In short
- 3 free hours a day, stacking up to 6.
- Only in Routine zones.
- The hours belong to the account, not the character.
It exists, it is the server's own, and it has a limit. Better that than half the server running a hidden bot while the other half complains.
The arithmetic is simple and it has a ceiling:
Because somebody who could not play on Tuesday should not be punished for it on Wednesday. The build-up exists so your week does not have to be regular, and the ceiling exists so it does not turn into a month of credit saved up for one weekend.
Switching characters resets nothing: the hours are the same ones. Better you know now than find out by testing.
Only in Routine zones. Not in Elite. And the Routine zone serving as the War Zone that night takes no autofarm between 20:00 and midnight, accepting it again afterwards. Where people fight stays a human decision, and that is what keeps farming worth something.
Instead of swinging at nothing until the hours run out. The time left over is still yours.