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Playing Vinesweeper Alone or in a Group Tradeoffs in Choosing Vinesweeper Rewards

Vinesweeper is perfectly suited for occupying the time while you wait for your crops to grow, for four reasons. First, Vinesweeper can be done during the many waiting periods that occur in Farming. Second, you get there using the leprechauns at Farming patches, as I described earlier in the guide. Third, you don’t need special gear to play, and in fact, most people will want to play while wearing the same sort of weight reducing gear they use for Farming runs. And finally, you don’t need a lot of inventory space for the game itself, so this leaves room for seeds, Farming tools and items you collect from your patches.

Here are a few ways you can take advantage of these handy facts in order to integrate Vinesweeper into several Farming routines.

There are four primary Farming locations in the game, each of which has an herb patch, a flower patch and two patches for fruit or vegetable seeds. There’s also a fifth herb patch in Trollheim that you gain access to upon completing My Arm’s Big Adventure. Many players use these areas as their primary way of Farming, including myself; I usually do just herbs and flower seeds, because I am not in a hurry to raise the skill, and this is an excellent way to make money or get herbs and secondary ingredients for Herblore.

A regular farming run involves withdrawing farming tools and seeds, and then going to each of the four patches (plus the fifth if possible), and harvesting and replanting herbs and flowers. Vinesweeper can easily be integrated into this routine. Start by bringing some extra seeds; then, after you’ve rotated all of your crops, just use the leprechaun at the last patch to access the game (Figure 329). Play for around 90 minutes (or until you want to log out). When enough time has elapsed for your new crops to be done, exit the portal and do another farming run, this time starting at the patch where you are standing. You can do this as many times as you like.

For example, in a typical run I will start at Trollheim, and then go to the patches at Port Phasmatys, Ardougne, Falador and then Catherby. I would bring extra seeds and do the patches in that order. After harvesting and replanting in Catherby, I would play Vinesweeper for a while. Then I’d exit the portal and do a new run starting in Catherby, and ending at one of the other patches (not Trollheim—you can’t get to Vinesweeper from there!)

If you don’t want to do a lot of running from patch to patch, Vinesweeper can help you get the most of a single allotment/herb patch, by allowing you to rotate crops more easily when they take different amounts of time to mature. For example, suppose you plant an herb seed, a limpwurt seed and some sweetcorn. The herbs will take 75 minutes, and the sweetcorn 55 minutes, but the flowers less than 20. Most people don’t want to keep going back to replant limpwurt seeds every 20 minutes if they’re doing something else, but with Vinesweeper, you’re just a portal away… so it’s easy.

The most convenient place to do this is the Farming area in Catherby (because it is close to a bank, Farming shop, and a sink to refill your watering can). Start by harvesting and replanting your herbs, flowers and allotment patches, and then play Vinesweeper. After around 20 minutes, exit the game and replant flowers; then go play some more. Do this again after 20 more minutes (40 minutes from when you started). After a third 20 minute interval, replant flowers again, and check the sweetcorn to see if it’s done. If so, harvest and replant it as well. After a fourth 20 minute period the herbs should be done too, and you can replant those.

The obvious benefit of this: much more Farming XP and more harvests. Assuming no diseases, you can get 12 limpwurt roots in the time your herbs take to grow, instead of just three. The only real drawback is that each time you re-enter the farm, you have to get flags and ogleroots again.

Another area of Farming that involves its usual “hurry up and wait” routine is harvesting produce from trees. You can access Vinesweeper from a patch where there’s a plant you want to keep picking. After you play for a while, exit the portal and pick some more, continuing until your inventory is full; then bank and repeat the process.

The most obvious example of where this works well is picking fruit like coconuts or papayas from fruit trees. However, also consider these ideas: picking cactus spines from the cactus in Al-Kharid; harvesting berries from a berry patch; and even cutting willow branches from a planted willow tree.

Most farmers know how useful the Amulet of Nature and Amulet of Farming are, but when you are playing Vinesweeper they are even more important. If you are planting in the patch you use to access the game, I recommend having an amulet bound to that patch. This way, not only will you know if you need to go deal with a disease problem, but you’ll also get a reminder when it is time to exit the portal and replant your crops.

Playing Vinesweeper Alone or in a Group Tradeoffs in Choosing Vinesweeper Rewards