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Silver and Gold Farming
May 8, 2026 at 07:22 AM
Applied Title Case to body headings
Silver is the primary currency in Crimson Desert, used for purchasing equipment, upgrading your Greymane Camp, buying supplies, and investing at the bank. Gold bars function as a high-value store of wealth that can be converted to silver at a bank (500 silver per bar) or sold to vendors at a significantly lower rate (roughly 190 silver). Building a reliable income stream early in the game makes everything from gear upgrades to wagon ownership far more accessible.
This guide covers every major method for earning silver and gold, from the simplest early-game tricks to advanced trade good packaging and infinite farming exploits. Methods are listed roughly in the order you can access them during a normal playthrough.
Method | Approximate Yield | Repeatable? | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
500 silver (1 gold bar) | Repeatable (every 3 in-game days) | Low | |
30 to 55+ silver per run | Every 7 in-game days | Medium | |
Treasure Goblins | 500 silver (1 gold bar each) | Whenever encountered | None |
Spire of Insight Exploit | Unlimited silver and trade goods | Infinitely repeatable | None |
Pickpocketing Nobles | 500 silver per gold bar | Reset on save/load or fast travel | Medium |
Bank Investment (Medium Risk) | 15 to 20% profit per cycle | Every 3 in-game days | Medium |
Bank Investment (High Risk) | Up to 55% profit per cycle | Every 3 in-game days | High |
Trade Good Packaging | 3 to 5x return on investment | Unlimited | Low |
Hundreds of silver per session | Unlimited (with save scumming) | None with saves | |
2.28 silver per diamond | Every few in-game days | None | |
Wagon Stealing | Varies by wagon type | Unlimited | Medium |
500 silver per bar (free crafting) | Unlimited | None | |
Disarm Mechanic (Sell Enemy Gear) | Varies by enemy level | Unlimited | Low |
Faction Quest Loot Farming | Unlimited loot to sell | Until boss defeated | Low |
Before you can steal anything in Crimson Desert, you need a mask to conceal Kliff's identity. Without a mask, you cannot interact with stealable objects or pickpocket NPCs. There are three ways to obtain your first mask.
The Jeffrey bounty quest is available early in Hernand. Pick up the bounty notice from the Hernand Guard Captain and search the eastern district of the city. Jeffrey is a pickpocket who patrols the area wearing a sleeveless top and a hood. After catching and returning him to the Guard Captain, you receive a mask as part of your reward.
Blood Bandits (also called Bleed Bandits) roam the roads outside Hernand. Defeat them repeatedly and there is a chance they will drop a mask as loot. This is the fastest method if you are comfortable with early combat, since the bandits are not particularly tough.
Grimrack operates a back alley shop in Hernand, located just southeast of the cathedral near the river. He sells masks for 10 copper and also sells basic keys for 30 copper, which are needed to open locked rooms and containers in the bank. If you plan on robbing the bank right away, buying both a mask and a key from Grimrack is the most convenient option.
Cost | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Jeffrey Bounty Quest | Free (quest reward) | Hernand, eastern district | Also gives bounty silver reward |
Blood Bandit Loot Drop | Free (combat) | Roads outside Hernand | Random drop; may take several kills |
Grimrack's Back Alley Shop | 10 copper | Southeast Hernand, near the river | Also sells keys for 30 copper |
The Lion Crest Manor is located in the hills west of the main city of Hernand. This is the easiest gold bar to obtain in the entire game and one of the first things you should do after arriving in the Hernand region.
Travel to Lion Crest Manor, which is northwest of Hernand in the surrounding hills.
Circle to either side of the manor and look for a second-storey window that you can climb up to.
Open the window and climb through to enter the manor's upper floor.
Head down the main stairs to the ground floor and locate the fireplace.
Equip your mask. A "Steal" interaction prompt will appear near the fireplace.
Interact to have Kliff find a gold bar hidden inside.
Critical tip: Never sell gold bars to regular vendors. Vendors only pay around 190 silver per gold bar. Instead, take the gold bar to the bank in Hernand where it converts for 500 silver. That is a difference of 310 silver, which is enormous in the early game. Alternatively, you can deposit the gold bar into a safety deposit box to generate passive investment income (see the Bank Investment section below).
