woodworking subskill as well, a good time to level it is when you level bonecrafting on arrowheads.  Eventually you will need to level smithing and clothcraft as to 60 well, but you won't need either subskill until you have hit Journeyman status.  You will need Alchemy to 45 for Skeleton Keys, and Goldsmithing into the 50s for Ivory Sickle and Hornet Fleuret.

Don't look to make a whole lot of money by leveling bonecrafting.  Crafting for skill ups, was never about making money.  You will need to spend money now so you can have the skills to make money later, and you must be smart with your money that is spent.  Work on finding some way to get Wind crystals, as you will be going through them like candy while working on bonecrafting until you hit level 60.  Once at level 60, you will mostly be using Earth Crystals and Fire Crystals, but you will still need Wind Clusters for a small portion from 68-71. 

Amateur Part

Item	Cap	Crystal	Recipe	HQ Result(s)	Vendor, AH, or Desynth
Shell Powder	1		Seashell x3	Shell Powder x2 Shell Powder x3 Shell Powder x4	AH (Bastok/Jeuno)
Shell Earring	3		Seashell x2	Shell Earring +1	Vendor, Desynth
Bone Hairpin	4		Bone Chip	Bone Hairpin +1	Vendor, Desynth
Shell Ring	7		Seashell Fish Scales	Shell Ring +1	Vendor, Desynth
Bone Arrowheads x6	9		Bone Chip x2	Bone Arrowheads x8 Bone Arrowheads x10 Bone Arrowheads x12	AH (San D'Oria)

You got multiple options to get to level 7 skill before you must get at least 2 levels with bone arrowheads.  Bone Chips go for 10k for 12 at the Auction House.  You can check the guild shop but they are often sold out.  You can steal from skeletons or go digging with chocobo if you want to cut costs.  Plan on stockpiling on bone chips at some point though, as you will use a lot of them before level 53 (once at level 53 the only time you will use bone chips is for contract synths and for guild point items).  The test item to get to the next part is Shell Ring.  You will lose some money in this part, but don't get discouraged.  NPC the jewelry and put the arrowheads on the AH in Sandy.  The latest update added Shell Powder, there are two ways to get it with the best and cheapest way through Seashells.

Recruit Part

Item	Cap	Crystal	Recipe	HQ Result(s)	Vendor, AH, or Desynth
Cornette	14 (Goldsmith 14)		Brass Ingot Bone Chip	Cornette +1 Cornette +2	Quest, AH (Windurst)
Bone Ring	17		Bone Chip Sheep's Tooth	Bone Ring +1	Vendor, Desynth AH the HQ results
Pebble	19		Shall Shell	Pearl Black Pearl	AH the HQ results
Carapace Powder	21		Beetle Shell x2	Carapace Powder x2 Carapace Powder x3 Carapace Powder x4	AH (Windurst)

This part of bonecrafting sucks, as you will do nothing but lose money.  Cornettes, though, you can trade to the NPC in Windurst to level your fame or sell at the AH.  The Pebbles is done at a big loss, you might want to skip it unless you got an reliable method of getting cheap shall shells.  (Then again they're cheaper than beetle jaws, and later when you can do those HQ you can make some decent money from desynthing shall shells.)  Make sure to save a Bone Ring for the test item, just desynth the rest of them or save them on a mule for GP days later on.  The new update has found a way to convert those non-stackable beetle shells into stackable with Carapace Powder.  The powder will find a good use with those clothcrafters on an item they need to craft.  Beetle shells are easy to obtain (Jugner Forest having the best drops), and much more profitable to skill on than bone rings.  However, you may want to start with bone rings or cornettes as the 12 level gap is too much, and then go to the powder by 14 or 15 skill.

