I feel that the current methods of gathering these vital resources are somewhat lacking. You either endlessly slay sprites for a chance at a drop, or you spend countless hours chopping away at the nearest tree. We have ward abilities which help us with the yield, but they're very expensive for their return, and GP restores at a trickle.

What I would like to see is a trait for miners and botanists which increases the yield of shards as an ALWAYS ON trait. Specifically shards, as crystals and clusters are not needed in quite as high quantities to warrant an ability of this kind.

The trait could improve with level, so that high level botanists and miners have an easier time gathering shards than those just starting out. In addition, tweak the wards to give increased yields with higher levels so that they're actually worth the abhorrent GP costs.

If gatherers are supposed to be the primary class for getting shards, then surely we should at least get better tools for the job.