Gathering
“To gather, equip the appropriate tools. Mining picks gather ore, harvesting sickles gather plants, and logging axes gather wood from trees. The materials you collect can craft new items.
— Gathering
Gathering is the act of collecting crafting materials from resource nodes, including metal ore from veins, wood logs from trees, cooking ingredients from ground plants. Nodes are visible on the compass until gathered from, but are hidden on the full screen map.
Before gathering, the character must equip a gathering tool of the right type and level: mining picks for ore, logging axes for wood, and harvesting sickles for plants. Levels range from copper tools for tier 1 nodes to orichalcum tools for tier 6. Standard tools start with 100 uses (50 for sickles), although higher-use tools are available at certain vendors and infinite-use tools are sometimes available from the Gem Store. Gathering cannot be done on the water surface, but it can be done right below it.
The amount and quality of materials dropped depends only on the node and the type of tool; gathering does not depend on any crafting discipline or profession. Gathering with inferior tools always results in finding ruined resources and certain high-quality tools will generate additional resources. Rich mining veins can be gathered ten times as opposed to three and have a higher chance to give rare gemstones.
Fishing, available with End of Dragons expansion, is also considered part of the gathering mechanic, but has separate user interface in the Hero panel.
Gathering tools[edit]
- Primary article: Gathering tool
You can usually find a merchant offering gathering tools in large towns, some small ones, as well as some karma vendors, especially after completing a heart quest. A full set of these tools is offered by Outfitter in World versus World and all Master craftsmen.
Resource nodes[edit]
At a glance[edit]
Nodes can be found randomly distributed within logical ranges, e.g. underground and rocky areas are likely to have ore or mushroom nodes, forests will have wood nodes, and farms are more likely places to find vegetables. A node farm is an area with six or more plants of same type clustered together.
| Node type | Compass icon | Main Yield | Rare Additional Yield | Harvesting tool required | Ruined resource |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvesting |  |
Ingredients | Dandelion Blossom |
Harvesting sickle | Ruined Plant Fiber Seashell Wad of Mud |
| Logging |  |
Logs | Cinnamon Stick Hidden Container Walnut |
Logging axe | Ruined Log |
| Mining |  |
Ore | Gemstone | Mining pick | Ruined Ore Chunk |
Synthesizer groups[edit]
Permanent, easily accessible groups of between 2 and 5 synthesizers. Gathering resources is necessary for crafting and materials gathered may be sold at the Trading Post.
- Guild halls in the Guild Workshop after appropriate upgrades.
- Eternal Battlegrounds in World versus World, by making a circuit of Keeps, Towers and Resource camps owned by your world.
Respawn rate[edit]
Nodes are distributed randomly in each zone among a number of pre-set locations and redistributed any time a new instance is created, e.g. after a game update or server maintenance. Most nodes can be used by each character on an account and will reset (for that character) a few hours after gathering.
- Exceptions
- Some nodes take approximately 23 hours to reset, including permanent rich metal veins, node farms, and those that produce Orichalcum Ore or Ancient Wood Logs.
- Each account is limited to gathering three Blooming Passiflora nodes per day. Additionally, each character is limited to gathering 15 Passiflora nodes per day.
- Temporary rich metal veins can be used in each instance of the same zone.
Required tools, by zone level[edit]
| Tool prefix | Applicable area level |
|---|---|
| Copper | 1-25 |
| Iron | 20-50 |
| Steel | 30-60 |
| Darksteel | 45-65 |
| Mithril | 60-79 |
| Orichalcum | 75-80 |
- Some zones include resources with different level requirements, e.g. Darksteel tools can be used in most parts of Mount Maelstrom, while some nodes require mithril tools.
- The strength of the the master tools obtained as personal story rewards depends on the level of the story: a steel-equivalent tool from the L15 story, darksteel at L35, and an orichalcum-equivalent from the L60 story.
Harvesting[edit]
In addition to the items listed below, harvesting terrestrial plants will occasionally yield:
Dedicated Gardener (DG) items are harvested to complete the Dedicated Gardener achievement.