Initiate Part

This is a good time in leveling both woodworking and leathercraft subskills.  Before farming Dhalmels for the Giant Femurs, get your leathercraft skill to 18 or higher, so you can make Dhalmel Leather while farming.  Save your leather on a mule for future use in bonecrafting, as you will later find out that some items require a leathercraft sub.  Avoid crafting the items that require a beetle jaw, they are very expensive (40k for 12 at AH) and often sold out, and the beetles are very stingy on dropping them if you try to farm them.  However, you will need a Beetle Earring for your test item (purchase silver earring from NPC vendor in Lower Jeuno).  If you do skill on Beetle Rings, do it on Saturday night as they have their best sales on the AH on Sunday and Monday for a Mog House quest.  At this phase, you might want to look into desynthing Shell Shields for Giant Femurs.  Shell Shields can be obtained very cheap through the AH in Bastok, so it might be a good idea to take a few trips to Bastok when you can't find Giant Femurs on AH in the other towns.  Most bonecrafting items are the cheapest in Bastok as well.  Giant Femurs can cost up to 5k a pop, so watch the AH carefully.  Gelatin sells for a loss at the AH but has an high turnover.  Farming dhalmels will help reduce the loss considerably, but you must have your leathercraft skill leveled to make your own dhalmel leather from the hides as they do not stack.

Novice Part

Again multiple routes to get to 38, with the eventual route going through Fang Arrowheads.  You can easily get Turtle Shells by desynthing Shell Shields, an item you can get very cheap in Bastok.  The arrowheads sell the best in Sandy at the AH due to the fact they are used for woodworking skill up. You might want to level your woodworking sub at this point if you haven't done so already as you should be able to get it to 42 via Fang Arrows.  Trade in a Horn Ring for the test item.  You won't lose much in the way of money at this point, but you won't get much in the way of profit.  I just simply did Fang Arrowheads from 29 all the way to 38, and farmed the black tiger fangs.  The biggest problem I had with Fang Arrowheads was dealing with AH undercutters that managed to cut the price from 3k a stack when I started leveling on them to 500 gil/stack when I was done.  Turning arrowheads into arrows will improve profit but it depends on the costs of other materials.  Black tiger fangs cost 1k a single but 25k a stack.

Apprentice Part

Nothing amazing at this point.  Giant Femurs are much cheaper than Ram Horns, and you can make Walnut Lumber from logs obtained at the Carpenter's Guild Shop in Carpenter's Landing if you worked on that woodworking sub like I asked you to.   You may want to work on the leathercraft sub and get that into the low 30s before going out and farming Rams for the horns, as you will need to be able to make Ram Leather (skins don't stack) that you should hold onto a mule for later use.  The carapace stuff is nice if you saved the dhalmel leather from earlier, they are a nice bridge to Scorpion Arrowheads.  Trade in a Carapace Gorget for the test item.  If you need to skill up woodworking after Fang Arrows, making Horn Arrows with the Horn Arrowheads you made will take that skill to level 49.  Make the other carapace stuff for skill only on days where your GP item calls for it.  Crab shells are cheapest when they are not purchased in Windurst.

Journeyman Part

Unlike some crafts, bonecrafters get a break.  The bad news is that once your skill hits 50, the skill up rate really goes down.  You should be starting on the Scorpion Arrowheads starting at level 45 at the earliest.  They sell at the Sandy AH really fast, although you should have a mule in Sandy to sell the arrowheads next to the woodworking guild.  You may want to go ahead and get that woodworking sub to 59 and make the scorpion arrows, but plan on having a couple mules in Jeuno as Scorpion Arrows do not quiver.  Eventually you will hit the Scorpion Ring part, and plan on farming the scorpions either in Crawlers Nest or Rangemont Pass as you will be going through the shells like candy, and the AH is almost always sold out of them.  Desynth the rings, or save them on a mule for later GP item use.  Buy a Astragalos from the guild to trade in for your test item.  I lost about 300k from 53-60, but it was nothing compared what it cost just to get clothcraft from 53-55.  (The bad news about bonecraft that you will need a clothcraft skill of 55 to make Justacorps.)  After you hit 60 say goodbye to the .2 and .3 gains.  Do not skill on the blood stones like I did, you will lose major amounts of gil in the process even if you desynth them.  Blood stones cost about 6k per synth, vendors for just 20 gil, and sell very slowly on AH at a 3k per synth loss.

