Guild Wars 2

Cooking For (Almost) Dummies

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1. Introduction

Cooking in Guild Wars 2 is a somewhat expensive undertaking and perhaps one of the most interesting crafting professions you can work with. Okay, that’s stretching the truth a bit: cooking is considerably expensive if you’re intent on discovering all the possible recipes. The good news is that it’s easy to reach 400 in under one gold if you harvest diligently and stick to purchasing as few ingredients as possible. Before we begin, I should once more warn you of a few things.

- Cooking is potentially expensive. You will be spending roughly half of that one gold on basic ingredients from the vendor, and there is a considerable chase to follow for all the Karma-purchased ingredients. As a rule, if you can purchase it from a vendor you should go for a full stack (250) for your Collections tab. If it must be harvested, try to have around 20-50 of the ingredients around (especially ones which mix into mixed ingredients; I’ll have the listing below).

- If you have been doing map completion, then you should be a step ahead so long as you diligently and thoroughly harvest everything you came across. Even so, there are several known gaps (about a dozen) where you will need to fill in. This is because those ingredients are found only in specific areas. I have you covered on where to look, below, if you need to shire up your reserves.

- You should save anything you can re-combine in the Discovery tab rather than pitch it. This means your bank and bags are going to get crowded . . . unless you do this during periods where you’re not going to be doing anything else. I recommend using an alternate character to do the actual crafting, since you can just park them and use their inventory space rather than your own. If your sole intention is to reach 400, then you need not keep anything which combines at skill level 400.

All that said, you can find a lot of great food to bolster your statistics or offer good effects. Most importantly, you almost always get a bonus to Experience gain when you have food buffs active, so this can be an incredible chance to level your character or get skill points. Working up your skill is not about mass-production, though you may need to resort to that at some points (pick something cheap, like a two-ingredient dish); you want to DISCOVER recipes from your ingredients available to you. This gives you the biggest chunk of crafting experience, sometimes skipping you several ranks at once.

If you know anything about real-world cooking, then you’ll have an advantage to knowing what should go together. If you don’t, then this will be new to you but you should be all right so long as you think it through.

2. Basic Ingredients

These are the basic ingredients you gather in the world, buy from merchants “in bulk”, or otherwise acquire. I shall attempt to break down how you acquire these each in this segment so you know where you need to go for your goods. It may be easier to acquire them off the Black Lion Trading Post, however it will cut into costs. Bulk Ingredients are in groups of 25.

The following ingredients are purchased from the Master Chef stationed at each position for coin (80 copper), in groups of 10: Jars of Vinegar, Jars of Vegetable Oil, Packets of Baking Powder, Packets of Salt, Bags of Sugar, Bags of Starch, Bags of Flour, Bottles of Soy Sauce.

The following ingredients are purchased from the Master Chefs, but for Karma (35-77 Karma) in bulk: Cheese Wedges, Packets of Yeast, Bowls of Sour Cream, Rice Balls, Glasses of Buttermilk, Ginger Root, Tomatoes, Basil Leaves, Bell Peppers.

The following ingredients need to be purchased (in bulk packages) from other vendors around Tyria. If you come across them pick up at least 200 (8 packages) to ensure you do not run out. I shall list the vendors who sell more than one Bulk Package so you can arrange to pick up as much as possible. Most are going to be Heart Vendors, so be sure to check them as you finish.

