Scientists that explore the Central Shroud in search of elm logs will find plenty of mature trees from which to harvest their supplies.
You need to have a minimum level of 11 as a botanist to be able to locate the nodes that hold these logs.
This logging site can be reached by following these directions:
- Bentbranch Meadows is located in the heart of the Shroud, so hop on the aetheryte and make your way there.
- It’s a short trip north from there to (X:20.3, Y:20.2)
Elm logs can also be obtained from level 15 levequests, desynthesis, and exploration.
The most reliable source of elm logs would be if you went out and gathered them yourself.
How to Get the Elm Log in FFXIV?
The Elm Log is at coordinates x20, y20 in the Central Shroud. But it’s not that easy to just go to that area and find it.
The Logging level must be 12 and the Perception level must be over 35.
In Final Fantasy XIV, perception changes how quickly high-quality items are found.
So, the more perceptive you are, the more likely you are to find rarer materials.
So, if your Logging level is less than 15 and your Perception is less than 35, you can’t get an Elm Log from gathering spots.
There are six Level 15 Levequests that players can do to get an Elm Log as a reward.
On the other hand, the loot from Levequests is chosen from a pool of up to six items.
This means that you might get Elm Log as a reward, but you’re more likely to get something else that you don’t need or want.
For example, Bowing to Necessity, is a level 15 quest.
For this quest, you can choose from a pool of five items: 11–36 Wind Shards, 11–36 Water Shards, or 8 Elm Logs.
Here are the six Levequests that could give you an Elm Log:
| Levequest | Level |
| Bowing to Necessity | 15 |
| Driving up the Wall | 15 |
| Nightmare on My Street | 15 |
| Nothing to Hide | 15 |
| Re-crating the Scene | 15 |
| What You Need | 15 |
Becoming a Botanist
You need to have a level 10 Disciple of War or Magic class before you can become a botanist.
After that, you can go to the Botanist’s Guild and join them.
The botanist guild is in Gridania, so if you started the game in either of the other two starting cities, you’ll need to move up in the Main Scenario Quest line until you reach “The Lominsan/Ul’dahn Envoy” at level 15.
After you’ve done these things, you can use the quest “Way of the Botanist” to unlock the botanist class at the guild.
Leonceault in Old Gridania is the NPC who gives this quest (X:6, Y:8)
Getting Elm Logs Through Ventures
Your retainers aren’t just a way to sell things on the market board or an extra place to store things.
You can also send them on their own adventures to get things for you.
If you set the class of your retainer to “botanist,” you’ll be able to send them to “Botany Exploration Ventures” to get certain things for you.
When your retainer reaches level 12 as a botanist, you can choose to use elm logs.
Remember that if you want your retainer to be a certain class, the player must also have unlocked that class.
Also, a retainer’s level cap is the same as the player’s current level in the class it belongs to.
So, if you only got to level 9 in botany, your retainer will also only go up to level 9.
Depending on the level of your retainer, these tasks can take between 40 and 60 minutes to finish.
If you have a higher level, you can finish the task faster.
And your companion can bring back anywhere from 15 to 50 logs in total.
The total amount you get is based on how they see you.
If your retainer has a perception of at least 70, it will always bring back 50 logs.
Rewards From Levequests
If you’re looking for elm logs, there are several level 15 levequests that you might be able to complete for a reward.
Levequests are a fantastic way to advance your Disciple of the Land professions, but they aren’t very productive when it comes to gaining experience in crafting.
However, there are two NPCs that hand out level 15 levquests:
- Qina Lyehga in the East Shroud (X:17.2, Y:27.2)
- Gontrant in New Gridania (X:11.8, Y: 13.4)
To help you find a levequest that may grant you access to elm logs, we have compiled the following list:
Qina Lyehga
- Bowing to Necessity
- Nothing to Hide
- What You Need
Gontrant
- Driving Up the Wall
- Nightmare on My Street
- Re-crating the Scene
Crafting With Elm Logs
Elm logs are used to craft a few things:
- Blank Grade 1 Orchestrion Rolls
- Elm lumber
- Hard leather grimoires
When an alchemist breaks down the grimoires, there is a chance that they will make more elm logs.
But of these three things, elm lumber might be the most useful because it can be used to make so many other things.
Some of these things are tools, weapons, furniture, and even the Highland Barding for your Chocobo companion.
Other Options
Botany Exploration Ventures are another way to get Elm Logs.
In a business deal, your retainer will tell you to get a certain number of items in a certain amount of time.
As your retainer’s Gathering level goes up, the items they bring back to you get better.
But as they gain more levels, it takes them less time to collect the mats.
Level 12: Elm Log
- Quantity: 15, 20 or 30
- Duration: 1 hour
- EXP: 23,700
- Costs: 1
- Min. Gathering: 41
Last but not least, this is for players who don’t have time to farm low-level crafting materials.
If you have the Alchemist Desynth Skill, you can desynthesise two items and possibly get an Elm Log.
The two things are the Aetherial Hard Leather Grimoire and the Hard Leather Grimoire.
Both of these items have a chance of decomposing into a single Elm Log, but it is not a guarantee.
There is no NPC Merchant you can buy this from, which is a shame.
Elm Logs can’t be bought like Yak Milk, so these three ways are the only ways to get them.
