There's a lot that helps distinguish New World from other MMOs, and that's essential considering how competitive the market is. New World is the type of game known as a "sandbox" which means that players can interact with almost everything in the world to gather raw resources. These can be sold on the open market, another feature present in every MMO, or crafted into a variety of other items after they've been refined.
New World lets players get started from the moment they start playing. No training is required to get started on any of the Trade skills, including Gathering, which is another annoying detail present in other MMOs that are missing from New World. Instead, all a player needs is a simple tool that can be crafted with simple materials and rudimentary skills. In fact, most players are leveling their Gathering skills well before they even start the other Trade abilities.
Trade Skills
The Gathering Skill
Gathering is one of three Trade skills that all players have along with Crafting and Refining. When it comes to gathering resources, every MMO seems to have a version of this process, but no two games are the same. In the case of New World, players can interact with most of the surrounding environment, regardless of whether or not the character has specific tools or previous training.
The Gathering skill is the first step in the overall crafting process. Raw materials of an impressive array can be harvested, stored, and then crafted into clothing, weapons, furniture, potions, and a veritable catalog of other items. Deciding which crafting skill in which to specialize can be part of the character customization process in a game that doesn't offer a choice of conventional RPG classes.
Helpful Potions
There's an impressive array of potions, elixirs, and other consumables available to help players brave the dangers of Aeternum, and there are some that can help with Gathering skills. The vast majority was crafted using the Arcana skill but there are exceptions.
- Strong Encumbrance Potion. This potion starts at Tier II and increases a character's encumbrance limit by a moderate amount for a short time, which means more space in the bags for stuff before heading back to the Storage Shed. Upgrade to Powerful or Infused Encumbrance Potions to take on more weight longer.
- Beast Coating. Ranges from Common to Infused depending on the Tier level, which goes from I to V. This isn't consumed but instead coats a weapon and gives it improved damage against Beasts. A very nice bonus when it's time to gather leather, fur, or meat.
- Proficiency Booster. These are potions that can be crafted at a Tier 2 Engineering workshop with a mere Skill level of 20, but the trick is that special ingredients derived from the unusual local herbs are required to make them. It gives a bonus to the yield of any Gathering skill that uses a tool.
Food Buffs
Players can improve their chances to gather more, faster, and for more XP than usual with a number of handy, in-game items. It's possible to buy these items from the trading post, but it's easier and cheaper to level the Cooking skill and make them.
Basic foods that players can make early in the game will prioritize health and mana regeneration as opposed to Gathering buffs, but there are a few that are available provided the player has the materials and a certain Cooking level.
Craft Mods
While crafting various weapons and equipment, there are items players can add to give their creations certain perks. Although the vast majority are for combat attributes, crafting skills, and ability score improvements, there are a few that are useful for Gathering. All of these improvements scale with the character's current gear score.
- Sliver of Adderstone. Provides extra pockets to carry even more gathered resources.
- The "Burden" Perk. Reduces the weight of raw materials, refined items, and tools associated with that profession.
- Improved Yield Perk. Similar to the Burden perk, in that there's one for every profession, but this one improves yield as opposed to bag space.
- Reinforced, Adored, or Luck. Improves the chances of finding rare items while gathering.
- Random Perks. Some gathering items will get a random perk during the crafting process regardless of the craft mods that are used. Players who craft their own fishing pole will discover that there are a variety of Fishing Perks. Examples of these include buffs for fishing at certain times or in certain types of water.
The Gathering Skills
Tracking and Skinning
- Tool Required: The first knife a player will craft is made of simple wood and flint, with are picked up from the ground by hand.
- Starting Tips: The flint knife can be crafted at a simple Tier I campsite or a workshop even before the player reaches the nearest settlement.
- How To Level: Tracking and Skinning are leveled by practicing the craft, and leather has so many uses it's worth it to get started on this early. Between Tiers I and III, any dish with carrots as the main ingredient improves Luck while tracking and skinning. At Tier IV, switch to a vegetable boil and when maxed out, try the hearty Savory Fish Cake.