Logging[edit]
| Axe Material | Node name | Log | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | Aspen, Ekku, Kertch |  Green Wood Log |
 Amber Pebble Cinnamon Stick
|
| Iron | Gummo, Mimosa, Snow Cherry |  Soft Wood Log |
Cinnamon Stick Hidden Stash Walnut
|
| Steel Master Logging Axe (Level 15) |
Fir, Tukawa |  Seasoned Wood Log |
Hidden CacheWalnut
|
| Darksteel | Banyan, Inglewood, Pine |  Hard Wood Log |
Hidden Hoard
|
| Mithril Master Logging Axe (Level 35) |
Baoba, Cypress, Red Oak, Palm, Mebahya |  Elder Wood Log |
Hidden Trove Foxfire Cluster
|
| Orichalcum Master Logging Axe (Level 60) |
Ancient, Orrian, Petrified Echovald |  Ancient Wood Log |
Hidden TreasureFoxfire Cluster
|
Mining[edit]
Special nodes[edit]
Special resource nodes also appear during certain events. The following nodes can also be purchased for your home instance.
The following special plant resource nodes can be found in the ascended herb garden plot of the home instance one daily reset after planting it with the respective seed pouch.
Synthesizers[edit]
Crafting materials may be gathered from resource synthesizers in World versus World and Guild Halls. Synthesizers in guild halls must be upgraded to produce higher tier materials.
Tools[edit]
Any tier gathering tool (even copper) may be used on any synthesizer, but they only produce materials of same tier or lower as the level of the harvesting tool being used.
- All synthesizers (except see next note) only produce items of same tier or lower as the harvesting sickle being used.
- It's the same for the leather, lumber, and cloth nodes, except mithril implements can give tier six materials.
Chef crafting items that require 75 crafting points to use can be obtained with copper tools, even though they are technically tier 2.
Types[edit]
WvW[edit]
World versus World Synthesizers randomly produce materials up to tier 6. However, tier 6 materials are so rare that it may not justify the cost of regular use of tier 6 (orichalcum) gathering tools. (Drop Analysis requested) They are located inside every objective (
). 2 in camps. 3 in towers. 4 in keeps (and castle). Each character on an account may use these independently.
Guild[edit]
Guild Synthesizers are located near the scribe in guild halls. They have the same appearance and operate in the same manner as those in WvW except they may be upgraded to produce higher tier materials and greater quantities. They also may produce unique materials not found elsewhere:
Shimmering Crystal only from Ore Synthesizers in Lost Precipice, used to craft Shimmering weapons and Ornate Guild armor.
Tenebrous Crystal only from Ore Synthesizers in Gilded Hollow, used to craft Tenebrous weapons and Ornate Guild armor.
Ore Synthesizers in Windswept Haven and Isle of Reflection drop 
Obsidian Shards instead of crystals.
Guild Synthesizers initially produce the lowest tiers of materials. However, they may be upgraded.
| Upgrade | Plant | Lumber | Ore | Cloth | Leather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiers 1 or 2 | green or soft | copper or iron | jute or wool | rawhide or thin |
| 2 | add Tiers 3 and 4 | add seasoned | add silver | add cotton | add coarse |
| 3 | add Tiers 5 and 6 | add hard | add gold | add linen | add rugged |
| 4 | - | add elder | add platinum | add silk | add thick |
| 5 | - | add ancient | add mithril | add gossamer | add hardened |
| 6 | - | - | add orichalcum | - | - |
Each Guild Synthesizer initially produces one material per day. However, the quantity may be upgraded.
| Upgrade | Plant, Cloth & Leather | Ore & Lumber |
|---|---|---|
| base output | 1 | 2 |
| Synthesis Output 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Synthesis Output 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Synthesis Output 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Synthesis Output 4 | 3 | 10 |
Respawn rate[edit]
Guild hall generators reset once per day, at server reset (00:00).
Fishing[edit]
- Primary article: Fishing
Fishing is a gathering method available exclusively through the Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons expansion. It uses the fishing rod, lures, and baits to collect fish and trophies from fishing nodes. Gathering boosters that modify extra strikes work for fishing as well.
