Here you go Faille, from the FAQ:
7.5.1 How will crafting work?
Crafting will be a lot more involved, interactive, and exciting than traditional MMOG crafting systems. We feel strongly that crafting should be a lot more than click-click-click, or setting a harvesting device to extract materials while you go off to actually do something fun.
There are 2 so called "Spheres" in Vanguard. One being the Adventure sphere, which is independent of the Crafting Sphere. The Crafting Sphere being independent of the Adventuring Sphere, allows you as a player to broaden yourself in the game. The Crafting Sphere is somewhat different than the Adventuring Sphere, in that the Crafting Sphere has several parts.
In the Crafting Sphere you have both Harvesting Classes and Crafting Professions, both residing in the Crafting Sphere, but entirely independent of each other. The Harvesting Sphere will contain classes which you will select upon character creation.
The Harvester Classes currently planned (but not promised):
Foreman - focused on maintaining group stats and resource quality
Reaper - Focused on group buffs and resource quantity
Prospector - Focused on resource integrity and the predicting of detrimental obstacles
Gleaner- Focused on harvesting byproducts of resources
Notice that none of these are resource specific. That is because you can harvest any type of resources you wish, manipulating the resources into items falls under the Crafting Professions category.
The interesting logic behind these Harvesting Classes is that they compliment each other very well, which will encourage people to group while harvesting. Now why would you want to group to go harvest resources? Well the designers have thought long and hard about it and made it so that IF you are grouped with complimenting harvesting classes you will receive a bonus to your harvesting. This includes the possibility of increasing your chances to both harvest more efficiently as well as harvesting rarer resources.
Keep in mind that grouping is more than just getting a bonus to harvesting. Harvesting Classes have roles, just like Adventuring Classes. Some activities will require you to group up with other harvesting classes analogously just like certain monsters require more than one person to kill. More on this later.
7.5.2 How will crafting affect the economy?
Crafters and adventurers can not only co-exist, but they can be interdependent, allowing multiple types of play styles and preferences to exist in the same game-world making things more interesting and robust, especially when it comes to a player driven economy.
7.5.3 How will crafting affect dropped loot?
Some dropped loot will be materials for crafters; some materials for crafters will only be attainable by crafters; and there will still be special complete treasure found by adventurers the old fashioned way.
7.5.3.1 I think elsewhere in the FAQ it hinted that the most powerful items in the game would be crafted from rare dropped components, so both adventuring and crafting are necessary to make the most powerful items. Correct me if I'm wrong.
That's pretty accurate. A good percentage of the components crafters will need to make these powerful items are found out in the field. In other words, they might drop off a boss mob in the depths of a dungeon or they might be found in the depths of a dungeon and need to be harvested from there, by the right people, with the right tools.
Bottom line: Some of the phat loot will be dropped complete from mobs or as quest rewards, but another big percentage will be dropped as components either from mobs, quest rewards, or from harvesting (which isn't necessarily in your back yard with the birds singing on a nice sunny day).
We hope this not only avoids concerns, but also that it creates interdependence between crafting and adventuring spheres. I see a lot of adventurers returning to towns to sell or have their friend use the components they received adventuring to make useful items (of both spheres) and I also see a lot of harvesters grouping with adventurers to guard them as they fight their way down to that rare vein of mithril that spawned in the depths of a nasty dungeon. Or to remove that cave-in that's blocking the way to either the boss mob, the rare harvesting spawn, or both
7.5.3.2 Can you tell me more about areas where I would be harvesting as a Crafter, my ability to defend myself, etc.?
1. You will still have the ability to defend yourself to some degree (see elsewhere in the FAQ).
2. Most harvesting areas won't have aggro mobs. Of course, the ones that yield that best stuff will, but those are group/raid areas where you need to have adventurers with you.
7.5.4 Will Crafters be able to mark the items they craft?
Items you craft will likely bear your signature in some form.
7.5.5 Assuming you can still perform "reasonably altho nowhere close to optimal" when you enter combat in trading sphere ...
Will you be able to, say, gather herbs at a "reasonably altho nowhere close to optimal" rate if you are in combat gear? Or is this a case of "that option is not available, please go back to town and change your sphere" game restriction ?
Unlikely you'll be able to harvest as an adventurer. The defending yourself as a crafter is there becuase of aggro mobs. We are currently not planning on having aggro harvesting components
7.5.5.1 If i am a high level warrior gathering and attacked by mobs can i still use my fighting abilities to defend myself although at a big disadvantage due to only wearing crafter gear and using a crafters tool as a weapon?
Yes, you have defensive abilities commensurate with your level so you are not pwned immediately (though I still reccomend having some adventurers around).
7.6 Can you tell me more about these two 'spheres' of gameplay, crafting and adventuring? How does one switch between the two? For example, can a group of adventures set out and some swap spheres to harvest ore or clear a rock fall then swap back to their adventurer sphere?
You switch spheres at an Outpost. Outposts are cities, villages, and also specified locations near adventure and crafting areas. At an outpost you switch spheres, hitch your horses and other vehicles, and bind. This should make it a natural hub for people to find each other, form groups, and head out. You do need to commit to which sphere you will be playing before leaving the Outpost, though nothing is stopping you from returning to the Outpost if you change your mind. You may also find yourself returning to an Outpost to change gear once you find out what's needed in that dungeon, in that your 'mobile' bank is also docked at the Outpost.