In this short article, we’ll explain what XP farming means in games and we’ll show you some practical examples.
XP Farm Meaning in Games
Certain video games, most notably role-playing games and games with RPG elements, allow players to strengthen their characters by performing specific actions. Completing a quest may be such an action. Or defeating an enemy. Or discovering a new place. Or achieving something.
Successfully performing an action will give you some XP or EXP, which stands for experience points. Accumulate enough of XP and you’ll advance to a new level, possibly gaining access to more devastating abilities, meaningful talents, useful passive bonuses, and so on.
In some games it’s possible to repeat certain actions, such as fighting enemies, to keep gaining XP and grow stronger in order to make upcoming challenges more manageable. And that’s what we call XP farming, or grinding. It’s an act of focusing on accumulating more XP, which usually means repeating a certain part of the game over and over again to gain an edge.
We selected a few games to illustrate how farming works – here’s how to farm XP in games.
XP Farming in Dark Souls
Dark Souls games are known for being very punishing, especially for newcomers. However, you can make the journey a bit easier by spending some time grinding XP. This way you can outlevel the enemies and take on more difficult adversaries with more ease.
Dark Souls games allow players to farm experience by defeating the same enemies over and over again. All you have to do after killing a bunch of enemies is to go back to a bonfire and take a rest – the enemies in the area will respawn, allowing you to kill them and reap the rewards, including XP, again.
XP Farming in Destiny
Destiny games are online first-person shooters where character levels are super important as they directly translate to an increase in power, which means quicker access to new opportunities with more risk and more rewards.
Even though you’ll get plenty of XP by just playing and enjoying the game, you may want to focus on level grinding by completing the tasks that give the most XP. Finish daily bounties, complete outstanding milestones, and do seasonal challenges, and you’ll quickly grow in power.
XP Farming in Borderlands
Borderlands series is a classic example of video games that allow people to farm XP as well as items, and it’s very straightforward. All you have to do is go to the area of choice, kill the enemies, leave the area, and return later – the enemies will respawn automatically after some time has passed.
Some areas are more efficient to farm than others, so before you start grinding, check out more specific guides to learn the best places to farm at your current level.