I've written about the state of RoM's crafting system before, but many updates have come along since then. While the large amount of resources needed to craft items hasn't changed, the many different ways of obtaining those resources have. In this article I cover all the new ways you can get your grubby little mitts on a crafter's best friend.
Save some space in your courtyard for a lumber yard, field and forge. Every day that you visit your guild castle, you'll be able to collect up to 99 of each resource type. This method is time-intensive and yields random resources. The maximum level of a random resource is based on the building's level.
As you've no doubt surmised, this isn't the best option for people crafting with specific resource needs. You can still get some of what you need, but it may be best to go this route for donating to the guild or selling on the auction house, or if you just want something productive to do while you're watching the latest episode of Eureka. If you're able to leave your computer turned on while you sleep, gathering from guild buildings becomes an instant free resource buffet.
Pets
If you happen to have more money than time to invest, then pet harvesting might be more your style -- not harvesting pets, but rather the expensive hobby of having your pet create resources. You can buy tools (you can't buy pets) from a pet merchant, place them in your pet's crafting interface, and click go. That's it.The nice part about having pets harvest resources is that they can do so while aiding you in combat. You can also stack up to 99 of the tools at once. Pets have a harvest level, which means you'll need to raise it through repeated harvesting in order to get higher-level resources. You won't level past a resource you need because all previous levels for specific resources will be selectable.
I'll say it again: This can be expensive. I'm finding that I don't really care that much, because I'm enjoying raising my pet. It's just something about my really wanting to raise that level.
Planting
Ah, the plant system. It seems that my not-so-green thumb is also not-so-green in-game. I so desperately want to raise my planting-skill level, but every time I remember to check on my poor plants I find a shriveled stem that seems to shiver and plead to me, "Why?"If you're not like me and can manage to take care of your plants, they will reward you with a bounty of resources. Planting is another profession anyone can obtain by speaking to the right NPC, and it will take time and money just like any other profession. It is nice that planting is another activity that you don't have to really wait on. Just plant and go about your other activities. Buying plant formulas makes caring for your leafy friends even easier and less demanding.
Honor Points
You may think I have a screw loose, but I'm currently raising my carpentry so I can craft a legendary staff (with a durability bonus) from a blue recipe. It's going to take me a long time and a server's worth of resources, but honor points are taking a huge chunk out of that time.A low gold cost is offset by another cost in honor points that you earn in the battlefields. You can buy any resource you need from the NPCs that are hanging around the arena in Mercenary Square of Obsidian Stronghold. I've already bought hundreds of oak timber for a price of 221 gold and 4 honor points each. In addition to saving time, you can turn a pretty good profit from reselling on the auction house. Time is kind of off-set by the need to earn honor points, but when you're having fun in the battlefields, that time goes by fast. In one night of playing in the battlefields, I made about 600 honor points. Funny thing was, as I waited for a battlefield to start, I would gather resources
Auction House
OK. Yes. The auction house has always been in RoM, and that technically means there were always two ways to obtain resources. Initially though, you always knew exactly where the resource you were bidding on came from. Gathering from resources was that one and only way to obtain the resource before selling it on the auction house. Now there are many places those resources are derived, and that means varied prices. Varied prices spells more fun for a person who likes to play the auction house. It doesn't hurt to use an addon like AdvancedAuctionhouse either.
Conclusion
Gone are the days of simply gathering solely from nodes for hours to make one recipe. Resource acquisition is a lot easier than it was throughout chapter 1 of RoM. All the options I've mentioned are fine on their own, but put them together and you can be swimming in resources. Erecting level 3 resource buildings outside your guild castle, leveling your pet's harvesting skill, and leveling your planting skill will bring in large amounts of resources without your ever clicking a node.
It's a huge personal goal of mine to maximize all the ways in which I can obtain resources. If you've already done this, I'm jealous. I would like to know how many resources you manage to pull in on an average day. If you know any tips or tricks, like refining specific resources to earn more gold, leave it in the comments.
Each Monday, Jeremy Stratton delivers Lost Pages of Taborea, a column filled with guides, news, and opinions for Runes of Magic. Whether it's a community roundup for new players or an in-depth look at the rogue/priest combo, you'll find it all here. Send your questions to jeremy@massively.com.
