The way i like to Harvest

[missylee]

Hey everybody!

Everything you can learn at the Harvest Trainer is useful at some point, but obviously, you will need to start somewhere, this is how i like to harvest:

I have a different page on my Hands Bar dedicated only to my harvesting actions.
Because everytime i learn something new at the Harvest Trainer i need to edit my harvest actions again, i like to keep things simple: there are only a few harvest icons i use a lot, those ones i keep on the upper row of my Hands Bar page and use 'hotkeys' for them.

I am wearing the highest Q Focus Jewels and Light armor i can get.

I have 2 Prospect actions, one for searching the area using as little Focus as possible and one for when i have found the materials i am looking for and want to start harvesting.


Prospection (Seaching):

Accelerated Prospecting (doesn't help finding the sources, it only speeds the prospection action)
Multi Spot (Highest upgrade i have)
Knowledge (fist one is available at lvl 50 Harvest)
Cone Angle (together with Range and Multi Spot, great for covering a larger area in front of you, if you don't have enough harvest sp, 20 degrades will be ok too)
Range (if i don't know the area well i use my highest upgrade, if i *almost* know where to find sources, i use a lower range)
Find Better Materials (there are 2 sorts of stanzas here, ie 'Up to Fine/Choice/Excellent/Supreme' or 'Only Fine/Choice...')


Knowledge 1: Shows icon of material and tells the what kind of material it is, ie Bark, Amber, Fiber, etc.
Knowledge 2: Shows more info: Oath Bark, Mitexi Bark, Beng Amber, Pha Amber, etc.
Knowledge 3: Shows more info: Choice Oath Bark, Fine Mitexi Bark, etc.

Prospection (Specialized):

Terrain Specializing (ie Forest, Jungle, Desert, Lake and Prime Roots; all available at lvl 50 Harvest and PR at lvl 150)
Multi Spot (the higher the upgrade, the longer the sources 'live' waiting for you to extract them, you will be able to extract 2 sources every time you prospect; sometimes -only at some lvls- 3 sources)
Accelerated Prospecting (more of a luxury, speeds the prospecting)
Cone Angle (highest i have, but if not enough harvest sp yet, 20 degrades will do fine too)
Range (i use either 10 meters or 5 m)
Find Better Materials (i use 'Only Fine/Choice/Excellent/Supreme', depending on what i need at the time)
Material Specializing (Minor: makes sure all the prospected sources will be of the material you wanted; Major: helps a little bit finding the sources)

Knowledge (no real need to use Knowledge because thanks to Material Specializing i already know what i find in the sources; i don't use Knowledge in my specialized prospection) *

Extra Source Time (i don't like using this stanza much: when using it i don't get to extract the 2nd source; i never have enough Focus to use Extra Source Time and i can fill my bag a lot faster without using it. However, if my extraction without using extra time ends in .7 material or higher, i do put Extra Source Time lvl 1 in, to get the extra material)

The order of the stanzas is only for practical reasons, i sometimes change the Range, Find Better Materials and of course Material Specializing, this way i don't have to search for them much.


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Extraction:

Gentle Speed
Harmful Rate (highest i have)
Gentle Extraction (highest Quality i have; for each next Q the source time will last approximately 2 seconds longer)
Terrain Specialization
Material Specialization

If i don't have enough Extraction Credits (or not enough Focus to use the highest) then i edit my extraction:
i take Material Specializing out, make sure that i have Highest Extraction Q, highest Harmful Rate and if this still doesn't fit, i use a lower Gentle Speed; try it out and decide what is best for yourself.

Because i only have one Extraction icon on my Hands Bar, every time i get upgrades (ie Gentle Speed, Harmful Rate and Gentle Extraction) i only need to edit one icon.

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Care Plans:

Terrain Specialization
Resources Preservation (makes sure you don't deplete the source too soon)
Ground Stability (makes sure you don't get an explosion or toxic cloud)
Material Specializing

The better your careplan, the less you need to care for your source and the more you can extract.

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Self Heal Focus 3

I use this after i have prospected, right before i start extracting, to make sure i will have full Focus when i start digging. Otherwise i may not have enough Focus to finish the extraction.
Some ppl prefer to sit (default key to sit is 'Insert') and regenerate Focus before starting extracting, i rather use self heal.

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Sometimes i get a tell or i am otherwise distracted and i forget to care on time. Because i don't want to deplete the source or kill myself in an explosion when this happends, i have made a macro to stop the current action and i have put this on my Hands Bar, i use it hitting the 'hotkey' it is under.

To make the Macro to cancel the current action:

Shift+k to get the Macro window
New Macro
Add Command
Category: Actions
Action: Cancel the current action
Ok
If you want to give the macro a name then click on the red square and type a name and change color of the macro icon.
After you have finished the macro, click on it, hold and dragg it to the Hands Bar.

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*
To make harvesting more efficient, i have made a macro to select source and start extracting.
This is why i don't use Knowledge in my Specialized Prospection, because the macro i need will be shorter.

To make the macro to select source and start extracting:

Shift+k for the Macro Window
New Macro
Add Command
Category: Actions
Action: Target an entity
Entity's name to target: Raw Material Source [Name]
Ok
Add Command
Category: Actions
Action: Select Shortcut Bar (this is for the Hands Bar page)
Shortcut Bar Number: (choose the Hands page your harvesting is on)
Ok
Add Command
Category: Actions
Action: Run Shortcut (this is to select the Extraction Action)
Shortcut Number: (choose the number where your Extraction is placed, the 'hotkey')
Ok

Now you can click on the icon to name it and to change color. You could assign a key to it or dragg it to your Hands Bar, it's up to you.

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It only takes hitting a few 'hotkeys' to harvest:

Prospect
Self Heal Focus 3
Macro to select source and start extracting
Care (i start caring when bars are 1/2 or 1/3; usually i need to care 2 times. If i wait too long i use the macro to stop action and then i care)
Extract
At higher levels i need to Care one more time before the extraction is over.

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These are only examples of how i harvest, i always try new combinations and see what works best at the level i am at.

When trying new things, i copy the action i normally use and edit it.
To copy: hold Ctrl and move the action to another place on the Hands page, then edit the original one (so you can keep using the same hotkeys) and try it out.

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More tips about harvesting soon.

I hope this has helped you, looking forward to your questions.

[magick1]

Posted in the wrong forum, I think. Maybe a moderator wouldn't mind moveing it to the right one.