Look, we both know that grinding isn’t strictly necessary in an RPG game, especially Xenoblade Chronicles, but that’s not why we do it. We love a minimum level challenge as much as the next player, but there is something very appealing to having that overpowered feel throughout a game, especially one dotted with challenging, elite monsters in an open world. Surely taking these on at an earlier point will result in some powerful loot, right? Of course it does, and in a game so filled with equipment we’d argue that it’s just plain fun to seek them out. That being said, we’ve put together a collection of our favourite grinding spots in Xenoblade Chronicles; use them well!
Tephra Cave (Level 10 – 15)
You could argue that grinding at such an early point in the game isn’t really necessary, especially when you only have two characters in your party, but we’re betting that you struggled with that elite caterpillar at the start of Tephra Cave and you’d quite like to get some revenge. Our route here begins in the area where Shulk and Reyn take a rest, only to be ambushed by a group of spiders. Starting out here, be sure to grab the collectables in the small pool of water, then push through all of the enemies until you reach Villa Lake. If you’re feeling up to it then take on the elite Brog, then head back and start over. You’ll get yourself plenty of loot, a good amount of experience points and it’ll all prepare for quite a difficult boss coming up at the end of this zone!
Grind Tips
- Deliberately wake up the spider pods by running close to them.
- Make sure Reyn has his group attacks levelled up for max damage, like War Swing.
- Know your limits; you can easily get swamped if you pull too many!
- Grab collectables on the way, especially from the small water pool to the north east.
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Satorl Marsh (Level 25 – 30)
By the time you reach Sartorl Marsh, you’ve probably seen quite a lot. No doubt you will have had some fun taking down Xord, perhaps slightly tinged with regret after the second encounter, and you’ve likely pushed your way through the majority of the quests in the Marsh. Time to get your grind on then, and we have the perfect route; by heading to the Nopon Refuge, where you’ll no doubt get a long line of quests, you can push through huge amount of Bunnit enemies before heading over to the outskirts of the Exiled Fortress to take down groups of Igna. If you’re intent on doing all of the quests then perhaps just take your time to kill everything on your way back and forth; this will get you plenty of levels and we found it to be a great place for levelling up Arts. Aiming for level 3 or 4 on both Monado Armour and Speed is a great idea at this point too.
Grind Tips
- Big groups of enemies near both Nopon Refuge and Exile Fortress.
- Use both Reyn and Dunban for maximum group damage.
- Careful not to stray too far south east; high level enemies can be found up the ramp.
High Entia Tomb (Level 35 – 40)
It’s not too much of a spoiler to say that by the time you reach the High Entia Tomb, you’ll be in the midst of getting your sixth party member. That said, you’ve also fairly recently recruited a certain Nopon, and these two new members both scale fantastically well, specifically their Art levels. If only there were some way to get them plenty of levels and AP whilst accomplishing something else? Enter the High Entia Tomb and specifically the lower levels, where you’ll find plenty of enemies and countless collectables that you’ll no doubt want to grab. The whole area is good if we’re honest, however the upper zones are a little more awkward to traverse, whereas here you can simply loop the place and return, grabbing enemies and their excellent gem cylinders en mass.
Grind Tips
- Good groups of enemies appear in the north and south rooms.
- Plenty of collectables to grab in the water pool areas.
- Enemies here drop cylinders, which are great for early gem crafting.
- Be sure to grab the enemies that appear in the wall alcoves.
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Fallen Arm (Level 55 – 60)
Speaking of party members, by the time you reach the Fallen Arm you’ll be well on your way to getting the seventh and final addition to your group. Spoilers aside, you’ll also likely learn just how powerful they are and will want to do everything you can to add to it. Our recommendation then, is to head to the western area of the Fallen Arm and rotate yourself between the digits here. All of the enemies are Mechon, so prepare yourself accordingly and start chopping your way through them. Be sure to check the quests around here too; you’ll often find that enemies in this area are requirements for those too. For a bit of variation you can loop around the digit 5 beach where you’ll also find a few powerful elite enemies.
Grind Tips
- Filled with loads of enemies and a few elites.
- Primarily Mechon enemies, so bring relevant weapons or Shulk.
- If you’re looking for collectables, route closer to the digits for plenty.
- Enemies found here will also interact with some quests from the Hidden Machina Village.
Bionis Interior (Level 70 – 75)
Around this portion of the game – level 65 to 75 – you may find yourself in a strange position. Shulk specific quests might be a little too difficult to complete and whilst you could just head on to the final sections of the game, you’re probably jonesing for levels and loot before you do so. You could take others’ advice, which would be to head back to Colony 9 and dine out on the high exp Flamii enemies, but there is something else that you should focus on: Art Manuals. By now you’re probably aware that shops will only sell you a certain level of Art Manual, so if you want to max them out you’ll need to take on elite enemies. One of our favourite places is here, in the Second Lung of the Bionis Interior; it’s a little awkward to get to but there are plenty of elites to take down and even a mining node. Be sure to bring Ether damage though, because quite a few of the enemies here are Ether based, which take much less physical damage.
Grind Tips
- There are 3 elite spawns in this area, great for exp, loot and Art Manuals.
- Filled with Ether enemies, so bring either Riki or Melia for Ether damage.
- Careful not to get overwhelmed by Selua enemies that appear from water pools.
- Head west from the Terminal Nerve Tower and drop down to get here quickly.
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Eryth Sea (Level 80+)
The end game of Xenoblade Chronicles really comes down to personal taste. You do not need to get the absolute best equipment to beat the game, nor do you need it to take down any of the super bosses, but there are likely quite a few of you out there that just plain want it. If you find yourself in that camp of players, then you’ll want to head over to the Kromar Coast in the Eryth Sea. Not only do the Kromar enemies here provide a good amount of experience points and AP, but they also have some of the best drop rates for the best weapons in the game. There is also an elite enemy to the east, and even a secret treasure room to loot. It can be awkward to get to, but we’ve found that the spawn rate is actually quite fast, so you can head from west to east and then repeat, crossing your fingers for that elusive Wyvern Cutlass…
Grind Tips
- Ideal area for farming ultimate weapons; some of the highest drop rates come from the enemies located here.
- Can be rotated with Alcamoth, where similar enemy levels also drop high level equipment.
- Careful not to get ambushed by the elite enemy in the east.
- By the time you’re finished in the east, enemies are likely respawning at the west beach area.
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