How to use Desynthesis in Final Fantasy XIV

Break down stuff. Get materials.
Screengrab via Square Enix

In Final Fantasy XIV, Desynthesis can be used to break down pre-existing items in the game in order to get materials from them, which is useful for crafters who have items they can desynth instead of going out to collect or buy what they need to craft an item.

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Desynthesis in Final Fantasy XIV is similar to what other games may call salvaging. Players can break down an item into finer materials, which they can then use to craft something else with. In FFXIV, players don’t automatically get access to the feature, they’ll need to unlock it first.

Players must be a level 30 crafter and have completed the Main Scenario Quest Life, Materia, and Everything. Then, it will unlock a quest in Ul’dah called Gone to Pieces. Players will need that quest to even begin the process.

How to Desynth in Final Fantasy XIV

Once you have the mechanic unlocked, players can start breaking things down, but there are a few things they’ll want to look at before they start.

The first is whether an item is Desynthesizable or not. This is found in the tool tip of the item towards the bottom. There will be a number next to it if there that indicates how probable it is that the rare material will drop from that item.

Screengrab via Square Enix

When you click the item and select “Desynthesis” to start the process, it will show the skill rating required to have a chance at the rare item. If the number next to the required class is orange, you do have a chance of getting that rare item. That number is your skill level.

How to increase desynth skill level in FFXIV

To increase your desynth skill level, players will need to break stuff down. The best way to start improving your desynth skill level is to greed on everything in the dungeons you run, and then break down everything you don’t want or need. This will increase the score and give you materials while also not forcing you to break down anything you don’t want to.

It isn’t as easy as grinding lower-level dungeons or trials and breaking down the materials, though. Players will need to break down items that have a higher item level than their desynth skill level in order to make the most progress.

Screengrab via Square Enix

The good news is as long as your crafter is over level 30, you can break down anything associated with that crafting job.

The cap on skill level will match close to the highest item level that exists in the game. The more high-end things you break down, the closer you’ll get to the desynth skill cap. The number will increase as a higher item level is introduced to the game, so the desynth skill grind never truly stops.

Once you’ve got your skill level all the way up, it should be easy to get the rare materials from things like trials, which have a rare chance to drop the crafting item from that trial, but players can get a second chance at that rare item if they desynth the weapons that drop from it as well.

It can be a good way to make money as well. Currently, on the Aether Midgardsormr market board, the Dancing Wing, which makes the Fae Crown weapons, sells for just over half a million Gil. Players can farm the Titania fight, grab the weapons, and desynth them to make quite a bit of money fairly fast.

It can also be a great way to get materials to stock up on, or just get an ingredient that you need for whatever you are trying to make.


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Jessica Scharnagle
Jessica has been an esports and gaming journalist for just over five years. She also teaches esports journalism at Rowan University. Follow her for all things gaming, @JessScharnagle on Twitter.