
In BDO, the Processing Life Skill allows you to chop, heat, dry, filter, shake, and grind resources into processed materials. These refined items are often used in higher level crafting recipes.
Everyone is able to do basic T1 processing. However, if you would like to do the second level of processing, (to create plywoods, ingots, cloth, etc.), BDO requires you to obtain “Beginner” Processing Knowledge.
Get Started Processing!
To begin processing, press the L key. You will see all the options available. No tools are needed to process materials.
If you want to “Mass Process” more than one recipe at a time, you will need a processing stone. Read more details about Processing Mastery.
Processing Errors and Knowledge
It’s common to get processing errors as a new player. The reason for this is because you have to have certain Knowledge on whatever tier of Processing you are attempting.
View Processing Knowledge: Knowledge (H) → Life Skill → Certificates
Failing to process only slows down processing and doesn’t destroy your materials.

Processing Errors:
- It is not working at all: Either you need to learn Beginner or Skilled Processing Knowledge or the recipe is wrong.
- Processing is not going as planned: Processing has a certain base failure rate. This is a common error that everyone gets without gear. You can reduce failure chances by wearing Silver Embroidered Craftsman Clothes or using items with the buff “Processing Success Rate +%”.
- Insufficient ingredients to continue processing: You don’t have enough materials.
Processing Tiers
There are 3 tiers of processing: T1 for everyone, T2 Beginner, T3 Skilled.
Processing Knowledge is shared between all your characters, so you don’t need to repeat the quests on your alts if you don’t want to.
Processing Tier Examples | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
raw material | → | T1 | → | T2 | → | T3 |
timber![]() |
→ | plank![]() |
→ | plywood![]() |
→ | sturdy plywood![]() |
ore![]() |
→ | melted shard![]() |
→ | ingot![]() |
→ | pure crystal![]() |
Processing for Money
Processed materials are usually more valuable the more you process them into higher tiers. (But this does not always mean they will sell well at the Marketplace, if at all! Supply and demand, as well as developer min/max pricing, can make any processed item unprofitable for selling on the Marketplace!).
Is processing any good for money making? It can be one of the most profitable AFK activities you can do in BDO. (Dependent upon your Processing Mastery level and if you already have the raw material available and Marketplace demand.)
Profitable Processing Example:Â 1 wheat is currently worth 650-1k. If you grind it, you obtain 1-4 flour, which sells for 1k each. With high Processing Mastery, you can process more in a shorter amount of time.
But, again, I must stress that you check the Marketplace supply and demand before starting any processing for money! Flax is a good example of a processed material that increases in price during processing and would be profitable, but it usually doesn’t have a high enough demand. You are lucky if it sells after a week of being on the Marketplace.
Beginner Processing Questline
To begin the T2 Processing quest line and obtain Beginner Processing Knowledge, you must be level 20+ and have your Gathering Skill leveled up to Beginner 7. This is easily done via Empty Bottle gathering at the fountain in Heidel. Purchase 34 Empty Bottles at the Material Vendor near the fountain. Or you can use any river/lake for gathering water. I like Heidel because the Material Vendor is only a couple steps away from the water source.
If your Gathering skill is at at Apprentice 4+, you can skip the Prerequisite Questline and talk to Ficy in the Heidel Workshop. She will offer the quest “Learning Higher Processing Skills”.
Important Note:
Be sure Life Quests are turned on in your Quest Log. Open Quest Log by hitting your O key. At the bottom of the window, next to Quest Type, hit the first button which turns on all quests.
Fast-Track: Prerequiste Processing Questline
To Fast-track the Prerequisite Processing Questline, buy at the Marketplace or obtain beforehand:
Iron Ore x3
Melted Iron Shard x1
Rough Stone x10
Pumpkins x8
Kuku Bird Meat x5
The Quest Chain for T2 Processing
Level 20+ (Turn on All Quests (O key))
Gathering Beginner 7 Required. Can skip these if your gathering is Apprentice 4
- Because I Like You
- Nothing Our Friendship Can’t Do
- Settling Down in Heidel
- Storage Keeper Amerigo
- Bustling Alejandro Farm
- Helping With the Pumpkin Harvest
- A Threatening Scarecrow!
