City of Heroes Farming Guide - Other Tactics and Conclusions

I like to go with a counter-clockwise route for all my farm maps. I go up the eastern side, turn left, and go down the western side. This route works for the rectangular farm maps common to Unai and Harvey Maylor, but Television's maps a little less conventional. Some of Unai's maps have twists and turns as well.

Whatever method you settle on, stick with it and use it consistently. Find a route that minimizes overlap and works you back near the map entrance when you finish your last spawn. This is not only efficient, but it helps you avoid accidentally completing a mission you do not want to complete (particularly important in missions where the objective is to kill everyone on the map).

I always farm on invincible. When learning you might want to start lower just to practice - depending on your AT and build. The "+number of mobs" difficulties (2 and 4) will cause bosses to spawn if you have 6 (and perhaps even 5) people on your team at spawn time.

While you generally want to spawn with 6 people for the biggest group size, farming with 5 or more people is very inefficient. I have found that 1 or 2 is ideal, 3 is good, 4 is so-so, but more than 4 is a waste of time for everyone involved. Once you go over 4, someone else needs to load up a farming/AoE character and then split into two teams. Each additional person on the team is a reduction of approximately 15% influence and exp. Drop chances for salvage, recipes, and enhancements are almost exactly split by the number of people on the team. So on big teams, you don't kill much faster but massively reduce the amount of xp, inf, and drops for everyone.

While there are misanthropes on game forums who label farming as harmful to the game economy, the reality is that people who farm dump a significant amount of "loot" into the economy along with the money they earn. This actually helps keep supply high and prices low. Farming is just another way to play, and when it is done without using bugs it can be a fun and relaxing way to play. The challenge comes largely from figuring out ideal strategies for your build and play style, and then repeat it over and over whenever you feel like it.

This guide should get you started, but there is no replacement for your own innovation and imagination when it comes to devising strategies specific to you and your teammates.