by: Tony "RadarX" Jones

So you want to be a farmer eh? Well first you need a rocking chair, a corn
cob pipe, and some sweet overalls. Put on some Willie Nelson, get out the...wait
this is about Lord of the Rings Online, sorry. Do all of the above THEN log
in and you'll be all set. What does a farmer do? A farmer creates and gathers
edible resources such as onions, carrots, and pipeweed. Other classes make use
of what they can gather.

In order to begin farming you'll have to pick a vocation that supports this
skill. At this time you can choose Historian, Yeoman, and Woodsman. Speak with any
Master Apprentice in the major cities to switch. Before you begin farming though it's a
good idea to upgrade your tools if you can afford it. You are given a basic tool that slows you down so find a brass one for sale a Provisoner vendor at first opportunity.

Gathering

Gathering is a little unusual compared to the other professions such as
mining . A prospector finds ore on the map as a forester finds wood in the
environment. As a farmer you'll be going to specific fields for harvesting. The
ones I've personally seen are in Michel Delving (to the south) and Staddle. Look
for an anvil which will notate a working area. The types of fields are Pipeweed
and Vegetable which corresponds to the different types of recipes you have.

If you look at your tradeskill recipes you'll see ones that refer to fields
such as "onion field." These will create the spawn points you gather from so
you'll need the materials it asks for. Near the field you'll find a merchant
called a farmer who will sell you everything you need to make harvest fields. On
my first go around I used yellow onions which means I had to buy 6 seeds, a unit
of water, and 2 units of fertilizer.

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It's time to wander out in the field, select the recipe and have at it. Youll
get an animation of you planting the seeds and a small patch of crops will
appear. Loot these right up for the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor.

Crafting

Now you've been out in the fields and gathered so what do we do with all this
stuff? When you gather there are different levels of materials for example in my
case: A bushel of poor yellow onions and a bushel of fair yellow onions. The
poor yellow onions can be used to make more yellow onion seeds reducing the cost
of producing another field. The fair yellow onions are used to make...well
onions. You'll need to find a workbench usually located near the farmer vendor
in order to process your materials. Despite any rumors you've heard playing Hank
Williams music does not give you and bonuses to speed.

Skilling Up

Each time you create something as a farmer you earn points of experience
which will allow you to advance out of the lowly apprentice world. Some recipes
require higher skills so if you want to make the good stuff, you have to get
farming! How many points you'll get is listed in the recipe with making seeds as
the least, planting a field a little more, and creating a final product
providing the most. Unlike other MMO's you won't be selling your finalized
product back even for cost so carry it to the auction house if you want to
recoup your money.

Crafting Ranks

• Apprentice


• Journeyman


• Expert


• Artisan


• Master

I hope you found the Ten Ton Hammer guide to Farming useful. If you see
anything we've missed or something that needs to be added please href="mailto:[email protected]">email me, you'll get full
credit.