Expert Crafting in FFXIV, how to decode the rainbow

Expert Recipes within the Final Fantasy XIV crafting system are no cakewalk. They require focus, skill, and there’s even a rainbow of different colored ‘condition’ lights to decipher. It’s all a little confusing, but don’t worry — there’s a good reason those items sell for so much on the Marketboard.

If you’re struggling to decipher the rainbow and figure out what each Expert Crafting condition actually means, here’s everything you need to know about those color-coded lights and bonuses.

Breaking it down: FFXIV Crafting conditions

If you’ve ever crafted even the most basic recipe in FFXIV, you will be very used to seeing four ‘conditions’:

However, when you’re delving into the world of Expert Crafting, these conditions change and there are a lot more of them to consider. 

Expert Crafting conditions, explained

These conditions differ depending on which Expert Recipe you’re attempting to craft. The conditions for a specific recipe can be found by right-clicking the recipe within the Crafting Log and selecting the “Potential Conditions List” option. 

The full list of possible conditions and their corresponding light color is as follows:

So now you know what the conditions and colors mean for your endeavors in expert crafting. Set forth and craft — good luck! There’s a full list of recipes, including Expert Recipes on The Lodestone.