Farmer Eda (Queensdale, Shaemoor Fields): Apples, Nutmeg Seeds. (Note: She sells a recipe scroll.)
Fallen Angel Makayla (Fields of Ruin, Stronghold of Ebonhawke): Avocados.
Disa (Dredgehaunt Cliffs, Snowslide Ravine): Almonds, Cherries.
Lieutenant Pickens (Harathi Hinterlands, Greystone Rise): Almonds.
Lieutenant Summers (Harathi Hinterlands, Nightguard Beach): Cherries.
Deputy Jenks (Kessex Hills, Giant’s Passage): Bananas, Black Beans, Nutmeg Seeds.
Milton Book (Gendarran Fields, Cornucopian Fields): Celery Stalks, Cumin, Lemons, Nutmeg Seeds.
Naknar (Iron Marches, Obsidian Run): Chickpeas. (Note: He also sells a recipe, though you can discover this one on your own.)
Lionscout Tunnira (Bloodtide Coast, Archen Foreland): Coconuts.
Environmental Activist Jenrys (Mount Maelstrom, Benthic Kelp Beds): Eggplant.
Albin Chronicler (Wayfarer’s Foothills, The Icesteppes): Green Beans.
Laudren (Sparkfly Fen, Thundertroll Swamp): Horseradish Root.
Wupwup Chief (Fireheart Rise, Apostate Wastes): Horseradish Root. (Note: He also sells the recipe scrolls for Godskull weapons.)
Kastaz Strongpaw (Diessa Plateau, Noxin Dells): Kidney Beans. (Note: He also sells a recipe scroll.)
Seraph Archer Brian (Snowden Drifts, Ossencrest Climb): Kidney Beans. (Note: He also sells a recipe scroll.)
Hune (Lornar’s Pass, The Thunderhorns): Kidney Beans.
Shelp (Blazeridge Steppes, Degun Shun): Limes.
Eona (Caledon Forest, The Weeping Isle): Lemons.
Researcher Hrappa (Metrica Province, Voloxian Passage): Lemons.
Agent Crandle (Straits of Devastation, Fort Trinity): Mangos.
Nrocroc Chief (Fireheart Rise, Apostate Wastes): Peaches. (Note: He also sells many recipe scrolls.)
Braxa Scalehunter (Iron Marches, Champion’s Shield): Pears.
Scholar Tholin (Timberline Falls, Krongar Pass): Pinenuts. (Note: He also sells a recipe scroll.)
Ichtaca (Timberline Falls, Hunting Banks): Shallots. (Warning: This area may be thick with Krait.)

Any other ingredients must be harvested in the world from nodes. Some of these are less restricted than others, so be very conscious of where you search. The following link will be of some use determining what you need to go look for, but some of the harder to locate ingredients I shall list below.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Gathering#Harvesting

Bottle of Rice Wine (Note: This is not something you add to your collections tab, but you do not need much of it.)
Barkeep Weber (Lion’s Arch, Cloud Skimmer Tavern high above the Trader’s Forum)
Jen (Divinity’s Reach, Eastern Commons)
Bartender (Ebonhawk, near the Postern Gate)

Slabs of Red Meat
Most animals will drop this as part of their loot tables.

Slabs of Poultry Meat
Hunt raptors and moa for this. They must not be the “critter” type wild moa.

Eggs
Any egg-laying creature will drop these.

Sticks of Butter, Chocolate Bars, Orange
These will be found in loot bags left behind by intelligent enemies. It may be easier to acquire these off the Trading Post if you need large quantities.

Sticks of Cinnamon
Any sapling yielding “Green Wood Log” will yield Cinnamon Sticks.

Walnut
Any sapling yielding “Soft Wood Log” will yield Walnuts.

Clove
In Sparkfly Fen and Mount Maelstrom, search out Verdant Herbs and Mature Herbs.

Chili Pepper
Herb gathering nodes in Ascalon will all potentially yield Chili Peppers. Go out of your way to gather up a lot of these, because you will need a fair amount.

Grapes
Lornar’s Pass, False Lake: There is a small vineyard kept by some pirates.
Fields of Ruin, Wildlin Narrows: There is a small vineyard kept by some ogres.

Potato
Metrica Province, Akk Wilds: You will find a large cluster of plants on a floating garden.
Plains of Ashford, Loreclaw Expanse: The Separtists keep a nice plot of plants to the east of their camp near the jumping puzzle.
Wayfarer Foothills, The Osenfold Shear: The jotun camp will have a half-dozen plants inside or nearby.

