A Guide To Getting Started In Farming Simulator 22

A Guide To Getting Started In Farming Simulator 22

Farming Simulator 22 marks the return of a perennial internet favourite. It’s a deep and satisfying simulation of rural life, a game that rewards an eye for detail and an engineer’s feel for efficiencies. It’s also the buggiest series this side of Cyberpunk 2077 and, in a bit of an about-face from the rest of the industry, no one seems to mind. FS22‘s bugs are accepted part of its charm.

This piece originally ran on Kotaku Australia on December 1, 2021. It has been republished as a weekend read.

But its primary goal of being a deep farming and harvesting simulator means it is a game full of complex systems. These can be a lot for new players to get their heads around. Don’t worry, Kotaku AU has your back. We’ve rounded up the six best tips and tricks for getting your farm off to a roaring start.

1. Farming Simulator Academy

First things first: familiarise yourself with developer Giants’ massive online guide, the Farming Simulator Academy. This huge web resource covers literally every aspect of the game, from system setup to machines, animal husbandry, and forestry. It’s being updated with new FS22 material all the time, so check back often if what you’re looking for hasn’t been uploaded yet.

2. Farming For Dummies

Let’s start with the basics. You’ll need to decide what kind of farmer you’re going to be. You have three schools of Farmomancy to choose from — Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Forestry. Of the three, Agriculture is considered the standard mode and therefore the best choice for new players.

Choosing Agriculture in New Farmer Mode will give you a wide array of activities to complete and some machinery to get you started. This is so that you get to try a little bit of everything, and can then focus on the things that appeal most.

3. Familiarise yourself with the machinery

There’s a list of machinery you’ll need to familiarise yourself with if you want to be a successful farmer. If you’re playing in New Farmer Mode, most of these will be provided for you at the beginning of the game. If you aren’t, or you’ve decided to start from scratch, you’ll need to purchase these machines as you level up

  • Tractor: Your workhorse, your muscle. You’ll likely upgrade your tractor several times over the course of any Farming Simulator 22 playthrough. You’ll need more power as your farm grows and your crop yields increase.
  • Cultivator: This will help you turn over your fields, tilling the soil in preparation for seed sowing.
  • Seeding Machine: Exactly what it says on the tin. Once you’ve run the cultivator over your field, you can run the seeding machine to sow your crops and fill them with seeds.
  • Weeder: Weeds are going to grow in your fields. Use the weeder to get rid of them. Doing so helps you avoid a yield penalty.
  • Fertiliser Spreader: This will help you fertilise and lime your soil. Be aware of the type of fertiliser spreader you have, as not every model is compatible with lime.
  • Harvester: When it’s time to harvest your fields, this is the machine you’ll need. Harvesters can be equipped with different headers so make sure you’ve attached the correct one for the field you wish to harvest before setting out. The grain header is extremely versatile and will be a great one to start with.
  • Trailer: You’ll need one of these to transport your harvested crops to stores for sale.

4. No two crops are the same

There are numerous crops in Farming Simulator 22, all with different growth requirements, all with different tiers of profitability. Are you focused on grains, orchards, vineyards or root crops? What about flowers? Cotton, if you’re feeling brave? Your job then becomes a cost-benefit analysis. What’s going to make you the most money versus the amount of work required to turn the crop over? Use your Crop Calendar, consider the time of year, and how long it will take for each crop to be ready for harvest. Get the right combination of fields lined up and you’ll be making serious money before you know it. The more you make, the more you can put back into your farm. The more you put back into your farm, the more crops you can grow, and so on.

You get the picture. In the early game, crop science is everything. Use the profitability guide on the Farming Simulator 22 website as much as you can and build your fortune.

5. Build-A-Farm Workshop

The Build Mode menu will let you construct new buildings for your farm. Which buildings you choose are as important as where you place them. An effective, efficient farm will have buildings placed in ways that provide the best access to the relevant crops. But that’s not all you can do in Build Mode. You can also make adjustments to the terrain around your farm. If you’re unhappy with the shape of the landscape near you barns or workshops, you can use the terrain tools to change it. To make it easier, Farming Simulator 22 gives you a terrain guide to help you smooth out rough edges, or flatten the ground level. This process isn’t cheap, so make sure you’re cashed up beforehand.

6. Enjoy the chaos

It’s possible to approach Farming Simulator 22 with a deadly seriousness, but we don’t recommend it. Part of the true FS experience is encountering the game’s multitude of bizarre bugs. They crop up everywhere, and always, somehow, when you least expect them. The physics engine might decide your forklift isn’t powerful enough to pick up a pallet of strawberries, causing the forklift to ever-so-gently somersault over the pallet. Your tractor might be run off the road by a rural driver that gives no shits about the five tons of wheat you’re dragging down to the local. Maybe your farmer will merge with the harvester, leaving them more machine now than man, twisted and evil.

You have to embrace the bugs. You have to learn to love them, or you’ll go insane. Thankfully, the vast majority of Farming Simulator 22 bugs are of the hilarious and benign variety. You’ll see what we mean.

And there you have it, our short guide for getting started in Farming Simulator 22. What do you wish you know when you were starting out? Are there any other technical sims you’re playing right now? Lets discuss in the comments below.


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