Guide : Gathering Materials Content . Regardless of your choice of craft , you cannot create something from nothing . Smiths , foresters , and runecrafters all must gather materials , in order to create useful and powerful weapons , armor , and potions . While any crafting hall will sell some materials to you , and while these materials are often necessary for the art , they are never the only materials you will need to create something useful . This guide focuses on teaching the novice craftsman how to find those materials that are necessary for crafting , but not often sold . Of course , craftsmen can also find these necessary materials without gathering , either by trading with other craftsmen , or by finding sacks of already - refined materials stolen from the great trading houses of Taminar . But these methods can be less dependable than simply going out and getting what you need directly . The first step to obtaining materials in the wild is to identify the features that tend to accompany it in the world . If you see those features in your surroundings , search hard nearby , for there is a good chance ( though by no means certain ) that a skilled craftsman can find some useful materials about . Metals , Salts , and Ruins . Metals and salts are born from rock , and only then come to the surface as veins of ore . To that end , a smith would do well to search rocky cliffs and outcroppings for exposed ore to mine . Going underground , in caves and the like , is another option - though an often dangerous one . Ancient Ayleid ruins can also be stripped , to supply materials that are otherwise impossible to find . Not just any block from any ruin will do , though : Only those that have ancient Ayleid metals running through them will do . These are mostly found in Ayleid Focii , the original use of which has been lost to us . Old structures that may have been built on top of , or with , Ayleid stone may also have a focus nearby . Crystals , Gems , and Souls . Much like metals , crystals and gems will form deep within rock , and then rise to the surface in small quantities . Cliffs , boulders , outcroppings , and caves are thus all good places for a crafter of runes to search for useful materials . Runecrafters also harvest the souls of creatures summoned or reanimated by magic , to power their enchantments . Finding such creatures is dangerous work , but the souls a skilled runecrafter can gather from them are often worth the risk . Plants and Animals . Most foresters prefer to gather wood that has fallen naturally , and will never put axe to tree . They will often find suitable samples of wood near secondary growth , such as saplings or thickets . Such compunctions do not hold with harvesting from beasts , however : the skins , organs , and bones of natural creatures are often useful for creating leathers . Those foresters that seek mushrooms will often do well to find larger trees that are in some stage of rot : fallen logs , rotted stumps , and even still - standing trees in their final years are all good candidates . Flowers can often be found near living ( but less - useful ) plants , often in a symbiotic relationship ; where one plant blooms , others are sure to follow .