Cabbage
Harathi Hinterlands, Wynchona Woods: There is a bandit cavern where you can harvest several plants.

Cauliflower
Sparkfly Fen, Orvanic Shore
Timberline Falls, Gentle River

Lettuce
Queensdale, Beetletun Farms: A huge field of this can be harvested. Bring a Copper Harvesting Sickle to spare your better tools.

Kale
Blazeridge Steppes, Fields of Ruin

Sugar Pumpkin
Iron Marches, Victum Moors: Hidden behind the Flame Legion stronghold in a canyon, you can find a small cluster of plants.
Bloodtide Coast, Risewild Hills: In a small alcove on a hill, you can locate a small cluster of plants.

Vanilla Bean
You may only find Vanilla Beans while harvesting in Maguuma areas, but they can potentially be found anywhere. Be diligent, as you will use a lot of these.

Strawberry
Diessa Plateau, Town of Nolan: Through an annoying and convoluted jumping path, you can find several hidden plants in a small garden.
Kessex Hills, Wizard’s Fief: If you go into the hills of Cereboth Canyon and around to the cliffside overlooking the town harbor, you can find several plants to harvest.
Snowden Drifts, Griffonfall: Near some nests of griffons, you can find a fair number of plants. Be aware, there are many griffons here.

Raspberries
Frostgorge Sound and Fireheart Rise are the only places to have these plants.

Spinach Leaf
Gendarran Fields, Provernic Crypt: Not inside the crypt, but you need to climb into the hills above it. There is a fair amount available here.

Butternut Squash
Frostgorge Sound, Arundon Vale: Near the grawl encampments, you will find several plants sitting around.

Snow Truffle
Frostgorge Sound. You need an Orichalcum tool.

Passion Fruit
Southsun Cove, Passiflora. They can only be found on the half of the island where steam vents are not found, and generally are close together. There is around 15 plants which reset daily. You may also, rarely, get a “Passion Flower” which can be turned into a jewel.

Piece of Candy Corn
Raw Candy Corn was only available during the Halloween event period, and currently are no longer be available. If you plan on using any, do so wisely. Candy Corn makes foods which have +15% Experience instead of the usual amounts.

Snowflakes
Snowflakes dropped as part of the Wintersday festivities, and currently are no longer available. They are an essential ingredient in ice creams (which grant a Karma gain bonus instead of an Experience gain bonus).

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Master-Level Ingredients

If you plan on doing more cooking once you reach 400, these ingredients will be of interest to you. If your goal is only to reach 400, then you need not worry about these. However, Omnomberry items are considerably useful.

Ghost Pepper
You will only find Ghost Peppers in Orr or the Eternal Battleground. You need an Orichalcum tool.

Orrian Truffle
It should go without saying where you can find these, though you can sometimes find one in the Eternal Battlegrounds. You need an Orichalcum tool.

Omonomberry
The highest-level areas will have a small selection of Omnomberry plants in them, and they regenerate once per day. You need an Orichalcum tool.

Saffron Thread
Black Crocus (You will only find these in Orr or the Eternal Battleground. You need an Orichalcum tool.)

Lemongrass
Herb Patch (Straits of Devastation).

Seaweed
Underwater plants in high-level areas. You need an Orichalcum tool.

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3. Mixed Ingredients

Now we get into trickier materials to work with. Basic Ingredients will only take you so far, so it is time to look into these mixed ingredients. You will need to use these with Discoveries more often than not, so note how many possible combinations there are as you work. Of further notice, some of these are only used for one or two recipes but can chain through several forms.

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Basic Mixes

Ball of Cookie Dough (50)
1x Stick of Butter
1x Bag of Flour
1x Egg
1x Bag of Sugar

Cookie dough accepts a sweet fruit as a companion, with the exception of “Sugar Cookies” which will set the pattern.

