Before a battle class can equip their gear, and before any crafter can make it, one of Final Fantasy XIV‘s three gathering classes must collect a recipe’s materials. As of its Endwalker expansion, FFXIV hasn’t added a single new gatherer to its roster since launch, and it seems unlikely (and unnecessary) that we’ll ever see one. However, that doesn’t mean the systems gatherers use haven’t seen massive overhauls through the years, and sometimes those changes affect priority.
Speaking of said priority, that’s what we’re doing here. To get your Warrior of Light making a little pocket change, we’ve drummed up a tier list and ranked Fisher, Miner, and Botanist by their relative ease and Gil-making potential. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to really racking in the Gil, but picking up at least one gathering class and leveling the role to 90 may at least offset those nasty teleportation fees.
This tier list considers all of the Endwalker-era changes to gathering as of Patch 6.11, including FFXIV‘s scrapped high-quality materials, tweaks to yield through Gatherer’s Boon, and revamped spearfishing. And while those overhauls did some serious housekeeping, we expect this list to stay relevant for quite a while based on their relationship to crafters and playstyle.
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As you get started, just remember leveling your Fisher, Miner, and Botanist together yields the most profit, and that’s especially true if you’re looking to become an omnicrafter. However, picking just one to focus on is a great way to begin, and there are some clear ways each gathering class differs in Gil-making potential.
S Tier: Miner – FFXIV Gathering Tier List
Miners take our top rank home to Ul’dah thanks to their simplified Endwalker playstyle and relationship with FFXIV‘s crafting classes. While a Miner fundamentally works just like their cousin in Gridania, the Botanist, there’s no consistent demand for any other materials in the same ways we see demand for valuable ore, gems, and whatever else gathered from hitting our star’s rocks. It’s not the most engaging FFXIV activity, but we insist you go kick rocks. Respectfully.
As mentioned earlier, Disciples of the Land are intrinsically tied to the world’s eight crafting classes. A gatherer’s relevance can fluctuate depending on what crafting recipes are in demand at any given point, but mining and quarrying tend to maintain their relevance throughout any given patch’s lifecycle. The other two classes, Botanist and Fisher, decline in value a little faster after early patch day demands.
Miners mostly support Blacksmiths, Armorers, and Goldsmiths, with a few odds and ins scattered throughout the other crafting jobs. When it comes down to it, players just need more ingots, nuggets, gems, and other matter of stone. Recipe requirements for mined goods almost always outweigh the needs of lumber, and plenty of Free Company-related workshop crafts keep the demand consistent.
Wielding a Miner’s pickaxe bears little to no difference in playstyle with a Botanist’s hatchet — their kits are fundamentally the same, just with ability names swapped around. Ultimately, that means there isn’t one more compelling than the other in terms of playstyle, but if you’ve got both at level 90, we guarantee you’ll frequent mining more. Also, bringing your Miner up to level cap means you can assign the class to your retainers, giving your Warrior of Light another way to save for their next million-Gil glam.
A Tier: Botanist – FFXIV Gathering Tier List
Botanists secure the second spot on our tier list, but don’t assume that means there’s no Gil to be made as an Eorzean lumberjack. While your clientele may dwindle at the tail end of a patch, Botanists still see frequent demand from the Carpenter, Weaver, Culinarian, and Alchemist crafting classes. Unfortunately, some of those don’t see the same consistent relevance we see from those tied to the Miner, but let’s break that down a bit.
Similar to a Miner, your life as a Botanist means tending to practically every crafting occupation in some way, but the requirements for pre-crafted materials like threads, fabrics, and lumbers don’t see the same demand in recipes or their uses. The difference isn’t a massive one — you’ll still see a solid when turning around new glamor or furniture materials, but a Botanist also sees that same decrease in things like Free Company Workshop recipes. Again, there is no gulf between the classes, but if we’re prioritizing which makes more Gil, a Botanist is just a cut below.
In the rush to hustle, your biggest customers may come within the first few weeks of FFXIV patches that introduce new Savage or Ultimate raids. Food and Tincture recipes from Culinarians and Alchemists stay at their highest during the first few weeks of a new fight, and that’s when Botany shines the most. There are plenty of edible staples to harvest en masse, and raid-related items are gone after consumption. That means you’ll have a solid customer base for a few weeks, or at least until most of those folks have cleared any new encounter. You may not want to load up on Botany-focused retainers, but one is nice enough, and if you can play Miner, then you can play Botanist. Two birds, one stone — or log, I guess.
B Tier: Fisher – FFXIV Gathering Tier List
There’s nothing quite like Fisher in FFXIV. The seafaring class of Limsa Lominsa is probably the most relaxing of the three gatherers and most beloved thanks to some of its unique side activities. As a Fisher, your playstyle bears no similarities to the Miner or Botanist occupations, so it’s better to think of this role as its own ‘thing’ while those classes share mechanics. However, even for a class filling its own niche and having plenty of other side content tied to it, we’ve still got Fisher bringing in the rear at B-tier. And, like all terrible things in life, it’s because of the money.
It’s not that there’s nothing to be made from casting your rod — quite the contrary, as there’s a lot. It’s just fishing for the moneymakers requires a lot of time, patience, and way more involvement if you’re trying to catch something with a spear. There’s also the added hassle of bait, which isn’t really a big deal, but it’s a finite resource your other gatherers don’t have to worry with. Also, unlike the other two, Fishing doesn’t have distinct ties to any particular crafting class. Sure, desynthing fish can yield valuable sand, but that’s still a lot of extra effort, and your window of opportunity for making Gil from Culinarians is even shorter than the Botanist’s. In the time it takes you to round up a few mounds of sand, a Botanist or Miner can deliver stacks upon stacks of their materials. Logs and ore won’t sell for the same hefty sum per piece, but the sheer volume makes the other two worth your time.
However, things aren’t all bad, and if you just prefer the class’s playstyle over the other two, you’ll find your market. Plenty of players seek all manner of aquatic life to keep as pets in their FFXIV homes, and desynthing even low-level catches yields valuable bounties of crafting shards, crystals, and clusters. You can also fish for levequest turn-ins, or meet the needs of more uncommon recipes richer Warriors of Light are willing to pay for so they don’t have to spend the extra time.
Fisher is a delight and we love it, but it just doesn’t keep up when comparing time, value, and profit. It’s assuming our B-tier slot for those reasons, and since you can’t get sand from Fishing Retainers, we’d drop it lower and give it a C or D there. Regardless, ask any gathering enthusiasts which they like to play the most — we’d bet Gil they’ll say Fisher. It’s a D on the tier list, but an A in my heart.
