If you’ve played a FromSoftware game before, then you probably already know that ‘farming,’ which is also called ‘grinding,’ is sometimes necessary. If you haven’t played a FromSoft title before, then, well, now you know! These games are tough!
Inevitably, you’ll hit a wall and feel like you can’t make progress. You’re dying even more than usual. That’s when you might want to consider ‘farming’ for a little bit. This is a process of repeatedly taking out the same enemies in the same area, gaining experience points so that you can level up and get stronger. You can also farm for items or in-game currency.
This may sound dull, but it can really pay off in the long run by helping you break through the walls that form whenever the game’s difficulty spikes. It’ll feel really good when you’ve finally gotten strong enough to finish that next level or beat that boss that has been the bane of your character’s existence for the past hour! In that spirit, here are some recommended spots, from early-game to end-game, where you can take a break, hone your skills, and emerge readier than ever for what’s coming up.
# 10. Ashina Castle (Early-Game)
Ashina Castle
Why It’s Great: Once you get to Ashina Castle, the game’s difficulty curve will start to ramp up again, so it’s good to take some time and practice against the fairly basic enemies at the castle entrance. This farm run doesn’t take very long, isn’t very difficult, and for the early game, the experience pay-off is pretty solid.
How To Find It: You’ll unlock this area naturally as you progress from the Ashina Outskirts at the very beginning of the game to the actual Ashina Castle. No need to take any hidden paths!
# 9. Upper Tower - Ashina Dojo
Ashina Castle Dojo
Why It’s Great: This farm run is available not long after you get to Ashina Castle, and I’d strongly encourage using it, because it comes right before two battles - one mini-boss and one actual (challenging) boss. It never hurts to warm yourself up and gather some more experience!
You should also be able to pick up some sen and some good materials here, dropped by the blue-robed guys.
How To Find It: You will eventually unlock this area just by playing the game, but if you have trouble finding it at first, go grapple up to the rooftops of the castle. You’ll see an open window that will lead to this area, with a Sculptor’s Idol right inside that room.
# 8. Fountainhead Palace Gate (End-Game or Post-Game)
Fountainhead Palace from a bird’s-eye view
Why It’s Great: This area is going to be late-game, or even post-game, but don’t write it off. Towards the end of the game, you’ll want to keep honing your skills, gaining experience, and unlocking new combat abilities, because they will really come in handy against the last optional boss and the true final boss!
Fountainhead Palace isn’t just a pretty location; it’s a section of the game where all of the enemies, especially the athletes, the swordsmen, and the archers, reward you with a good chunk of experience. Take advantage of that!
How To Find It: So, Fountainhead Palace is a bit different from other areas. Not every player will unlock this level during their first play-through. If you chose the Shura ending, then this area won’t unlock until post-game or New Game +. For players serving Kuro, though, you should really try to take advantage of this beautiful and challenging new section of the game. It holds a lot of rewards!
To get here, you need the Shelter Stone, Mortal Blade, and Lotus of the Palace. Once those are obtained, you need the Fountainhead Incense item, and then you need to pray inside the Wedding Cave in Mibu Village. A cut-scene will play and you will automatically end up here. After a mini-boss guarding the entrance, you’ll be free to explore!
# 7. Mibu Village
Mibu Village
Why It’s Great:
For the mid-game, Mibu Village gives you a nice combination of many experience points, some crafting materials, and a decent amount of sen.
You can even hug the edge of a rock wall here by the river, to sneak up on an Interior Ministry ninja and take him out.
How To Find It: This is another section of the game that’s required, and you can unlock it by going through Ashina Depths. Fall down the giant pit, landing on grapple-friendly platforms, and you will find yourself at the outskirts of this haunted village.
# 6. Shugendo Passage, Senpou Temple
Shugendo, Senpou Temple
Why It’s Great: This section of Senpou Temple has several Senpou assassins, who are a reasonable challenge and offer both experience and sen to match their challenge.
How To Find It: Shugendo is a place unlocked by exploring the paths around Senpou Temple and grappling onto small platforms attached to the rock walls of this mountainous area.
# 5. Great Sakura Tree, Fountainhead Palace
The Great Sakura Tree
Why It’s Great: The Great Sakura Tree is right in the middle of all the action at Fountainhead Palace! That’s why it’s ideal. You can farm for experience by fighting athletes, swordsmen, archers, and lightning hounds. You can get Prayer Beads by beating the nearby mini-bosses: the Shichimen Warrior in the nearby waterfall, or the two Headless fighting together underwater. You could even hunt carp for their scales!
How To Find It: Going through the Fountainhead Palace, you’ll find the Great Sakura Tree roughly in the middle of the level. It connects parts of the palace that are otherwise separated by disjointed platforms and a large body of water.
# 4. Gun Fort, Sunken Valley (Mid-Game)
Snake Eyes Shirafuji, one of the Gun Fort’s many enemies with potent firearms
Why It’s Great: I know, I know. You still have PTSD from your first time getting through this god-forsaken stretch of the game. I do, too. But hey, you conquered it! And now, you have the perfect opportunity to turn the tables and take advantage of all of these enemies to get experience points!
How To Find It: The Gun Fort is found - painfully - by going through Sunken Valley, where you meet gun-toters and the Great Serpent in a snowy landscape. They lead you to platforms and a large bridge, which, if you cross quickly enough to survive the passing bullets, will take you to this fort.
# 3. Ashina Castle (with the Interior Ministry Red Guard) (End-Game)
An Interior Ministry Red Guard at Ashina Castle
Why It’s Great: At this point in the game, you probably have already done some farming runs, and you’ve probably gotten yourself through some tough encounters. If you can steel yourself for more fights that require a lot of concentration, try out the Red Guards here. The Interior Ministry’s invasion might not bode well for Ashina, but it can certainly help you, since each Red Guard awards a solid chunk of experience points and makes you bring your A-game with good parries and counters.
How To Find It: You’ve been here before, but to unlock the Ministry invasion, make sure to have the Shelter Stone and Lotus of the Palace.
# 2. Ashina Castle Gate Fortress
Ashina Castle Gate Fortress
Why It’s Great: This area has rewarding enemies that give out lots of experience points, sen, and some buffing sugars without being too challenging. The run is short and sweet.
Basically, you run from the Sculptor’s Idol up the main path, defeat the guard with a rifle, and then turn right onto a grassy area, where you can find Senpou Assassins near a couple of trees. As long as you use the Loaded Axe, these guys aren’t too hard to take down. They tend to hide behind their shields. Plus, you can sneak up on most of them, if not all, getting free death-blows.
This farming run stays fairly effective throughout the mid-game and even late in the game, especially for sen and experience points. Since it only means fighting a handful of enemies before restarting the run, it’s a surgical strike.
How To Find It: This area is found naturally as you go through the Ashina Outskirts and Ashina Castle levels.
# 1. Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo (Mid-Game and Late-Game)
An aerial view of the beautiful Senpou Temple
Why It’s Great: Now, unlike the last spot on the list, this area takes a while to farm. But the rewards are absolutely worth it. The enemies, which are the Senpou monks, are fairly easy to beat, and there are a lot of them. Take on small groups at a time, or just fight one-on-one, and use stealth. You can clear out the whole area leading up to the temple, and you’ll walk out with plenty of experience, sen, and sugars.
How To Find It: Senpou Temple is a bit hidden, but it can be found by going through the Ashina Castle. Go to the Abandoned Dungeon, and then travel through it to find an elevator platform. This will lift you up to Mount Kongo, right near the Senpou Temple.
I hope that this guide to farming helps you overcome some substantial challenges throughout the game. Good luck!
