Hypothesis: A paladin with crusader aura is actually able to farm more herbs/hour than a druid with epic flight form

Assumptions:

- Looting an herb node takes 3 seconds
- Mounting up takes a paladin 3 seconds
- 10% of the time when a paladin lands for an herb, he'll have to spend 20 seconds killing a mob
- A paladin moves at 456% of run speed on his mount with crusader aura
- A druid moves at 380% of run speed in epic flight form
- The druid is a tauren, which means they won't be able to escape PvP encounters instantly with shadowmeld + flight form

Average time for a druid to fly to and loot an herb node:

Loot time: 3s
Flight time (Tf) = Average distance between nodes (D) / speed
Tf_druid = D/380

Total: 3s + Tf_druid

Average time for a paladin to fly to and loot an herb node:

Loot time: 3s
Mount time: 3s
Average fight time: 2s
Flight time (Tf) = Average distance between nodes (D) / speed
Tf_pal = D/456

Total: 8s + Tf_pal

So if 3s + Tf_druid is greater than 8s + Tf_pal, a paladin will be able to loot more nodes over a long period of time than a druid

For the same distance, D, you have:

Tf_druid*380 = D = Tf_pal*456

So: Tf_pal = Tf_druid*380/456

So for the same distance, the time it takes a paladin with crusader aura to fly that distance compared to a druid is 380/456 (about 80%)

Time to break even:
3s + Tf_druid = 8s + Tf_pal
>> Tf_druid - Tf_pal = 5s
>> Tf_druid - Tf_druid*380/456 = 5s
>> Tf_druid * (1-380/456) = 5s
>> Tf_druid = 5s / (456/456-380/456) = 5s / (76/456) = 30s

SO, when a druid is spending an average of 30 seconds in the air between herb nodes, the druid is breaking even with a paladin

This means that if on average you're taking less than 33 seconds per herb node, or you're gathering more than 109 herb nodes per hour, it's faster to herb on a druid. Otherwise, it's faster to herb on a paladin even with the vastly reduced time on the ground

How high did you have to get before you thought to post this?

I put forward that a Druid with a Paladin auto-following would be the best herber. Ever.

Haha, I used to debate this all the time with a druid, I was for Paladin, at least now I know.

Request for the calculations to also consider a hunter, with the following properties:

- 410% mount
- no time ever spent killing mobs or being interrupted by them (pet tank/trap -> passive -> FD/Smeld -> fly off
- 3s loot time
- 3s mount time
- occasional time spent pvping, but tracking and traps make this avoidable too (can still fly off if trap isn't trinketed)

Are the results different for mining? I think Mining Node density is still lower than herb density, but can't support that claim with any evidence.

Druids herb fast(er) than other classes because of epic flight form.
Paladins and Death Knights herb/mine fast(er) than other classes because of Crusader Aura and On a Pale Horse.
Hunters herb/mine fast(er) than other classes because of Pathfinding and because they can feign off mobs around the nodes.


I think that sums up any discussion on the subject.