Crafting material
A crafting material is an item used for crafting; they can be acquired through gathering, looting, salvaging, or purchased from vendors or the Trading Post. The term also includes certain crafted items, such as refined materials (e.g. Bronze Ingots).
Acquiring crafting materials[edit]
There are several different ways to obtain crafting materials:
- Gathering — resource nodes are found randomly around the world. Ore veins are mined with picks, trees are logged with axes, and other plants are harvested with sickles.
- Looting — players have a chance of finding appropriate crafting materials such as hides or trophies when looting slain enemies.
- Vendors — some specialists sell crafting components and ingredients.
- Salvaging — salvage kits, available from merchants and other sources, allow to salvage crafting materials out of old or unwanted items, including equipment.
- Crafting — some materials are acquired by crafting them from other raw materials.
- Trading Post — crafting materials that are not account bound can traded with other players.
Storage[edit]
Most crafting materials can be stored in your account's shared Material Storage using one of three methods:
- By using the inventory window's "Deposit All Materials" option; this transfers all materials except those located in an invisible bag.
- By right-clicking the individual item and choosing "Deposit Material."
- While at a bank or using a crafting station's material storage tab, drag the item from inventory to material storage (or double-click it).
To retrieve the items, you must be at a bank or crafting station.
Some items traditionally considered to be crafting materials cannot be stored in the Material Storage tab, such as Mystic Crystals and other specialty items (e.g. Feldspar Cores). Intermediary crafting items, such as components, also cannot be stored here.
List of crafting materials[edit]
- See also: Crafting material/by tier
Basic crafting materials[edit]
Basic crafting materials are the items used to create every other item through crafting by being made into components such as Longbow Staves, Axe Blades, Focus Cores, etc.
- Scraps, ores, leather sections, and logs are the raw materials that are commonly found through looting, salvaging, or harvesting.
- Bolts, ingots, leather squares, and planks are refined materials that are produced at a crafting station from raw materials.
- Spools of thread can currently only be acquired by purchase through vendors found at the crafting stations (usually a Master or Apprentice of that crafting discipline) and are used to make Embroidered Insignia and various armor components.
- Alloying lumps are materials that are also only available through purchase from crafting station vendors. They are used, together with another ore, to make alloys such as Bronze, Steel, and Darksteel that are then used in crafting various weapons, armors, and storage boxes.
- Miscellaneous items, such as flax seeds, lumps of glass, and dye pigments.
- Promotion
- Primary article: Mystic Forge/Material Promotion
Tiered basic crafting materials can be promoted to higher tiers in the Mystic Forge using Dust and Philosopher's Stones.
Intermediate crafting materials[edit]
Intermediate crafting materials are mostly crafting materials which have been looted from enemy corpses and are used as activators in the crafting of insignia and inscriptions, as well as (Simple) variants of weapons and armor.
- Promotion
- Primary article: Mystic Forge/Material Promotion
Tiered intermediate crafting materials can be promoted to higher tiers in the Mystic Forge using Dust and Philosopher's Stones. Dust itself can be promoted using Crystals and philosopher's stones.
Advanced crafting materials[edit]
Advanced crafting materials includes Rare or better quality materials, many of which are used in the crafting of runes and sigils. Most of them can be found as direct loot from enemies or in loot bags (both very uncommon). Also included are materials used to craft release-specific items and Legendary gear.
- Promotion
- Primary article: Mystic Forge/Material Promotion
Most tiered advanced crafting materials can be promoted to higher tiers (at a 2:1 ratio) in the Mystic Forge using Dust, Crystals, and either Bottles of Elonian Wine or Mystic Binding Agents.
Mists Essences can be promoted to higher tiers (at a 5:1 ratio) in the Mystic Forge using a Mystic Coin, Glob of Ectoplasm, and Pile of Crystalline Dust. They can also be demoted to lower tiers (at a 1:3 ratio) by substituting a Master's Salvage Kit (with full uses remaining) for the ectoplasm.
Resonating materials can be promoted to higher tiers (at a 3:1 ratio) by Scribes. They may also be demoted to lower tiers (at a 1:3 ratio) via salvaging.
