Core Island Rules
Never craft/refine blindly on islands
Cities usually offer stronger return rates or bonuses. Use islands only when there is a specific reason.
Match city to your loop
Use city bonus, transport convenience, and market access to choose crops, herbs, animals, or laborers.
Control input costs
Use buy orders for seeds, animals, food, and materials where possible. Input control matters more than headline sell price.
Personal vs Guild Island
| Farming plots | Personal islands are the practical home for farms, herbs, and pastures. |
|---|---|
| Building plots | Guild islands support larger building layouts and group infrastructure. |
| Laborer support | Both can support laborers, but guild halls scale laborer operations more aggressively. |
| Guild hall support | Guild islands are stronger for hall-based laborer setups. |
| Best use case | Personal for farming; guild for laborer halls; hybrid when you want both. |
| Setup cost | Personal is easier to start; guild setups can scale higher but cost more. |
| Scaling potential | Personal islands scale by alts/characters; guild islands scale by buildings and halls. |
Focus Cost Math
Focus is a limited daily resource. Spending it only makes sense when the extra silver it creates beats another activity like refining, cooking, or breeding.
Profit with Focus
Harvest Value + Expected Seed Return Value - Input Cost
Silver per Focus
Extra Profit From Focus / Focus Spent
If silver-per-focus is low, save focus for another activity. Thresholds are examples, not universal truth, because prices shift by server, season, and city.
Farming Roadmap
Do not overcommit focus early. Plant the highest practical tier, use buy orders, and accept some seed losses while leveling.
Pick one city-matched crop or animal. Track seed return and silver-per-focus.
Specialize deeply, expand only when profitable, and prioritize the best silver-per-focus products.
City Templates
These are planning templates. They are useful for thinking about island layouts, not fixed profit guarantees or verified bonus tables.
Martlock
A steady template for players who want simple crop and pasture planning close to common Royal routes.
- Buy seeds and baby animals with orders
- Use focus only on the strongest return
- Sell or process outputs after checking city prices
| Crop rotation | 3 plots | Estimated 35k-70k |
|---|---|---|
| Pasture loop | 2 plots | Estimated 40k-90k |
| Total estimate | Daily template | Estimated 75k-160k/day |
Estimates vary by server, season, and market conditions. Always check current in-game city bonuses and markets before investing.
Laborer & Journal Matrix
| Cropper | Cropper Journal | Fill through fiber gathering; returns raw fiber. |
|---|---|---|
| Lumberjack | Woodcutter Journal | Fill through wood gathering; returns logs. |
| Gamekeeper | Gamekeeper Journal | Fill through hide gathering; returns hide. |
| Prospector | Prospector Journal | Fill through ore gathering; returns ore. |
| Stonecutter | Stonecutter Journal | Fill through stone gathering; returns stone. |
| Mercenary | Mercenary Journal | Fill through combat; returns silver bags. |
- Buy empty journals.
- Equip the matching gathering tool.
- Gather until journals fill.
- Return to island and hand journals to laborers.
- Wait 22 hours and collect output.
Silver-Per-Focus Snapshot
Estimated planning values only. No market value here is guaranteed.
| Max silver, risk OK | Use city timing, transport discipline, and flexible plots. |
|---|---|
| Beginner-friendly | Use crop loops and personal islands. |
| Consistent income | Combine laborer journals with a narrow farming loop. |
| Food chain focus | Compare farming focus against cooking focus. |
| Mount breeding | Track feed and focus cost before scaling. |
| Multiple characters | Use personal islands to expand plots only when the loop is proven. |
| Livestock/dairy | Watch feed costs and local demand carefully. |
Ready to plan your island operation?
Use AlbionCrafter's Refining Calculator and crafting tools to understand how your island output connects to materials, refining, and market decisions.
More Guides
Island / Passive IncomeIsland Laborers Guide
The laborer loop referenced throughout these city templates, covered in full: house setup, laborer types, and the 22-hour turnaround.
Island / BreedingHorse Breeder 0-100
Pairs well with a pasture-focused layout - the full Spec 0-to-100 Horse Breeder roadmap with its own focus-cost table.