Gathering tools

Different professions will have a number of quests available to introduce players to their first toolsets; and then, their toolset sustainability will be incumbent on the player to continue to gather the resources necessary to repeatedly create these tools, because they have a durability that gets expended when interacting with the resources in the open-world.[2] – Steven Sharif
Each gathering profession will have three tools. The tools come online as you progress through the profession; and the different resource types for each one of the professions may require different tools. So, you basically want to carry around the right tool for the job. And tools along with artisanship gear will have stats on it, so you can itemize towards how you want to gather, how fast you want to gather.[3] – Kory Rice
Gathering tools (also referred to as harvesting tools, artisan tools, and toolsets) enable the gathering of resources in Ashes of Creation.[3][4][5][6]
- Each gathering profession has three gathering tools. Each tool allows gathering of different resource types.[3]
- Gatherers must meet the required artisan certification to utilize tools of that level (or lower).[10]
- Gathering tools are equipped to a character's artisan tool slot.[11]
- Progression in the gathering artisan class unlocks higher level harvesting tools that enable gathering of higher level resources.[3][12][13]
- Artisan progression unlocks higher level surveying tools that enable better identification of gatherable resources within a location.[13]
- Higher level of progression can also speed up gathering times, resource yields, and may allow access to resources at earlier growth stages.[8][9]
- A gatherer at maximum proficiency will unlock master toolsets that will grant them access to the highest quality gatherables.[14]
- Tools do advance within the artisan tree, so your ability to either gather, process or craft will require the equivalent tools necessary at that stage of crafting in order to accomplish the task at hand. So, you could not mine copper and mithril with the same tool.[6] – Steven Sharif
- Tools will have durability and lifespans.[2][14][15]
- Artisans will not need to rely on other trees in order to make their tools.[5]
- The developers are considering the introduction of gathering tools that require two players, such as two-person saws that can fell larger trees.[12]
- Your progression within the profession will take account what tools you can use. There might even be some opportunity to do some gathering with other players that . Typically in other games that I play you usually do the gathering alone. You're venturing around alone; and we wanted to take a look at maybe having a friend to help you with a two person saw on a larger tree. Maybe there's some panning that you could do as opposed to just hitting with the pickaxe. So, we'll have other tools that are part of that progression path and other activities that players can do if they would like to gather together.[6] – Kory Rice
List of gathering tools
Resource tiers (rarities)
Resources will have differing tiers of quality for the same resource type.[17] This is somewhat similar to Star Wars Galaxies.[18]
- Gatherers who are more advanced in their artisan tree will unlock higher level harvesting tools that have a greater chance of collecting higher quality resources or proccing a greater quantity.[17][13][19]
- You will have an opportunity to proc certain qualities based on your progression in the Artisan tree. So if you are a gatherer; and as you advance in your gathering, you'll have a higher opportunity to collect better resources.[19] – Steven Sharif
Item rarities
Item rarities in Ashes of Creation.
