Herbalism is an optional mission in Faster, Baby!.
Overview[]
MJ's interested in getting his grow operation going again. Go see what he has in mind.
Narrative[]
In the battle with the Sinclair Parish Sheriff's Department and the Southern Union at the De Costa Family Farm, M.J.'s grow operation is left in ruins. He decides to relocate to Laveau's Compound in Bayou Fantom and asks Lincoln to assist him in getting it up and running. They start off small, planting a batch of Ditch Weed to get things going.
Once they've made enough profit from that strain, they begin to branch out, acquiring newer and more potent strains to add to their venture. Before long they have the grow house fully upgraded and have created new hybrid strains of cannabis to offer their clients. They begin selling throughout New Bordeaux, making a tidy profit for themselves.
Basic Strains[]
| Plant Name | Flavor | THC | CBD | Growth Rate | Fragility | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ditch Weed | Bland | 10 | 20 | Very Fast | Very Strong | Low |
| Ruderalis | Bland | 10 | 40 | Average | Strong | Low |
| Indica | Bland | 25 | 20 | Very Slow | Fragile | Average |
| Sativa | Bland | 30 | 60 | Very Slow | Very Fragile | Average |
Hybrid Strains[]
The lab tab of the menu becomes available at level 2, allowing hybridization of your basic strains. Hybrid strains are created by first combining a basic strain with one of eight seeds, then naming the new strain and planting it. Once mature, the crop can be harvested and sold. That hybrid can then be crossed with yet another seed to further refine the strain. The qualities that can be changed are THC, CBD, growth rate, fragility, and yield. Each basic strain has a set level on how far each quality can be raised. Once they're maximized there will be no benefit from further hybridizing, aside from changing the flavor. You can create an unlimited number of custom strains, but you can only store ten of them; once the limit is reached you will have to trash one or more to create new ones.
Seeds[]
Seeds can be mixed with existing strains to create new, more potent weed crops.
- Tranquillum: Increases yield. (available at level 2)
- Viride: Increases growth rate. (available at level 2)
- Mollis: Increases strength. (available at level 2)
- Uiri: Increases THC. (available at level 2)
- Lunae: Increases CBD. (available at level 2)
- Aestus: Increases all qualities and changes the flavor of the strain. (available at level 3)
- Petram: Increases growth rate, strength, and yield. (available at level 4)
- Sanitatum: Increases THC and CBD and changes the flavor of the strain. (available at level 4)
Flavors[]
All basic strains begin bland, and both Ditch Weed and Ruderalis have no additional flavor options. The flavor of the Indica and Sativa strains can be changed by combining them with either the Aestus or Sanitatum seed, and the resulting flavor profile will be randomly generated. If you do not achieve the desired flavor, you can simply trash the strain and try again. Once a flavor is introduced into the strain it cannot be returned to bland, only another flavor. The obtainable flavors for each strain include:
- Indica: Earthy, fruity, and pine.
- Sativa: Floral, spicy, and sweet.
Growth Progression[]
There are four stages of growth progression. From initial planting until 50% growth is the seedling stage. From 51-75% growth is the young stage, followed by the flowering stage which ranges from 76-100% growth. Once your crop is fully grown and achieves full maturity, it's ready for harvest. You can check the progress of your current crop by entering the pause menu and placing your pointer on the Herbalism map icon.
Fertilizing[]
Beginning at Herbalism level 2 you may start adding fertilizer to your crops when they reach the required level of maturity. Once fertilized, your current crop will immediately complete its growth cycle and be ready to harvest. For level 2, the crop must be at the flowering stage, or at least 76% growth. With level 3 you may add the fertilizer at the young stage, or 51% growth.
Harvesting and Selling[]
Once your crop has reached maturity you can harvest and sell it. When you enter the selling menu you will be shown the current prices offered by each district, which are influenced by a variety of factors and bonuses. As you continue to increase a strain through hybridization, they will become more and more valuable. Selling a single batch for $10,000 or more will grant the That Good Connect achievement.
