GW2: How to 1000 gold – Salvage it!

What’s this:

You might think it’s a Malign Superior Studded Coat. It’s not. It’s potentially 1 or more Rawhide Leather Sections.

When I salvaged it I got 4 sections out of it. The coat sells for 99 copper on the trading post. A leather section sells for about 20 copper, so I actually lost money by salvaging it (Yes, you need to start thinking in terms of how much things cost, if you’re going to make 1000 gold.). But don’t forget the trading post takes a cut, so it’s basically a wash once you sell it.

When you get drops like this in-world, salvage them. Yeah, based on the example of this coat, you might be tempted to sell it, but you should salvage it.

I salvage almost everything, but exotics and rares below level 68 (68 level rares and higher are more likely to yield Globs of Ectoplasm, which are required for a lot of endgame crafting.). If you get a rare that’s not level 68 or lower, sell it. You can get by just fine in the Masterwork gear. Honestly, unless you just like the look of it, you’ll grow out of the stats very quickly, so you don’t need it. Remember, you’re trying to make gold not waste it.

Why salvage? There are three very good reasons:

1. You need the mats to level your crafting. Better to get them from a “free” in-world drop, than have to pay the trading post.

2. Salvaging fine quality or better items often yields Essence of Luck, which increases your chances of getting in-world loot.

3. The salvaged parts are frequently worth more than the drop. While this tends to hold true for most salvageable items, it is particularly true of cloth armor and anything that yields wool, cotton, linen or silk. People need these to make damask.

Here’s just one example.

At the time of this post, a Rag was selling for 3 silver 44 copper. If you salvage a Rag it will yield 1-3 Silk Scraps or a Gossamer Scrap. I’ve salvaged thousands of these, yes, thousands. You need silk for damask. I can testify that a Rag will yield on average 2 Silk Scraps. At the time of this post, a Silk Scrap sells for 2 silver 40 copper, so two of them… Yeah, salvage that rag.

So lesson, today – Salvage it!