Farming

'Farming' is the term used to describe the actions undertaken by a player with the goal being the acquisition of gold. It is most commonly used to describe a hero that is killing jungle or lane creeps, however the role of a ganker can be described as 'Farming heroes' as that is their main form of gold gain. Farming is most often done by core heroes, in particular carries such as Anti-Mage or Medusa who have 'farming mechanisms' to aid them (Anti-Mage has blink to manoeuvre around the map and Medusa has Split Shot to quickly kill multiple creeps). However, some supports also have abilities that allow them to farm creeps, for example Crystal Maiden or Witch Doctor with Frostbite and Paralysing Cask respectively. Often in the earlier phases of the game, an effective jungling ability is needed to sustainably kill jungle creeps, for example Lifestealer's Feast or Enigma's Demonic Conversion, but when laning, no specific criteria is needed for a hero to effectively farm lane creeps. The same mostly applies in the late-game to jungling also, meaning cores can often sustainably kill jungle creeps as they have high enough health regeneration and health.

There are several aspects of farming that can be considered not only by the person doing it but also by their opponents or their allies;

Core players will often use farming patterns to allow them to farm areas of the map efficiently. Consider loosely using one of these as a core, and consider keeping track of the enemy core's movements for successful ganks.

Consider whether you or anyone on your team should buy a 'farming item'. These items allow a hero to more effectively farm creeps if their skillset does not allow them to do so quickly enough to stay relevant in the game. Often these items may slightly hinder the effectiveness of the hero earlier in the game, so be mindful of that. If you are the carry, be sure to play more passively if you go for a farming item that potentially hinders your power. If you are against a player that opts for a farming item, take it as a queue to be more aggressive, as with that item they will be able to gain an advantage later on, you just have to try and delay them enough to win the game or counter their hero in some way. Examples of farming items would be:

Battle Fury

Mjollnir

Hand of Midas

Mask of Madness

Manta Style