In Ashes of Creation, survey pylons are crafted artisan items tied to the Arcane Engineering profession — one of the core crafting professions that intertwines with gathering and processing systems. Through Arcane Engineering you can create magical devices that theoretically support gathering efficiency and discovery across the Ashes of Creation Gold world of Verra.

Survey pylons come in many flavors depending on the gathering skill they’re designed to support:

Mining Survey Pylons

Lumberjacking Survey Pylons

Herbalism Survey Pylons

Hunting Survey Pylons

Fishing Survey Pylons
…and more. Each pylon targets a specific artisan gathering skill and is crafted with materials processed through appropriate processing stations.

What Pylons Should Do

According to the in‑game database and official wiki information, survey pylons are intended to create an area of effect that enhances your gathering efficiency while you remain within it. For example:

A Mining Survey Pylon theoretically boosts your mining effectiveness and speeds up gathering within its radius.

A Herbalism Survey Pylon would do the same for herb gathering.

Many pylons also have attributes like “survey speed,” “quality,” and “spoils” — implying that higher‑tier pylons might increase the frequency, quality, or quantity of found resources or at least boost how quickly you locate them.

Current Implementation & Reality (Alpha State)

Despite the intended design, many players report that pylons currently do not function as expected in the live Alpha builds of Ashes of Creation. Community feedback suggests:

Pylons can be placed and activated, but they don’t visibly improve resource quality, experience gains, or discovery rates.

Some players see visual effects (like circles on the ground), but no statistical benefit occurs.

There’s still ambiguity whether pylons’ effects are fully implemented or simply not working yet in the current test phases.

This implementation gap is a known topic in community discussions, and many testers believe pylons will become more meaningful in future updates as gathering systems are fleshed out.

How to Craft & Use Pylons

Though functionality may be limited right now, the crafting steps remain consistent:

Learn Arcane Engineering and unlock the relevant certification at an Arcane Engineering station.

Gather Raw Materials via the associated gathering skill (e.g., mining for mining pylons).

Process Materials into usable components at a processing station (like lumber milling or metalworking).

Craft the Pylon using Arcane Engineering recipes.

Place and Activate the pylon in the world to attempt to gain its benefits.

Tips for Players

Treat pylons as future‑looking tools: They’re a system that feels experimental right now but has potential for deeper use later.

Focus on gear and tools first: Quality tools, artisan clothing, and node buffs currently have a buy Ashes of Creation Gold greater impact on gathering.

Stay updated: As development progresses, pylons may be expanded with new mechanics like resource scanning, rarity discovery, or area indications.