Add recipes to allow jewelers to craft tradeable harvesting tools, using level specific materials, plus an added bonus based on the 4th recipe item.
Example: For tools used to obtain Iron Ore, Soft Wood Logs, etc., the recipe would be:
3 soft wood planks
5 Silver ingots
10 Fine Essence of Luck
10 additional item such as Barbed Thorn, Airship Oil, Milling Stone, etc.
Reasoning: Using silver ingots (and gold for the next tier up, copper for the next tier down, etc.) would take a dent out of the currently high level of supply for gold and silver specifically.
Using Essence of Luck ties into the additional item, as it’s effect is a random chance.
The additional item is a way to create a sink for many items that there is a large abundance of.
What is the additional item for? it provides a feature similar to the watchwork mining pick, or the unbound magic tools. When using the items to harvest, you have a percentage chance of getting something else as a bonus.
What would the bonus be? That is up to Anet, as each bonus type would require a new database item to be created, though my suggestion would be that the “additional recipe items” could be categorized somehow, such that there are 5 to 10 various items that result in the same bonus item for harvesting.
How long would the special tools last? Ideally, they should allow enough uses that they are attractive to use when certain materials (such as silver or gold) are at an unacceptably low rate. Bonus items need to be of value as well, and not just more barbed thorns. The possibilities in that regard are pretty open. You could do anything from having a chance to have a gem or such (using mining as an example) be boosted to the next tier up. Or have a chance to gain a random boon that lasts 5 minutes.
The overall idea is to allow users to craft and trade these special tools, while increasing the value of oversupplied items. All within the realm of ensuring that once prices balance out on a given item, that the standard gathering tools become attractive in price once again.
My personal suggestions for the bonus items that can be harvested:
-Additional items of that which you are harvesting. Example: mine 5 ore, get 2 ore additional.
-Tiny Karma drips (100karma)
-Dungeon tokens (drop rate would need to be pretty low for obvious reasons)
-Ectoplasm
-Ascended materials (bloodstone, dragonite, etc.)
-Essence of luck (yes really, as you can buy the tools off the TP)
-seasonal items
-currency (seasonal or other)
Again, it would require a couple dozen new items to be created and have space put on the TP for them, but once the system was in place, it would also allow them to add more in the future.
edit: Yes, I realize jewelers can’t make soft wood planks. I’m open to suggestions on how to work around that, but I figured people could just buy the proper wood planks needed.
Where are my gem sales? I want gem sales! Nerf EVERYTHING!