Crafting Systems in RPGs Ranked: From Skyrim to Monster Hunter

Crafting in RPGs ranges from afterthought menus to entire gameplay loops. The best systems make gathering materials, learning recipes, and creating items as engaging as the combat they support.

Ranking Methodology: We investigated entries based on extensive playtime, community consensus, and mechanical depth analysis. Our assessment focused on learning curve, community health, balance and fairness, replayability. Rankings reflect aggregate scoring, not a single metric. These recommendations reflect our independent assessment, not paid partnerships.

S-Tier: Crafting as the Core Loop

Monster Hunter: World/Rise/Wilds builds its entire gameplay loop around crafting. Every monster you hunt drops materials used to forge weapons and armor with unique properties. Rathalos parts create fire-element weapons. Nargacuga parts create high-affinity (critical hit) weapons. The Great Sword tree alone has 30+ upgrade paths, each requiring different monster parts. You hunt a monster to make gear that helps you hunt harder monsters. The loop never breaks because new monsters always introduce new gear.

Final Fantasy XIV has the deepest crafting system in any MMO. Each crafting class (Carpenter, Blacksmith, Alchemist, Culinarian, etc.) has its own rotation of abilities. Crafting an item uses Craftsmanship (progress toward completion), Control (quality that determines HQ chance), and CP (crafting points that fuel abilities). High-end crafting requires planning a rotation that maximizes quality within limited CP, making it a genuine mini-game rather than a single button press.

Terraria makes crafting the primary progression system. Your first night shelter is built from wood. By mid-game you craft adamantite pickaxes, mythril anvils, and rocket boots. Endgame crafting produces weapons that destroy screen-filling bosses. The crafting tree has hundreds of items with clear upgrade paths, and discovering new recipes by combining unexpected materials rewards experimentation.

A-Tier: Strong but Secondary

The Witcher 3 ties crafting to its alchemy system. Each potion, oil, and decoction requires specific ingredients gathered from the world. Swallow (healing potion) needs Celandine and Drowner Brain. Superior Thunderbolt (damage boost) requires rare Ergot Seeds and Rebis. Once crafted, potions automatically refill when you meditate with Alcohest in your inventory. The system rewards gathering without making inventory management tedious.

Baldur’s Gate 3 integrates crafting sparingly but effectively. Combining a Sussur Bark with a weapon at a forge creates a Sussur weapon that silences spellcasters on hit. Mixing three specific potions at an alchemy table creates powerful elixirs that last until long rest. The system works because items feel hand-crafted rather than procedurally generated.

B-Tier: Functional but Forgettable

Skyrim has quantity without depth. The Smithing skill tree unlocks crafting tiers from Iron through Daedric. Improving items at a grindstone or workbench adds flat damage or armor. The Fortify Smithing enchantment loop allows creating items with absurd stats, breaking game balance. The system provides progression but lacks the decision-making that makes Monster Hunter or FFXIV crafting engaging.

Elden Ring uses Ashes of War as its crafting equivalent. Applying an Ash of War to a weapon changes its skill and can modify its scaling. A Heavy affinity increases Strength scaling; a Keen affinity increases Dexterity scaling. Crafting consumables (fire pots, holy water pots, cure items) from gathered materials supplements the Ash of War system but rarely feels essential compared to finding pre-made items in the world.

C-Tier: Better Ignored

Some RPGs include crafting because it is expected, not because the designers had a vision for it. When crafted items are consistently worse than found or purchased alternatives, the system wastes player time. When crafting requires grinding hundreds of identical enemies for rare drops with no intermediary rewards, the system becomes a chore.

What Makes Crafting Good

The best crafting systems share three traits. First, crafted items are competitive with or superior to found items, justifying the time investment. Second, the crafting process itself involves decisions (which materials, which recipe, which upgrade path) rather than just pressing a button. Third, gathering materials is integrated into gameplay you would do anyway: Monster Hunter makes you fight the monster, FFXIV makes you explore zones, Terraria makes you explore the world.

For more RPG systems content, see our RPG Loot Systems Explained and Best RPG Crafting Builds. For specific game guides, check Elden Ring Build Guide: Strength.