The materials level is based on the points in the first passive. So if you have lvl 9 passive you won't get the v16 materials. You need lvl 10 passive to get Ruby materials. Problem is that the yellow materials are really rare. Few months ago i used to get almost daily 2 wax, and a bit less rosin and alloy but it was still something. Now the mails are so random that's not even worth the points spent...

I dont know why I have them too, I guess I just like get something everyday. I make more money buying tempers from one guild and sell them in another for a substantial markup. Making armor, cloths, staffs and bows is still how I make a majority of my money though about 50k to 75k a day. I guess I only keep those skill points into them bc he's just my crafter and dont really use him for anything else.

lol. best title ever

I actually get nice stuff, maybe not Dreugh Wax ... but still I get the occasional Rubedite ores or ancient silk

Yeah...since the great hireling nerf (was it 1.5/1.6?) it's not been as lucrative to have the hirelings. I still have them, as I still get raw materials. But, more often than not, the only other item I get with my equipment hirelings is a trait stone or style stone. Those are just trash for me.

I will say, though, that the clothing hireling is by far the best of the three. I will consistently get embroidery and elegant lining, and usually x2 when I get them. I'd say most of the time I get one or the other, or both. I even get Wax from time to time, and about half that time, I get 2.

For blacksmithing, though, I'm lucky to even get a honing stone or oil, much less grain solvent. Forget alloys, I think I've only gotten them a few times since the nerf. Woodworking is better, but I usually get far more turpen than even pitch. Mastic comes fairly often, with resin not showing up any more than alloy.

Enchanting is the worst, since I've only received 2 or 3 kutas since the nerf. I get Rekutas pretty regularly, though. However, more often than I'd like, I only get two runes instead of three (which only happened to me once on a 3/3 hireling prior to the nerf). A week or so ago, my 3/3 hireling sent me just a potency rune.

I don't have the provisioner hireling any more, since I have full stacks of all the ingredients, including purple, and I get a good supply of purples from the writs to keep me topped off, with extra to sell.