WAR Profession Guide: Cultivating

In Warhammer Online, Cultivating is one of the main professions that you can choose, and that other professions rely on. In the first part of this guide, we'll go through the basics

In WAR, you will have to choose from one of the professions to make your toon money as you go through the game. There are several to choose from: Apothecary, Butchering, Cultivating, Salavaging, Scavenging, and Talisman Making - but in this 2 part article series, we'll go through the Cultivating skill from start to finish and tell you what you need to level your skill, the basics of it, and the different phases of Cultivating so that you will be a pro when you are through reading.

Cultivating is where you actually grow fungi and weeds and other items for those who choose to be Apothecarists. The items that you can grow from seeds and spores that you pick up and buy in game are used to make potions, dyes, and essences. Each different seed or spore has a different growth cycle, but all of them only have three different phases. In each different phase of growth, there are special items that you can add to the seed or spore to make that phase faster: such as, special dirt, water, and nutrients.

One good thing with Cultivating, is that as you level your skill up (which doesn't take long in the beginning levels of the game), you'll gain more plots to use so that you can grow up to 4 different seeds or spores at a time. So, you don't have to worry about only growing one plant at a time the higher that you level your skill.

The items that you'll pick up and buy to cultivate are different seeds and spores. These all fit into a different tier of the profession, and each item that is created from growing them creates a different tier of plant that the Apothecary will use in their potions and other items. Now, each different tier of seed or spore will have two different levels. You'll start off with the 1/25 tier, then move up to 50/75, then 100/125, and finally to 150/175. The same goes with the levels of the potions and such that the Apothecaries can make with the items that you cultivate.

Here is a little tip: you can actually break down the name of the plant or seed before you do anything else with it to see if it is worth the time cultivating it or if you can simply vendor it. This is a great thing to know, as some plants vendor for the same that the seed does, and if you don't need the skill up - then vendoring is the way to go. You can also tell how good a seed or spore is by the color of it's name, for example, names in white are common and will yield common varieties of plants. Yet, the names that are in green are rarer quality and will yield better plants that will sell for more money.

Want a breakdown of what seeds will give you? Well certain plants are used to create certain potions, such as strength or fire breath potions. While those that take on Apothecary for a profession will soon learn what they need, you as a cultivator will want to know which plants sell the best on the auction and what they create. So, here is a short list of the different tier seeds/spores and what the plant they create will do as a main ingredient in a potion, dye, or elixir:

For help with accuracy: Thief's Nettle (tier 1/25), Twigbloat (tier 50/75), Flea Agaric (tier 100/125), and Cheese Slipper (tier 150/175)

For armor and damage absorption: Morrweed (tier 1/25), Skunk Thistle (tier 50/75), Chev's Needle (tier 100/125), and Spider Frond (tier 150/175)

For toughness (Corporeal Resistance): Shorenuts or Gravelnuts (tier 1/25), Trotweed (tier 50/75), Man's Mane (tier 100/125), and Buckberry or Hookberry (tier 150/175)

For extra energy: Dandedragon (tier 1/25), Peckgrass (tier 50/75), Sorrel (tier 100/125), Foolsberry (tier 150/175)

For firey spells/potions/elixirs: Pyre Ivy (tier 1/25), Scruntleydown (tier 50/75), Spikewort (100/125), Dragoncap (150/175)

For "flaming breath" potions: Ashberry (tier 1/25), Redvine (tier 50/75), Canny (tier 100/125), Argost Creep (tier 150/175)

For healing and restoration potions/elixirs: Elvish Parsley (tier 1/25), Grottuk Weed (tier 50/75), Black Pea (tier 100/125), Yellow or Green Grundle (tier 150/175)

For intelligence potions/elixirs: Smedleycap (tier 1/25), Twigfester (tier 50/75), Toody's Hat (tier 100/125), Jack O'Lantern (150/175)

For strength booster potions/elixirs: Beardweed (tier 1/25), Blackstipe (tier 50/75), Phlegmberry (tier 100/125), Spurge (tier 150/175)

For extra willpower: Grumpleaf (tier 1/25), Dwarfcup or Elfcup (tier 50/75), Ulric's Tash (tier 100/125), Spumepetal (tier 150/175)

Other plants will help to create better potions and elixirs for apothecarists, and here is a short list of those that will help in that area:

For lengthening the effects of a potion/elixir: Gobswort (tier 1/25), Merulius (tier 50/75), Blusher (tier 100/125), Stalkball (tier 150/175)

For increasing how many potions come out of one mixture (these will always sell well on the auction house, so make sure that you sell these whenever you can): Fusk (tier 1/25), Bolete (tier 50/75), Shadow Fungs or Shadow Fungus (tier 100/125), Clubmoss (tier 150/175)

To help make the mixtures more stable: Prickly or Glinting or Spiny Goldweed (tier 1/25), Glimmering or Thorny Goldweed (tier 50/75), Gleaming or Barbed or Vibrant Goldweed (tier 100 and up)

In the next part of this Cultivating guide will take you through the different types of seeds and spores in each tier and what they create and what they are used to make. The second part of this guide will also give you an idea of what all you will need to level your skill up through each tier.