Resource Farming Efficiency Calculator
Measure how many resources you collect per hour in any game. Use it to compare farming spots, optimize grinding routes, and maximize your in-game economy.
About this calculator
Farming efficiency quantifies how productive your resource-gathering session was by expressing output as a rate per hour. The formula is: efficiency = resourcesGathered / (timeSpent / 60). Dividing timeSpent (in minutes) by 60 converts it to hours, and dividing resources gathered by that figure gives resources per hour. This standardized rate makes it easy to compare different farming methods regardless of how long each session lasted. A higher efficiency score means more resources collected in the same time period. Use this metric to A/B test farming locations, group compositions, or ability rotations. It applies universally to any game with resource collection — gold per hour in WoW, ore per hour in Runescape, or materials per hour in survival crafting games.
How to use
You farmed 450 ore in 35 minutes at Location A. Step 1: Convert time to hours — 35 / 60 ≈ 0.583 hours. Step 2: Divide resources by hours — 450 / 0.583 ≈ 771.6 resources per hour. Now you test Location B and gather 300 ore in 20 minutes — 300 / (20/60) = 900 resources per hour. Location B is more efficient despite yielding fewer absolute resources, because the shorter session produces a higher hourly rate.
Frequently asked questions
How can I use farming efficiency to optimize my grinding route in an MMO?
Run timed tests at each candidate farming location for a fixed period (e.g., 15 minutes) and record resources gathered. Enter both numbers into this calculator to get a standardized resources-per-hour rate. Compare rates across locations, then factor in secondary considerations like travel time between nodes, respawn rates, and competition from other players. Repeating the test at different times of day also accounts for server population affecting resource availability. Over time, you build a data-driven picture of the best route for your playstyle.
What factors can reduce resource farming efficiency beyond just gathering speed?
Several factors cut into real-world efficiency that the formula doesn't automatically capture. Inventory management — stopping to bank or sell — eats into active farming time. Mob respawn timers may force you to wait or move between nodes. Player competition on popular servers reduces resources available per visit. Death and respawn time in dangerous areas adds significant downtime. For the most honest efficiency measurement, include all these interruptions in your timeSpent value rather than only counting active gathering seconds.
How does resource farming efficiency translate to in-game currency per hour?
Once you know your resources-per-hour rate, multiply it by the current market price of that resource to get gold (or equivalent currency) per hour. For example, 800 ore per hour at 5 gold each equals 4,000 gold per hour. This combined metric — often called GPH or gold per hour — is the ultimate measure of farming profitability. Track market prices regularly because player supply and demand shift them constantly, meaning the most efficient farming spot isn't always the most profitable one.