Underboss Bonus[]
If the district is controlled by one of your underbosses you will receive a +10% bonus, while those controlled by Marcano will impart a -50% penalty. Bayou Fantom is neutral and will offer no bonus or penalty.
Quality[]
You will receive a +5% bonus if the quality of your crop is 75% or better. The quality of each crop is randomly determined at the time of harvest based on the range of its base strain.
Demand[]
There are five demand levels that range from very high to very low and vary by district. The associated bonuses range from +20% to -20%, respectively, and change in increments of +/- 10.
Favored[]
Districts will offer a +10% bonus if your crop is their favored strain and another +5% if it's their favored flavor. These preferences will change periodically throughout the game.
Delray Hollow Bonus[]
You will be offered a +5% bonus when selling your crop in Delray Hollow.
- While this bonus appears on all districts, it is listed as "Inactive" everywhere except Delray Hollow.
Selling Price[]
In addition to the above, the selling price of any crop will be affected by price fluctuations in the market, variations in quality, and crop yield from one batch to the next. These values are randomly generated at harvest and cannot be predicted.
Herbalism Levels[]
- Level 1 is the starting level.
- Level 2 is achieved when you've sold $1000 in crops and return to MJ with the Ruderalis plants.
- Level 3 is achieved when you've sold $10,000 in crops and return to MJ with the Indica plants.
- Level 4 is achieved when you've sold $25,000 in crops and return to MJ with the Sativa plants.
- MAX level is achieved when you've sold $50,000 in crops. This will grant the Herbalist achievement.
Upgrades[]
- Main article: Grow House
There are seventeen upgrades to the Grow House that will become available as you increase your Herbalism level. Upgrades decrease growth time while increasing the quality and yield of each crop, raising their potential selling price. Unlocking the final upgrade will grant the Mr. Green Thumb achievement.
Glossary[]
- THC: Short for Tetrahydrocannabinol, this is the principal psychoactive constituent of the cannabis plant.
- CBD: Short for Cannabidiol, this is a cannabis compound that has significant medical benefits but does not make people feel "stoned" and can counteract the psychoactivity of THC.
- Growth rate: This is how fast the plant will grow to maturity. The shortest time allowable is 18 game hours, or 35 real-time minutes. Decreasing growth time beyond this will have no noticeable effect on the strain.
- Fragility: This is how strong the plant is. Stronger plants yield more cannabis.
- Yield: This is how much cannabis the plant will produce.
Results[]
Progressing through the mission will award That Good Connect and Mr. Green Thumb achievements. Completing it will award the Herbalist achievement, unlock the Berkley Freerider in the Vehicle Delivery menu, and the Free Ridin' decal at Big Rick's Custom Auto.
Trivia[]
- Progression through the Herbalism mission will open up some additional backstory on M.J.
- Once harvest is selected from the menu, you are unable to back out and must sell the crop. This is done to keep the randomly generated values that determine that crop's final price from being manipulated.
- Once the grow house is fully upgraded, a fully maximized strain of Indica or Sativa can bring $25,000 to $50,000 per crop, even when demand is very low. This can be achieved every 9 game hours (18 minutes), making Herbalism a highly profitable venture.
Notes[]
- There is a bug that causes an error when naming a new hybrid strain. After choosing a name, the panel will read "ERROR" where the name should appear. When this happens, the name you selected for that strain will have replaced one of your saved strains. However, the only change should be its name, and all of its qualities, including the total sold, will remain intact under the new name.
- Attempting to delete the "ERROR" strain may result in it deleting the saved strain that was renamed. A second attempt will usually delete the ERROR strain.
- This bug may become persistent, where any attempt to create a new strain will result in this error. Deleting all of your custom strains should fix this issue. However, you may continue planting your current custom strains with no issues.
- The district maps shown in the selling menu all show the wrong district.
