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Many systems are present in Final Fantasy 14, with Materia being among the most important ones. However, unlike what you might see in Final Fantasy 7, where you can cast Magic or call upon Summons, the Materia present in Final Fantasy 14 will help boost secondary stats.
Though not nearly as cool as summoning in an enormous gray dragon, the secondary stats the Materia enhances in Final Fantasy 14 are essential and will dramatically improve things such as damage output, MP regeneration, and much more. Furthermore, some Materia will have stats exclusive to specific roles, making running the wrong Materia type a strong possibility for those unfamiliar with the system or new to the game.
How To Meld Materia
There are currently two methods you can use to meld Materia to your equipment. The first is by various NPCs (Materia Melders) found near the Market Boards in major cities (Limsa Lominsa, Ul'dah, Old Gridania, The Pillars, Idyllshire, etc.). You can pay a fee to have them attach Materia to your equipment. This method doesn't have any prerequisites, only that you need to have Materia, gear with Materia Slots, and enough Gil to pay the vendor. Additionally, if you have a house or are in a Free Company with a shared plot, you can purchase a Materia Melder Permit and use that Melder the same way.
The second method to attach Materia to your gear is by doing it yourself, though it will take a bit of time before you can do that. Though, you will be able to attach the Materia to your gear without paying a fee or having to travel to a major city, which will be worth it some. If you want to meld Materia, you must first complete the "Waking the Spirit" subquest, which can be started by talking to F'hobhas at The Bonfire in Central Thanalan (23, 13). However, you must first have at least one Disciple of the Hand Job class at level 19 or above before taking on the quest. The classes belonging to Disciple of the Hand are Alchemist, Armorer, Blacksmith, Carpenter, Culinarian, Goldsmith, Leatherworker, and Weaver. After completing the subquest, you can then meld Materia on your own.
Advanced Materia Melding
Completing the subquest "Melding Materia Muchly," which you can accept by talking to Mutamix at The Bonfire in Central Thanalan (23, 13), will allow you to attach more Materia than slots available on your equipment. While you can accept the quest at level 19, you must have at least one Desciple of the Hand class at level 25 before you can turn it in.
Once that's done, you will learn the action "Advanced Materia Melding," which will allow you to attach up to five Materia to your equipment. However, be warned that the likelihood of melding more Materia on your equipment will drop drastically with each additional Materia attached, making it extraordinarily hard to use all five.
How To Get Materia
Aside from learning how to place the Materia, knowing how to get it is equally important. For the most part, you will obtain most of your Materia through the Market Board and by making your way through the MSQ. However, you can also earn Materia by completing Daily Roulettes, Wondrous Tails, Treasure Maps, and eliminating Elite Marks.
Endwalker added Materia levels IX and X, which you can earn by completing the new Timeworn Kumbhiraskin Map, trading in Cracked Dendroclusters, Cracked Anthoclusters, or Sacks of Nuts to specific vendors, and by crafting. They can also get purchased from the Market Board. Your equipment will need to be Item Level 560 to use IX and X Materia.
Crafting Materia
Another method of obtaining Materia is by crafting it yourself, which requires a few steps. Before you can start making your own Materia, you must first complete the subquest "Forging the Spirit," which you can start by speaking with Swynbroes at The Bonfire in Central Thanalan (23, 13).
After completing the subquest, you can begin making Materia from equipment with a Spiritbond of 100%. The Materia you craft is dependant on your equipment's level, as well as your gear type. For example, if the weapon is for a Disciple of War, you will extract Materia that focuses on those skills. You can refer to the tables below for the complete list of Materia Tiers, their requirements, along with each skill and what they do.
