How to Level Up Fast (Early in the Game)

In this guide you'll find a simple but effective method to level up quickly early in the game. Using one of the games infamous creatures you can effectively farm XP for a swift and simple levelling up process.

Before we start, a quick recap for experience in the game. Final Fantasy 15 is exactly like every other game that uses XP as a character progression mechanic; players earn XP through various tasks and push their character from one level to the next. In FFXV, as the level increases so do the associated stats, making characters strongly and more able to fight against higher level foes and come out as the winner.

The one major difference between FFXV and other games is that XP doesn't get applied immediately to your character. You MUST either rest at a lodging or make a campsite before the earned XP is allocated between the characters.

Now that we've briefly covered the XP mechanic let's take a look at an easy way to gain XP and level up fast.

Step by Step

For this little XP trick we're interested in one of the games many beasts, namely the Cactuar. He's a little creature, no bigger than a small child. Resembling a real Cacti, Cactuar isn't a particular difficult foe to defeat but he does reward you with a nice little 5000 XP for very little effort.

1. Find the Cactuar

Use the map above as a reference point for finding the Cactuar creature. He is located at the intersection of The Three Valleys, The Wenverwilds and Hammerhead. Start at the deposits of Fire, Ice and Lightning and head west to the cube shaped rock.

This is the starting area of the game, meaning that very little travel is required to perform this farming tactic.

2. Defeat Cactuar

Use quick attacks to defeat the creature before he has any chance to realize what is happening. The XP bars will quickly stack up at the side of the screen once the fight is over.

Tip: If you possess the magic item that multiplies XP rewards depending on the level of magic, then this can significantly increase your XP gains.

3. Leave and repeat

Leave the area immediately, returning to the elemental deposits area (you might need to experiment with the range of withdrawal). Wait approximately 2 minutes for the respawn counter to reset. Now return to the same area where the Cactuar spawned in and repeat the process.

With any luck, the creature will respawn in, allowing you to accumulate another good chunk of XP for very little effort. Repeat this process as many times as you like, then make a campsite to increase your character's level considerably.