History Main / ItemFarming

* If you want to make good equipment in ''ShinMegamiTensei: StrangeJourney'', you're going to spend a ''lot'' of time wandering around looking for forma.

* ''{{Sonic}} [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Adventure]] 1 & [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 2]]'' required you to constantly play through old levels to get rings to use as money to buy equipment and items to improve your Chao. Though the Chao themselves were in no way necessary to advance in the game, they were necessary for HundredPercentCompletion, at least in VideoGame/SonicAdventure [[VideoGameRemake DX: Director's Cut]].

* ShinMegamiTenseiImagine removes the need to farm monsters by letting players gather "remains of Tokyo" (basically, refuse) which can be sold to NPCs or recycled to craft weapons.This is surprisingly the fastest way to earn money:completing a level 70-ish dungeon rewards the player with the equivalent of 20-30.000 Macca, while the same amount can be gathered in about 15 minutes while standing in a level 14 zone.

* ''{{Sonic}} [[SonicAdventure Adventure]] 1 & [[SonicAdventure2 2]]'' required you to constantly play through old levels to get rings to use as money to buy equipment and items to improve your Chao. Though the Chao themselves were in no way necessary to advance in the game, they were necessary for HundredPercentCompletion, at least in SonicAdventure [[VideoGameRemake DX: Director's Cut]].

* The ''HarvestMoon'' series has this both literally and figuratively in where you must collect and farm various resources to go forward in the games.
* ''CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon'', dear gods. All equipment, including ''spells'', was randomly dropped from enemies. To make matters worse, many bosses were practically unbeatable without certain spells or being up-to-date on your equipment. If you wanted to survive, you could expect to be doing a lot of this.
* This could possibly be considered ''subverted'' in ''TheWorldEndsWithYou''. While many pins have abysmally low drop rates, it's very easy to raise the drop rate, by either lowering your own level, or fighting multiple enemies at a time. With the right preparation, many drop rates can be raised to 100%.
* This is how train upgrades are obtained in ''TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks''. By collecting VendorTrash.

* Starting with ''{{Pokemon}} Ruby and Sapphire'' one can easily re-teach Pokémon moves of their respective natural learnsets, but the NPC's services come at a price: depending on which game you play they want either Heart Scales or Mushrooms. Getting these requires the Player to hunt for either Luvdisk (for Heart Scales), digging them up in the Underground (Gen IV only) or battling Paras/Parasect (for Mushrooms), hoping the encountered 'mon has the desired item and catching them/ using moves to get enemies' items. Given the usefulness of these items, some ambitious move restructuring would involve scooping these little creatures up by the teamful. It was possible to have Pokémon relearn moves in Gen II as well, but it required a N64, Pokémon Stadium 2, a Transfer Pak to [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment transfer your team over]], beating the Elite 4 plus Champion using all six of your Pokémon at least once in battle...all for one single 'mon to be able to remember one move and finally transferring your team back to your GB cartridge if you so desired. It's been simplified since, no doubt.
** Berries in the ''{{Pokemon}}'' games come in handy, too, particularly since a Pokemon can use it, rather than forcing you to spend a turn using a Full Heal or other status-healing item. The Lum Berry in particular is useful since it can cure any status problem. Unfortunately, this berry takes several days to grow.

* ''{{Sonic}} Adventure 1 & 2'' required you to constantly play through old levels to get rings to use as money to buy equipment and items to improve your Chao. Though the Chao themselves were in no way necessary to advance in the game.