- A Meat Dish for the Workers
- In Search of Higher Processing Knowledge…
Gathering Apprentice 4 required unless you do quests 1 to 9.
- Learning Higher Processing Skills
- Working the Ash Tree
- Materials for Equipment Repair
- Pure Water for an Experiment
- Toys (?) for Kids
- Need Soft Hides!
- Filtering Feathers
Beginner Processing Questline Walkthrough
This part of the questline is only required if your gathering skill is below Apprentice 4 or you want the extra goodies.
1. Because I Like You
Give Jemkas Wyrmsbane, Node Manager of Northern Heidel Quarry, 3 Iron Ore. If you did not bring the Iron Ore with you, gather them from rocks nearby using a Mining Pick tool. Tools can be purchased from a Material Vendor or the Marketplace, or crafted at a Tool Workshop house in major cities. If you did not bring 10 Rough Stone with you, be sure to mine enough rocks for that also as you will need them for the next quest.
5. Bustling Alejandro Farm
Meet Amadeo Alejandro
7. A Threatening Scarecrow!
Give 1 Melted Iron Shard to Amadeo. (Processing is not necessary for this quest) If you did not bring the Melted Iron Shard with you, use Heating in the Process Window (L key) to heat 5 Iron Ore.
9. In Search of Higher Processing Knowledge
Give 3 pumpkins to Ficy in Heidel. If you do not already have 3 pumpkins in your inventory, be sure to gather them at Alejandro Farm before you leave.
[Life] [Certificate] Training Paradigm
This questline will allow you to do the 2nd tier of processing.
View Quest Progress: O key → [Life] [Certificate] Training Paradigm
Questline Requirements:
Gathering Apprentice 4+
OR
Completion of Beginner Processing Prerequisite Questline (written about above)
Fast-Track: Tier 2 Beginner
To Fast-track the Beginner Processing Questline, buy at the Marketplace or obtain beforehand:
Rough Stone x20
Ash Timber x15
Bottle of River Water x10
Lightweight Plume x3
Soft Hide x3
Wheat Dough x3
Certificate [Training Paradigm] Walkthrough
1. Learning Higher Processing Skills
Open your Quest Log (O), Suggested Tab, and find the Certificate [Training Paradigm] questline. Learn Beginner Grinding From Ornella, learn Beginner Chopping From Lebyos, and learn Beginner Heating From Flaviano. These 3 quests can be done in any order.
This quest auto-completes if it has already been done once by another character in your family. Skip to quests 5-7 which can be done in any order.Â
1b. Working the Ash Tree
(Chopping Beginner)
Process 3 Ash Planks by Chopping Ash Timber. Give 3 Ash Planks to Lebyos. Ash trees can be found around Heidel. It takes 5 Ash Timber per batch.
2. Filtering Feathers
(Filtering Beginner)
Give 3 Lightweight Plumes to Dora. (Processing is not necessary for this quest) Use Filtering in the Processing window (L) to process Lightweight Plumes from Soft Kuku Bird Plume OR Soft Ferri Feather. It takes 5 soft animal feathers per batch.
4. Toys (?) For Kids
(Shaking Beginner)
Give 5 Wheat Dough to Lara. If you did not bring the Wheat Dough with you, then use Shaking in the Processing window (L) to process Wheat Dough by shaking wheat flour with mineral water purchased from Constante, Golden Toad Inn Manager, located in the inn behind Lara.
Tier 3 Skilled Processing Knowledge
View Quest Progress: O key → [Life] [Certificate] Skilled Paradigm
This questline will allow you to do the final 3rd tier of processing. Skilled Processing.

Requirements:
Processing Professional 5+
Gathering Skilled 10+
Have knowledge on Shaking: Beginner
Have knowledge on Drying: Beginner
Have knowledge on Filtering: Beginner
Have knowledge on Grinding: Beginner
Have knowledge on Heating: Beginner
Have knowledge on Chopping: Beginner
Requirements to finish the quest ‘The Best Hide’ and continue forward with the Skilled Processing questline:
Processing Artisan 1+
Shaking Skilled is collected through the Challenge Reward Window after reaching Artisan Processing. (See pic above)
These quests must be done in order from ‘Excellent Magnate’ to ‘Hunting to Extinction’.
