Good idea to have mining/botany retainers while working on my first 50?

[Spawnie]

This.

Plus, your own mining or botany skill needed is minimized, because shards are a lvl 1 item, and your retainer can gather shards, which can help fund your character while leveling up.

Shards go for around 150 apiece on my server at least. minimum geared retainers can collect 20 an hour. 3000 gil per hour is nothing to scoff at at low levels, although the numbers get bigger at higher levels.

retainers shard amounts gathered vary depending on the gears?? ive just ben throwing rubbish equips to them so thier gathering is high enough to do the explorations lol guess i have to gear them better to gather shards more effectively XD