Farming

In gaming, farming means collecting something repeatedly, as a farmer harvests crops. A player might farm a particular enemy that has a chance of dropping a rare item, farm a resource like wood or ore, or farm experience points in an area where they are easy to earn. The word is also used as a verb for the target: “farming the swamp boss for its helmet”.

Common forms of farming

Loot farming involves defeating the same enemy or opening the same chest repeatedly, relying on random drops. Resource farming collects crafting materials that respawn over time. Experience farming targets areas or activities with the best rate of progress. In some games, players build automated farms – contraptions that harvest crops or collect items with little input – which can be satisfying engineering projects in their own right.

In competitive games, “farming” can also mean repeatedly defeating a weaker opponent: “they were farming us all match.”

Farming and the wider game economy

In online games where items can be traded, farming feeds the economy. Some outside operations farm items or currency to sell for real money to other players. This is known as gold farming, and it usually breaks a game’s terms of service. Buying from such sellers can lead to account bans and is a common route to scams. It is a good idea to buy items only through official in-game systems.

Making farming manageable

Farming can be oddly relaxing, especially with a podcast or music in the background. Like grinding, though, it lacks natural stopping points. Check guides for the drop rate of what you are after, so you know how long it might take, and decide in advance how long you will spend. If an item has a very low drop chance, there may be another way to obtain it.