Is it worth buying schematics?

Question

From my experience in RPGs, there is seldom a balance in quality between items looted, bought or crafted. Most often it's just better to save your gold and equipt whatever drops from battle and then perhaps buy the occasional powerful item from some merchant. Crafted items is the category that most often falls short - it simply isn't worth the time or money to do it.

I've just left Hinterlands and have run across several merchants that sell schematics. I actually like the crafting system in DA:I and I wonder if it's worth it to buy them and craft items. From what I've seen on other forums, there are mixed opinions as to how good crafted items are.

TL;DR - should I skip buying schematics all together and just equipt whatever I find?

Answer 1

Anecdotally, there were definitely stretches of the game where the best item for a particular character was something I could craft rather than something I had found. If an item's level is looking low, it might be worth messing with, particularly if you're enjoying the crafting.

Answer 2

TL;DR Yes, it is.

Basically, unlike crafting in a lot of other games, a schematic isn't for a specific item, but for a category of items, and only specifies whether a slot on it requires metal, leather or cloth -- and how many units. So as you find better materials, you'll be able to craft better gear from the same schematic.

Of course, better schematics use more bits in each slot and result in even better gear. As usual, check the wiki for a full summation and breakdown.