Live A Live Crafting Guide: How to craft the best items in Prehistoric times

by Alex Donaldson and Chao Min Wu on 25 July, 2022

Crafting only makes a brief appearance in Live A Live - it's present in a single chapter of the game as an exclusive gimmick for just one of this unique RPG's eight stories - but that doesn't mean that the act of crafting, and learning all of the crafting recipes, isn't important.

That's what this guide is all about. It's here to help you with a complete list of items that you can craft, including detail on what the crafted items do (and the stats of craftable equipment), and of course what items you'll need to hunter-gather out in the wild in order to create them.

Trading items in order to get better weapons and equipment - functionally a crafting system - is vital if you're to survive Prehistory's most difficult encounters.

For more help with other elements of this excellent game, check out our Live A Live walkthrough and guide hub - we've got everything from step-by-step chapter walkthroughs to explanations of how to get the different endings.

Prehistoric Crafting Recipes: Every item you can make with Artistan Crafting

A key feature of the Prehistory chapter of Live A Live is the crafting system, which functions much as synthesis and crafting do in other RPGs. You hand over items to an NPC, and depending on what you hand over, you get something neat and quite often powerful back in return. The crafting is unique to that one story of Live A Live; it's one of this chapter's little gimmicks.

The NPC you'll need to hand items to is the Tribe Artisan, an NPC who the game explains as being a master craftsman whose creations are all "very powerful". We like Powerful - it'll make your life much easier - so you want to give him as much stuff as possible.

The Tribe Artisan is essentially your master craftsman, and can be used for all your crafting needs in Live A Live.

The items that the Tribe Artisan can create with his crafting can be hugely useful, especially if you plan to take on this chapter's punishing optional boss, as detailed in our full Live A Live Prehistory chapter walkthrough.

The crafting recipes are generally based around four key items - Bone, Pelt, Leather Straps, and the Stone Knife. Every recipe has one of these four items in it. Below we've got some suggestions of the Best Crafting Items, plus a full Crafting Recipes list.

Once you've gathered items out in the wild, you'll be able to craft them into better gear that'll make battle much more managable.

Best Crafting Items to get in Prehistory

There's actually quite a lot that you can craft during Prehistory via the skills of the Tribe Artisan - it can get a bit overwhelming, given the chapter is short. However, here's some items we suggest looking into as some of the best items that you can craft:

Quick Spear: An excellent weapon with 25 attack & 10 speed, equippable by Pogo. Get it through the combination of a Stone Knife & Stick, or Stone Knife & Bone
Fury Knife: A powerful weapon, and unlike the Quick Spear, Beru can also equip it as well as Pogo. Crafted with a Stone Knife & Leather Strap.
Stone Knife: An item needed to craft the Quick Spear & Fury Knife. Get it by crafting Bone & Hard Rock.
Wildheart Armor: The best armor available to Pogo, with +16 Defense and +10 Physical Defense. Crafted with a Stone Knife & Dried Skins.
Beastskin Cap: A strong helmet which boosts Defense & Speed. Craft with a Bone & Pelt.
Rough Bands: Can be equipped as Shoes or an Accessory for a small stat boost. Crafted with Bone & Beast Horn.
Fertility Charm: Can be equipped by Pogo or Beru - it lowers your speed, but gives you a Heal skill for battle. Crafted with Stone Knife & Hard Rock.

Complete Item Crafting Recipes List

Finally, here's a full crafting list of everything that you can craft in prehistory with the artisan's help in. We've broken up this category via the four source ingredients:

Bone Crafting Recipes:

Bone x Beast Horn = Rough Bands: Defense +2, Speed +2, Special Defense +3 (Shoes or Accessory, any character)
- Special Defense +3, Speed +2 if equipped as Accessory
Bone x Beast Fang = Pretty Flower: Defense +1, Special Attack +8, Special Defense +4 (Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
Bone x Pelt = Beastskin Cap: Defense +3, Speed +10 (Helmet, any character)
Bone x Stick = Horn Spear : Attack +14, Speed +6 (Pogo Only)
Bone x Dried Skins = Thump Drum: Special Attack +12 (Gloves or Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
- Special Attack +6 if equipped as Accessory
Bone x Stone Knife = Quick Spear: Attack +25, Speed +10 (Pogo Only)
Bone x Hard Rock = Stone Knife (Resource Item)
Bone x Leather Strap = Angry Bone: Attack +22 (Pogo Only)

Beast Horn Crafting Recipes

Beast Horn x Bone = Rough Bands: Defense +2, Speed +2, Special Defense +3 (Shoes or Accessory, any character)
- Special Defense +3, Speed +2 if equipped as Accessory
Beast Horn x Stone Knife = Loin Guard: Defense +6, Physical Defense +6, Special Defense +10 (Armor, Pogo only)
Beast Horn x Pelt = Beastskin Cap: Defense +3, Speed +10 (Helmet, any character)
Beast Horn x Stick = Horn Spear : Attack +14, Speed +6 (Pogo Only)
Beast Horn x Leather Strap = Loin Guard: Defense +6, Physical Defense +6, Special Defense +10 (Armor, Pogo Only)
Beast Horn x Beast Fang = Pretty Flower: Defense +1, Special Attack +8, Special Defense +4 (Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
Beast Horn x Hard Rock = Strong Axe: Attack +10, Physical Attack +10 (Pogo Only)
Beast Horn x Dried Skin = Laughing Mask: Defense +7, Special Attack +15 (Helm, Pogo or Beru)

