How to Level Harvesting Fast in New World: Aeternum

Harvesting in New World: Aeternum can feel like a grind, especially if you're just starting out. It’s one of those Trade Skills that seems simple at first but ends up taking a lot of time and patience. Still, it’s a really useful skill—especially if you’re planning to craft your own clothes, bags, or potions. Harvesting feeds into Weaving, Cooking, Arcana, and more. So learning how to get good at it early can save you time and gold later on.

Understanding How Harvesting Works

The actual act of harvesting is pretty straightforward. All you need is a Sickle, and you’re ready to start gathering. Sickles come in different tiers (from 1 to 5), and as you get better ones, you can harvest faster and sometimes get better drops.

Once you approach a plant or node, just press E (or Triangle on PlayStation, X on Xbox), and your character will start harvesting. Each gathering skill is tied to a specific set of items. When you level up Harvesting, you’ll unlock the ability to "track" those items. That means icons will start showing up on your compass, like the pink leaf icon for Hemp.

Early on, you’ll be collecting Herbs, Hemp, and maybe a few Mushrooms. Around level 25, you’ll unlock more interesting stuff like elemental flowers and bulbs. These not only help you level up, but also give you ingredients for Arcana or Cooking.

There are also magical creatures hidden across the world that drop rare resources when harvested. You’ll know you’re near one when you hear a strange sound tied to its element. These creatures are worth finding—they always give a good chunk of Harvesting XP and are available to all levels.

How To Level Harvesting More Efficiently

To level up quickly, your best bet is to gather everything you can find. Hemp, herbs, vegetables, mushrooms, flowers—just keep collecting. But there are a few things you can do to speed up your progress:

• Follow a consistent farming route. Nodes always respawn in the same places, so once you learn a good path, you can loop back and forth. A great starter route is between Monarch’s Bluff and Windsward—there’s a ton of fiber, berries, and herbs in that area.
• Use tools with Mastery perks. These give bonus XP every time you gather. There are also special gear sets, like the Harvester Set, which increase how much you gather and how fast you level up.
• Focus on Harvesting Speed perks. The faster you can harvest, the more you can collect in less time. Some of this comes from your tools, but you can also boost your speed by choosing the right perks when leveling up territory standing.
• Build your character around Intelligence. This Attribute actually helps with harvesting. Here’s how:
  • 25 Points: +10% Harvesting Speed
  • 50 Points: +5% chance to find Azoth
  • 100 Points: +50 encumbrance (carry weight)
  • 150 Points: -10% weight for all harvested items
  • 200 Points: +20% Harvesting Speed
  • 250 Points: +10% yield
  • 300 Points: -25% Azoth travel cost
  • 350 Points: +10% chance for rare items

Even if you’re not using an Intelligence-based build for combat, it might be worth investing some points just for better harvesting.

Best Places To Harvest Based On Your Level

• Level 1–50+:
  Stick to the coastline between Monarch's Bluff and Windsward. This area is packed with early-game nodes like Hemp, Herbs, and Berries. It’s a low-risk zone perfect for beginners, and the short respawn time means you can loop back efficiently.
• Level 50+:
  Head west to Central Windsward Watch, especially the island between the rivers. This zone has around 50+ Hemp nodes, which makes it a great place to speed through the mid-level grind. The Bison here also give Skinning XP, so you can multitask.
• Level 100–150+:
  Explore the Everfall Forests and the nearby outskirts. You’ll start seeing mid-to-high tier plants like Light Blooms, Dragonglory, Soulsprout, and Silkweed. Just make sure you’re around level 20–25 to safely handle the mobs in this area.
• Level 150–200+:
  Head toward North Brightwood and the Great Cleave Salt Lake. These zones unlock high-end herbs and rarities like Aloe and Spinfiber. Once you hit level 200, you’ll be able to collect just about everything the game has to offer.

If you ever feel like the grind is slowing you down or you want to skip ahead, you can always pick up New World Coins to unlock better gear or tools for gathering materials faster. With enough gold, you can buy top-tier harvesting tools, boost your storage, and access higher-level trade goods early—making the whole process much smoother.