Gathering Professions
Three gathering professions — Mining, Herbalism, and Skinning — feed the crafting economy of Aeternum. Each has 10 levels, location-specific resources, a 4-hour cooldown per node, and synergies with the crafting system.
Last updated: April 2026 · Version: 1.0.0
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Gathering Overview
Every character can learn all 3 gathering professions simultaneously — there is no limit on how many you can have. Each profession starts at level 1 and advances to level 10 by gathering resources at nodes found across Aeternum's regions.
Each gathering node has a 4-hour cooldown per character after being harvested. You cannot harvest the same node twice within 4 hours, but other players can harvest the same node — nodes are not instanced. DEX stat reduces this cooldown (see DEX Scaling section).
How to Level Gathering Professions
- Navigate to a node location appropriate for your current profession level
- Click the "Gather" action button at the node — gathering takes 10 seconds and cannot be interrupted by combat
- Resources are added to your inventory; gathering XP is awarded
- Each gather attempt costs 1 Stamina. High-level nodes cost 2 Stamina
- Skill level caps the resources you can access — trying to gather a high-level node without the required skill always fails
TIP
The Bran Ashclaw hero (Werewolf, Mining affinity) reduces gathering cooldowns by 20% across all 3 professions, not just Mining. Equip him during dedicated gathering sessions regardless of your character race.
Mining
Mining harvests ore, stone, and gems from rocky terrain, caves, and mountain regions. It is the primary supplier of metals for the Blacksmithing and Weaponsmithing crafting trees.
| Level | Resources Unlocked | Location | XP to Next Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Copper Ore, Rough Stone | Ashwood Grove; Hollowstone outskirts | 50 XP |
| Level 2 | Tin Ore, Flint Shards | Murkmoor Fens (rocky banks) | 120 XP |
| Level 3 | Iron Ore, Common Gem | Grayspire Peaks (foothills) | 250 XP |
| Level 4 | Silver Ore, Coal | Grayspire Peaks (mid-slopes) | 450 XP |
| Level 5 | Gold Ore, Uncommon Gem | Grayspire — Summit approach | 700 XP |
| Level 6 | Mithril Ore, Crystal Shard | Dragonspine Mts. (base camps) | 1,000 XP |
| Level 7 | Darksteel Ore, Rare Gem | Dragonspine Mts. (cave systems) | 1,500 XP |
| Level 8 | Void Iron, Void Crystal | Shattered Plains (rocky crags) | 2,200 XP |
| Level 9 | Starfall Ore, Legendary Gem | The Rift (outer zones) | 3,500 XP |
| Level 10 | Eternity Metal, Mythic Gem | The Rift (deep zones; requires Rift Key) | MAX |
Mining Node Locations
- Caves and tunnels: Highest ore density; 3–6 nodes per cave system; respawns on 4h cooldown
- Mountain faces: Medium density; 2–4 nodes; exposed to monster aggro while gathering
- Ruins and construction sites: Low density; 1–2 nodes; safer gathering but fewer resources
Herbalism
Herbalism collects plants, mushrooms, and organic materials from forests, wetlands, and magical zones. It feeds the Alchemy crafting tree, which produces potions, poisons, and Corruption Cleanse items.
| Level | Resources Unlocked | Location | XP to Next Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Common Herb, Wild Mushroom | Ashwood Grove (clearings) | 50 XP |
| Level 2 | Swamp Moss, Mold Herb | Murkmoor Fens (bog edges) | 120 XP |
| Level 3 | Nightshade, Silverleaf | Hollowstone Village (gardens) | 250 XP |
| Level 4 | Mountain Wort, Feverfern | Grayspire Peaks (alpine meadows) | 450 XP |
| Level 5 | Dragonroot, Emberweed | Scorched Ridgeline (cooled lava fields) | 700 XP |
| Level 6 | Abyssal Kelp, Deep Coral | Sunken Coast (shallow reefs) | 1,000 XP |
| Level 7 | Void Spore, Shadow Blossom | Shattered Plains (void-touched areas) | 1,500 XP |
| Level 8 | Necrobane, Deathlily | Necropolis Ruins (overgrown areas) | 2,200 XP |
| Level 9 | Rift Bloom, Celestial Petal | The Rift (outer zone flora) | 3,500 XP |
| Level 10 | Eternity Blossom, Genesis Herb | The Rift (deep zone; Rift Key required) | MAX |
Herbalism Node Locations
- Forest floors and clearings: Highest herb density; multiple nodes within short travel; respawns 4h
- Wetland edges: Medium density; unique swamp herbs only found here; some nodes submerged (must approach from water-adjacent path)
- Magical zones (Rift, Void areas): Rare herbs only available at Herbalism 7+; extremely high Alchemy value
Skinning
Skinning harvests leather, pelts, scales, and organic materials from defeated monsters. Unlike Mining and Herbalism, Skinning requires you to have recently defeated a monster — you skin its corpse rather than visit a fixed node location. The monster's category determines what you can skin from it.
