Farming

Farming is the killing of monsters for the purpose of gathering items, experience, gold, Faction, or promotion points and is considered to be one of the quickest and easiest ways to amass wealth. Often you will find parties (especially in the harder areas of the game) searching for people to go farming with them.

Farming groups utilize strategies and techniques optimized for farming effectiveness. These strategies revolve around two seemingly contradicting principles:
 * Reducing the number of party members: Smaller party size equals an increased chance for each member to get quality items. It similarly means fewer people to split the gold with. (Note this has been changed signifigantly since the April 19th Update. See below.)
 * Increasing the number of party members: Increased DPS, expedites the deaths of enemies killed within a given time frame.

As such, dedicated farming groups experiment with builds in high-experience zones. Repeatedly dying or retreating is unfavorable for farming. Seek an effective party structure that clears out an area quickly and has less than a full party size.

As of the April 19th, 2007 update, with the introduction of the hard mode, Money making from farming was decreased in parties with less than the maximum party size, as loot is now scaled according to the amount of players in a party. When farming solo or having party members, you get less items than you normally would, and that amount is now comparable to that of full group farming. Shortly after the release of the hard mode, loot scaling has been slightly adjusted by causing tomes, scrolls, dye, rare materials, Domain of Anguish gemstones, gold level rarity items, unique items, and Special Event items to be excluded from the new system.

Recommended Locations
Farming is the quickest and easiest way to get money. Common farming targets in Tyria (Prophecies) include Mountain Trolls in a cave to the north of Droknar's Forge, Desert Griffons to the south of Augury Rock, Mahgo Hydras in the Ring of Fire Islands and Minotaurs in Elona Reach. Pre-searing is a popular place to farm for dye, as they are reported to drop more frequently there. The most popular Pre-Searing farming location is currently The Catacombs. Another popular place to farm in Tyria is Sorrow's Furnace (SF) because of its great number of greens. A good location in hard mode is just outside Ascalon City in Old Ascalon. There are Hulking Elementals and/or Gargoyles there that are pretty easy and they have a pretty good drop rate.

In Cantha (Factions), Vermin, Shiro'ken, Wardens, and Kirin are popular farming targets. Also in Seijun Woods and Kinya Province you can find a substantial number of creatures with a very high probability of dropping items, and since these Mantid, Kappa and Naga pose little threat, you may perform a solo hunt. Drops here are small in value, but abundant.

In Elona, Remains of Sahlahja can be farmed by using very specific builds. The Hidden City of Ahdashim is also very popular among the Spirit Bond monks, farming Djinns and Rain Beetles. The Shattered Ravines can be easily farmed with Junundu. In Hard Mode it is possible to farm Insects and Plants in the Plains of Jarin outside the Sunspear Great Hall. Outside Yohlon Haven, Tusked Howlers and Tusked Hunters can be farmed.

Sunspear and Lightbringer farming

 * Sunspear Promotion Points are easily farmed with heroes and henchmen while progressing through the campaign.
 * Restarting A Land of Heroes a few times before completing the quest is an effective farming method but will only obtain a maximum rank of Sunspear Commander.
 * Lightbringer promotion points are often farmed early on in The Mirror of Lyss, and later in the Realm of Torment with Lightbringer's Gaze.

Click here for Lightbringer Point Farming strategies.