Comprehensive crafting guide [handicraft]

Introduction

Handicraft has always been one of my favourite crafting skills, because of its versatility. It can be coupled with other major crafting skills such as Cooking and Casting and significantly shorten the time to level the other two skills. It can also be complemented with skills such as Procurement and Collection, and therefore turning trash items such as Grass, Sand and Stone into highly valuable commodity.
Handicraft can be used to make trade goods such as alcohol, as well as make Gems from ore collected in Landing areas. It is also responsible for making all furniture throughout the game, and can add valuable boosts to your ship by building Head Pieces and Wooden Armours
Because Handicraft is such a versatile, each nation will have its advantages and disadvantages. Spanish players and Portuguese players will have easy access to, Wheat, Barley, Olives, Cane, Almond, and Wine, French players will have the Bordeaux to Nantes trade route as well as access to the Brewing Secrets Volume 2 from Montpellier, and Dutch and English players will have the raw materials of Lumber and other metal ore and Industrial goods from the North Sea.

Recommended Birthplace

Mediterranean Chapter
-Lisbon
-Marseille

North Sea Chapter
-London
-Amsterdam

Mediterranean Chapter

-Required Recipe Books
Book of Pharmaceutical preparation [optional] (Nantes, Malaga, Syracuse) 5000D
Book of Seasoning (Palma) 5000D
Brewing Secrets (Cagliari, reward after 320,000D in investment; Hamburg) 10000D
Brewing Secrets Volume 2 (Montpellier, Havana, reward after 800,000D in investment)

-Required Skills
Food trading (animal trader, food merchant)
Alcohol trading (accountant)
Luxury item trading (accountant, medicine trader)
Handicraft (medicine trader)
Either one of Procurement or Collection [optional] (fisherman)
Industrial goods trade [optional] (mineral trader)

Level 1 (3 x Grass >>> Basic Medicine)
One of the biggest problems with Handicraft is that most recipes start at level 2, so at level 1 your options are very limited. You can of course try and purchase a +1 Handicraft Shipwright’s Saw from players, but that equipment would cost about 3 million ducats. The next best thing is try to get your Handicraft to level 2 by crafting level 1 items.
Sail to Nantes, purchase the Book of Pharmaceutical preparation. Go outside the town through the gatekeeper and use either Procurement or Collection skill (on a grassy patch) to gather Grass and turn them into Basic Medicine.

This method can be time consuming if you can’t find the Logs.

Level 2 (Olive >>> Olive Oil; Cane >>> Cane Sugar; Wheat >>> Beer)
If you are Spanish you can sail between either Seville and Faro, and use the Brewing Secrets to turn Wheat into Beer or between Palma and Valencia and make Olive Oil from Olives using the Seasoning Book. Both products can be sold back to the market.
If you are Portuguese, you can sail to the Madeira and produce Cane Sugarfrom Cane with the Seasoning Book, or travel between Porto and Lisbon to brew Beer from Wheat found at Porto

Level 3 (Almond >>> Almond Oil; Wheat >>> Aquavit; Barley >>> Vodka)
Spanish players use the Seville to Ceuta route, making Aquavit from Wheat and Vodka from Barley using the Brewing Secrets book. Portuguese players use the Porto to Lisbon route, making Almond Oil from Almond from the Book of Seasoning, and Aquavit from Wheat using Brewing Secrets.

Level 4 (Almond >>> Almond Oil; Wheat >>> Aquavit; Barley >>> Vodka; 2 x Wine >>> Brandy)
Spanish players use the same route between Seville and Ceuta, this time with the addition of making Brandy from Wine.
Similarly Portuguese players use the route from Porto to Lisbon, making Brandy from Wine on top of the Almond Oil and Aquavit.

