# FFXIV Materia Melding Calculator

> Free FFXIV materia melding calculator. Pick gear quality, materia grade, and overmeld slot to see the published success chance, expected attempts, and expected materia cost.

Pentamelding eats materia for breakfast. Pick your gear quality, materia grade, and which overmeld slot you are on to see the real success chance and how much materia it should cost.

*Interactive tool: enter your values at https://toollantern.win/ffxiv-materia-melding-calculator/ and results update instantly in your browser.*

## The published meld rates

The first two materia slots on a piece of gear always succeed (100%). Every slot after that is an advanced meld, or overmeld, with a published success chance that falls per slot and per materia grade. For grade V and higher (odd grades) on high-quality gear: 17%, then 10%, 7%, and 5% for the fourth overmeld. Lower grades are far more forgiving: grade I starts at 90%.

## Expected attempts, not luck

Expected attempts = 1 / chance. A 17% first overmeld takes 5.9 attempts on average, meaning 5.9 materia consumed, because a failed meld destroys the materia. Plan with averages and you will rarely be surprised; plan with best case and you will always be broke.

## Worked example

Pentamelding **HQ** gear with **grade XI materia** (odd grade V+). Overmeld chances: 17%, 10%, 7%, 5%. Expected materia for the first overmeld = 1/0.17 = **5.9**. To finish all four overmelds from scratch: 1/0.17 + 1/0.10 + 1/0.07 + 1/0.05 = **50.2 materia** on average. That last 5% slot alone eats 20 materia.

## Watch the even grades

Grades VI, VIII, X, and XII can only go in the first overmeld slot and cannot be melded past it. The remaining overmeld slots must use the odd grade just below (V, VII, IX, XI). The calculator flags this automatically if you pick an even grade past slot one.

## Frequently asked questions
### What are the materia overmeld success rates?

The first two slots are guaranteed at 100%. Overmelds start at the third slot: 17% for grade V+ on HQ gear, falling to 5% by the fourth overmeld.

### What happens when a meld fails?

The materia is destroyed. The gear is never damaged, so the only cost of failure is the lost materia (and the lost time farming it).

### Why can't I use grade XII for every overmeld?

Even grades (VI, VIII, X, XII) are marked as not meldable past the first advanced slot. Use the odd grade below them (V, VII, IX, XI) for slots two through four.

### Does HQ vs NQ gear matter?

High-quality gear has better rates than normal-quality at every grade and slot (for example 17% vs 12% on the first overmeld of grade V+). There is no reason to overmeld normal-quality gear.

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Interactive version: https://toollantern.win/ffxiv-materia-melding-calculator/