Beast Fang Crafting Recipes

Beast Fang x Bone = Pretty Flower: Defense +1, Special Attack +8, Special Defense +4 (Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
Beast Fang x Stone Knife = Prickly Stones (Attack Item)
Beast Fang x Pelt = Chest Hair: Defense +3, Physical Attack +4 (Armor, Pogo Only)
Beast Fang x Beast Horn = Pretty Flower: Defense +1, Special Attack +8, Special Defense +4 (Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
Beast Fang x Leather Strap = Fang Necklace: Special Defense +2 (Accessory, Beru Only)
Beast Fang x Hard Rock = Pretty Flower: Defense +1, Special Attack +8, Special Defense +4 (Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
Beast Fang x Dried Skin = Laughing Mask: Defense +7, Special Attack +15 (Helm, Pogo or Beru)

Stone Knife Crafting Recipes

Stone Knife x Stick = Quick Spear: Attack +25, Speed +10 (Pogo Only)
Stone Knife x Bone = Quick Spear: Attack +25, Speed +10 (Pogo Only)
Stone Knife x Beast Horn = Loin Guard: Defense +6, Physical Defense +6, Special Defense +10 (Armor, Pogo only)
Stone Knife x Beast Fang = Prickly Stones (Attack Item)
Stone Knife x Dried Skins = Wildheart Armor: Defense +16, Physical Defense +10, Speed -8 (Armor, Pogo only)
Stone Knife x Pelt = Leather Strap (Resource Item)
Stone Knife x Hard Rock = Fertility Charm: Speed -10, get Heal ability in battle (Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
Stone Knife x Leather Strap = Fury Knife: Attack +30 (Pogo or Beru)

Pelt Crafting Recipes

Pelt x Beast Fang = Chest Hair: Defense +3, Physical Attack +4 (Armor, Pogo Only)
Pelt x Beast Horn = Beastskin Cap: Defense +3, Speed +10 (Helmet, any character)
Pelt x Bone = Beastskin Cap: Defense +3, Speed +10 (Helmet, any character)
Pelt x Leather Strap = Wildheart Dress: Defense +32, Special Defense +10 (Beru Only)
Pelt x Dried Skin = Chest Hair: Defense +3, Physical Attack +4 (Armor, Pogo Only)
Pelt x Stone Knife = Leather Strap (Resource Item)
Pelt x Hard Rock = Chest Hair: Defense +3, Physical Attack +4 (Armor, Pogo Only)
Pelt x Stick = Fire Club: Attack +8 (Pogo Only)

Stick Crafting Recipes

Stick x Beast Fang = Fang Club: Attack +18 (Pogo Only)
Stick x Beast Horn = Horn Spear : Attack +14, Speed +6 (Pogo Only)
Stick x Bone = Horn Spear : Attack +14, Speed +6 (Pogo Only)
Stick x Pelt = Fire Club: Attack +8 (Pogo Only)
Stick x Dried Skins = Thump Drum: Special Attack +12 (Gloves or Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
- Special Attack +6 if equipped as Accessory
Stick x Hard Rock = Strong Axe: Attack +10, Physical Attack +10 (Pogo Only)
Stick x Leather Strap = Fast Whip: Attack +10, Speed +16 (Pogo or Beru)
Stick x Stone Knife = Quick Spear: Attack +25, Speed +10 (Pogo Only)

Leather Strap Crafting Recipes

Leather Strap x Beast Fang = Fang Necklace: Special Defense +2 (Accessory, Beru Only)
Leather Strap x Beast Horn = Loin Guard: Defense +6, Physical Defense +6, Special Defense +10 (Armor, Pogo Only)
Leather Strap x Pelt = Wildheart Dress: Defense +32, Special Defense +10 (Beru Only)
Leather Strap x Hard Rock = Bola (Attack Item)
Leather Strap x Bone = Angry Bone: Attack +22 (Pogo Only)
Leather Strap x Stone Knife = Fury Knife: Attack +30 (Pogo or Beru)
Leather Strap x Stick = Fast Whip: Attack +10, Speed +16 (Pogo or Beru)
Leather Strap x Dried Skins = Wildheart Sack: Attack +40, Physical Attack +20, Special Defense +8 (Beru Only)

Dried Skin Crafting Recipes

Dried Skin x Beast Fang = Laughing Mask: Defense +7, Special Attack +15 (Helm, Pogo or Beru)
Dried Skin x Beast Horn = Laughing Mask: Defense +7, Special Attack +15 (Helm, Pogo or Beru)
Dried Skins x Stick = Thump Drum: Special Attack +12 (Gloves or Accessory, Pogo or Beru)
- Special Attack +6 if equipped as Accessory
Dried Skins x Leather Strap = Wildheart Sack: Attack +40, Physical Attack +20, Special Defense +8 (Beru Only)
Dried Skin x Pelt = Chest Hair: Defense +3, Physical Attack +4 (Armor, Pogo Only)
Dried Skins x Stone Knife = Wildheart Armor: Defense +16, Physical Defense +10, Speed -8 (Armor, Pogo only)
Dried Skins x Hard Rock = Bang Glove (Attack +5, Physical Attack +16 (Glove, Pogo or Beru