- Related Quests: One of the earliest quests players do involve building a camp, making a knife, and skinning a few unlucky critters. A version of this quest is available in each starting area. After this point, there are various quests that require hunting and skinning throughout the game. There are also several repeatable quests for Factions and Town Projects that involve culling animals in certain areas and delivering meat, leather, or fur back to town.
Logging
- Tool Required: Use greenwood and flint, which are gathered by hand, to craft a simple ax at a Tier I workshop or camp.
- Starting Tips: Start on young trees before moving up to mature ones once reaching level 50.
- How To Level: When Dr. Disrespect explained why he wasn't going to play New World, it was interesting that he cited logging as an example. This is one of the slower Gathering skills to level, with little to keep it exciting until later levels, when players can make furniture and more complex weapons. Cabbage is the food of choice for logging buffs, so combine that with some Proficiency booster and get through those levels with more fun and less grind.
- Related Quests: Check out the Town Project Board or Faction Representative for daily quests that call for Timber, Greenwood, or Charcoal.
Mining
- Tool Required: Like other tools, a simple one can be made from flint and greenwood, but construct a much stronger one from iron as soon as possible.
- Starting Tips: Iron is the first mineral players can mine, followed by silver, gold, and a variety of unique minerals like Starmetal at higher levels.
- How To Level: Mining is one of the more exciting and useful Gathering skills to level. Not only is iron useful in virtually every Crafting skill but Silver is used for making jewelry and rare metals can be used for useful consumes, tables, and crafting mods. Miners need a diet rich in starch, so look at dishes that include potatoes for a Mining buff. At the max level, the food to eat is Salted Roasted Vegetables.
- Related Quests: There are frequently quests on the Town Project Board calling for lower-level ores or ingots, usually silver or iron. Sometimes Factions need them, too. Keep an eye out for any quest that leads underground or to a mine.
Fishing
- Tool Required: A fishing pole, which is one of the more complex tools to craft. The player can make one at the same crafting level as every other tool, but it's the only one that requires another ingredient in addition to greenwood and flint. Help fiber is needed to make the line, and that can be harder for low-level players to find.
- Starting Tips: Drop a line in literally any body of water in Aeternum once there's a fishing pole equipped. Search among flint for handy bait in the form of glowworms and nightcrawlers and find woodlouse bait when harvesting greenwood, both of which can be gathered by hand.
- How To Level: It's so easy to come across bait at even the lowest of levels, so there's no excuse not to equip some. Bait can also be crafted at Cooking stations or Camps with seasoning blends and basic meat or fish. There aren't any crafted foods that improve Fishing, at least not yet.
- Related Quests: There aren't that many quests for fishing specifically other than the usual daily quotas that are advertised on the Town Project Board, but many of the quests take the player to ideal fishing locations. The quest that focuses on becoming a Shadowarden, for example, leads to one of the first fishing hotspots that most players discover.
Harvesting
- Tool Required: A sickle is needed for tougher plants like Hemp and Herbs, but other plants like briars, berries, and nuts require nothing more than two working hands.
- Starting Tips: The shoe says, just do it. Players can harvest smaller plants for crafting and consuming from the moment they wander in from the shipwreck.
- How To Level: Most of these buff foods include corn as their main ingredient. This is only found in former settlements that were formerly farms, where are there are often enemies other than pesky animals. The buff foods for Harvesting all require corn Cooked Corn between Tiers I and III. Breakfast Bread is available at Tier IV, which is usually level 40. Gives a significant Gathering buff. Spicy Steak Pie is an endgame recipe that's only available after level 54, granting a generous Harvesting increase.
- Related Quests: There are a few quests at lower levels that ask the player to gather fibers, greenwood, or berries, but after a certain level these quests are usually confined to the Town Project Board.