Ball of Dough (0)
1x Jug of Water
1x Bag of Flour
1x Stick of Butter

There are roughkly 26 combinations for “Ball of Dough” so be used to using these. Mostly you will see these used for pies.

Bowl of Baker’s Dry Ingredients (75)
1x Bag of Flour
1x Packet of Baking Powder
1x Packet of Salt
1x Bag of Sugar

Bowl of Baker’s Wet Ingredients (75)
1x Glass of Buttermilk
1x Stick of Butter
1x Egg
1x Vanilla Bean

Dry and Wet Ingredients are used for making special breads and cakes. Generally? Chocolate + Wet + Dry + Frosting = Cake. Experiment with them, though, because there’s ample other combinations out there.

Bowl of Roux (75)
1x Bag of Flour
1x Stick of Butter

Useless cooking factoid: a “roux”, pronounced “roo”, is a paste used to thicken sauces. It is a lot like adding cornstarch to gravy, only easier to control and potentially better for flavor. In other words? You’ll be revisiting this one fairly often too at higher levels.

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Pie Fillings

I’ll state this right up front: Guaranteed Discovery: Pie Filling + Ball of Dough = Pie.

Bowl of Blueberry Pie Filling (50)
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Blueberry
1x Bag of Starch
1x Lemon

Cup of Banana Cream Pie Filling (125)
1x Bowl of Baker’s Wet Ingredients
1x Banana
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Bag of Flour

Bowl of Strawberry Pie Filling (125)
1x Strawberry
1x Jug of Water
1x Bag of Starch
1x Bag of Sugar

Bowl of Grape Pie Filling (175)
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Bag of Starch
1x Grape
1x Lemon

Bowl of Cherry Pie Filling (200)
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Stick of Butter
1x Bag of Starch
1x Cherry

Bowl of Pumpkin Pie Filling (225)
1x Pile of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1x Sugar Pumpkin
1x Egg
1x Bag of Sugar

Bowl of Blackberry Pie Filling (275)
1x Blackberry
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Bag of Flour
1x Lemon

Bowl of Peach Pie Filling (375)
1x Peach
1x Bag of Flour
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Stick of Butter

Bowl of Mixed Berry Pie Filling (375)
1x Bowl of Blueberry Pie Filling
1x Strawberry
1x Raspberry
1x Blackberry

Bowl of Mango Pie Filling (400)
1x Mango
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Bag of Starch
1x Lemon

Bowl of Omnomberry Pie Filling (400)
1x Omnomberry
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Bag of Starch
1x Lemon

Festival Items

Realize that you will be called upon to use Candy Corn or Snowflakes for the recipes springing from these and avoid using them if at all possible for just raising your skill. However, it’s good to know these for reference should you feel like chasing the recipes down.

Bowl of Candy Corn Glaze (0)
1x Bag of Starch
1x Jug of Water
5x Piece of Candy Corn

Bowl of Ice Cream Base (25)
1x Glass of Buttermilk
1x Vanilla Bean
1x Egg
1x Bag of Sugar

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Frostings

Frostings are really only used for cakes, so make them sparingly. Especially as every frosting starts from White Frosting and costs by default one Vanilla Bean.

Bowl of White Frosting (75)
1x Stick of Butter
1x Vanilla Bean
1x Jug of Water
1x Bag of Sugar

Bowl of Chocolate Frosting (125)
1x Bowl of White Frosting
1x Chocolate Bar

Bowl of Chocolate Cherry Frosting (200)
1x Bowl of Chocolate Frosting
1x Cherry

Bowl of Orange Coconut Frosting (275)
1x Bowl of Sour Cream
1x Coconut
1x Orange
1x Bag of Sugar

Bowl of Chocolate Raspberry Frosting (375)
1x Bowl of Chocolate Frosting
1x Raspberry

Bowl of Chocolate Omnomberry Frosting (400)
1x Bowl of Chocolate Frosting
1x Omnomberry

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Sauces and Soup Bases

Once you get past the first couple sauces into more complex creations, you will find their uses narrowing down considerably. Do not over-create your sauces, but keep track of how many potential combinations there are for discovery before you make them.

