World of Warcraft farming does not, as new players might think, refer to one of the professions characters can learn. Instead, farming refers to gathering large amounts of a particular item. Not surprisingly, gold farming is the most popular example of farming.
Gold farming is also known as gold grinding, although grinding generally refers to killing the same monsters over and over again as part of a power leveling strategy (killing monsters that generate high experience. Grinding and farming often go hand-in-hand—if a player spends time power leveling, he or she might as well gather gold and items at the same time. Players can also grind Honor Points and faction reputation.
Gold Grinding Tips
How to farm gold in World of Warcraft?
Every player has a favorite farming method. Generally speaking, gold grinding tips fall into three categories—killing, gathering, and Auction House sales. (There’s also begging, but nothing turns off other players like a Warcraft toon begging for gold).
Mugging for Gold
Gold grinding that focuses on killing monsters is self-explanatory. Players find a monster or humanoid type that drops decent amounts of loot and they kill that type of monster repeatedly.
Some gold farmers combine their gold grinding activity with power leveling, targeting high-level monsters for maximum experience. Another strategy is to target lower level monsters with fast respawn rates (how quickly the game replaces a dead monster with a new one). Lower level monsters can be killed faster, so in theory the player can farm faster.
A third option, as players rise in level, is to enter low level dungeons alone and slaughter the inhabitants. Along the way the player gathers rare items that can be sold in the auction houses.
Skinning, Mining, Herb-picking and Gold Grinding
The “gathering” professions are consistent gold-makers in WoW. Herbalism, skinning, and mining provide raw materials that players need for professions such as alchemy, leatherworking and engineering.
Skinning is very well-suited for gold grinding, as leather is needed for engineering, tailoring, and blacksmithing as well as leatherworking. A stack of twenty leathers will usually sell well to other players. Mined materials are also in demand, but as skinnable beasts are more common than mining nodes skinning is generally preferred for gold farming.
Speculating at the Auction House
Buying and selling in World of Warcraft’s auction houses is one of the most complex gold grinding strategies, but a skilled player can generate significant amounts of gold by buying items at low cost and selling them again for a profit. Auction house speculating is a game in itself for some players, although it does require a form understanding of the WoW realm’s economy.
Gold Grinding Gone Bad: Gold Sellers
WoW players are inevitably exposed to in-game spam from “professional” gold sellers who offer Warcraft gold for real cash. Some players see gold sellers as a shortcut to easy riches, but gold sellers are best avoided.
It’s against Blizzard Entertainment’s terms and services to sell or by Warcraft gold. A player caught buying from a gold seller may have their Warcraft account suspended, or even revoked entirely.
Gold sellers are also notorious for websites loaded with spyware, keyloggers, and viruses that can cripple a computer. All in all, it’s best to remember that World of Warcraft is a game—players ultimately get more enjoyment gold grinding themselves than paying someone else to play the game for them.
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