The actual dig lvls are


lvl 0: Area wait 60, wait 16

lvl 1: Area wait 55, wait 11

lvl 2: Area wait 50, wait 6

lvl 3: Area wait 45, wait 0

lvl 4: Area wait 40

lvl 5: area 35

lvl 6: area 30

lvl 7: area 25

lvl 8: area 20

lvl 9: area 15

lvl 10: area 10


These are the real lvl, atleast up to lvl 7 have been tested.


I am also talking to and trying to look at some JP digging websites for even more info.


actually the first 2 lvls area wait time may be off, but are correct for sure at area wait 45.

I'll try to answer as much as i can:


1. How much profit do u make from chocobo digging?


Profit is dependant on your level and on the number of diggers at the time. When I - at area wait 40 - dig with no other digger in the jungles ( that happened once, the day of CoP's release ) I racked up a decent amount of gil , around 2 logs per stack of greens.

Lately, with the massively growing number of diggers, its been far far worse, being 1/2 a log per stack mostly.

I have a list with the names of diggers with area wait 45 or less. That list grew from 5 names a few months ago to 35 names last week.


I quit digging.


2. If ur wait time between digs is low does that mean that u can dig up more items consistently?


No. It means you can attempt to find items FASTER ( aka less waiting ). Wither you get an item or not is entirely dependant on the number of diggers. The quality of the item is dependant on your level tho, so at lv1 expect far more bonechips, at lv4 you may reasonably expect a log per stack ( crowd reducing this massively ).


3. And finally if u are at high level do u consistently dig up items like adaman ore that sell well on the AH?


If you're level 10? yes maybe. At lv4 ( or 5 if you want to start from 0 ) I still don't can't bring myself to burn greens in Meri mountains. Just digging there hoping for a 'good luck' pop on an item rated 'Very Rare'...


Advice: Study the pattern of diggers before you think about digging. It used to be great, but since other sources of cash are now monopolized ( thanks gilfarmers ) people are looking for other stuff. They found digging.


I wish i didn't spend 1.5 million gil on greens so far


Hope this helps.

Solathan,


Thanks very much for your comments. I find them informative but admittedly somewhat discouraging. I honestly don't know how many greens into /wait6 I am. I've dug and dug and dug but just can't seem to hit /wait0.


I would like to try hitting A10 one day and see just how rich diggers can really get, but it's an extremely long road. One of the A10 diggers on my server said it was about 6,000 stacks of greens between /wait0 and A10. So this brings me to my question.


I have been digging on and off for many months now, thinking of this as a very long term investment and that *eventually* I will really see it turn a profit. I can do quite well in the jungles, but as you said, if there are other diggers around, particularly high level ones, it significantly decreases my findings.


What I want to know is, do you think if I persevere and just continue digging and eventally hit A10, that I'll manage to make my money back? Or do you think that, even at A10, profits will be horrible due to increased digger population?


Also, if I want to see a return on the investment I've made so far, which is probably at least 500k on greens, it seems like rushing to hit A40 or so would be to my advantage since I could benefit from the higher level digging before digging gets too trendy. Another possibility is that many people will have the same reservations as me and yourself and ultimately just quit digging.


We see this in other crafts. I have cooking60, for example, but I barely ever synth anything for profit, so even though I have this ability, I'm not in competition with other diggers. Following this example, it seems possible that there are many people who could get a higher level in digging but just give up due to the challenge ahead of them, leaving the road clear for those who are truly dedicated.


I see digging as being in line with the Lu Shang rod. Even fishing is hurt by many people who fish, but people still make tremendous amounts of money from it.


I have one more question to part with. Do you have ANY tips for how to level up? The number of greens between /wait6 and /wait0 is turning out to be a lot more than I expected and I'm hoping for at least some way to get it higher. A couple of the A10 diggers on my server have stated that it's better to dig in lower level zones if you want to level up during the lower levels of digging, but the competition for resources is fierce and I find that if I dig in Meriphataud or Pashhow, there are almost always other diggers present, effectively turning my potential profits into 100% loss.


In closing, I'd like to say that I have in fact seen the most profits from digging in the jungle. Even at /wait6, I can make a little profit per run. My best score was about 30k worth of items in 10 stacks, but that almost never happens. Usually I would get enough logs to at least break even. But let me tell you, if there's another digger there, it's going to be HORRIBLE. One time I tried to ignore another digger's presence and I went 96 digs there with only about 5 items, and they were all crap. To those looking to make profit, I suggest looking around in Kazham and keeping a list of your server's diggers. Then go to the Kazham area when you see it available. Or make a digging mule, which is something I'm thinking of doing right now, and just leave it in Kazham.


Your comments regarding my questions would be most appreciated.

I have found that digging in different areas of a zone makes a difference. While the "main dig zone" of an area is empty and you dont dig up anything. Yet if you travel to an area in the zone that doesnt normally see diggers you still get items. So some of them zones where the high level diggers blitz through they do leave stuff behind in places they didnt go.


As for zone depeletion of items, yes it royally sucks. However it can work both ways, if you happen to dig in a "fresh zone" it will make up for all them times you had crappy dig runs.


As far as someone asked what does it take to repop a digging area. I believe items are generated over time. So the longer since someone dug there the better the yeild.