- Poor (legacy pre-alpha-2 rarity).[20]
- Common.[21][22]
- Uncommon.[21][23]
- Rare.[21][24]
- Heroic.[21][25]
- Epic.[21][26]
- Legendary.[21][27]
- Artifact.[21]
Surveying
Surveying plays a key role in helping gatherers track down and identify resources that spawn in particular locations through the use of surveying tools.[28][29][30]
- Surveying is something that we're trying to use for gatherers to really interact with the things that we want to do with our dynamic world... Surveying is a way that you can track that stuff down. It will help you find places, will help you find particular resources, will help you find resources at a certain rarity; and so it should be something you could do as a gatherer on your own, or group up with other people to bolster up the power of your survey, or the range or reach of it.[28] – Kory Rice
- Artisan progression unlocks higher level surveying tools that enable better identification of gatherable resources within a location.[29]
- Unlocking surveying pylons allows the gatherer to adjust the shape and extend the area of their survey.[29]
- You'd work with a surveying tool; and you set the surveying tool down, and that tool would have a specific area in which it's able to uncover and extract information about the resources that are in the area. As a starting out gatherer you might end up with one of the tools, but as you as you progress and become more proficient with using the tool you might be able to set up additional pylons and extend the area of your survey. That allows you to start making shapes and having more strategic areas that you're surveying. If you could connect multiple pylons to create a shape, maybe you could follow the twisting caverns of the cave. Maybe if you're out in the open like we are here you could just try and make yourself a nice widened shape to scan as much of the area as possible. So it'll be up to the player to be tricky with their surveying tool to try and get the most efficiency out of their survey.[29] – Kory Rice
- Surveying can also identify the types of resources that spawn statically within an area and also provides information about the seasons and locations they spawn in.[29]
- Surveying is a way that players can check out an area for resources. Players can learn where resources are that are static and that grow back in the same location; but we'll also have resources and Ashes that can spawn anywhere, so surveying will help players locate those those resources. So if they're looking for something specific they can hunt them down. Surveying will also allow players to uncover hidden resources that players wouldn't be able to see with their with their naked eye. Another thing that a surveying would provide is some of the information that we're talking about before, like for instance if you survey- and inside of your survey area there's plants, you might learn what season that plant likes to grow in. You might learn whether it likes to be watered during the winter versus how it likes to be watered in the summer.[29] – Kory Rice
- Surveying can help uncover hidden resources that are not visible to the naked eye.[29]
Artisan progression
Artisan level | Artisan certification | Profession limit per character |
---|---|---|
1-10.[34][11] | Novice.[31][35] | 22.[31][32] |
10-20.[36][11] | Apprentice.[31] | 5.[31][32] |
20-30.[36] | Journeyman.[31][33] | 4.[31][32] |
30-40.[36] | Master.[31][33] | 3.[31][32] |
40-50.[36][37] | Grandmaster.[31][33] | 2.[31][38][32] |
Artisan progression occurs based on experience (repetition of tasks) as well as achievements of certain benchmarks within each artisan branch (Gathering, Processing and Crafting).[7][40] Progression in each artisan profession is per-character.[41][42][43][44]
- Artisans start off as novices in all 22 professions. Only 5 professions may be Apprentice and higher. Only 4 professions may be Journeyman or higher. Only 3 professions may be Master or higher. And only 2 professions may be Grandmaster.[32][45][31][32]
- All 22 professions, the players get to be novice of; and then it starts narrowing from there. So, after that you'll only be able to be apprentice of five things. You can be a journeyman in four things. You can be a master in three things; and you can be a grandmaster in two things. So you'll need to narrow, but you can also diversify to support the professions that you want to first push further in.[32] – Kory Rice
- Progression to each "tier" within a profession grants skill points that can be utilized in a character's artisan skill tree.[46]
- Artisan certification quests must be completed to gain proficiency in that tier of artisan progression.[7] Completing certification unlocks benefits for that profession, such as artisan tools for gathering professions and recipes for crafting professions.[47][48]
- There are limits to the number of professions at each certification tier across the three artisan branches.[31][38][49][32][50] For example: a character may only ever be a Master in up to 3 professions and Grandmaster in up to 2 professions across all artisan branches.[31][38]
- Grandmaster artisans can max out their entire profession skill tree, but a character can only be a grandmaster of up to two professions.[51]
- Achieving an artisan certification in a profession also implies that the character also achieved any lower-tier certifications up to that point.[52]
- If you are grand master in that profession you can max out the entire tree. But you can only grand master 2 things.[51] – Kory Rice
- Choosing a specific path in the skill tree allows the player an opportunity to specialize in a certain area. This encourages player inter-dependency, enhancing the artisan experience.[53]
- Artisan progression does not directly relate to progression in a character's adventuring class, but is designed to be complementary to character progression.[54] Additionally, there are requirements that take into account dangers, locations, toolsets, and surveying options that are level dependent.[55][56][57]
- Characters gain XP as they progress their artisan professions, but it should be expected that some artisans will have significantly higher artisan level than their adventuring level.[58][48][55]
- Choice of profession does not affect a player's stats.[60]
- Artisan classes and their professions are not affected by a character's religion, or class.[61][62]
- Race likely won't affect the artisan system.[61][62] Certain influences may instead be housed in a background selection that isn't intrinsically tied to race.[61]
- The developers will tune and balance the adventuring and artisan leveling curves during Alpha-2 phase-2.[63][64]
- When it comes to balancing a system that's something that we do during testing phases. When it comes to architecting the system itself and identifying the areas in which certain certain professions excel, where they interact with ancillary systems, their interconnectivity across the artisanship system as a whole, the important part there is to identify how that the interconnectivity lives with the other professions in the artisanship system. And what type of reliance you have on particular professions to complete the path of crafting or introduction of new items into the economy.[42] – Steven Sharif
- Q: In regards to character level and artisan level. We know that currently there are two separate things. That being said, what prevents a player from staying level one and partying up with a level 50 player to then gather level 50 resources in the high zones? That way, anyone who wants to take those resources will have to kill the gatherer who is level one and get a large amount of corruption for killing a level one as a level 50.
