Cheap Way to Level Up

[MSG Commander]

This isn't usually my "specialty" so this technique may need some refining...

In order for this to work, you need to have a few Rings/Gems that you can only get in the IAP Shop (or with luck in the Ethereal Dungeon):

1 Encounter Ring a (eliminates encounters)
1 or more Super Rare Gems (not necessary but could be helpful if enemies drop awesome goodies)

You also must complete Quest 01, and get the Encounter Ring Y (encounters with each step)

1. First, complete the Ethereal Est dungeon on Normal or Hard (depending where you want to start grinding).

Enter the next level dungeon and equip the Encounter Ring a. (So if you just finished Normal, go to Hard, and if you just finished Hard, [strike]go to He[/strike].... oh wait, I mean "select" Hell) :whistle:

Explore the dungeon until you find a couple weapons that are significantly stronger than your current gear. (Keep the Encounter Ring a equipped. You're not fighting monsters yet, you're just looking for better weapons.)

Note: If you're not prepared to beat the boss on the last level, then Return to Base at the end of Level 9. (Otherwise if you lose to the boss, you lose all the awesome weapons you just gained.)

2. Do this a few times until everyone's ATK is ridiculously high from the new overpowered weapons you've gained.

3.1. With your new weapons equipped, enter the highest level dungeon that's available to you.

Change the Difficulty to Easy, equip the Encounter Ring Y (encounters with each step), and Save your game!

Stay on the first level of the dungeon!

Now, with each step you'll get a random encounter. Keep fighting on Easy until you're sure you can annihilate all monsters on Auto, then change Difficulty to Normal and repeat. When you can easily destroy the enemy on Normal, change to Hard, and then Hell.

3.2. When you can easily Auto every encounter on Level One of the dungeon with the Difficulty on Hell, remove the Encounter Ring, change the Difficulty back to Easy, and proceed to Level Two.

On Level Two, re-equip the Encounter Ring and repeat the process, starting on Easy Difficulty and working your way up to Hell.

Repeat for each level of the dungeon, until your party level is what you want.

Side Note: While not required, it is helpful if you have the pre-emptive strike added effect on at least one weapon slot.

[MSG Commander]

UPDATE:

You can also achieve similar results, using just the Encounter Ring Y, and the Encounter Ring B, that can be obtained from Sub Quests. (And save yourself 200 RDP!)

As soon as you get the Encounter Ring Y (from Sub Quest 01 - so you should get it pretty early), go to any location on the map, and equip the ring. You'll get an encounter with each step.

Once you can easily Auto these encounters, raise the Difficulty setting to Normal, then Hard, then Hell.

When you can easily Auto encounters on Hell mode, you're golden (for that location anyway).

Now, equip the Encounter Ring B (eliminates encounters with enemies weaker than you.) You get this one from Sub Quest 04, so again you should have it pretty early on.

With the Encounter Ring B equipped, you simply will not run into enemies until you get to a location where they're not weaker than you anymore.

When this happens, just re-equip the Encounter Ring Y, and go through the same process of raising the Difficulty until you can handle the enemies easily on Hell mode.

This essentially lets you explore a new dungeon without having to bother with random encounters every 10 steps (or whatever it is). But at the same time, it also tells you when the enemies are getting stronger, so it prevents the problem of having no encounters at all, and then not being strong enough to beat the dungeon boss. B)

(Side note: the next time I play a Kemco game that has this kind of feature, I'm going to use it from the very beginning.) :woohoo:

[Azyleo]

This is probably one of those Exe-Create games in which grinding is worthwhile.

[1oldtymer]

[quote="MSG Commander" post=2065]UPDATE:

This essentially lets you explore a new dungeon without having to bother with random encounters every 10 steps (or whatever it is). But at the same time, it also tells you when the enemies are getting stronger, so it prevents the problem of having no encounters at all, and then not being strong enough to beat the dungeon boss. B)

[/quote]

Note: you should also use the "Undrop" Ring so that you can flee without dropping (a lot of) gold. When you hit the higher levels in the Hell dungeon, the Encounter B ring is useless, as all the enemies are stronger, so you don't skip any. [And they tend to go first!] No matter how high you level, at some point in that dungeon the monsters are stronger. The boss monsters at the higher levels (starting at about 50 if you around level 115) get a little tough. I stopped on level 79 because I looked to me like an endless and fruitless pursuit, as there didn't seem to be any surprising items or drops at that point.

[MSG Commander]

Good point about the Undrop Ring!

For what it's worth, I grinded to Lv 181 in the early levels of the dungeon, and am now (literally as I type) facing the 80th floor boss on Hell mode (and I've found out that Poison can't kill your party members either, it only reduces HP to 1, at least with the Undead Gem equipped!)

Also - I'm using Fleon's Paladin skill "Terror Cannon" which uses all his SP and then does "some" damage to all allies in return - but that doesn't damage a member with 1 HP and the Undead Gem either!

So it looks like the ONLY way to kill someone with an Undead Gem equipped, is the 25% chance, Countdown, or Instant Death (which makes me able to face this boss on Hell, but is also making the battle last FOREVER )

[1oldtymer]

I stopped at 79. I didn't use the undead gem in the Hell levels. I didn't need Gold Rush until levels 60 & 70. I was only at about level 115-20 at that time.

I don't think instant death will kill the undead gem, because I thought I saw the uber try it, but perhaps I misinterpreted the attack name.

Hey...is there any skill that reduces the enemy to 1 hp? You probably have all the skills by now? (I have 2 empty skill slots at level 129).

[MSG Commander]

See here. (Or just look in-game, I suppose...)

The last skill I learned was at level 108.

Getting to 181 actually wasn't hard, using the method described in this post - but it did take awhile (maybe a half hour to an hour? Or maybe 15 minutes, it's hard to tell sometimes when I'm just playing a game.)

I actually borrowed the idea from some posts on how to level up in Asdivine Dios and Menace, and just adapted it to fit with the accessories available in this game. (So in honesty none of the strategy in here is officially "mine" lol.)

[MSG Commander]

UPDATE:

Okay there may be a critical flaw in my method.

It appears that the Encounter Ring B does more than just eliminate encounters with enemies that are weaker than you.

As a test, I equipped the Encounter Ring B when I was at Level 180, and on the 30th Floor or so of the Hell Dungeon. I then left it on all the way to the 105th Floor of the Hell Dungeon (using the "cheat" method to handle the bosses.

By the time I got to the 100th Floor, I started thinking for sure the enemies couldn't still be weaker than me? So at 105 I took it off, and I ran into Level 207 monsters that, if I had not had two Undead Gems equipped, would have instantly annihilated me.

So, Encounter Ring B may not be all that reliable when it comes to determining when enemies are no longer "weaker" than you... :whistle: