As we get a little deeper into Warhammer, you have probably looted many items that say something about crafting or gathering. Most of you may have even dabbled a bit in the different crafting and gathering skills and I am sure some of you have no idea what I am talking about. I have personally tried every craft there is, as well as all the gathering methods. This is meant to help get you started and to help those who have tried and failed get a little more of the basics.

There are currently two crafting skills available Apothecary and Talisman Making. I have them simply broken down for you. 

• Apothecary – Potions, Dyes (for armor/clothes) and Gold Essence (for Talismans)
• • Examples – Fleeting Elixir of Allaying,
• Talisman Making- creates talismans that can be fused with weapons and armor (with empty talisman slots) to increase stats.
  • Examples – Feeble Talisman of The Squire.

POTIONS

*All of these can be purchased at any merchant after you train in the skill

• Used Thin Vial – Level one container.
• Musty Elvish Parsley – Basic Restoration concoctions.
• Callous Gobswort – Makes the effects last longer.
• Cloudy Water – Makes concoction more stable.

Then Becomes...

• A Fleeting Elixir of Allaying.

I have found the better the ingredients the better the potion. Make sure you put in enough water or the potion will fail or have negative effects because it will be volatile.

TALISMANS

There are five different items needed for talisman making. First you need a container and the only one of these that I have found is bought from a merchant. Next you need a fragment, there are a lot of these the main way to get them is by salvaging weapons and armor to break them down to a certain type usually one of the stats that they have before you do that. Gold essence is the third thing you need and you can get this by scavenging. Magic essence are usually acquired as a by product when you break down the weapons and armor or ruined equipment. The curios can be scavenged as well and the higher level they are the better the chances of creating a permanent or at least longer talisman. Here are some of them and what they make. Note that all of these can be purchased at any merchant after you train in the skill. 

• Journeyman's Relic Box – Container for the talisman must have 1 per talisman.
• Mojo Coin – Level 1 curio can be scavenged or bought.
• Impure Gold Dust – Level 1 gold dust scavenged or bought.
• Fragile Sorrel Heart – Level 1 fragment for ballistics.
• Silent Essence – Level 1 magic essence scavenged or bought.

Then Becomes...

• Training Talisman of Marksmanship (+1 ballistic 30m)

GATHERING

• Cultivation – growing seeds into items that can be used in apothecary.
• Butchering – butchers corpses of mobs without armor for items used in both crafting skills.
• Scavenging – same as butchering but for mobs that wear clothing or armor and can give you items for both crafting skills.
• Salvaging – breaks down items to give you fragments and essences for talisman making.

Crafting is now and going to be in the future, an essential part of this game. Whether you just sell the things you make or use them to buff yourself up before battle everyone will need them. If you don't have either skill you will have to pay for not having them and true they may be fairly inexpensive at the beginning of the game. However dying in battle and having to pay the healer to fix you up or having to buy them from someone in a hurry on the field you will regret it very fast. It is a lot easier and cheaper to start at the beginning and work your way up. The method I use is when I am running across a zone and have only to travel in a straight line, I open up my Apothecary window and start making them while I am running. Or ,if I am waiting for a mob to spawn after a couple clicks of the mouse and bada bing, I have a concoction. One thing I do suggest is if you are making them to get your skill up and everything is coming out as volatile, just sell them at a merchant. These types can cause more problems in a battle because they could cause you to fall down, drop your weapon  or have a negative stats effect which is not going to be helpful to anyone but the enemy.

Even if you don't want to do any crafting, just think of it as extra loot. Because any mob can be butchered or scavenged meaning you might get something from them when looting and then get something else when gathering from the corpse. I will call it "duo looting". If you don't need the item sell it and get the extra money. Remember also that a lot of the items you get from these are stackable so they really aren't taking up much room of your precious space.

So, get to crafting and don't worry if you aren't good at it at first. It is going to take a lot of practice. Mix and match different types of things and try to come up with the best concoctions you can. In the next couple of weeks I will be improving my skills so I can post up more in depth coverage and what to mix to create the best possible talismans and potions.