Miner stats, elements, and gearFollow

So, I'm still trying to find information, and based on my searching, many others are as well. I haven't been able to find any good source of information on these subjects, just beta speculations, and I know that there are facts out there. So, I'm asking.

What stats affect Mining?
I've read hinting that the elements you choose will determine the types and quantity of crystals/shards that you harvest.
Gear obviously matters, are we only looking for obvious harvesting stats? What about the gear that favors miners but doesn't actually have the main gathering stats (i.e. output).

Any other mining tips or tricks would also be appreciated. Once solid information comes in, I'll update the OP with it, so that future miners won't need to dig through the thread to find the information they are looking for.

Ok, so I'm assuming that VIT and MND are the primary stats for a Miner, as the two abilities that Miners can get that increase stats, increase those two. Deep Vigor and Solid Reason.

Likewise, I'm going to assume that Fire and Ice are the primary elements, as Nald'thal's Ward and Menphina's Ward both increase your chance to obtain crystals of those types. I'd still like to know if your element allocation affects the shards/crystals you find though.


(yes, did post a similar thread in the botany section)

Edited, Sep 28th 2010 3:00pm by Aliko