| Level | Resources Unlocked | Source Monsters | XP to Next Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Rough Pelt, Bone Fragment | Cat 1 (Forest Shades) | 50 XP |
| Level 2 | Swamp Hide, Crawler Chitin | Cat 2 (Swamp Crawlers) | 120 XP |
| Level 3 | Cursed Cloth, Humanoid Leather | Cat 3 (Cursed Villagers) | 250 XP |
| Level 4 | Stone Shard, Golem Core Fragment | Cat 4 (Stone Golems) | 450 XP |
| Level 5 | Wyvern Scale, Fire Gland | Cat 5 (Wyvern Brood) | 700 XP |
| Level 6 | Abyssal Hide, Kraken Membrane | Cat 6 (Deep Sea Horrors) | 1,000 XP |
| Level 7 | Void Leather, Shadow Sinew | Cat 7 (Void Stalkers) | 1,500 XP |
| Level 8 | Undead Bone Plate, Necrotic Tissue | Cat 8 (Undead Legion) | 2,200 XP |
| Level 9 | Dragon Scale, Ancient Heart | Cat 10 (Elder Dragons) | 3,500 XP |
| Level 10 | Aberrant Core, Rift Membrane | Cat 11 (Celestial Aberrations) | MAX |
NOTE
Skinning has no fixed node cooldown since it is tied to monster kills rather than terrain nodes. However, each monster corpse can only be skinned once. The effective "cooldown" is the combat respawn rate of monsters in your farming area.
Key Resource Table
Top-value resources sorted by their crafting and sell value. Sell prices are average Auction House rates.
| Resource | Profession | Level Req. | Region | Primary Use | Avg. AH Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eternity Metal | Mining | 10 | The Rift (deep) | Crafts Eternity Plate set | 8,500 Gold/unit |
| Starfall Ore | Mining | 9 | The Rift (outer) | Crafts high-end weapons | 3,200 Gold/unit |
| Genesis Herb | Herbalism | 10 | The Rift (deep) | Master Alchemist potions | 5,600 Gold/unit |
| Rift Bloom | Herbalism | 9 | The Rift (outer) | Corruption Cleanse (Tier 4) | 2,800 Gold/unit |
| Dragon Scale | Skinning | 9 | Dragonspine | Ashcrown Scale Set crafting | 4,100 Gold/unit |
| Aberrant Core | Skinning | 10 | The Rift | Rift Sovereign Robe crafting | 6,800 Gold/unit |
| Void Iron | Mining | 8 | Shattered Plains | Void Plate armor crafting | 1,800 Gold/unit |
| Shadow Blossom | Herbalism | 7 | Shattered Plains | Shadow Assassin potions | 1,200 Gold/unit |
| Wyvern Scale | Skinning | 5 | Scorched Ridgeline | Ember Plate set; sell | 450 Gold/unit |
| Mithril Ore | Mining | 6 | Dragonspine (base) | Mid-tier weapon crafting | 380 Gold/unit |
DEX Scaling & Cooldowns
Your DEX (Dexterity) stat directly reduces gathering node cooldowns and increases the yield (number of resources per gather attempt). This makes DEX a meaningful secondary stat for dedicated gathering builds.
GATHERING COOLDOWN
cooldown = 4h × (1 − DEX × 0.005)
Minimum cooldown: 2h (capped at 50% reduction regardless of DEX). DEX 100 = 3.5h cooldown. DEX 200 = 3h. DEX 400 = 2h (cap).
