But just for anyone who’s newer to the game: Materia is a way of enhancing the statistics of your gear. Said gear will usually have a certain amount of slots available for Materia, and these slots are limited. But the fun doesn’t stop there: With just a little bit of work, you can unlock the ability to overmeld, which gives you the freedom to slot certain types of gear with up to five Materia. This is referred to as pentamelding, and it’s more or less the endgame of overmelding.
How Do I Unlock Overmelding/Pentamelding?
You’ll need to complete the quest “Melding Materia Muchly”, which can be picked up from Mutamix at the Bonfire in Central Thanalan. You’ll also need to complete the previous quest “Forging The Spirit”, which grants you the ability to meld in the first place. “Melding Materia Muchly” can only be acquired with a crafting class at level 19, but you won’t be able to hand it in until level 25. Only certain kinds of crafted gear can be overmelded. So you won’t be able to boost the stats of any cool dungeon drops you’d like to use for a little bit longer. You’ll also need to have the crafting class that makes that piece of gear at the equivalent level. New players will often ask about overmelding/pentamelding, and tired veterans will usually respond with something along the lines of “Just go ahead and throw all your gil in the sea.” It’s not something to be undertaken lightly. And the rewards you seek are at the end of a very long road.
What’s The Point Of Overmelding?
Overmelding allows you to boost the stats of certain types of gear beyond the Materia slot limit. This can eke out vital extra points of performance, which can be incredibly useful if you know you’re going to use that piece of gear for a long time. If you’re at your respective job’s endgame, overmelding can help you max out your character’s potential at a much faster rate than grinding for gear. It can make crafted equips superior to any gear bought with Tomestones or scrips (for gatherers and crafters), at the expense of a lot of Materia and frustration.
Is There Anything Else I Should Know About Overmelding?
It can be a huge time/Materia sink. It’s not common practice amongst Eorzea’s army of adventurers for that reason. Chances of failure are high, and those chances increase with every successful meld over your gear’s limit. You should only try to overmeld the highest possible gear for your class, because the amount of Materia you’ll probably have to spend to get one attached can be prohibitive. You’ll also want to know which stats you should be attempting to boost by overmelding before you set out doing it. You’ll need piles upon piles of Materia, basically throwing handfuls of stuff at your gear before one decides to stick. Don’t start doing that until you know which stats are best for you. And those stats differ between every job, so I’d recommend doing some reading. Come up with a plan for your build, and you’ll be able to focus on getting the Materia you need. Stockpile, stockpile, and when you think you’ve got enough, stockpile some more. Overmelding gear you’re only going to use for a short while will result in a massive loss of resources. And high-quality Materia doesn’t come cheap if you’re looking to buy on the Marketboard. You can spend millions of gil in the process, and most of us don’t have that just lying around!
