What is the reason for hiding the slots on a timed node?

[Elamys]

The various "solutions" mentioned are great and all, but that doesn't really address the initial question. I could understand hiding it the very first time only, or hiding it for the very few items that don't have a set location ("That exists?" Waterfowl Feather, Dark Matter Cluster, etc.). However, for items that you have already gathered before and have a static location, hiding the item is simply inconvenience for the sake of being inconvenient. It's stupid. It's dumb. Please either change or remove it.

I'm pretty sure if your gathering stat is low enough, it can actually take multiple whacks to uncover something that's hidden. EVEN THAT would be more interesting than what we currently have, because it's been so long since I've experienced that, that I'm not even 100% sure that it exists.

You're right, your Gathering stat can be low enough that you don't uncover the item in one hit, and yes, items like Dark Matter Cluster, Unaspected Crystal, Mazlaya Greens, and Gregarious Worm are part of why this mechanic exists, as they may not even be present on the node. But obviously this design was abandoned, probably because it's dumb and annoying.

However I wouldn't hold your breath on a quick response even though we got a community response. Changing this mechanic would mean changing Endless Toil to something else, and, well, they've got more on their plate right now.