The Hernand Bank is home to a vault full of strongboxes and floor chests, making it one of the best early-game silver sources. The robbery is best done in the evening hours when there is less foot traffic and fewer NPCs to witness the crime.
A mask (see the Getting a Mask section above)
A basic key (purchase from Grimrack for 30 copper, or find one while looting)
Enter the bank through the front door during evening hours to minimize witnesses.
Turn left from the front door. You will see a locked storage room door.
Use your key on the locked door (the key is consumed on use) and step inside.
Close the door behind you to maintain privacy and reduce the theft meter buildup.
Loot the floor chests and grab every safety deposit box (strongbox) from the shelves.
Do not sell the strongboxes directly. Open them in your inventory to claim the raw silver inside.
Head upstairs past the wooden table to find an alcove hidden behind cabinets with additional boxes.
Wait for the theft meter (the red ring in the top-right corner) to fully deplete before leaving.
Unequip your mask before walking out. Wearing a mask in public raises suspicion.
A single bank robbery run yields roughly 30 to 55 silver from the ground floor boxes, with additional silver from the upstairs alcove. Altogether, you can expect at least 100 silver per complete run. The vault chests respawn after approximately seven in-game days, so mark this location for regular return visits.
Beyond converting gold bars to silver, the bank offers a passive investment system that generates income over time. To begin investing, you need to purchase a Personal Strongbox Permit for 100 silver from the bank teller. Once you have the permit, you can deposit gold bars or silver and select an investment strategy.
Strategy | Risk Level | Profit Range Per Cycle | Loss Potential | Recommended? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Low | 0 to 2% | None | Only for very large deposits |
Bold | Medium | 15 to 20% | Up to 15% | Yes (best risk/reward ratio) |
Aggressive | High | 50 to 55% | Up to 50% | Only with save scumming |
The bank calculates dividends on a timer that refreshes approximately every three in-game days. You can switch between investment strategies every 15 in-game days. The Bold (Medium Risk) strategy is the recommended default because it offers strong returns (15 to 20%) with manageable downside risk. The Conservative strategy produces such minimal returns (0 to 2%) that it is not worthwhile unless you have an enormous sum deposited.
Because dividend payouts are randomized each time you load a save, you can eliminate all downside risk on the Aggressive strategy by saving before the dividend cycle completes and reloading if you get a negative result. This effectively turns the High Risk tier into a guaranteed 50 to 55% return every three in-game days, making it by far the most profitable passive income method in the game.
Treasure Goblins (also called Treasure Trader Goblins) are random NPCs that wander the roads of Pywel carrying a large red treasure chest on their back. They are rare encounters, so keep your eyes open while traveling between locations.
Spot a goblin carrying a red chest while traveling on a road.
Draw your sword or approach aggressively. The goblin will panic and start running.
The goblin will drop the treasure chest as it flees.
Loot the chest. It contains a gold bar every time (worth 500 silver at the bank).
Treasure Goblins are particularly rare, so do not plan your farming strategy around them. Treat each encounter as a welcome bonus. If you spot one, try to get behind it and kick it to force the chest drop before the goblin gets too far away.
The Spire of Insight is located in the Steel Mountains in the southeastern region of Hernand, east of a small lake and the Eastern Goblin Camp. This location contains a loot respawning exploit that allows you to farm unlimited silver and trade goods. Note that this is likely a bug and may be patched in a future update, so take advantage of it while you can.
Travel to the Steel Mountains area southeast of Hernand.
Use the Blinding Light ability to burn through the thorn-covered vines blocking the entrance.
Place a pebble in the bowl on the front door to unlock it.
Enter the Spire and proceed to the raised platform inside.
From the raised platform, veer right.
Pick up the gravestone item sitting on the desk.
Place the gravestone item in the elevator mechanism.
As the elevator rises, jump off at the second level balcony.
The second floor contains multiple lootable containers: double dressers with six drawers, front left drawers (three containers), and right side cabinets (four containers). Loot every shelf, drawer, and container you can find. Here is the key: after looting one side of the room, the containers on the opposite side begin to respawn. Simply walk back and forth across the floor, and items will either respawn inside the containers or drop on the floor nearby. This creates an infinite farming loop.
