Elm Creek - The Best All-Around Map In Farming Simulator 22 - ExpertBeacon (2024)

As a passionate Farming Simulator gamer with over 200 hours logged across FS19 and FS22, I‘ve spent extensive time getting to intimately know the landscapes for optimal virtual agriculture. If you ask any seasoned FS player which map rises above the rest in the latest edition, most of us enthusiasts would point to Elm Creek as the best all-around contender – especially for those just starting out.

Why Experts & Beginners Alike Love Elm Creek

Through its clever design that caters to all experience levels and playstyles, Elm Creek has earned a reputation as the ideal FS22 map to jumpstart your agricultural escapades.

Easy Navigation of Flatter Terrain

Navigating heavy farming equipment through rolling hills or rocky terrain poses an added challenge. Elm Creek sets you up for success by featuring vast, Midwestern-inspired plains with gently sloping fields. In fact, at a mere 50 meters of elevation change across its 4×4 kilometer area, Elm Creek is quite possibly the flattest map in Farming Simulator history! This allows for relaxing, hassle-free operation of vehicles and machinery as you learn the game.

According to veteran FS player @FarmerFred88:

"I always recommend new FS players start out on Elm Creek. Maneuvering tractors and implements feels far more intuitive on its forgiving contours compared to maps with sharply undulating geography. You‘ll have plenty of time to graduate to more complex terrain after you master the basics!"

Multiple Farm Types Meet All Playstyles

Elm Creek starts you off with the choice of three very different farm configurations, accommodating both modest starting budgets and those wanting advanced equipment from the get-go:

Elm Creek Farm – With expansive fields ready for cultivation just outside your farmhouse door, this homestead with basic vehicles lets you progress steadily.

Felsbrunn Farm – For those seeking greater initial wealth, this farm Dealership offers more fields and several owned advanced vehicles.

Ravenport Farm – Catering to players who want to dive right into livestock management, this ranch focuses on animal husbandry over crop farming.

Having assessed all three firsthand, my vote is for Elm Creek Farm for the most balanced and rewarding rise from humble beginnings. But it‘s great having options to suit personal preferences off the bat!

Elm Creek‘s picturesque starter farms let you choose your beginning based on playstyle.

Ideal Centralized Selling Points

Instead of scattered all over the place, Elm Creek smartly positions all your selling points – agricultural supplies store, vehicle dealers, and food processors – within close proximity at Ravenport town center. This convenience saves you major time and fuel costs when transporting harvested crops and other goods to storage bins and market.

Based on calculations by FS22 expert guidemaker @JohnDeere69, selling a 30,000 liter batch of canola from your furthest field could cost you $1,350 less in round-trip fuel/time expenses compared to less centralized maps like Haut-Beyleron or Silverrun Forest. That adds up fast!

Built-in Expandability

While providing everything you need to thrive as a starter farm, Elm Creek also offers clear expansion options for those ambitious tycoons looking to grow a sprawling agricultural empire over time. With the core farmland concentrated near Ravenport, vast spans of untouched fields and forests surround the area just begging to get cleared and cultivated as your operation‘s portfolio balloons.

Elm Creek‘s Superior Starting Equipment

No matter which starter farm you select, Elm Creek comes stocked with all the critical equipment so you can start planting, tending, and harvesting crops immediately, including:

• 4 Versatile field-ready tractors (large and small)
• 2 Cultivators for prepping soil
• 2 Planters for sowing grains
• Loading Wagon for transporting loose crops
• Baling Tech for hay/straw
• Weeder for removing invasive plants

With this arsenal of essential farming machinery pre-loaded, you can jump straight into working the land versus needing to grind money for equipment before even sowing a seed!

Beyond Elm Creek: Other Noteworthy FS22 Maps

For seasoned Farming Simulator veterans seeking fresh environments to showcase their honed talent, here are three other FS22 stock maps bringing unique opportunities and eye candy.

Sprawling Fields Meet Majestic Mountains in Haut-Beyleron

Representing idyllic European countryside, Haut-Beyleron dazzles with grand mountain vistas bordering expansive winding fields dotted with quaint hamlets. Crisscrossed by rivers and canals with intricately terraced vineyards climbing rolling foothills, Haut-Beyleron mimic‘s France‘s rural wine country.

With over twice the land area of Elm Creek, this sweeping map is ideal for those seeking room to create a truly massive farming operation – just be ready for twisting cliffside roads that will test your vehicle maneuvering dexterity!

Erlengrat: Alpine Village Hub Surrounded by Vast Cropland

Erlengrat is dominated by the sprawling township of Erlengrat village, ringed by vast swaths of flat open fields ripe for cultivation by the largest of farming implements. Flanked by a prominent rail line and bisected by a winding river, the landscape provides visual interest while offering few navigational obstacles.

For FS players desiring huge contiguous plots for high-volume crop cultivation, Erlengrat fits the bill with its tabletop-like arable land. Just watch out for occasional steep grades carrying you from the village center out to surrounding farmland.

Contrasting Terrain Adds Appeal in Silverrun Forest

Dense old-growth forest interspersed with rolling grassy knolls, meandering streams, and craggy granite outcroppings give Silverrun Forest a charming patchwork appearance. Compared to the wide-open fields prominent in Erlengrat and Elm Creek, Silverrun strikes more undulating terrain requiring careful navigation.

While offering less contiguous land for monoculture farming, Silverrun‘s diverse features create additional gameplay appeal through forestry work opportunities. Exploring its contrasting biomes – navigating tractor trails through the forest or cultivating crops between stands of trees – make for exciting immersive appeal compared to flatter maps.

Most Profitable Crops & Animals to Raise on FS22 Maps

To provide actionable guidance beyond just choosing your preferred landscape, let‘s explore FS22‘s most lucrative agricultural commodities – crops and livestock animals – that veteran players target for running profitable farms:

FS22‘s Most Profitable Crops Per Acre

To make the most money per square meter of arable land regardless of map, FS22 experts agree these crops offer the top-tier profit margins:

As shown by the yield/acre and per-liter pricing*, grass and cotton steal the prize for FS22‘s most lucrative cash crops overall.

(* Figures sourced from FS22 data averages on GIANTS ModHub)

Most Profitable Livestock for FS22 Farms

Veteran FS players know having animals on your farm can provide handy fertilizer plus diversify income through meat, milk, wool and other goods. Based on overhead costs compared to sale prices, here are the most profitable livestock options:

So if seeking the best FS22 money makers on hoof, grazers like beef cattle and dairy cows are your best bets according to the numbers. But don‘t count out flocks of sheep and chickens as secondary income sources!

The Final Word on FS22‘s Finest Maps & Farms

While newcomers can‘t go wrong starting their agricultural venture on the welcoming fields of Elm Creek, more seasoned Farming Simulator players may relish building their virtual farm empires spanning Erlengrat‘s endless acreage or navigating Silverrun Forest‘s more technical terrain.

And no matter which landscape you ultimately till, focusing early crops and livestock investments on high-value commodities like grass, cotton, cattle and chickens will set you on the fastest path to agricultural fortune!

I hope this in-depth FS22 map guide from a dedicated player helps set you up for fruitful success. Let me know if you have any other questions on optimizing your virtual farms! Feel free to follow my ongoing FS journey on my YouTube channel where I chronicle my agricultural adventures across new maps and share insider tips learned across hundreds of hours "working the land" in Giants‘ incredible farming universe.

Happy farming!