- A: Gathering higher level resources requires significant advancement within a particular profession for that gatherable resource. So, if I'm a Miner and I want to access the highest possible mineral, I need to be a master miner; and in order to achieve the master minor status I am going to be gaining adventuring level experience through that process, because many of those quest lines, many of those achievements are facilitated through quest lines. Some of those quest lines interface with adventuring difficulties that are out in the wild at certain levels. So that's going to predicate me- that's going to be a predicate for me to achieve a certain level in order to complete some of these quest lines and achieve that master status. So you will you will likely not see the ability of a level one alt character having the access to high level mineral mining, or any other type of gatherable out there.[55] – Steven Sharif
Artisan gear

There's gear for all of the different crafting, gathering, and processing professions that'll help you do those different trades.[66] – Kory Rice
Artisan gear boosts artisans in their gathering, processing, or crafting professions while they are wearing the gear.[67][66][68][69]
- Profession NPCs sell lower level artisan gear.[70] Higher level gear is crafted by players.[68]
- There are three artisan gear slots on a character's paper doll UI.[65] Previously these was referred to as undergarment slots.[68]
- Artisan gear and adventuring gear do not need to be swapped for either to be effective when they are equipped on a character, but players will be able to toggle gear visibility between their adventuring and artisan gear.[71][65][68]
- If you want to be seen as wearing the herbalists outfit, you're still going to have your adventuring gear present and on the character, and benefiting from the stats that are conferred by them; and vice-versa.[71] – Steven Sharif
- Gathering tools and artisan gear have stats that affect gathering rates and yields.[3][9]
- Gear for artisans are going to live alongside your adventuring gear. So you will currently- the approaches, and we'll test this but currently- the approach is you'll have artisanship oriented gear. This might be beneficial for your gathering; it might be beneficial for your processing, or crafting, or whatever it is- your profession. Essentially you will craft that gear, you will equip that gear, it'll live almost as a undergarment slot so to speak; and then you can activate that and it will show the appearance if you wish during the activation when you gain the benefit from the from the gear itself; and then could disappear afterwards and go back to your adventuring gear. That's the current approach. We're going to play with that a little bit. There's some discussion and disagreement on the team about how we do that, but our hopes are for Alpha two, we will have I think a couple of sets at least. We're demonstrating all of the artisanship from gathering to processing to crafting in limited fashion in Alpha 2 want to have that gear present to play with this approach.[68] – Steven Sharif
Timeline
Level 25 for all Gathering, Processing, Crafting Artisan professions (Novice, Apprentice and Journeyman tiers) were released in Alpha-2 phase-1.[72][73][74][75]
- Artisan skill trees are scheduled for release in Alpha-2 phase-2.[76][72]
- Approximately 10 percent of the artisan system was online in Alpha-1.[77][74][75]
Visuals
2023-07-01 2022-10-29 2022-10-29
See also
References
- ↑ Video, November 30, 2023 (7:56).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Video, November 30, 2023 (5:58).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Video, June 30, 2023 (3:14).
