Cooking and Herbalism lets players create foods, bandages, alcohols, and alchemical potions that provide significant buffs when consumed. Because it produces consumables such as hot meals, it's always in high demand — and it pairs well with Forestry and [Farming](/wiki/crafting-guides/farming). Initial recipes and seeds can be found at the Food and Herb Merchant in any town.
This guide covers the profession at a high level. For how quality, nourishment and digestibility actually shape the buffs you get, see Food Quality; for the station itself, see Campfire.
Cooking
Cooking is one of the most vital skills in GV: food only stays hot for 4 hours, so — like a restaurant — the trade has busy hours and "off hours." Cooks make piles of money during sieges, prime time and State of War.
Most food is crafted by players in the Cooking and Herbalism profession, though some lower-quality food can be bought from NPCs at inns. Recipes come from vendors near inns, the market, Glory vendors, or player-run stalls — and can also be looted from NPCs and chests.
Food has three characteristics — Quality, Nourishment and Digestibility — and the effects of eating show up in the stomach icon. Most food is best eaten while hot, with bread a notable exception.
Food status
Hot food
- Freshly cooked and at full quality — most foods are best eaten this way.
- Stays hot for 4 hours after cooking, then cools.
- Can be sold at the market or in player stalls while still hot.
Cold food — food that was previously hot.
- Can be carried for roughly 7 days and reheated once in that time.
- Has substantially lower quality than its hot counterpart — it shouldn't be eaten cold.
- Reheating with billets raises its food quality.
Reheated food
- Cold food can be reheated once, restoring part of its lost quality and nourishment.
- Stays warm for 2 hours, then turns directly into fertilizer when the timer expires.
- Reheat straight from your inventory: right-click the cold food, choose "show available recipes", then "reheat" — no campfire or workshop needed.
Quality falls off sharply across these states (higher Q is better):
| State | Example — Porridge |
|---|---|
| Hot | Q7.45 |
| Reheated | Q5.40 |
| Cold | Q2.40 |
Other uses for food
- Cooked food fulfils needs in each location's Bastion, helping raise the Bastion's efficiency.
- Certain meals are required materials for upgrading Guardhouses.
- Once food goes cold it eventually decays into Fertilizer, used to speed up crop growth.
- Bread can be disassembled into bread balls and used as low-quality fishing bait.
Herbalism & Alchemy
Alchemy is part of the Cooking and Herbalism craft. Alchemical elixirs, tinctures, brews and potions provide significant buffs when used correctly — used incorrectly, their effects are very minor. Its main ingredients are various herbs, plants and alcohols.
Alchemy is done at the Herbalist's Workshop, located inside Inns.