Level 5 - 7 (Wheat >>> Whiskey; Barley >>> Vodka or Vinegar, 2 x Wine >>> Brandy)
Sail between Seville and Ceuta and brew Whiskey from Wheat, Vodka from Barley and Brandy from Wine. Now you’ll see why Handicraft is so profitable. Both Whiskey and Vodka are speciality products from the North and can see for quite a lot of money and fame.
If you want less profit and fame, you can turn the Barley into Vinegar with the Book of Seasoning

Level 7 (Wheat >>> Whiskey; Barley >>> Vodka or Vinegar, Wine >>> Wine Vinegar)
Using the same trade routes above, except turning Wine into Wine Vinegar with the Book of Seasoning rather than Brandy.

Level 8 - 10 (Wheat >>> Whiskey; Barley >>> Vodka or Vinegar, Wine >>> Wine Vinegar or 2 x Wine >>> Brandy, Brandy + Raisin >>> Shelly)

Path A (Wheat >>> Whiskey; Barley >>> Vodka or Vinegar, Wine >>> Wine Vinegar)
If you are unlucky and do not have friends from France that can help you invest in a Brewing Secret Volume 2, then you are stuck in the Lisbon and Seville area, making Wine Vinegar from Wine. That would be the only recipe available to you until level 10.

Path B (Raisin >>> Wine, 2 x Wine >>> Brandy, Brandy + Raisin >>> Shelly)
If you are lucky enough to grab hold of a Secret Brewing Volume 2, then its time to make some serious profit.

Path B1 (Raisin >>> Wine, 2 x Wine >>> Brandy, Brandy + Raisin >>> Shelly)
-Suitable for all players, French players will have greater advantage.
Travel to the Bordeaux, Nantes area in the Bay of Biscay. Once you get here you’ll understand just how just how much of an advantage French players have in terms of Handicraft. Nantes sells Brandy, Bordeaux sells Wine and Raisins. Simply travel between the two ports, loading up on Brandy, Raisins, and Wine. Use Wine to make Brandy, combine Brandy with Raisin to make Shelly. Any leftover Raisins can be made into Wine, and then into Brandy and combined with another Raisin to make Shelly. Everything related to alcohol here can be crafted and therefore making these Nantes and Bordeaux area ideal for Handicraft crafters.

Trade Route (Nantes/Bordeaux >>> Plymouth)
Once your ship has full cargo of Shelly, you can unload them at Plymouth, where Shelly is considered a speciality product, and earning you some handsome exp, fame and profit.

Path B2 (4 x Cane >>> Rum, Raisin >>> Wine, 2 x Wine >>> Brandy, Brandy + Raisin >>> Shelly)
-Suitable only for Portuguese players
With a small investment in Madeira, you will be able to purchase Wine and Raisin. The disadvantage of Madeira is that unlike Bordeaux/Nantes, there are no nearby ports. If you want maximum efficiency its best to bring category 2 purchase orders.
The process is the same as in B2. Buy out Wine and Raisin. Turn the Wine into Brandy, and combine Brandy with Raisin to make Shelly. Buy Cane and brew Rum from the Cane.
Because your are Portuguese, you will be able to invest in Madeira and purchase extra trade goods.

Trade Route
This trade route is highly profitable and fast. Before you set out from Lisbon, make sure you have in your ship cargo 50 of Feathers (crafted from by plucking chicken with level 1 Sewing), 50 of Whiskey, brewed from Wheat, 50 of Aquavit, made also from Wheat, 50 of Vodka, made from Barley in Ceuta, travel to Madeira, craft at least 50 of Shelly, and some Rum if you have cargo space.
Once your ship is loaded with alcohol, sail down to Arguin, south west of Madeira on the African Coast. All the items in your ship apart from Rum are speciality items, and by selling them together you will receive Specialty Combo, earning you lots of experience and Ducat.
This Portuguese special trade route can make you a multi millionaire in a matter of days.