Ascended crafting materials[edit]
Ascended crafting materials (also referred to as tier 7 materials) are crafting materials used for crafting ascended equipment. Most ascended materials are of ascended quality. The materials are refined from basic crafting materials, correlating to metal, wood, leather, or cloth. Recipes related to these materials start at crafting level 450 to the maximum of 500.
- Ectoplasm Refinement
Basic crafting materials can be refined into ascended crafting materials in two steps to create metal, wood, leather, or cloth required for ascended equipment. The recipes to create the raw ascended material are categorized as ectoplasm refinement, requiring the tier 5 basic crafting material. The name comes from the requirement of Glob of Ectoplasm in the recipe. It's important to note the step 1 related materials are time gated and resets daily. These materials can also be traded on the Trading Post, unlike other ascended materials. The purpose of the time gate and availability on the Trading Post is to create a demand in the economy. The refinement step requires tier 2, 3, and 4 basic crafting materials and the raw material for the related type of material obtained from ectoplasm refinement.
- Obsidian Refinement
Obsidian refinement materials are primarily used in crafting the Vision Crystal and Crystalline Ingot. The basic materials are obtained from a variety of activities across PvE and WvW. The name comes from the requirement of Obsidian Shards in the recipe. Pile of Bloodstone Dust is also used in crafting infused equipment and other recipes.
| Obsidian Refinement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstone | Dragonite | Empyreal | Fulgurite | |
| Unrefined |  Pile of Bloodstone Dust |
 Dragonite Ore |
 Empyreal Fragment |
 Bottle of Airship Oil Pile of Auric Dust Ley Line Spark
|
| Refined |  Bloodstone Brick |
 Dragonite Ingot |
 Empyreal Star |
 Fulgurite
|
Gemstones[edit]
- Primary article: Gemstone
Gemstones are crafting materials used by jewelers as activators when crafting jewels and trinkets, and can also serve as universal upgrades. Most can be obtained by harvesting ore, although there are some that are obtainable from lumber and plants, or as drops.
- Promotion
- Primary article: Jeweler#Refinement
Tiered gemstones can be promoted to higher tiers (at a 2:1 ratio) by a jeweler of sufficient skill using Dust. Promotions to tier 2, and some promotions to tier 4, require mixing different types of lower-tier gemstones.
Cooking materials[edit]
- Primary article: Ingredient
Scribing materials[edit]
Scribing materials are items used by the scribe discipline. You can get these materials through crafting or by purchasing them from a merchant.
Decoration crafting materials[edit]
- Primary article: Crafting material/Decoration
Festive materials[edit]
Festive materials are obtained during festivals. You can exchange 1 000 basic materials for upgraded version.
Players may still possess these Historical Festive Materials, and they may be available on the Trading Post.
| Festive Materials | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween | Wintersday | Dragon Bash | |||||||
| Basic |  Piece of Candy Corn |
 Chattering Skull |
 Nougat Center |
 Plastic Fangs |
 Snowflake |
 Piece of Zhaitaffy
| |||
| Upgraded |  Candy Corn Cob |
 Gibbering Skull |
 Tyria's Best Nougat Center |
 High-Quality Plastic Fangs |
 Snow Diamond |
 Jorbreaker
| |||
| Misc. |  Candy Cane |
||||||||
| Historical Festive Materials | |||||||||
| Wintersday |  Tiny Snowflake |
 Delicate Snowflake |
 Glittering Snowflake |
 Unique Snowflake |
 Pristine Snowflake |
 Flawless Snowflake
| |||
Runes of Holding[edit]
Runes of Holding are required components for making inventory bags. With the exception of the Supreme Rune of Holding, they are purchased from master craftsmen.
| Runes of Holding | |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | none |
| Tier 2 |  Minor Rune of Holding
|
| Tier 3 |  Rune of Holding
|
| Tier 4 |  Major Rune of Holding
|
| Tier 5 |  Greater Rune of Holding
|
| Tier 6 |  Superior Rune of Holding
|
| Tier 7 |  Supreme Rune of Holding
|