** One of the earlier examples is the best equipment in ''FinalFantasyIV''--not just the infamous [[RandomlyDrops Pink Tails]] and Adamant Armor combo, but also gear like Crystal Rings, Ribbons, Wyvern Lances, and Dragon Whiskers, all found from rare drops from enemies ranging from semi-rare to ludicrously rare. Also added to this are the Golden and Silver Apples and Soma Drops, [[RareCandy consumable items that permanently boost HP and MP]]. the [[VideoGameRemake DS version]] added ''even more'' ludicrously rare tail/armor combos, as well as Rainbow Pudding, necessary for ThatOneSidequest. Basically, if you are interested in HundredPercentCompletion in ''FinalFantasyIV'', you're going to spend a looooooong time parked in dungeons with Sirens.
** In ''FinalFantasyV'', enemies in [[ThatOneLevel the Pyramid of Moore]] can be farmed for Elixirs, and enemies in the Phoenix Tower can be farmed for the best Dancer equipment and Ribbons.
** ''FinalFantasyVI'' gives us the [[SummonMagic Ragnarok Esper]]'s special ability, Metamorphosis, which transforms an enemy into an item and is a good source for more rare equipment, like Safety Bits and Ribbons. The downside is that in order to take advantage of this, the player is going to spend a ''very'' long time farming on the Veldt.
** Much like ''FinalFantasyVI'', ''FinalFantasyVII'' has enemies that can, if killed using the weak Morph command, be turned into items. Most notable in this regard are the [[BonusDungeon Sunken Gelnika]] enemies, the majority of which turn into valuable [[RareCandy Rare Candies]] that permanently boost stats.
** Enemies in ''FinalFantasyVIII'' can be turned into Cards, which can subsequently be [[ItemCrafting refined]] into spells that can be junctioned to your characters' stats to boost them and add effects to their attacks and attributes while handily avoiding the LevelScaling penalties--it's a [[MinMaxing Min Maxer's]] dream come true!
** The items you can use to [[ItemCrafting upgrade and modify your weapons and armor]] and upgrade your [[SummonMagic Aeons' stats and abilities]] in ''FinalFantasyX'' you can generally only get by [[VideoGameStealing stealing]] from or bribing particular monsters, in addition to the standards drops and whatnot--particularly, Level 3 Keyspheres. If the player didn't take the opportunity to steal a bunch of them from a boss, they're going to spend quite some time in [[spoiler:Zanarkand Ruins]] looking for the monsters that rarely drop them.
** Most obvious is ''FinalFantasyXII'', in which the only way to get usable amounts of money is to sell loot from monsters. There's also this Bazaar thing, which allows the player to unlock certain maybe rare, maybe valuable items. The best items might require multiples of items only available via the Bazaar, making the full recipe be something like [[TwentyBearAsses 21 Bear Behinds]], 39 [[TwentyBearAsses Ursus Buttocks]], 9 [[LuckBasedMission Rare Vicious Monster Ultra Rare Drop Fangs]] and so on.
*** ''FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' uses the Bazaar system for all equipment, but gives no no control over what items you're getting, so it only kind of counts.
** ''FinalFantasyXIII'' is similar to ''XII'' in that all money comes from VendorTrash, and you need certain specific items for ItemCrafting--most notably, the catalysts that transform weapons into their ultimate forms. Either you pay ''millions'' of gil for a single one of them, or you farm the [[BossInMookClothing terrifying turtle monsters]], whose rare drop is the catalyst.

* This isn't ''necessary'' in ''CaveStory'', but it can be helpful. In particular, many (non-{{speed run}}ning) players like to exploit the respawning mechanic at the beginning of the third room of [[BrutalBonusLevel Sacred Grounds]] to collect enough hearts to refill their health.

* Often necessary for crafting/upgrading certain items and equipment in ''TalesofVesperia''.

* The skill system in ''RogueGalaxy'' requires you to find certain items and use them to learn/power up your skills. Most can be found in chest or bought in shops, the rest require you to rely on monster drops. Probably the most egregious example are the Lucky Clover; every character requires several of them (some characters up to a half dozen) and and you only find about half of the amount you need during the course of the game. To find the rest you need to kill a specific somewhat rare monster that has a drop rate of less than 5%.

* Heart Scales in ''{{Pokemon}} Ruby and Sapphire'' are primarily acquired through catching Luvdisc and hoping the creature in question is holding one. Given the usefulness of these little scales (deleting or relearning old moves was a service provided in exchange for scales), some ambitious move restructuring would involve scooping these little creatures up by the teamful.
* Berries in the ''{{Pokemon}}'' games come in handy, too, particularly since a Pokemon can use it, rather than forcing yout to spend a turn using a Full Heal or other status-healing item. The Lum Berry in particular is useful since it can cure any status problem. Unfortunately, this berry takes several days to grow.