Level 10
See late game

North Sea Chapter

-Required Skill Books
Art Handbook (Cairo, reward after 400,000D in Investment)
Book of Additional Wood Armour (all six capital cities) 15000D
Book of Alloy Smelting [optional] (Dublin, reward after 300,000 in investment)
Brewing Secrets [optional] (Cagliari, reward after 320,000D in investment; Hamburg) 10000D
Brewing Secrets Volume 2 [optional] (Havana, Montpellier, reward after 800,000 in investment)

-Required Skills
Industrial good trading (mineral trader)
Handicraft (medicine trader)
Ore trading [optional] (mineral trader)
Casting [Level 7+] [optional] (mineral trader, firearms trader)
Alcohol trading [optional] (accountant)
Luxury items trading [optional] (accountant, medicine trader)

Level 1 – 3 (Lumber + Iron >>> Cedar Boards)
Although, casting is not essential, having casting at level 7 and being able to make Bronze would make the levelling up of Handicraft 10 or more times faster. For details on how to level up Casting, see my guide on Casting. The reason is that you can turn Bronze into Bronze statue and the materials to make Bronze can all be found in Hamburg.
If you wish to master Handicraft and you are from either England or Netherlands, it is highly recommended that you start off with Casting and use Handicraft as a complement rather than head straight into Handicraft.
Purchase as many Iron from Amsterdam as you can and then sail to Oslo. In Oslo combine Lumber with Iron to make Cedar Boards from the Book of Additional Wood Armour.

Level 3 - 5 (Lumber >>> Wooden statue)
The recipe book required for making Wooden Statue is obtained from Cairo. It is best to ask a friend from a Mediterranean nation to bring the book for you. It is a very long travel from Cairo back to the North.
Wooden Statues will sell for quite a lot in Oslo, and this recipe can make you rich very quickly. The disadvantage is that Oslo has no close by ports, so you will have to buy Lumber from other players.

Level 5 – 8 (Copper Ore + Tin Ore >>> Bronze: Bronze >>> Bronze statue)
Bronze can be purchased from ports, but it is much quicker if you use level 7 casting skill and the Book of Alloy Smelting, obtained from 300,000D in investments in Dublin to produce Bronze from Copper Ore and Tin Ore, which are both available in Hamburg.
In this method you can level up your Casting as well as your Handicraft, and you don’t have to leave port.

Level 8 – 10 (Copper Ore + Tin Ore >>> Bronze: Bronze >>> Bronze Statue or Raisin >>> Wine, 2 x Wine >>> Brandy, Brandy + Raisin >>> Shelly)

Path A (Copper Ore + Tin Ore >>> Bronze: Bronze >>> Bronze Statue)
You can craft Bronze Statues until you reach level 10. You will make a lot of Ducats, but the monotony might kill you.

Path B (Raisin >>> Wine, 2 x Wine >>> Brandy, Brandy + Raisin >>> Shelly)
You can also use the method discussed earlier in the Mediterranean Chapter to make Shelly in Bordeaux/Nantes areas.

Level 10
See late game


Late Game

Before you start your late game handicraft, it recommended that you have a high level in Collection, at least 6, and even better, if you have farm that was producing the raw materials for crafting. The items needed for crafting late game materials in Handicraft are a pain to gather, and most such as Red Ore, Honeycomb and Vegetable Oil can only be obtained through Collection in Landing areas. Before you head out to collect the materials make sure you stock up on Food items to replenish vigour. If you can produce the required items in your farm, then you can level up quite easily.

