Summary
Infinite gathering tools are a convenient way to farm for resources inGuild Wars 2. In addition to perfect durability, these items can be fitted with gathering glyphs, each with its own utility. It can be hard to tell which glyphs are the best to go for, if at all. Some offer convenience, while others can help maximize gold production.
Glyphs can be attached and detached from gathering tools at will via the Hero Window and are account-bound items. It is worth buying gathering glyphs by exchanging gold for gems onGuild Wars 2’s in-game storerather than on the trading post, as their listed prices are usually inflated. Some infinite gathering tools come with specific glyphs. Others allow the player to choose the glyph they want from a list. These are the ones to look for.
7Glyph Of The Unbound
The Lesser Passive Magic Currency Producer
Although the Living World Season 3 magic currency gathering glyph does not ultimately yield the same amount of profit as its Season 4 counterpart, unbound magic can still command a respectable return in gold. Unbound magic, in combination with gold or Living World Season 3 map gathering currency, can be used to buy a variety of useful items, such as ascended amulets, rings, and accessories.
Gathering from any node (ore, sapling, or plant) grants around six or seven amounts of unbound magic with the Glyph of the Unbound, but gathering from plants produces them the fastest, as it is done in one strike. Turning unbound magic into gold is best done by purchasing magic-warped bundles. Scholar Surra, found in Ember Bay next to the Asura gate, is the best unbound magic vendor to do this with, as she offers the bundles with a hike in the unbound magic price but a sizable discount in the gold cost.
6Glyph Of The Crucible
The Counterintuitive Downgrade Glyph
Although it may seem like a downgrade to attach a glyph that transmutes gathering materials to a lower quality than the node it was gathered from, the Glyph of the Crucible has some benefits in certain situations. For example, with the abundance of mithril out inGuild Wars 2’s high-level zones, its price on the trading post is much lower than its name might suggest.
By transmuting each yield to platinum, players can make a much higher profit fromtheir mining activities. This goes for the higher tiers of wood that sell for less than the lower tiers. Certain plant yields, such as lettuce, only appear in low-level zones, and so the Glyph of the Crucible is one way to farm them without having to stick to these places. For those rare resource nodes, it is advisable to remove the glyph, but doing it frequently with different nodes can be fiddly.
5Glyph Of Industry
Gathering In Shorter Order
For those who dislike gathering and find watching the loading bar for each activity tedious, the Glyph of Industry is one way to elevate the pain. With the glyph attached, mining, logging, or harvesting is done 50% faster. This can be a big help when ona rich orichalcum node run, for example, when a bountiful area happens to be guarded by bothersome enemies.
While this glyph offers great utility in terms of speed, some may consider its use a waste of potential when other glyphs offer a higher return per strike. It is worth considering that some gathering skins actually harvest faster than others, and Quickness, a combat boon, actually decreases gathering speed in addition to combat actions.
4Glyph Of Reaping
Snapping Up Materials All In One Go
There are a number of glyphs that help speed up the gathering process, but there is no other glyph that confers convenience inGuild Wars 2quite like the Glyph of Reaping, which instantly gathers from nodes of the same kind being interacted with as the one the player initially gathers from. If a player gathers from a wood node, all other wood nodes within 900 units are also gathered.
It is especially useful when runninga flax seed farm, for example, as it can turn eight button presses into one. While it is a powerful time-saver, it does mean potentially exchanging other useful bonuses afforded by other glyphs (for example, those that produce extra items per strike).
3Glyph Of Alchemy
Transmutation To A Higher Tier
The Glyph of Alchemy grants players a higher tier result from the gathering node they are working. The benefits here, besides being able toroleplay as an alchemist of old, go without saying, as it effectively turns elder wood saplings and mithril ore into ancient saplings and orichalcum ore, respectively.
There may be instances, especially in low to mid-level zones, where gathering the resource as-is is preferable (such as when it turns platinum to mithril or a hard wood log to an elder log), but this is largely negligible. There is also a limit as to how much mithril ore the glyph can convert per day, totaling 150 ore pieces a day.
2Glyph Of Bounty
A Chance For An Extra Strike
The Glyph of Bounty gives its user a 33% chance for an additional “strike” when gathering. These extra strikes also have a chance (albeit a diminishing one) to trigger an additional strike. Using this glyph on plants confers around a 50% increase in productivity. Chopping axes and mining picks gain a 17% increase.
This glyph is extremely helpful for gatheringGuild Wars 2’s rarest resources, such as flax or winterberry bushes, but there are restrictions on some nodes. For example, the fixed-location rich orichalcum nodes do not yield extra strikes with the Glyph of Bounty. Forthose MMO players who love cooking, this may be a wise investment.
1Glyph Of Volatility
A Passive Way To Build Up Volatile Magic Reserves
Perhaps because of its capacity to makelarge returns of goldwhen used properly, the Glyph of Volatility is currently the most expensive gathering glyph on the trading post. That being said, it is worth remembering that it may be far cheaper to convert gold to gems via the Gem Store than to buy it from another player.
This glyph produces three to nine volatile magic bubbles from resource nodes while gathering, which can be exchanged for highly useful items in Living World Season 4’s maps, including trophy shipments that can be sold for a huge profit. Because plant nodes produce more volatile magic per strike (they only have one), it is slightly more efficient to put this glyph on harvesting sickles than logging axes or mining picks.