Item | Description | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
Large pouches containing silver | Open for silver directly | |
Medium pouches containing silver | Open for silver or gift to vendors | |
Basic pouches with modest silver | Gift to vendors for trust | |
Keys | Used for locked doors and containers | Use for bank robberies and other heists |
Trade Goods (10+ varieties) | Unpackaged trade commodities | Sell at black market or package for 3 to 5x profit |
You have two options with copper pouches. The straightforward approach is to open them in your inventory for immediate silver. The alternative is to stockpile pouches and gift them to vendors to build trust through the NPC trust system. Even low-tier pouches like shabby or light copper pouches provide around +5 trust per gift, and you can give them repeatedly to the same NPC. Building vendor trust lowers item prices and eventually unlocks trade agreements and exclusive inventory. For maximum long-term value, gift pouches to vendors you buy from frequently.
The trade goods system is one of the most lucrative money-making methods in Crimson Desert once you understand how it works. Unpackaged trade goods can be acquired from the Spire of Insight, looted from enemies, gathered from camp resources, or purchased from trading posts.
Unpackaged trade goods can be sold to black market merchants. There are two key black market locations in the early-to-mid game:
Hernand Warehouse: Located north of Blummont Manor in Hernand. This is the closest option if you are farming the bank or the city.
Goldleaf Trading Post: Located northeast of the Greymane Camp. This trading post opens after defeating the Kailok the Hornsplitter boss fight.
For significantly higher returns, you can package your trade goods before selling them. Speak to Karl (the Provisions Keeper) at the Greymane Camp wagon and enter the Camp Provisions menu. Packaging costs 100 copper per item. You need a minimum of 25 units of a specific trade good to create a packaged bundle.
Once packaged, sell the bundles at the Goldleaf Guildhouse. Packaged trade goods sell for 3 to 5 times the investment cost, making this the highest profit margin activity in the game. The Goldleaf Guildhouse has specific items it buys and sells, along with value trends that fluctuate. Check the trading post menu to see current demand before loading up your wagon.
You can also convert camp resources into packaged trade goods by pressing P (L3 on controller) while at camp. Every 1,000 camp resources become an individual packed trade good. This is useful for turning excess resources you have been accumulating into direct silver income.
Trade Method | Profit Multiplier | Requirements | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
Sell unpackaged to black market | 1x (base value) | Access to a black market vendor | Low |
Package at camp, sell at Goldleaf | 3 to 5x | 25 units of one good, 100 copper per item, wagon | Medium |
Convert camp resources, then sell | Varies | 1,000 camp resources per unit | Low |
The combat system's disarm mechanic provides a steady source of free equipment to sell. When you successfully shield guard an enemy attack and trigger a clash, pressing R2 (or RT on Xbox) immediately after the clash will execute a disarm move. The enemy drops their weapon or a piece of gear, which you can pick up and sell at any vendor.
This works on most humanoid enemies throughout Pywel. Each disarmed piece of equipment sells for silver based on the enemy's level and gear tier. Higher-level enemies in later regions drop more valuable equipment, scaling with your progression.
Free refinement trick: If you disarm a piece of gear that matches a duplicate you already own (same item, same level), the duplicate can be used as free refinement material for upgrading. This means you can upgrade your own equipment without spending silver on materials, effectively doubling the value of each disarm since you save both the silver from selling and the silver you would have spent on refinement fodder.
To practice the disarm timing, find a group of low-level bandits outside Hernand and block their attacks with a shield. The clash window is fairly generous once you get the feel for it. Against tougher enemies, the disarm still works but the timing window is tighter.
Certain faction quests that involve liberating occupied locations offer a powerful exploit for farming unlimited loot. At locations like Fort Perwin and other enemy-held outposts, waves of enemies continuously spawn until you defeat the location's boss. The key detail is that enemies keep spawning even after the liberation progress bar reaches 0%.
This means you can deliberately avoid killing the boss and instead farm the respawning enemies indefinitely. Every enemy you defeat drops loot (weapons, armor, crafting materials, copper pouches, and trade goods), and since there is no cap on how many waves appear, you can stockpile as much loot as you want before finishing the quest.
How to do it: Start a faction quest at any occupied location. Clear enemies normally until the liberation bar hits 0%. At this point, the boss will appear, but do not engage the boss yet. Instead, stay near the spawn points and continue fighting the regular enemies that keep arriving. Collect all dropped loot. When you are ready to move on, defeat the boss to complete the liberation and the quest.
