Leveling your gathering Jobs in Final Fantasy XIV has never been easier than it is in Endwalker. We’ve got guides on leveling Mining and Botanist for you to use, but in order to level effectively, you need to know how to gather collectables in Final Fantasy XIV.
First, you need to have unlocked Collectables in Radz-at-han, and be able to speak with the Collectable Appraiser (x11, y10). This NPC will reward you with experience and White Scrips for specific Collectable items, which you can view at any time by speaking to him. This list not only shows you what you can turn in, but also what the rewards will be depending on the level of collectability — more on this in a minute.
From here, select a target. You can choose anything within your level-range to turn in, but if you’re just starting out, the level 81 options are your best bet. Head over to your Gathering Log, which can be found under Logs > Gathering Log, and select the Special tab on the hand side to access your Collectables Log. From here, you can find the spawn timers and locations of any Collectable you can gather.
Now that you have a target, you simply need to wait until the appropriate server time for the node to spawn. When it does spawn, click on the node and prepare to collect your prize. The following window should pop up:
It may look like a lot, but let’s break it down. The Collectability Value is what determines how big your reward is on turn-in. You want to aim for 1000 as much as possible, but until you get better gear, you can aim for at least the minimum value for turn-in, which is 600. In order to reach this value, you need to use a combination of gathering abilities to raise that value.
Starting out, the proper rotation is Scrutiny > Scour > Scrutiny > Scour > Scrutiny > Scour > Collect x3. Replace Scour with Meticulous Woodsman/Prospector anytime you get the Collector’s Standard buff, which has a random chance to activate whenever you use Scour. This basic rotation should get you at least three Collectables with a minimum value of 600, which can be turned back in for experience and White or Purple Scrip.