Since this is [[PeopleSitOnChairs done in almost all]] [=MMORPGs=] (in fact, we already have a trope for that, TwentyBearAsses), no straight MMORPG examples please. (Notable subversions are fine.)

* ''FinalFantasy'' - Most obvious is ''FinalFantasyXII'', in which the only way to get usable amounts of money is to sell loot from monsters. There's also this Bazaar thing, which allows the player to unlock certain maybe rare, maybe valuable items. The best items might require multiples of items only available via the Bazaar, making the full recipe be something like [[TwentyBearAsses 21 Bear Behinds]], 39 [[TwentyBearAsses Ursus Buttocks]], 9 [[LuckBasedMission Rare Vicious Monster Ultra Rare Drop Fangs]] and so on. ''FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' uses the Bazaar system for all equipment, but gives no no control over what items you're getting, so it only kind of counts. And ''FinalFantasyXIII'' is similar to ''XII'' in that all money comes from VendorTrash, and you need certain specific items for ItemCrafting.

* ''FinalFantasy'' - Most obvious is ''FinalFantasyXIII'', in which the only way to get usable amounts of money is to sell loot from monsters. There's also this Bazaar thing, which allows the player to unlock certain maybe rare, maybe valuable items. The best items might require multiples of items only available via the Bazaar, making the full recipe be something like [[TwentyBearAsses 21 Bear Behinds]], 39 [[TwentyBearAsses Ursus Buttocks]], 9 [[LuckBasedMission Rare Vicious Monster Ultra Rare Drop Fangs]] and so on. ''FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' uses the Bazaar system for all equipment, but gives no no control over what items you're getting, so it only kind of counts. And ''FinalFantasyXIII'' is similar to ''XII'' in that all money comes from VendorTrash, and you need certain specific items for ItemCrafting.

Item farming is where you go [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin use various methods to gain items]], like killing enemies for their RandomlyDrops or go VideoGameStealing to grind for various items. This can also include going around and exploring various places to collect items.

* This isn't ''necessary'' in ''CaveStory'', but it can be helpful. In particular, many (non-{{speed run}}ing) players like to exploit the respawning mechanic at the beginning of the third room of [[BrutalBonusLevel Sacred Grounds]] to collect enough hearts to refill their health.

Since this is [[PeopleSitOnChairs done in almost all]] [=MMORPGs=], no straight MMORPG examples please. (Notable subversions are fine.)

!!Examples
* The HarvestMoon series has this both literally and figuratively in where you must collect and farm various resources to go forward in the games.

* This is how train upgrades are obtained in TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks. By collecting VendorTrash.
** Oh, and PhantomHourglass as well, to a lesser extent.
* Heart Scales in [[{{Pokemon}} Ruby and Saphire]] are primarily acquired through catching Luvdisc and hoping the creature in question is holding one. Given the usefulness of these little scales (deleting or relearning old moves was a service provided in exchange for scales), some ambitious move restructuring would involve scooping these little creatures up by the teamful.
* Happens a lot in things like Farmville and Mafia Wars, you need t repeatedly do ol jobs to get the loot items needed to do the new jobs. Gets ridiculous towards later goals.
* Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 required you to constantly play through old levels to get rings to use as money to buy equipment and items to improve your Chao's.
* Happens all the time in Ratchet & Clank, especially if you want all the weapons, upgrades, items, and equipment, you need to grind through side games and levels to afford the bolts for everything, lest you want to keep going through NewGamePlus over and over.
* FinalFantasy - probably all the games, though I only know of FFXII, in which the only way to get usable amounts of money is to sell loot from monsters. There's also this Bazaar thing, which allows the player to unlock certain maybe rare, maybe valuable items. The best items might require multiples of items only available via the Bazaar, making the full recipe be something like [[TwentyBearAsses 21 Bear Behinds]], 39 [[TwentyBearAsses Ursus Buttocks]], 9 [[LuckBasedMission Rare Vicious Monster Ultra Rare Drop Fangs]] etc...

* In ''AtelierSeries'', you need to do this to find ingredients for your items.