The loot from these runs can be sold at vendors (regular gear), fenced at black market merchants (stolen trade goods), or packaged at Greymane Camp for even higher returns. This method pairs well with the disarm mechanic, since you can disarm each enemy before finishing them off to maximize the gear you collect per wave.
Pickpocketing is a highly effective way to acquire gold bars without combat. It requires a mask and some practice with the theft mechanics, but the payoff can be enormous.
Before attempting a pickpocket, use the Blinding Light ability or your lantern to reveal silhouettes of items NPCs are carrying. This lets you identify which targets are worth robbing before you commit to the attempt. Different NPC types carry different items:
NPC Type | Common Items Carried | |
|---|---|---|
Nobles | Gold bars, silver pouches | |
Free Swords (Mercenaries) | Taverns, roads between cities | |
Merchants | Copper pouches, trade goods | Market squares, trading posts |
Commoners | Small copper pouches, keys | Everywhere |
Equip your mask and use Blinding Light or your lantern to scan nearby NPCs for valuable items.
Identify a target carrying a gold bar or other high-value item. Note which side of their body the item is on.
Build momentum by walking toward the target.
Brush into the NPC on the side where the item is visible.
A theft circle will appear. Escape the circle after successfully lifting the item.
Move away from the area quickly to avoid being caught.
Demeniss Wildlife Park is one of the best pickpocketing locations in the game. The park visitors dressed in bunny costumes often carry gold bars, pouches, and keys. Use your lantern to scan each visitor and identify which ones have gold bars. If you fail or do not find a gold bar carrier, you can reload a save and try again since NPC inventories refresh on save/load or fast travel.
NPC item inventories are randomized and refresh whenever you reload a save file or fast travel to a new location. This means you can repeatedly pickpocket the same high-value areas by saving, pickpocketing, fast traveling away, and returning. Nobles in Hernand are particularly good targets since the city has a high density of wealthy NPCs.
Crimson Desert features two card-based mini-games: Duo and Five-Card. Both are played in taverns scattered across the world, and they range from low-stakes beginner tables to high-stakes late-game venues. Combined with save scumming, gambling is one of the fastest ways to build wealth.
Create a manual save before sitting down at a gambling table.
Join the game and go all-in on the first round. The AI opponents are reckless early and will frequently call your maximum bet even with weak hands.
If you win, leave the table, save your game, and repeat.
If you lose, reload your manual save and try again.
This method works because the AI opponents routinely dump their entire stack into the pot on the first turn, creating massive pots you can win with a strong hand. Using the complete method (selling a gold bar plus card game save scumming), you can go from zero to roughly 2,000 silver in about 20 to 30 minutes.
After playing enough matches, one of your opponents will occasionally display a blue outline. Observing this outlined opponent three times unlocks the Cheat ability for Kliff. Once unlocked, cheating gives you a significant edge at the table and reduces your reliance on save scumming. Higher-stakes tables become available as you progress through the story, offering even larger pots.
Details | |
|---|---|
Always save first | Create a manual save before every gambling session |
Go all-in early | AI opponents call aggressively in the opening rounds |
Target high-stakes tables | Later tables have much larger pots |
Unlock the Cheat ability | Watch for the blue-outlined opponent three times |
Leave after winning big | Save immediately after a large win to lock in your profits |
After unlocking the Greymane Camp in Chapter 4, you gain access to a diamond mining cave. The cave is located south of Serkis Estate (your player house) and contains multiple diamond veins that you can mine with a pickaxe.
Each diamond is worth 2.28 silver, so this is not the fastest farming method, but the veins respawn every couple of in-game days with zero risk. Think of diamond farming as a supplementary income source you visit whenever you happen to be in the area, rather than a primary farming strategy.
Beyond finding gold bars in the world, you can craft them from raw materials. To unlock gold ore vein locations, defeat the Marni Excavator boss in Karin Quarry (north of Rocca's Hill in the Hernand region). The boss drops a Gold Vein Map that reveals 10 caves with gold ore deposits.