Fast-Track:
To Fast-track the Skilled Processing Questline, buy at the Marketplace or obtain beforehand:
Coal x10
Iron Ore x30
Cedar Plywood x11
Fir Plywood x1
Pine Plywood x1
Soft Hide x10
Fine Soft Hide x2
Topaz x6
Resplendent Topaz x6
Tanning Knife
Lightweight Plumes x9
Fine Lightweight Plumes x2
Skilled Processing Questline: Certificate [Skilled Paradigm] : Tier 3 Processing | ||
---|---|---|
Quest | Directions | |
1 | Excellent Magnate | Open your Quest Log (O), Suggested Tab, and find the Certificate [Skilled Paradigm] questline. Go to Keplan and speak with a villager who directs you to Vatudun in the mines beneath Keplan |
2 | A Man Better Than Coal (Heating Skilled) | Process 2 Processed Coal with Heating, then give to Vatudun |
3 | Materials For Skills | Process 3 iron ingots with Heating. You can bring the iron ore/melted shards with you, but process the ingots for the quest. |
4 | Pure Iron Crystal | Process Pure Iron Crystal by Heating the Metal Solvent that was given to you by Vatudun with the 3 Iron Ingots. You have now learned Heating Skilled! |
5 | Looking For a Woodcutting Expert | Vatudun directs you to visit his buddy, Murghed, in Trent to learn Skilled Chopping |
6 | Amazing Tree Art (Chopping Skilled) | Give Murghed 1 cedar plywood, 1 fir plywood, and 1 pine plywood. You can bring them with you, you don’t have to craft them for the quest |
7 | Processing Wood With Fire | Process 1 Sturdy Cedar Plywood by Heating 10 Cedar Plywood with the Plywood Hardener that Murghed gave you. You have now learned Chopping Skilled! If Murghed does not give you a quest to continue onto Behr, open your Quest Log (O), Suggested Tab, and find the Certificate [Skilled Paradigm] questline and autopath to Likke Behr. |
8 | Pride of Behr (Drying Skilled) | Process 1 Find Soft Hide by Drying 10 Soft Hides. If you did not bring Soft Hides with you to Behr, gather hide from the deer south of Behr. Process Soft Hides by Drying 5 Deer Hide. |
9 | The Best Hide | After collecting the Artisan Processing Challenge Reward (Y) and obtaining the Shaking (Skilled), craft 1 Supreme Soft Hide for Behr by Shaking 3 Fine Soft Hide with the 5 Leather Glaze he gave you. |
10 | Geranoa’s Proposal (Grinding Skilled) | Give 1 Topaz to Geranoa. You can bring the Topaz with you. You don’t need to craft it for the quest. To craft Topaz, Process (Grind) 5 Rough Topaz. |
11 | Gemstone Value | Process 1 Resplendent Topaz by Grinding 5 Topaz. If this is your first time crafting Resplendent Topaz, you will earn the title “Topaz Demon”. |
12 | The Best Jewel | Process 1 Gold Topaz by Shaking 7 Resplendent Topaz with 3 Gem Polisher given by Geranoa. If this is your first time crafting Gold Topaz, you will earn the title “Bringer of Hope”. You have now learned Skilled Grinding! |
13 | Troubled Oberen Farm (Filtering Skilled) | Visit Matheo Oberen at Oberen Farm |
14 | Gotta Pluck Them All | Get 5 Soft Kuku Bird Plumes with a tanning knife. |
15 | Useable Feathers | Process 1 Lightweight Plume by Filtering 5 Soft Kuku Bird Plumes. |
16 | Need More Feathers | Process 1 Fine Lightweight Plume by Filtering 10 Lightweight Plumes. |
17 | Hunting to Extinction | Process 1 Supreme Lightweight Plume by Shaking 3 Fine Lightweight Plumes and the 5 Leather Glaze given by Oberen. Earn the title “Firm Machinist”. You have now learned Skilled Filtering! |
Tier 3 Processing Questline Walkthrough
1. Excellent Magnate
Open your Quest Log (O), Suggested Tab, and find the Certificate [Skilled Paradigm] questline. Go to Keplan and speak with a villager who directs you to Vatudun in the mines beneath Keplan.
