Farming Simulator 17 allows console and PC gamers to manage all activities of a farm. Running a farm costs money, though. This guide tells you how to endlessly generate money with no extra effort, so you can concentrate on the tasks you want and buy all the best equipment without ever going broke.
Before we begin
Note that this strategy involves leaving your Xbox One or other console of choice on for several hours at a time while you build up your fortune. You'll want to use a wired controller (such as the Hori Pad Pro) or plug a wireless one into the console to prevent the controller from powering off and interrupting the game. Don't worry, the effort (and electricity) will pay off!
You'll also need to make sure your console or PC doesn't automatically power off while idling. On Xbox One:
- Double tap the Home/Xbox button to access the guide menu.
- Go to the Settings icon near the bottom.
- Select All settings.
- Head to Power & startup.
- Select Power mode & startup.
- Change the turn off after setting to Don't turn off automatically.
This method works with either a new save or an existing one, and it can be done on any difficulty. We'll start from scratch on Easy difficulty on the Goldcrest Valley map and go from there. You can turn DLC vehicles on or off, but having them off to start with is better.
Selling starting equipment
Our goal is to produce structures that create money on their own and then let the game idle over time while the money comes pouring in. The big impediment to doing that in Farming Simulator 17 is that some vehicles and equipment have upkeep costs. We'll have to ditch that stuff.
After starting your new save:
- Press the Shop button (View/Back on Xbox One) to launch the shop.
- Press the Garage button (Y on Xbox One) to view the equipment you own.
- Identify each machine that costs 100 or more currency per day in upkeep. This cost is indicated by a green money symbol in the equipment description.
- Select each of these high-upkeep items and choose to sell it.
- Equipment to sell on Easy difficulty: New Holland 8340, Case 1455 XL (2), Case 1660 Axial-Flow, and Case 1030 14FT
Equipment sells for only 23 percent of its original value, so you're losing money by selling off the starting equipment. But don't worry – you'll make it back tenfold in just a few days of real-time.
Borrowing more money
Before we can start making money, we still need a larger nest egg. We'll take out a bigger loan and pay it back once we're comfortably wealthy.
- Press the menu button (Menu/Start on Xbox One).
- Access the Finances tab (Change tabs with the bumper buttons on Xbox One).
- Select Borrow 5,000 and borrow the maximum amount of money. You should now have 250,000 in the bank.
With our nest egg secured, it's time to invest in a couple of solar collectors , also known as solar panels. These generate 110 money per hour with no supervision and minimal maintenance costs. That's down from 380 per hour in Farming Simulator 15, but it still works for our purposes.
Investing in solar panels
To buy solar collectors:
- Press the Shop button (View/Back on Xbox One) to launch the shop.
- With the default Category sorting, head all the way to the right to Placeables.
- Select solar collector and place it nearby, preferably where it won't get in the way of your vehicles.
- Place a second solar collector as close as possible to the first. That's 250,000 spent.
Now that we have our Solar collectors ready, it's time to speed up their money generation.
- Press the menu button (Menu/Start on Xbox One).
- Access the Game Settings tab (Change tabs with the bumper buttons on Xbox One).
- Change Timescale to 120x.
- Make sure plant withering is off. All other settings can stay at default on Easy difficulty.
- Save the game (X button on Xbox One) and leave the menu screens.
At 120x, every 30 seconds of real-time equate to one in-game hour. One minute equals two game hours. With daily maintenance costs factored in, each solar collector generates 298 money per minute at this speed. With two of them, you're raking in 596 per minute and 35,760 per hour of real time.
Our eventual goal is to buy eight solar collectors before graduating to more expensive equipment. You just need to leave the game running and amassing money until you accumulate enough money for each subsequent solar collector. You can work on Achievements while you wait, or just leave the game running while doing something else entirely. Be sure to let the game run while you sleep. And very importantly, remember to save periodically!
Here's how long it will take to earn 125,000 money as you buy more collectors:
- Two solar collectors: 3.5 hours
- Three solar collectors: 2 hours, 20 minutes
- Four solar collectors: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Five solar collectors: 1 hour, 25 minutes
- Six solar collectors: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Seven solar collectors: 1 hour
- Eight solar collectors: 53 minutes
Winning with windmills
Our next goal is to buy a wind energy generator, also known as a windmill. These cost 1,200,000 money and generate 1500 per hour, down from 4,000 per hour in Farming Simulator 15. With daily maintenance costs factored in, a wind energy collector produces 2996 per minute and 179,760 per hour of real-time. Add in the solar panels and you're making 322,800 every real-time hour.
With eight solar panels, it will take 8 hours and 24 minutes to save up 1,200,000 money for your first wind energy converter. Given the long wait, it's a good idea to let the game run overnight at this point. During this time, you should earn the ' In for the Long Haul' and ' Peak Profits' Achievements.
Once you have 1,200,000 saved up:
- Press the Shop button (View/Back on Xbox One) to launch the shop.
- With the default Category sorting, head all the way to the right to Placeables.
- Select wind energy converter and place it near your solar panels.
How many wind energy converters to buy is up to you. I like having an arsenal of them. That way, when you turn the in-game time back to normal, you'll still have a constant flow of easy income.
Here's how long it will take to earn 1,200,000 as you buy more wind energy converters:
- One wind energy converter, eight solar panels: 3 hours, 44 minutes
- Two wind energy converters, eight solar panels: 2 hours, 24 minutes
- Three wind energy converters, eight solar panels: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Four wind energy converters, eight solar panels: 1 hour, 24 minutes
- Five wind energy converters, eight solar panels: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Six wind energy converters, eight solar panels: 59 minutes
- Seven wind energy converters, eight solar panels: 52 minutes
- Eight wind energy converters, eight solar panels: 46 minutes
Once you start amassing wind energy collectors, the wait between millions shrinks exponentially. Return time to normal and start playing whenever you're ready. You can now buy all the equipment you want, regardless of maintenance costs. You should also pay back your loan (use the Repay option from the Finances menu) to get the ' Financial Independence' Achievement.
Congratulations, you're a wealthy farmer
Wind and solar power sure pay off in Farming Simulator 17. By following our guide, you can be a millionaire in as fast as three days of real time. With financial independence, you're free to build your farming empire and focus on your favorite activities. If only it were so easy in real life!
