Final Fantasy 14 players are already grinding the hell out of its new relaxing farming mode

pcgamer.com:

Instead of kicking back on the beach like they were supposed to, Final Fantasy 14 players are stripping their pristine new island sanctuaries of every single plant and resource to feed the machine of efficiency.

This week's patch 6.2 dropped Island Sanctuaries, a solo mode that lets you tend to a farm, gather resources, craft items, and pet animals. As you explore the island and build facilities, you gain unique XP to increase your rank and ability to purchase mounts and hairstyles (opens in new tab)for your character. Naturally, MMO players have found a way to turn this laid-back diversion into a job by sharing spreadsheets, maps, and details on spawn rates.

Reddit user LucarioMagic(opens in new tab) circled plant locations on the island map to keep you from exploring for too long. Twitter user stalvtuber(opens in new tab) went further and provided exact coordinates so you can create linear paths from each resource. And YouTuber Cole Evyx made a video that warns viewers of a «noobtrap» that prevents you from building your island base and provides an entire Excel sheet of items to craft with a value per hour (VPH) number for each one.

Twitter and the game's subreddit are full of people highlighting(opens in new tab) the discrepancy between the mode's intended purpose and how people are actually treating it. MMOs have this problem a lot: World of Warcraft has implemented its own farms and other casual-friendly features over the years and many people choose to squeeze them dry instead of savoring the break from raiding and grinding mobs. While nothing in FF14 stops you from churning through island life, it also doesn't provide a lot of reasons for speedrunning it either. It purely depends on your patience and what's most