Best approach to unspoiled nodes?

[Maku]

My approach is this:

You know which slot it's at (the thing that you want), so no need to use Toil. 1 pick will clear it.

Leaf Turn II
Collect twice
Ageless Words
Collect 3 more times
Activate Brunt Force for last collect (assuming all 5 collects were successful)

I'm actually 50 miner/49 bot atm, but that's what I do with miner, I just replaced the abilities with the equivalent Botany ones.

Generally I'll get at least 2 x HQ gathers per node. If I'm lucky, 4.

If you've got >=630GP (using food and more melds) use Field Mastery I at the start as well for a 95% gather chance, and activate Ageless Words after the 4th pick when your GP comes back up to 300.

Ageless Words and Toil have the exact same GP cost so why not just use Toil? You also are not getting 100% success and the RNG in this game is stupid. I would rather have the sure thing and get generally (same as you) 2 HQ swings a node.

[Maku]

Snip

Math was never my strong suit but that makes sense. My point is that you could miss a swing and not get the for sure HQ at the end at all and potentially no HQ at a node at all. So i guess it is just if you are a bit of a gambler or not and it can make more HQ or nothing, while my way is the safe way to get a for sure HQ swing in.

[Castillan]

Math was never my strong suit but that makes sense. My point is that you could miss a swing and not get the for sure HQ at the end at all and potentially no HQ at a node at all. So i guess it is just if you are a bit of a gambler or not and it can make more HQ or nothing, while my way is the safe way to get a for sure HQ swing in.

I know what you mean. You want a guarantee. Sometimes a guarantee isn't the most efficient way, long term. If you absolutely HAD TO have an HQ gather NOW, then do it your way. If this is a long term deal, then it's more beneficial to take the gamble.