I don't know why, I got lvl4 in gold smithing but I keep breaking/fail to make them, I can only make them 1 out of 4-5 try and lost zinc every time >.<
I've made three ingots so far (I'm a thief, I get LOTS of beastcoins) and so far there's been no change in my smithing skill, nor any "gains .0" or anything that would signify any change. Any idea how much activity it takes to start earning skill levels? And, yes, I'm a member of the guild. Thanks.
Sorry to break that news to you. I have been leveling Goldsmith a lot and I am only at lvl 14 (about to hit 15). It is VERY EXPENSIVE and unless you know where to find resources and what items are cost effective to grind, you will be in for a long haul. After you reach the first test, I don't think you earn skill by crafting ingots. Talk to the NPC at the guild shops and they give you items you can craft at your lvl. Depending on who you talk to, the NPC will give you ideas that may give you xp for crafting the item. Hope this helps and good luck to ya...=)
*****Correction***** Let me clarify by saying that the ingots I am referring to are brass. Once you hit the lvl after amateur (think its initiate) you can start crafting silver ingots which will grant you xp for that lvl only. If you thought the cost of zinc and brass ingots were high, wait til you get to the silvers =/ Once you pass that, you got mythril and darksteel to look forward to. Hope you are not attached to your gil.
If I'm not mistaken, brass beastcoins dont drop. Even if you were doing fire crystal + 4 copper beastcoins, it should take you up to ~3 goldsmithing. I've been doing the 3 copper ore + 1 zinc ore method (since I have no clue where to get brass nuggets), and it continued to give me skill past 6 goldsmithing (yes, brass and copper ingots are goldsmithing, not blacksmithing!).
p.s. Membership in the guild only provides 2 things: temporary skill support and skill advancement tests. You can get up to 10 in any skill without ever joining a guild. However, to break that 10 skill cap, you will need to take an advancement quest from the guildmaster.