Craftsman Part

Item	Cap	Crystal	Recipe	HQ Results	Vendor, AH, or Desynth
Scorpion Mask	64		Ram Leather Scorpion Shell	Scorpion Mask +1	Vendor, Desynth
Bone Patas	68		Crab Shell Giant Femur x2 Carbon Fiber	Bone Patas +1	AH (Jeuno, Bastok)
Beast Horn	69		Ram Horn x2		Vendor

Nothing amazing at this point.  Either desynth the items, or save them on a mule for GP points.  You may get lucky and find a level 60-67 goldsmither that needs the Bone Patas for a skillup item called Hydro Patas.  This part of bonecrafting is a money losing part, but it is nothing compared to other crafts in this level.  Make sure to save a bone patas for the guild test item.  This is a very good time to desynth Shell Shields for Giant Femurs if you haven't done so already.  Have a mule in Bastok to buy both the shell shields and carbon fiber, as they are much cheaper in Bastok than anywhere else.  Sell the Bone Patas at AH in Jeuno and Bastok, even though you will lose about 2k gil per synth.  If you have level 45 alchemy skill you can make the carbon fiber yourself and save considerable amounts of gil.  The newest update brings a new skill up item in Beast Horn, but keep in mind Ram Horns don't stack and neither does Beast Horn.  It is done at a loss but you can save considerable amounts of money by farming Rams again.

Artisan Part

Item	Cap	Crystal	Recipe	HQ Results	Vendor, AH, or Desynth
Kilo Fan x66	71		Crab Shell Giant Femur Beeswax Bat Wing Wind Cluster	Kilo Fan x99	Vendor
Coral Hairpin	77		Black Pearl Coral Fragment Pearl	Coral Hairpin +1	Save for Reraise Hairpin
Tigerfangs	79		Black Tiger Fang x2 Scorpion Shell Carbon Fiber	Feralfangs	Vendor
Coral Gorget	79		Sheep Leather Coral Fragment	Merman's Gorget	AH the HQ; save NQ for Reraise Gorget

Once you capped bonecrafting on bone patas, it is time to move to Kilo Fans.  This is a money-losing synth, but a stack of beeswax is still cheaper than a single demon horn.  Giant Femurs and Crab Shells are the cheapest in Bastok and most expensive in Windurst.  If you have both +1 guild items, at 71 move to Saintly and Eremite Rings.  If you do not, do Tigerfangs until level 74 and then move on to the rings.  The rings are excellent skillup item for the price (average price of 5k per ring), and I usually end up anywhere from .3 to .9 skill gain per session (I do about 6 to 12 rings per session).  Stone Eaters, Rock Eaters, and Giant Grubs in Dangurf Wadi and/or King Ranperre's Tomb will drop the rings you will need.  Plan on making several trips to these zones, you will be loading up with rings that they drop as the drop rate is uncommon.  Once you load up on rings, head to Windurst to get the other materials as needed and start crafting.  The results can be sold at the AH for a profit in almost all areas (in some servers, this may be a small loss, so do your research), and if you are lucky to HQ you just racked in some serious profit (up to 700k per HQ depending on what server you are on).  It is nothing to blow up a sheep tooth or fish scales compared to rainbow thread.  The rings will take you to 82 skill.  Trade a Coral Hairpin for the test item at level 78 to become an adept.  If you spent the guild points on Bone Purification, you can make Coral Gorgets (as fragments are 80k a stack) and convert them into Reraise Gorgets that sell about 50k a pop on the AH.

Adept Part

Item	Cap	Crystal	Recipe	HQ Results	Vendor, AH, or Desynth
Saintly Ring	81		Ascetic's Ring Fish Scales	Saintly Ring +1	AH (all areas)
Eremite Ring	82		Hermit's Ring Sheep Tooth	Eremite Ring +1	AH (all areas)
Mega Fan x66	83		Wind Cluster Bat Wing Beeswax Scorpion Shell Giant Femur	Mega Fan x99	Vendor
Drg. Fng. Gauntlets	84		Leather Gloves Wyvern Scales x2 Silver Thread	Drg. Fng. Gauntlets +1	AH (Jeuno)
Dragon Mask	87		Wyvern Scales x2 Sheep Leather		Vendor
Coral Bangles	87		Giant Femur Coral Fragment x2		Vendor, Desynth

