Farming Player Housing decor components is now slightly streamlined in Midnight with Essence of Lumber

A brand new Midnight currency will allow players to accelerate their lumber-gatheringing efforts in order to craft more Player Housing decor items. The currency is now live, which is great news for those of us who have grown weary of flying from tree to tree in search of golden axes. Read on for how to acquire and exchange this new item.

Essence of Lumber is the new currency, which is a mote of magical energy obtained from harvesting lumber. The maximum stack is 50, and they appear to be found exceedingly rarely when looting a lumber node from any expansion.

The purpose of the currency is right there in the tooltip: “Used to requisition additional materials from your neighborhood lumberjack.” Your neighborhood lumberjack is the same NPC that currently offers each of your characters the all-important Havesting Hatchet and previously converted Olemba Lumber to the once-missing Shadowmoon Lumber. You can find Lestia Goldenstrike in Founder’s Point and Xiz’ro in Razorwind Shores. Both have moved near their respective contractor NPCs in the center of town.

With a single essence, you’ll be able to purchase a stack of 20 lumber from any of the 12 expansions. So you’ll be able to zip around the Dragon Isles collecting Dragonpine Lumber and use the essences collected to purchase the last few bundles of Arden Lumber you need to make that Veil-Secured Animacone.

While the low drop rate promises only a modest boost in lumberjacking efficiency, there is another known source of this currency. Player Housing weekly quests, given by Vaeli in the town squares of both Founder’s Point and Razorwind Shores, will offer a cornucopia of rewards including upgrade crests, Community Coupons, Voidlight Marl, and a single Essence of Lumber. These weeklies will require the barest minimum of engagement with the Player Housing feature, with requirements like “visit any player’s house with some other players” or “buy an item from an Endeavor vendor”.

Hopefully we’ll see more sources of this currency added to the game, because the more players add to their lumber warehouse, the more they can craft their most desired housing items and the happier they will be.