Materia Tier Requirements
| Materia Tier | Item Level Requirement | Gear Level |
|---|---|---|
| Materia I | Item Level 15+ | 1-14 |
| Materia II | Item Level 30+ | 30-44 |
| Materia III | Item Level 45+ | 45+ |
| Materia IV | Item Level 55+ (DoH, DoL) Item Level 70+ (DoW, DoM) | 45-50 |
| Materia V | Item Level 160+ | 51-60 |
| Materia VI | Item Level 290+ | 61-70 |
| Materia VII | Item Level 420+ (DoH, DoL) Item Level 430+ (DoW, DoM) | 71-80 |
| Materia VIII | Item Level 420+ (DoH, DoL) Item Level 430+ (DoW, DoM) | 71-80 |
| Materia IX | Item Level 560+ | 81-90 |
| Materia X | Item Level 560+ | 81-90 |
Materia Types
| Equipment Type | Materia Type/Skills |
|---|---|
| Disciples of War | Critical Hit Rate, Determination, Direct Hit Rate, Skill Speed, Tenacity |
| Disciples of Magic | Critical Hit Rate, Determination, Direct Hit Rate, Piety, Spell Speed |
| Disciples of the Hand | CP, Control, Craftmanship |
| Disciples of the Land | Gathering, GP, Perception |
Materia Skills and Types
As touched on briefly already, there are many types of Materia, with each of them affecting different skills that make them useful for specific roles. There are thirteen types of Materia, all of which have ten levels that boost its effect drastically. The tables below will display the complete list of Materia Types, each tier's bonus, and what each skill does.
| Materia Name | Materia Skill | Description | Tier I | Tier II | Tier III | Tier IV | Tier V | Tier VI | Tier VII | Tier VIII | Tier IX | Tier X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savage Aim Materia | Critical Hit Rate | Increases the amount of physical and magical damage dealt, along with how much HP gets restored when healing. The higher the number, the higher the potency and likelihood of landing a Critical Hit. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +16 | +8 | +24 | +12 | +36 |
| Savage Might Materia | Determination | Increases the amount of physical and magical damage dealt, along with how much HP gets restored when healing. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +16 | +8 | +24 | +12 | +36 |
| Heaven's Eye Materia | Direct Hit Rate | Increases the rate at which you land a direct hit with physical and magical attacks, dealing more damage. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +16 | +8 | +24 | +12 | +36 |
| Quickarm Materia | Skill Speed | Lowers casting and re-casting times and increases the potency of damage dealt over time on auto-attacks and weapon skills. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +16 | +8 | +24 | +12 | +36 |
| Battledance Materia | Tenacity | Increases the amount of physical and magical damage you deal and take, along with HP restored. Tank role only. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +16 | +8 | +24 | +12 | +36 |
| Piety Materia | Piety | Increases the rate at which you replenish MP in battle. Healer role only. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +16 | +8 | +24 | +12 | +36 |
| Quicktongue Materia | Spell Speed | Lowers casting and re-casting times and increases the potency of damage/healing dealt over time on spells. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +16 | +8 | +24 | +12 | +36 |
| Craftsman's Cunning Materia | CP | Improves Crafting Points pool during some Crafting actions. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +8 | +7 | +9 | +8 | +10 |
| Craftsman's Command Materia | Control | Gain more Quality when crafting. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +7 | +10 | +9 | +13 | +12 | +18 |
| Craftsman's Competence Materia | Craftmanship | Gain more Progress when crafting, speeding up the process. | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +11 | +16 | +14 | +21 | +18 | +27 |
| Gatherer's Guerdon Materia | Gathering | Increases the probability of Gathering items. | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +10 | +15 | +12 | +20 | +14 | +25 |
| Gatherer's Grasp Materia | GP | Improves Gathering Points pool during some Gathering actions. | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 | +8 | +7 | +9 | +8 | +10 |
| Gatherer's Guile Materia | Perception | Increases the probability of Gathering high-quality items. | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +10 | +15 | +12 | +20 | +14 | +25 |
You cannot meld Materia VI, VII, and X onto equipment past the first Advanced Materia Melding Slot.
Materia Transmutation
Materia Transmutation allows you to trade in five pieces of Materia for a random piece of Materia that is guaranteed to be a different type than the five you turned in. The odds of receiving Materia of a higher tier is also very likely, making it worth your time. This is an excellent method if you need Disciples of War Materia but have lots of Magic, Crafting, or Gathering Materia you have no use for.
To unlock Materia Transmutations, you must first have the "Life, Materia and Everything" MSQ completed and will then have to seek out Kokosamu at The Bonfire in Central Thanalan (23, 13) to grab the subquest "Marvelously Mutable Materia." After clearing the subquest, you will speak to Mutamix Bubblypots (located in the same area) for all your Materia Transmutation needs.