Recipe | Materials Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Gold Bar (Ore Route) | 100x Gold Ore | Resource-intensive; not recommended |
3x Brimstone, 3x Mercury, 10x Silver Ore | More efficient; Silver Ore is abundant | |
3x Gold Ore, 1x Golden Apple | Low material cost but Golden Apples are rare |
The alchemy route using Brimstone, Mercury, and Silver Ore is generally the most practical crafting option. Brimstone is gathered from Brimstone Springs, Mercury from Silver Wolf Mountain and Hexe Sanctuary. Silver Ore is found throughout the world and is by far the easiest ingredient to stockpile.
Consider unlocking the Force Current ability (located below Force Palm in Kliff's skill tree) to speed up ore gathering. This ability lets you channel energy through your grapple to blow up ore deposits instantly instead of mining them with a pickaxe.
There is a way to craft Gold Bars for free, bypassing the 500 silver cost of buying them at the bank entirely. At the top floor of the Spire of Insight, you can find the Alchemy Recipe: Gold Bar on a bookshelf. Once you have this recipe, you can craft Gold Bars at any witch NPC using the required ingredients instead of purchasing them.
This is a game-changing discovery for silver farming. Rather than spending 500 silver per bar, you spend only the cost of gathering materials. Since the alchemy ingredients (Brimstone, Mercury, and Silver Ore) are all farmable in the open world, this recipe effectively turns free materials into unlimited gold bars. Each bar can then be deposited into the bank for investment returns, creating a self-sustaining income loop.
To reach the recipe, you need to solve all the Spire's riddle puzzles (see the Spire of Insight article for the full walkthrough). The recipe is found alongside a Crafting Manual for two-handed weapons, making the climb well worth the effort.
Stealing wagons and carts is a supplementary income source that you can do whenever you spot an unattended wagon. Wagons are most commonly found near trading posts like the Royal Trading Post in Hernand and the Goldleaf Guildhouse.
To sell a stolen wagon, drive it to a Wagon Fence. The earliest Wagon Fence is located east of Hernand along the Nas River, following the road south from Halssius Apothecary. Simply park the stolen wagon at the entrance and a cutscene will play where the sale takes place. Different wagon types have different values, so prioritize larger and more ornate wagons when possible.
Stolen items cannot be sold at regular merchants. Instead, you need to find specialized fences and black market vendors.
Fence Type | Location | What They Buy |
|---|---|---|
Back Alley Vendor (Grimrack) | Southeast Hernand, near the river | General stolen items, masks, keys |
Warehouse north of Blummont Manor, Hernand | Unpackaged trade goods | |
Northeast of Greymane Camp | Unpackaged trade goods | |
Livestock Fence (Edmond) | West of Muckroot Ranch | Stolen livestock |
Hernand Wagon Fence | East of Hernand along the Nas River | Stolen wagons and carts |
The order in which you pursue these methods matters. Recommended progression for building wealth efficiently throughout the game.
Get a mask from Blood Bandits or Grimrack as soon as you arrive in Hernand.
Grab the Lion Crest Manor gold bar. Convert it at the bank for 500 silver, or invest it immediately.
Rob the Hernand Bank during the evening for an additional 100+ silver.
Pick up gambling at taverns. Save scum for easy silver between missions.
Pickpocket nobles in Hernand whenever you pass through the city.
Unlock the Spire of Insight and begin the infinite loot farming exploit.
Set up bank investments. Buy a Personal Strongbox Permit and deposit gold bars on the Bold (Medium Risk) strategy.
Start packaging trade goods at Greymane Camp and selling at the Goldleaf Guildhouse for 3 to 5x returns.
Visit the diamond cave near Greymane Camp whenever you are in the area.
Farm the Demeniss Wildlife Park for gold bars via pickpocketing.
Use the disarm mechanic (shield guard > R2 after clash) on humanoid enemies to collect free gear for selling or refinement.
Farm occupied faction quest locations (like Fort Perwin) before defeating the boss for unlimited loot waves.
Switch bank investments to Aggressive and save scum dividends for 50 to 55% guaranteed returns.
Target high-stakes gambling tables that unlock in later regions for massive silver pots.
Craft gold bars from gold ore and alchemy materials for additional bank deposits.
Defeat the Marni Excavator in Karin Quarry for the Gold Vein Map revealing 10 gold ore caves.
Steal high-value wagons near endgame trading posts for supplementary income.