GATHERING YIELD
yield = base_yield + floor(DEX × 0.02)
Base yield is 1 per gather. At DEX 50, yield becomes 2. At DEX 100, yield becomes 3. Maximum yield is 5 (requires DEX 200+).
| DEX | Cooldown | Yield per Gather | Daily Gathers (8h active) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–24 | 4h 00m | 1 | 2 |
| 25–49 | 3h 45m | 1 | 2 |
| 50–99 | 3h 30m | 2 | 2–3 |
| 100–149 | 3h 00m | 3 | 3 |
| 150–199 | 2h 30m | 3–4 | 3–4 |
| 200+ | 2h 00m (cap) | 5 | 4 |
Profession Synergies
Each gathering profession feeds directly into one or more crafting professions. Leveling both the gathering and crafting profession simultaneously is strongly recommended for self-sufficiency.
Mining → Blacksmithing & Weaponsmithing
All metal weapons and armor are crafted from ores gathered by Miners. At Mining level 5+, you can refine raw ores into Ingots (3 ore → 1 Ingot), which are the primary material for mid and high-tier crafted gear. Having Mining level 6+ unlocks Mithril Ingots, which are required for all T5+ crafted items.
Herbalism → Alchemy
Alchemy uses herbs to create potions (HP, MP, stat boosts), poisons (Venom Stone materials), and Corruption Cleanse items. At Herbalism 4+, rare herbs like Dragonroot unlock the Inferno Flask recipe (deals fire damage for 5 rounds). At Herbalism 8+, Necrobane unlocks the highest-tier Cleanse items, which are valuable both for gameplay and for selling.
Skinning → Leatherworking
Leatherworking crafts light armor, gloves, belts, and boots from Skinning materials. At Skinning 5+, Wyvern Scale unlocks the Ember Leather armor line. At Skinning 9+, Dragon Scale is the primary material for the Ashcrown Scale Set, which is one of the strongest mid-endgame armor sets. Dragon Scale leatherwork items are consistently among the highest-value items on the Auction House.
| Gathering Profession | Feeds Into | Key Unlock Level | Peak Value Item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mining | Blacksmithing, Weaponsmithing | Mining 6 (Mithril for T5+ gear) | Eternity Metal (T10 weapons/armor) |
| Herbalism | Alchemy, Corruption Cleansing | Herbalism 4 (rare potions) | Genesis Herb (Master Potions, top AH sell) |
| Skinning | Leatherworking | Skinning 9 (Dragon Scale for Ashcrown set) | Aberrant Core (Rift Sovereign Robe) |
Best Farming Rotations
A farming rotation is a planned path through multiple gathering nodes that maximizes the number of harvests before any node comes off cooldown. Efficient rotations cover 8–15 nodes over 4 hours, returning to the first node just as its cooldown expires.
Early Game Rotation (Levels 1–3)
Route: Ashwood Grove → Hollowstone outskirts → Murkmoor Fens bog edges → return to Ashwood.
- Nodes: 3 Mining (Copper/Tin), 4 Herbalism (Common Herb/Swamp Moss), 6 Skinning (Cat 1–2 kills)
- Estimated gold/4h: 800–1,200 Gold (selling all resources)
- Required stamina: ~30 (gathering) + ~20 (combat for Skinning)
Mid Game Rotation (Levels 4–7)
Route: Grayspire Peaks (Mining focus) → Scorched Ridgeline (Herbalism + Skinning) → Shattered Plains (advanced herbs + Void Stalker skins).
- Nodes: 5 Mining (Iron/Silver/Gold), 4 Herbalism (Dragonroot/Shadow Blossom), 8 Skinning (Cat 5–7)
- Estimated gold/4h: 4,000–7,000 Gold (selling all resources)
- Required stamina: ~50 (gathering) + ~40 (combat)
Endgame Rotation (Levels 8–10, DEX 200+)
Route: The Rift outer zones (Mining + Herbalism) → Dragonspine Mts. (Skinning Dragon kills) → Necropolis (Undead Skinning + Herbalism).
- Nodes: 4 Mining (Starfall/Eternity), 3 Herbalism (Rift Bloom/Genesis), 10 Skinning (Dragon Scale/Aberrant Core)
- Estimated gold/4h: 35,000–65,000 Gold (selling premium resources)
- Required stamina: ~60 (gathering) + ~80 (endgame combat)
- Requires: Rift Key for deep zones; Skinning 9+; strong combat build to survive Cat 10–11 areas
TIP
If you are primarily a gathering-economy player, equip Bran Ashclaw hero (−20% cooldown), run the Goldhunter Rune Word (RW08, +25% gold from kills), and pair with the Merchant Guild faction at Exalted (+30% gold ring). Combined, this setup can push the endgame rotation to 80,000–100,000 Gold per 4-hour session.