Has anyone checked this out?

It really sucks, after the Profession patch, all items from Maker (except Monster Powder) is useless. This includes monster crystals, appraised jewels, and stimulators.
You'd think they'd be smart enough to change monster crystals to item crystals, but nope

It's best to make equipment (with the monster crystals) without any bonuses with Maker before the patch, then disassemble them after, for quick item crystals.

So what benefit does blacksmithing brings (besides the lvl 130 equips)? What could make you choose that instead of the jewelcrafting?

I mean, you can still get most of the items a blacksmith can make through drops (once again, with the exception of the 130 equips) while most of the things you can make with the jeweler are pretty much unique as of now? Something doesn't really clicks with this.

So what benefit does blacksmithing brings (besides the lvl 130 equips)? What could make you choose that instead of the jewelcrafting?

I mean, you can still get most of the items a blacksmith can make through drops (once again, with the exception of the 130 equips) while most of the things you can make with the jeweler are pretty much unique as of now? Something doesn't really clicks with this.

Mass produce equips and then get an Alchemy mule to merge two of the same equips together to make one equip with unidentified potential (going off how Spadow explains Alchemy in an earlier blog post)?

Yeah, this doesn't really click with me either...

Mass produce equips and then get an Alchemy mule to merge two of the same equips together to make one equip with unidentified potential (going off how Spadow explains Alchemy in an earlier blog post)?

Yeah, this doesn't really click with me either...

Could you point me to the place where it says that by merging equips you get one with hidden potential? I couldn't find it in the Technological Age post.

But still, fusing is part of the alchemy profession, so blacksmithing only gives the raw material. Standing on itself, blacksmith doesn't really brings that many new things to the table, while both alchemy and jewelcrafting do. I'm not saying that blacksmithing is useless, but it's really lacking in terms of innovation agains the other two, unless the items done with blacksmithing come with a chance to have potential.