- ↑ Livestream, October 14, 2022 (32:38).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Interview, March 27, 2020 (9:00).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Interview, May 11, 2018 (38:25).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Video, November 30, 2023 (16:40).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Livestream, December 19, 2023 (1:53:02).
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Video, October 28, 2022 (26:14).
- ↑ Podcast, December 3, 2023 (12:27).
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Video, November 30, 2023 (9:36).
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Video, October 28, 2022 (25:11).
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Livestream, April 30, 2020 (53:11).
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Livestream, July 31, 2020 (1:05:58).
- ↑ 15.0 15.1
- ↑ Video, November 30, 2023 (30:19).
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Livestream, July 25, 2020 (1:04:50).
- ↑
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Interview, October 20, 2018 (2:13).
- ↑ Alpha-1 screenshot.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 Podcast, December 3, 2023 (11:28).
- ↑ Alpha-1 screenshot.
- ↑ Alpha-1 screenshot.
- ↑ Alpha-1 screenshot.
- ↑ Alpha-2 screenshot.
- ↑ Alpha-1 screenshot.
- ↑ Alpha-1 screenshot.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Video, November 30, 2023 (28:22).
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 Video, October 28, 2022 (10:52).
- ↑ Livestream, April 29, 2022 (25:16).
- ↑ 31.00 31.01 31.02 31.03 31.04 31.05 31.06 31.07 31.08 31.09 31.10 31.11 31.12 31.13
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 32.6 32.7 32.8 32.9 Video, November 30, 2023 (37:12).
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 Development Update with Freehold Preview.
- ↑
- ↑ Livestream, June 30, 2023 (50:07).
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 Podcast, December 3, 2023 (14:14).
- ↑ Podcast, December 3, 2023 (2:53).
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2
- ↑ Video, November 30, 2023 (23:20).
- ↑ Interview, February 7, 2021 (36:38).
- ↑
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Livestream, April 29, 2022 (1:13:00).
- ↑ Livestream, July 26, 2019 (1:09:46).
- ↑ Livestream, May 24, 2017 (32:07).
- ↑ Podcast, December 3, 2023 (10:22).
- ↑ Video, November 30, 2023 (26:38).
- ↑ Podcast, December 3, 2023 (17:10).
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 Video, November 30, 2023 (36:00).
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 Podcast, December 3, 2023 (6:23).
- ↑
- ↑ Livestream, May 10, 2017 (6:12).
- ↑ Interview, October 14, 2024 (8:49).
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 Livestream, April 7, 2023 (1:00:55).
- ↑ Livestream, October 28, 2022 (1:32:38).
- ↑ Livestream, July 31, 2020 (1:31:11).
- ↑ Podcast, December 3, 2023 (15:05).
- ↑ Livestream, September 27, 2024 (1:46:39).
- ↑ Livestream, July 18, 2017 (37:25).
- ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 Livestream, February 24, 2023 (1:18:05).
- ↑ 62.0 62.1 Livestream, August 28, 2020 (2:05:21).
- ↑ Interview, January 19, 2025 (1:18:50).
- ↑ Livestream, November 27, 2024 (1:21:14).
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 Video, November 30, 2023 (19:06).
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 Video, November 30, 2023 (5:47).
- ↑ Livestream, April 30, 2024 (1:00:02).
- ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 68.3 68.4 68.5 Livestream, June 30, 2022 (1:17:34).
- ↑ Livestream, March 26, 2021 (1:06:50).
- ↑ Video, November 30, 2023 (12:05).
- ↑ 71.0 71.1 Livestream, November 30, 2023 (1:37:49).
- ↑ 72.0 72.1 Livestream, August 16, 2024 (1:56:35).
- ↑ Livestream, August 16, 2024 (58:11).
- ↑ 74.0 74.1 Livestream, March 26, 2021 (42:28).
- ↑ 75.0 75.1 Interview, February 7, 2021 (35:30).
- ↑ Livestream, August 16, 2024 (1:04:27).
- ↑ Livestream, April 30, 2021 (41:18).