3. Materials For Skills
Process 3 iron ingots with Heating. You can bring the iron ore/melted shards with you, but process the ingots for the quest.
5. Looking For a Woodcutting Expert
Vatudun directs you to visit his buddy, Murghed, in Trent to learn Skilled Chopping.
7. Processing Wood With Fire
Process 1 Sturdy Cedar Plywood by Heating 10 Cedar Plywood with the Plywood Hardener that Murghed gave you. If Murghed does not give you a quest to continue onto Behr, open your Quest Log (O), Suggested Tab, and find the Certificate [Skilled Paradigm] questline and autopath to Likke Behr.
9. The Best Hide
After collecting the Artisan Processing Challenge Reward (Y) and obtaining the Shaking (Skilled), craft 1 Supreme Soft Hide for Behr by Shaking 3 Fine Soft Hide with the 5 Leather Glaze he gave you.
11. Gemstone Value
Process 1 Resplendent Topaz by Grinding 5 Topaz. If this is your first time crafting Resplendent Topaz, you will earn the title “Topaz Demon”.
17. Hunting to Extinction
Process 1 Supreme Lightweight Plume by Shaking 3 Fine Lightweight Plumes and the 5 Leather Glaze given by Oberen. Earn the title “Firm Machinist”.
Congratulations! You have now learned the highest tiers of Processing Knowledge in the game!
Processing Gear
Base Processing success rate is about 70%, but you can reach 100% with gear.
100% Processing Success Rate:
- Pearl Shop Costume: Karki (male) or Venecil (female) → +3%
- +3 or +4 Silver Embroidered Craftsman’s Clothes → +22% or 28%
- Processing Artifact → +5%
Processing Artifacts
Sethra’s Artifact – Processing Mastery → Processing Mastery +10
Sethra’s Artifact – Processing EXP → Processing EXP +5%
Sethra’s Artifact – Processing Success Rate → Processing Success Rate +5%
Sethra’s Artifact – Life EXP → Life EXP +3%
Sethra’s Artifact – Life Skill Mastery → Life Skill Mastery +7
Processing Lightstones
Lightstone Combo: [Clang! Clang!]
- Processing Success Rate +20%
- Processing EXP +10%
- Processing Mastery +20
- Weight Limit +30LT
[Clang! Clang!] Requirements:
Lightstone of Wind: Feather
Lightstone of Flora: Malleable
Lightstone of Flora: Time
Iridescent Lightstone
Legend only way describe the brains behind this guide thanks so much.
Thank you
Thank you. Finally one good guide about skilled crafting.
The quest “Toys (?) For Kids” requires 5 Wheat Dough, not 3.
Hello 🙂 Oops! Thanks, it’s fixed.
Hello!
its a bit later to this guide, but my friend is having issues with the shaking skilled knowledge.. he’s already artisan1 in processing but hasnt gotten the achievement at all.. is there anything he needs to do before?
Hello 🙂 Have him go to his quest window, then Suggested tab and find the processing quest line. Make sure he has done all of that. It will show you the requirements needed with some exceptions. [Processing] Excellent Magnate requires all the beginning processing knowledges. More info: https://bdocodex.com/us/quest/3208/1/
You’re *** **** amazing, thanks for all the guides!
NP! Have fun in game. 🙂
in the knowledge menu there are professional tier for shaking, grinding, etc. do you know how to get these too? i just done with the skilled tier
Hello 🙂 From the research I just did, it looks like it’s only available from reading bookshelves. I haven’t actually obtained it, but it’s rumored to be true. Maybe this can help you a bit to understand more: https://bdolytics.com/en/NA/db/search?q=bookshelf+with+knowledge+on
i see, thanks for the guide