I am a gatherer at heart. I have no intention of creating my own crafts as I have a friend who can supply me with what I need.

So my question is this. I am new to retainers and the game as a whole and need to know what I can do with a retainer. In SWTOR I sent my crew out on missions to give me gathering materials that i then sold on the auction house. Is this how retainers work in the game? Are their different classes and such? Thank you in advance because I ma having trouble understanding the websites I have been reading DoL and something else they call it.