Jar of Tomato Sauce (75)
1x Tomato
1x Onion
1x Basil Leaf
1x Head of Garlic

Bowl of Cream Soup Base (100)
1x Glass of Buttermilk
1x Bowl of Roux
1x Pile of Salt and Pepper
1x Bowl of Poultry Stock

Bottle of Passion Fruit Sauce (125)
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Passion Fruit
1x Stick of Butter
1x Vanilla Bean

Bowl of Dilled Cream Sauce (200)
1x Dill Sprig
1x Bowl of Herbed Poultry Stock
1x Bowl of Roux
1x Bowl of Sour Cream

Bowl of Simple Chili Base (250)
1x Pile of Simple Chili Seasoning
1x Jar of Tomato Sauce
1x Onion
1x Chili Pepper

Jar of Orange Sauce (250)
1x Orange
1x Bag of Sugar
1x Bag of Starch
1x Jar of Vinegar

Jar of Citrus Cream Sauce (275)
1x Orange
1x Lemon
1x Glass of Buttermilk
1x Bowl of Roux

Jar of Mint Sauce (275)
1x Bowl of Sour Cream
1x Mint Leaf
1x Chili Pepper
1x Bag of Sugar

Bowl of Tarragon Cream Sauce (375)
1x Tarragon Leaves
1x Bowl of Herbed Poultry Stock
1x Bowl of Sour Cream
1x Bowl of Roux

Vegetable Mixes

Vegetable Mixes are important, so be sure to keep an eye on how many combinations there are. Making soups or stews is simple, just match the meat to the stock, add the vegetable mix and you should be on a good start (with only one possible Ingredient remaining). Stews operate the same way. Chili is a stew, by the way.

A quick note: only things stemming from the Risotto Base will need Rice wine.

Bowl of Staple Soup Vegetables (25)
1x Onion
1x Carrot
1x Celery Stalk
1x Potato

Bowl of Tangy Sautee Mix (100)
1x Onion
1x Head of Garlic
1x Jar of Vegetable Oil

Bowl of Fancy Tangy Sautee Mix (275)
1x Jar of Vegetable Oil
1x Shallot
1x Head of Garlic
1x Onion

Bowl of Risotto Base (275)
1x Bowl of Fancy Tangy Sautee Mix
1x Rice Ball
1x Bowl of Herbed Poultry Stock
1x Bottle of Rice Wine

Bowl of Winter Vegetable Mix (375)
1x Rutabaga
1x Parsnip
1x Turnip
1x Potato

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Starches

I should explain the name with the dime-rate explanation. Chefs generally plan dishes around a few components: the protein (the meat, usually), the sauce, and the starch. The starch is anything like noodles, potatoes, et cetera. Since there are mixed ingredients which are for stuffing, it’s worth listing these here along with the assorted other things which fit into the category. Know this! “Loaf of Bread” has a lot of combinations, including set recipes you learn as you go. Having one around to “fish” for discoveries is not a bad idea. Every stuffing here will have one combination, but not generally more than that. Use sparingly if you can. “Pasta Noodles” will have a fair amount of uses, so if you want to think of uses for them also consider . . . ramen noodles serve the same niche as spaghetti: starches.