So far from what I read and experienced when it comes to levels they jsut sorta happen, some say its amounts of greens used, some say its items dug up. I kinda wanna go with the items dug up theory. Maybe sorta along the lines of synthing woudl be, to reach X level you need x common, then X + X for level after, moving up to where uncommon or rare items become the "needed item." Now since Choco digging is pretty competative the more diggers the more liekly the longer it takes to levle if x items are needed. Thus the conflicting number of greens to gain levels.


The only real way to tell if you gained or not is would be using a dig macro with a /wait time lower than your "current level" using one of these handy time charts people made.

I know you are trying to help, but like I said, I have spent about 500k on greens and I'm pretty familiar with the common theories and mechanics of digging.


I am just hoping there is some *new* information out there regarding leveling. No one in anything I've read is really in firm agreement about how to level up. The most fresh information I've received regarding this was from the two A10 diggers I mentioned, and that is to dig in areas closer to the main cities like Meriphataud, Pashhow, La Theine, Tahrongi, etc.


The above suggestion also seems to be in line with the progress that some diggers have made on this thread, even, ie, those who weren't obsessed with spending their life in Elshimo managed to hit /wait0 sooner. But I'm still sitting here with /wait6.


Anyway, this thread continues to serve as one of the best digging resources on the web and again I thank you all for your comments.

I think half the problem with chocbo digging is the fact that it is a craft that can not support as many people as the other crafts do.


It is too bad there is not a personal economy for each player and zone. A second or third digger in a zone and digging is toast. This does not even inclue the casual digger that jsut digs on a chocobo ride.


It is not like you can pair off with a WHM or BLM friend, both go dig an area. THen teleport back to a crag or get a warp II and go out again. Instead the two of you would be screwing each other over.


When you start comparing it to mining, harvesting, or lumbering the amounts of loot and players it is able to support does not even compare. I think every server has those bots by now, think about it and you will understand if you have good knowledge of digging and lumbering.


So a high majority of the players that try it give up quickly because they couldnt find anything worthwhile due to low skill or a zone just being dug out.


In a way I want to say yippee they gave up more for me. However having to say something like that obviously means it is something that is unbalanced. The more diggers there is on a server the more it screws each other.


I know I would like to see some of the more "rare finds" in the auction hall more. There is items for almost every zone that are considered "rare synth supply." Reishi mushrooms, Puffballs, King Truffles, Wyvern Scales, Coral Fragments, etc. Granted the value may drop or even increase, but it would be nice to see crafters get a steady supply.


I really hope they come up with a better loot split system to support more diggers before someone does figure the system out completely and ruins it with a bot. Think about it, a bot could screw every digger easy. Running around digging is far less complicated than what the other bots are currently doing.

best way to lvl is to dig where other people arn't, the highlands are a good place to start digging, you can dig up elm and mythril coins there, you should break even or make some small gil while lvling.


It's also good to try and dig up things that are somewhat rare for your level.


You are goign to have one heck of a time lvling in kazham since it's dug up so often.


Edit: Also you can dig up king truffle in Jugner Forest, and Reishi Mushrooms in Batallia Downs, they are both very rare but they can be dug there. Also when you hit wait 0, you are at area wait 45, and each lvl after that your area wait time drops 5 seconds.


Edit: also getting to wait 0 is extreamly quick compaired with lving after that.

cool, thanks for the replies. I guess I will continue to just go to the lower level areas. I understand what both of you are saying. I really hope they make some sort of adjustment as well, but until then, I will be crossing my fingers in hopes that people continue to be deterred.


The act of digging is quite simple, yeah, but I'm honestly not too worried about them since all of the inventory clearing, green replenshing, unstackable transference, etc, is really a pain in the butt and I would hope they won't do it. I assume a mining bot could last quite a long time with the appropriately leveled trade skills.


One of the two diggers that I keep mentioning also told me that from /wait0 to A10 it was about 6,000 greens, which is in agreement with what you said, darkhorror. That's a lot greens.


Anyways, thanks for the input and dig on!

it takes a lot more than 6000 stacks to get to A10, I am guessing 10,000 or so. I am area wait 25 and one of my friends who is also area wait 25 has been keeping track of how many stacks he has gone through, and he has gone through 5000 stacks.

I think your underestimating bots Jerji, think about it.


I would assume all of them have 55 inventory, obviously they will make back whatever they spent power leveling fame. They do not waste inventory on any other equipment. Since Chocobo Rider gear does not affect digging (at least nobody proved otherwise) that gives them 4 more inventory spaces.


A lumberjack bot would need MANY hatchets. They get used just like greens. SUre sometimes you dont lose the hatchet, sometimes you burn a few. Both require replenshing axes.


A roving bot path to logging points. With choco digging you could use a much easier pattern. Maybe even use one more complicated to to make a really good digging pattern.


Lumberjack bots dont synth their logs until they get back to Sandoria. So with non-stacking digging loot would be very simliar since it is mostly logs or ores that do not stack anyways.


Now we all pretty much agree that items for digging repop over time. It would not be hard for a bot to get a stranglehold on that repop time.


So when you start thinking about all the actions a AI for a bot does for mining, fishing, and lumbering, choco digging is not nearly as complicated.