FFXIV: Disciples of the Land Overview (6.x)

Image: Square Enix via HGG

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Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Ready to take on a second job? Perhaps you seek the deep and lasting satisfaction of a career spent working the land, or perhaps you’re more interested in the gil that comes with it. Whether you’re in it for the money, for friends in crafting professions, or for gathering your own crafting mats, the FFXIV Disciples of the Land classes are a great way to establish yourself in Eorzea.

Look, we’re only half joking. This isn’t Farming Simulator or one of those long-haul trucker sims. But let’s be honest — grinding resources can feel like a bit of a job. Sometimes that’s exactly what you’re looking for. If that’s your jam, awesome. You’ve stumbled upon the motherlode for routine and satisfying digital work.

If you fancy earning your coin in the heat of combat, we already have you covered. You might as well read on, though, to gain a deeper understanding what all those kindly Miqo’te sashaying around Limsa went through to scrounge up your ores and herbal remedies.

Let’s get started!

Disciples of the Land in FFXIV — *Image: Square Enix via HGG*

FFXIV Disciples of the Land — What are the Classes?

There are three FFXIV Disciples of the Land classes as of this writing:

🌿Botanist

Scours forests and fields for plant or plant-adjacent commodities. This includes harvesting wood from trees for Carpenters, fibrous materials for a Weaver’s textiles, and who-knows-what for an Alchemist’s bubbling potions.

🎣Fisher

You fish. With a pole. Take to the rivers, lakes, and oceans of Eorzea and land a big one. Make sure to explore every nook and cranny — you never know where the rarer fish might be hiding. And they’ll fetch a pretty penny from Culinarians.

⛏️Miner

Crack open the crust of the earth and pull out the shiny baubles nestled within. Your ores can become sturdy metals prized by Armorers and Blacksmiths for weapons and armor, precious metals used by Goldsmiths for stat-enhancing jewelry, and the odd reagent an Alchemist, Culinarian, or Leatherworker might need.

FFXIV Disciples of the Land — What are the Stats?

In addition to their unique tools, all the Disciples of the Land classes benefit from gear that boosts Gathering-specific stats.

❇️Gathering

The higher your Gathering, the more likely you are to successfully obtain an item.

❇️Perception

The higher your Perception, the more likely you are to receive the Gatherer’s Boon buff, which will grant you multiple items.

❇️Gathering Points (GP)

Acting like a mana pool, GP allow the use of unique gathering actions, and will regenerate when you’re not actively gathering.

Like the combat-oriented classes, FFXIV Disciples of the Land will have unique gear sets that modify your Gathering, Perception, and GP stats. Stack these whenever possible. Or maybe trade some of your sweat-drenched materials to a crafter for some of this precious gear fresh off the assembly line. They don’t know it — or simply refuse to acknowledge it — but without you, the crafters would be out of a job. Remember that you’re the real MVP. It will make the endless circuits around Thanalan, Coerthas, or Dravania more tolerable.

FFXIV Disciples of the Land – Class is in Session

No matter which class you pick (if you pick just one), remember to take advantage of the rare resource nodes as you level. This means the Unspoiled nodes, Ephemeral nodes, and Folklore nodes. They may have unique requirements, like being in a certain place at a certain time, so roam far and wide with your Truth of (Forests/Oceans/Mountains) ability active.

Once you find a rare node, take note of the location and time of day. Perhaps even pen-and-paper that business like a real old-school gamer. Or you can just use the wiki. But that’s the easy way out!

Botanist — Deep Dive

FFXIV Landguide Botanist — *Image: Square Enix via HGG*

Disciples of the Hand Partners: Alchemist, Carpenter, Culinarian, Weaver
Categories: Logging and Harvesting
Tool(s) of the Trade: Hatchets (Logging) and Scythes (Harvesting)

The Botanist scours the surface of Eorzea for the rich bounties of the natural world. Your partners in crafting will love you for your sundry reagents, sturdy timber, fruits and vegetables, and fibrous plants for use in clothing. And, of course, like all the other gathering classes, you can fill any down time by scooping up elemental shards, crystals, and clusters. Anywhere there’s the spark of life and green (or yellow) growth, you’ll find opportunities to practice botany.

Hatchets are the key for harvesting anything in or around the trees and shrubs of the world, while you’ll make use of the scythe for reaping things that benefit from a gentler touch. There’s good money to be made here, especially if you apply yourself to supporting the Alchemists, Carpenters, and Weavers in your community. Culinarians talk a big game, but then they leave the Free Company chest cluttered with all their raw materials and never make anything worthwhile.

… No, there’s no story there. Why do you ask?

Fisher — Deep Dive

Disciples of the Hand Partners: Alchemist, Culinarian
Categories: Fishing and Spearfishing
Tool(s) of the Trade: Fishing Poles (Fishing) and Spearfishing Gigs (Spearfishing)

Like the Botanists, the Fishers of Eorzea tap into nature’s abundance to benefit their fellow Eorzeans. But instead of searching the surface, they drop a line into the underwater realms and wait. And wait. And wait some more — until something finally takes the bait in the depths.

It’s actually quite relaxing. Anywhere there’s a shoreline, there’s fish to be caught. And like a box of chocolates, you never quite know what you’re going to get. Once you hit the Stormblood content, you can even add spearfishing into the mix. Nothing says “I caught you” like a spear through the gills.

Alchemists and Culinarians will be your friends, as you’ll provide key ingredients for their endeavors. And unlike the other gathering classes, there’s no distinct nodes to guide your search. Like we said earlier, find a shore and cast your line anywhere you like. But make sure to try fishing everywhere you can. There’s always something new waiting for you in the surf and the shallows.

Miner — Deep Dive

FFXIV Miner — *Image: Square Enix via HGG*

Disciples of the Hand Partners: Alchemist, Armorer, Blacksmith, Goldsmith, Leatherworker
Categories: Mining and Quarrying
Tool(s) of the trade: Pickaxes (Mining) and Sledgehammers (Quarrying)

Look, the other gathering classes are fun. But the Miners of Eorzea make a difference. And they know it. Just look at that smug, feline face beneath that chapeau. Of course, that could be the vacant stare and bemused smirk of a sun-baked Miqo’te that’s spent a little too much time in the desert sands and rocky terrain where you’re most likely to find the goods.

Just about every crafting class under the sun benefits from the hard, sweaty work of the Miners. You’re pulling ore from the earth for Armorers and Blacksmiths to fashion into gleaming, hardened weapons and armor. Goldsmiths will take your precious metals and gems and return to you stat-boosting jewelry that’s even more precious. Alchemists and Leatherworkers can take your strange, exotic, and sometimes caustic ingredients and make good on them.

And if you should find a Gregarious Worm, put that magnificent specimen right in your backpack and hang on to it. Chocobos eat that stuff up.

Join the High Ground

FFXIV Landguide Fisher — *Image: Square Enix via HGG*

Maybe you pick a class and stick with it. Or maybe you hop between all three FFXIV Disciples of the Land as the situation calls. But whatever you do, be ready to put in some work. There’s a reason people pay good money for the raw materials you can provide — they don’t want to take the time to gather them for themselves.

Take advantage of that and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit. Or just kick back with some fishing after a long, hard day spent raid wiping. Whatever harvests your resource nodes. Until next time, we’ll be challenging active duty Maelstrom soldiers to Triple Triad matches when they should be keeping watch. We’ll see you in the next guide!