Gathering modifiers[edit]
There are several ways to increase the chance at extra resources when gathering. Some stack with other effects while others do not. There are two types of gathering bonuses: those that increase the chance at an additional strike, and those that increase the chance of finding rare materials.
| Effect | Source | Type | Bonus chance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gathering Boost
|
Gathering Booster Enchanted Reward Boost |
Additional strike | 33% | Gain swiftness after gathering. Can occur multiple times. |
| Explorer Boost
|
Explorer's Booster | Additional strike | 33% | Gain swiftness after gathering. Can occur multiple times. |
 Item Booster
|
Item Booster Item Booster (masterwork) Heroic Booster Enchanted Reward Boost Candy Corn Gobbler |
Additional strike | 33% | Gain swiftness after gathering. Can occur multiple times. |
 Glyph of Bounty
|
Mining Pick of Bounty Logging Axe of Bounty Harvesting Sickle of Bounty Gathering tools with Glyph of Bounty |
Additional strike | 33% | Can occur multiple times. |
 Overload Charge
|
Gathering tools with Glyph of Overload | Additional strike | 100% | Occurs only once after the node has been depleted.[verification requested] |
 Bonus Weekend Event
|
Automatic | Additional strike | 33% | Available only during bonus weekend events |
 Guild Heroes Banner Boost
|
Guild Heroes Banner Guild Anniversary Banner |
Rare material | 15% | Does not stack with other guild banner effect. |
 Guild Gathering Boost
|
Guild Enhancement: Critical Harvesting | Rare material | 6%-20% | Stacks with other effects |
| No longer available | ||||
 Guild Gathering Boost
|
Guild Gathering Banner | Rare material | 10% | Does not stack with other guild banner effect. |
| Guild Gathering Banner Boost
|
Guild Gathering and Swiftness Banner | Rare material | 15% | Does not stack with other guild banner effect. |
 Gatherer
|
World versus World bonus | Additional strike | 2%-20% | Temporary bonus based on world score |
- All bonus chances stack additively on the first extra strike chance; e.g, using three 33% boosters gives 99% chance to get at least one extra strike.
Notes on additional strikes[edit]
When you receive an extra strike on a node, you get to gather from the node an additional time. There are certain details and limits:
- There is a limit of three additional gather per node, i.e, ore and wood nodes have a hard cap of six gathers per node and plant nodes have a hard cap of four gathers per node.
- Assuming a 33% chance for an additional strike, there is a:
- 33.3% chance for one additional gather or more.
- 11.1% chance for two additional gathers or more.
- 3.7% chance for three additional gathers.
- However, only the first strike on a node can give (up to 3) additional gathers. Still assuming a 33.3% chance for an additional strike, this results in an average of:
- 1.5 gathers per plant node (a 50% increase in resources)
- 3.5 gathers per wood and ore node (a 17% increase in resources)
- Assuming a 33% chance for an additional strike, there is a:
- Gathering tools will automatically gather one additional time after triggering an additional strike.
- Nodes with a daily harvest limit (such as Bloodstone Crystals) do not count towards the daily limit until fully exhausted.
- The last node in a node farm will never give bonus strikes, and harvesting from the last node will deactivate any bonus strikes you have left on other nodes.
- Winterberry Bush in Bitterfrost Frontier is also a node farm in groups of two, only the first node will give extra strikes.
- Plant nodes in the Hidden garden act as node farms in groups of two or three. Only the first node or two of the same type can give extra strikes.
- The following nodes cannot receive additional strikes:
- All rich ore veins
- All home instance nodes except for those from the Black Lion Garden Plot Deed and Garden Plot Deed (which do receive extra strikes)
- Guild hall synthesizers
- Orrian Oysters
- Quartz Crystal Formations
- Primordial Orchids planted by the player (see A Henge Away from Home)
Notes[edit]
- Gathering will be interrupted if swapping weapons.
- Gathering behaves like a skill that requires you to be within a certain range of a node; it can be interrupted by control effects.
- Gathering resources from a guild hall have separate daily limits for each stage of their upgrade progress. When a node has been gathered in a guild hall, that node will be consumed for all guilds at the same upgrade progress for that node, but not for guild halls in which that node is at a different upgrade stage.
- Gathering resources in WvW does not deplete the synthesizers in geographically equivalent objectives on other maps. Control over objectives changing to a different team will not affect the nodes either. Nodes can be gathered even if the objective is controlled by an enemy team.
