Gathering Professions Explained

Gathering professions convert time in the world into raw materials. They are the cheapest professions to start, the simplest to maintain, and the quiet engine behind everyone else's crafting.

The three gatherers

• Herbalism picks plants — alchemy and inscription materials. Nodes appear in the open world as you travel.
• Mining breaks ore nodes — blacksmithing, engineering, and jewelcrafting materials, plus stone byproducts.
• Skinning takes leather and hides from beasts you kill — leatherworking and tailoring-adjacent materials. It pairs naturally with just playing the game.

How gathering actually pays

• Materials sell on the auction house to every crafter on your realm — demand is constant.
• Gather while doing other things: professions, world quests, leveling. Dedicated gathering laps exist but are optional.
• Profession equipment and specialization improve yield over time — even gatherers have a progression path now.

The trap to avoid

Do not sell everything reflexively. If you also craft, your own materials are usually worth more as inputs than as auction sales — check what your crafter actually needs before liquidating the harvest.

Stuck on something here? Post a note on the Academy Learning Board — someone aboard has been exactly where you are.