Loaf of Bread (0)
1x Jug of Water
1x Bag of Flour
1x Packet of Yeast

Pasta Noodles (50)
1x Jug of Water
1x Bag of Flour
1x Egg

Bowl of Sage Stuffing (100)
1x Loaf of Bread
1x Sage Leaf
1x Onion

Sesame Seed Bun (200)
1x Jug of Water
1x Bag of Flour
1x Packet of Yeast
1x Sesame Seed

Bowl of Eztlitl Stuffing (275)
1x Loaf of Bread
1x Shallot
1x Rosemary Sprig
1x Thyme Leaf

4. Complex Cooking

You saw I mentioned that some dishes when “finished” an still be improved? Keep an eye at the bottom of their tooltips for “Chef (###)” which will let you know when you need to pull them out to try combining them again. Be sure to keep an eye on how many Discoveries you can make with it, and check for chain recipes. For instance, the humble “Cheese Pizza” can go a good distance and multiply quite well . . . into eight “Rare Veggie Pizzas” at the end if you don’t get rid of any of them. I’ll show you:

Cheese Pizza (75)
1x Ball of Dough
1x Jar of Tomato Sauce
1x Cheese Wedge

Mushroom Pizza (175)
(Makes 2)
1x Cheese Pizza
1x Mushroom
1x Portobello Mushroom

Fancy Veggie Pizza (250)
(Makes 2)
1x Mushroom Pizza
1x Shallot
1x Bell Pepper
1x Spinach Leaf

Super Veggie Pizza (350)
(Makes 2)
1x Fancy Veggie Pizza
1x Artichoke
1x Eggplant

Rare Veggie Pizza (400)
1x Super Veggie Pizza
1x Orrian Truffle
1x Snow Truffle

This is just the most extended chain I can think of, but there are others which are shorter and lead into “meals” with two dishes combining into one. Remember what I said above about “starch and protein”? Think of that when you have a finished dish and wonder what else it has left to combine with.

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5. Final Words

It’s tempting to look at this as a failure to map a nice and easy road to 400 in under X hours with Y gold spent. However, due to the fickle nature of the Trading Post (and its tendency to fluctuate wildly when enough people jump on something hot) I approached making this guide to show you how to get to the end point rather than spell out each movement. Why? It’s simple. Plenty of guides once created are now outdated due to changes to how to find cooking ingredients, or changes in the Trading Post.

This guide is not as “useless” as trying to map out how to make Huntsman (400) . . . because for that, everything is pretty much mapped out for you already. Chefs have to actually do some work and digging to get their recipes, after all. So this is a good guidebook to figuring it out. As I warned at the start, this isn’t a safe or mindless pursuit. If you’re lucky you might actually make back what you spent on it once you make some master-level meals, but I would -not- expect to. The bonus of finishing Chef to 400 is for your own personal use; that way you are not at the mercy of the Trading Post for decent food effects.

I just finished cooking 400 last night. Where were you a week ago? :P

Great write up! While it’s a bit late for me, this should be really useful for people who are still looking to get things cooking efficiently.

Neural.1824:

I just finished cooking 400 last night. Where were you a week ago? :P

For the last week I’ve been checking things and trying this myself so this was written less from theory and more from actual practice. It was a minor project starting as me tracking discovery concoctions and ending with me just deciding to throw together a basic guide.

Great write up! While it’s a bit late for me, this should be really useful for people who are still looking to get things cooking efficiently.

Efficient is right. Cheap is also right, because you should not have to lean on the TP except to bring certain ingredients up to stock. I did this with a minimum of 20 of any ingredient, and even so I am less than five left for Rosemary and Chili Peppers. Vanilla Beans ran low too, but only because I checked out the cakes and frostings.

I did resort to mass production twice. One with “Roasted Artichoke” and another with “Eggplant Fritters” because the components were simple, and easy. Assuming you found a couple places to get some of Artichokes. Also “Eggplant Fritters” made a nice donation to the guild due to their nice Magic Find bonus. Similarly, “Orange Coconut Bar” (+ 22 Magic Find, + 20% Gold from monsters, + 10 Experience) and “Raspberry Peach Bar” (+ 26% Magic Find, + 30% Gold from monsters, +1 0 Experience) are good lower alternatives to Omnomberry Bars.