Climb the Spire of Insight to find the Alchemy Recipe: Gold Bar. Once obtained, craft gold bars for free at any witch NPC using Brimstone, Mercury, and Silver Ore instead of buying them at the bank for 500 silver.
In addition to the Lion Crest Manor and bank-robbing loops, the Golden Apple Hedgehog farm near Tinkerton produces a steady flow of Gold Bars that cash in at a higher rate than almost any other method. The farming spot is the bottom-right corner of the middle field directly above Tinkerton, between Deinis and Hernand. A slanted water tank at the corner is the landmark, and a cluster of three bushes at that corner spawns up to 20 animals at a time.
Equip a Mask to avoid reputation loss when picking up stolen apples. Back-alley vendors in Hernand sell them.
Walk through the cluster of three bushes to trigger the spawn. Shoot the Golden Apple Hedgehog variant and pick up the dropped Golden Apple. A red ring during the pickup warns that it counts as theft.
Sprint roughly 10 feet away from the bushes, then return. Every animal in the cluster respawns instantly.
Craft Gold Bars with the Alchemy Formula: Gold Bar at any Witch vendor. Each bar needs 1 Golden Apple + 3 Gold Ore.
Regular NPC vendors pay only 190 silver per gold bar. Any Bank in any town pays 500 silver per bar, or you can invest the bars through the bank for passive returns. Always cash gold bars in at a bank, never at a shop.
Middle of the day produces the most hedgehog spawns, though the golden variant can appear at night as well.
The spawn table also includes frogs, porcupines, raccoons, chickens, turkeys, spiders, and centipedes. The more hedgehogs in a spawn, the higher the chance of a golden variant.
A bonus-yield Pickaxe on your mining runs keeps gold ore available so the crafting step does not throttle the farm.
The spot is reliably accessible around Chapter 10 progression.
Never sell gold bars to vendors. Always convert at the bank for 500 silver instead of the 190 silver vendors offer. That 310 silver difference adds up fast.
Always unequip your mask after stealing. Walking around Hernand with a mask equipped raises NPC suspicion and can trigger guards.
Save before every high-risk activity. Whether it is gambling, picking a fight with a treasure goblin, or attempting a risky pickpocket, a quick manual save protects your progress.
Gift copper pouches to vendors you buy from often. Building NPC trust lowers shop prices over time, which saves silver on every future purchase.
Check the Goldleaf Guildhouse demand trends. Trade good prices fluctuate. Selling when demand is high can significantly increase your profit margin on packaged goods.
Greet merchants daily. Each greeting gives +5 trust, and it takes about 20 daily greetings to max out a merchant's trust level. This costs nothing and stacks with pouch gifts.
Rob the bank on a schedule. The vault respawns every seven in-game days. Set a mental timer and revisit Hernand regularly.
Use Force Current for mining. Unlocking this skill lets you blow up ore deposits instantly instead of slowly mining them with a pickaxe.
Use coin purses from your inventory, do not sell them. Coin purses (Bulging Copper Pouches, Decent Copper Pouches, Small Copper Pouches, and similar items) must be opened via the "Use" option in your inventory to claim the silver inside. Selling them to a vendor gives you far less silver than the amount they contain. If you have accumulated many pouches, use the "Use All" option to open them all at once instead of clicking each one individually.
Disarm enemies for free gear to sell. Shield guard into a clash, then press R2/RT to knock weapons out of enemies' hands. The dropped gear sells for silver and same-level duplicates work as free refinement material.
Farm faction quest locations before killing the boss. At occupied locations like Fort Perwin, enemies respawn indefinitely until the boss is defeated. Delay the boss kill to farm unlimited waves of enemies and sell their loot.
Bank (full guide to the Hernand banking system)
Trade Goods (complete list of all trade goods and their values)
Black Market (fence locations and stolen item pricing)
Pickpocketing (detailed mechanics and skill upgrades)
Spire of Insight (full puzzle walkthrough and exploration guide)
Lion Crest Manor (location details and all loot)
Greymane Camp (camp upgrades, provisions, and Karl's workshop)
NPC Trust System (how trust works, gifts, and vendor discounts)
Tips and Tricks (general gameplay advice for new players)
Mounts (faster travel for reaching farming locations)
