Gathering Materials: Herbs, Ores, and Crafting Components

Category: Walkthrough | SAO Hollow Realization Guide

Where to find herbs, ores, and crafting materials in early regions. Gathering node locations and respawn tips.

Gathering in Ainground Sparkling gathering points throughout fields/dungeons: herbs, ore outcrops, wood, chests. Free materials for upgrades, crafting, gifts, quests.

Types of Gathering Nodes • Herb nodes -- Green/leafy in grass/forests/water edges; healing items, SP items, antidote ingredients. • Ore/mineral -- Sparkling rocks on cliffs/cave walls/dungeons; ores/stones/gems for blacksmith upgrades. • Wood/fiber -- Near trees/bushes; crafting/arrow materials. • Monster drops -- Fangs/hides/wings from enemies; organic materials. • Chests -- Equipment, consumables, rare materials.

Player Tip: Collect EVERY gathering node you pass, even if you do not need it now. Nodes respawn; materials stack; you will thank yourself when you need 10 ore for an upgrade.

Early Material Locations

Starting Fields • Abundant herbs in grassy sections near town/tree edges. • Basic ore on rocky outcrops (better ore inside dungeons). • Wolf fangs, boar hides, wasp stingers from enemies.

First Dungeon • More ore nodes in corridors/cave walls; collect all. • Better materials from dungeon enemies. • Break all crates/barrels for items/materials.

Respawn and Farming Loop • Start at area teleport stone. • Run loop past all herb/ore nodes, collecting everything. • Fight enemies for drops along the way. • Teleport back to town when full. • Sell excess, repair, restock. • Teleport back; many nodes respawned while in town. • Repeat.

What to Keep vs Sell • Keep 10-15 of each common herb/ore for basic upgrades. • Keep RARE materials (from bosses/minibosses) for late game -- do NOT sell. • Sell common materials when over 20; they drop frequently. • Keep gift-appropriate materials for NPC affinity.