-Required Recipe Books
Art Handbook (Cairo, reward after 400,000D in Investment)
Brewing Secrets [optional] (Cagliari, reward after 320,000D in investment; Hamburg) 10000D
Brewing Secrets Volume 2 [optional] (Havana, Montpellier, reward after 800,000D in investment)
Craftsman Drill Book (Candia, reward after 320,000D in investment)
Book of Stone Cutting (Sao Tome, reward after 400,000D in investment)
Skilled Craftsman Drill Book (Jaffa, reward after 300,000D in investment)
Book of Ruby Cutting [optional] (Simorghian, Ceylon, reward after 2,000,000D in investment)
Book of Emerald Cutting [optional] (Zanzibar, reward after 2,000,000D in investment)

-Required Skills
Alcohol trading [optional] (accountant)
Luxury items trading [optional] (accountant, medicine trader)
Industrial good trading (mineral trader)
Handicraft (medicine trader)
Collection (fisherman)

Note the Collection Skill
Collection Skill is a favoured skill of the Fisherman and Chef profession. It can be used to gather material in Landing areas and on the sea. Each time you use Collection it costs 5 Vigour, and the skill is only cancelled when you click on the Collection icon on the screen.
Some items can only be collected in certain areas, and require certain levels in Collection.
The higher your level of collection, the more chances you will have in collecting rare materials and also increases the amount you collect each time.
The best places to collect are Landmark areas in Landing zones. Places such as Stacked Boulder or Large tree yield the most items

Level 10 – 12 [Book of Arts] (Stone material + Lumber >>> Stone Statue)
You can stay in Oslo and purchase Lumber and Stone Materialto make Stone Statue, then selling the Stone Statue back to the market. It is recommended you bring a lot of purchase orders to refresh the market.

Level 10 – 12[Brewing Secrets Volume 2] (5 x Large Leaf >>> Tequila)
Large Leaf can either be produced from your farm or collected in the Caribbean. Just land in any Landing area around the Caribbean, find a landmark and start collecting. You need level 6 in Collection though.

Level 12 – 14 [Brewing Secrets Volume 1 + 2](Raisin >>> Wine, 2 x Wine >>> Brandy, Brandy + Raisin >>> Shelly, 4 x Cane >>> Rum, Rum + Shelly + Honeycomb >>> Treaty Ale)
Shelly and Rum can be easily made in Madeira, see the Mediterranean Chapter for more details. Honeycomb can only be Collected from Landing areas in Eastern Europe. The best way is to Collect a near full cargo of Honeycomb (requires level 1 Collection) and sail to Madeira to make Treaty Ale.
The grass that you collect can be made into Vegetable Oil with the Craftsman Drill Book.

Level 12 – 14 [Skilled Craftsman Drill Book](10 x Grass >>> Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Oil + 2 x Lumber >>> Fine Furniture)
Go to the Landing area outside the gatekeeper in Nantes. Find a Stack of Boulders just outside the Entrance to the West. Use Collection (at least level 5), and collect Vegetable Oil. Grass can also be crafted into Vegetable Oilwith the Craftsman Drill Book.
Once you have a cargo full of Vegetable Oil, travel to Oslo and combine 2 x Lumber with Vegetable Oilto make Fine Furniture.

Level 14 – 15 [Gem cutting](4 x Ore >>> Gem)
Congratulations on making it so far, now is where you can see how 5 Vigour can be turned into 25,000 Ducats. The ores required for cutting gems can be produced from your farm, and that is probably the easiest and best way to acquire them. Otherwise you will have to collect them youself.
For Ruby, Red Ore can be collected (require level 5 in Collection) outside Tunis
For Amber, Yellow Ore can be collected (require level 5 in Collection) outside Stockholm
For Emerald, Green Ore can be collected (require level 5 in Collection) outside Athens
When you go and collect ores, you can cut Stones(10) into Crystals with Stone Cutting Book, and turn Crystals into Glassware with Skilled Craftsman Drill Book

Level 15
Graduation!!! You have mastered the art of Handicraft, you can now turn unwanted objects into prized possession, and with level 15 at your disposal you can millions in a matter of minutes. But wait, there is still something more challenging. Yes with Handicraft, you can also build Furniture for people’s Apartments. These Furniture will allow players to store various items and trade goods in their apartment as well their Skills.
The highest level Furniture is requires level 17 Handicraft, and if you make it, you will become the world’s most Legendary Carpenter.