82-87 is not a great part of bonecrafting.  Alchemists will love you for the 82-84 part of bonecrafting.  Dragon Finger Gauntlets cost about 30k to synth, yet sell on AH for 50k to 70k each.  Alchemists want them for Cursed Gauntlets.  After that, you got little choice but to do Coral Bangles or Dragon Mask til 87, just desynth them or sell to NPC if you can get a decent price.  You can get coral fragments by fishing Labyrinth of Onzozo but you will need a level 70 job to avoid most aggro.  Make sure to save a Coral Bangle for the test item.  Best way for sheep leather is to desynth Leather Vests bought for 600 gil from vendor, as you can get up to 3 sheep leather per successful desynth. You will need several stacks between 84 and 100.  You may get in some contract synths for Eris Earrings but the breaks can be very costly.  Once you reach level 87, plan on camping auction house for HQ Crab Shells as you will be doing it til level 90.  HQ shells start at 10k and go up to 60k a pop, and do not stack.  I lost about 2.5M per level from 87 to 90.

Veteran Part

Item	Cap	Crystal	Recipe	HQ Results	Vendor, AH, or Desynth
Carapace Gauntlets	92		HQ Crab Shell x2 Leather Gloves x2	Carapace Gauntlets +1	Vendor or AH (Jeuno)
Mammoth Tusk	94		Giant Frozen Head		Vendor
Scorpion Gauntlets	96		HQ Scorpion Shell x2 Leather Gloves x2	Scorpion Gauntlets +1	Vendor or AH (Jeuno)
Gavial Mask	100		Titanicus Shell H.Q. Pugil Scales Sheep Leather		Desynth

Once I hit 90 I quit the Carapace stuff unless the guild wanted one of the item for guild points.  I was able to get Giant Frozen Heads from time to time, as they are a much cheaper skill up synth but still a loss.  I began desynthing Gavial Fish (sometimes only 20-40 show up on AH per real life day) for HQ Pugil Scales, and more Leather Vests for Sheep Leather.  Titanicus Shells were only 80k a stack on AH, and cheaper than buying the fish.  I started doing this synth on lightsday at 90 skill.  I broke a lot at first until I hit 92 skill.  I desynthed the masks as the vendor will only buy them for 600 gil.  This is done at a loss, but you will lose only 500k to 900k per level instead of 2.5M to 3M per level on the gauntlets.  Do the skillups on lightsday if you can, this usually results in the best success rates and best skillup rates.

In short, the outline I took (this may vary on your preferences)

• 1-4  Bone Hairpin

• 5-9  Bone Arrowheads

• 9-17 Bone Ring

• 17-23 Bone Pick

• 23-28 Gelatin

• 28-38 Fang Arrowheads

• 38-41 Bone Knife

• 41-43 Horn Arrowheads

• 43-45 Carapace Mask

• 45-53 Scorpion Arrowheads

• 53-60 Scorpion Ring

• 60-68 Bone Patas

• 68-71 Kilo Fan

• 71-79 Tigerfangs (if you don't have both +1 items)

• 74-82 Saintly/Eremite Rings

• 82-83 Mega Fan 

• 83-87 Dragon Mask

• 87-90 Carapace Gauntlets, Mammoth Tusks

• 90-100 Gavial Mask

Update History

April 2005: Guide Created

May 31: Added skillup outline

June 25:  Removed majority of the items that take beetle jaws and coral fragments as those materials are costly.  Added the guild test items and gave them a silver background.  Removed Blood Stones as it is not a good synth (I wished I didn't go that route) and will simply lose you money.  Rewrote the guide from 68 to 82.  Added update history.

July 3: Added update history to include Tigerfangs in skillup route (yes I did put up with them for a short time), added Mega Fan in the future route.

October 10: minor updates to the HQ results.

October 12: new updates mean potential new skillup items.  The caps of the new items are not known, I'm putting them in spots where I got information from the guild's NPC.

Jaunuary 17, 2006: Updated skill up route, fixed Beast Horn cap, rewrote veteran part of crafting.  I'm 93.7 bonecraft right now and I'm almost done skill up right now.