If you’re a PC player, then for the best part of two decades, you’ll have had your face pressed to the glass, looking in at all the console players having the best time playing games from theKingdom Heartsseries, a series that has up until now eluded the PC gaming community.
Butthe entire KH catalog was ported to PC, allowing everyone to get in on the action and experience these Disney-fuelled JRPG romps. Naturally, this means that there are a lot of players who are brand new to the series and are working through each game at their own pace.
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By this point, you’ll probably have wrapped up the first game’s main story content, and will likely be considering whether to take on all the additional end-game content. It’s a big ask, but if you do, you’ll be rewarded with some truly magical moments. But you’ll need to level up and acquire particular synthesis materials to prepare yourself for the toughest aspects of this game. So, in a bid to make this a little more manageable, here is my pick of the best grinding spots in KH.
1Juggling Truffles
Amount Earned Per Action
We begin with a super-effective EXP builder strategy that requires a little bit of practice, but once you get the rhythm down, you can farm EXP very easily before you even finish the main campaign’s content. This requires you to finish the story content in Neverland and gain the Glide ability, which will mean you can fly around freely in Neverland. Then, you’ll want to head topside to the Main Deck of the ship, where you will find one of the Mushroom Heartless Truffles.
You’ll want to begin flying, and equip your longest Keyblade, which will likely be Metal Chocobo by this point, to make volleying the Truffle as easy as possible, and then you’ll want to strike them while locked on, and time your attack to keep them in the air for as many hits as possible.
Every hit will give 1EXP extra, starting at 1EXP and raising up to 100EXP, allowing for a maximum of 5050EXP per encounter. This will probably require a few attempts to nail, but before long, you’ll have the inputs down, and you’ll be able to rinse and repeat this method to gain EXP rapidly.
2Rock Titan
Olympus Colusseum
Bosses are an excellent source of EXPin the originalKingdom Heartstitle, but in most cases, you’ll only get one crack at most of these fights. But, the one exception is the Olympus Colusseum, as the player can repeat any of the completed cups any time they like. Now, I could be a sadistic maniac and suggest that you chain-fight Sephiroth as this would grant you 18,000 EXP per victory.
But, let’s be real here. One win against Sephiroth is already a pretty unrealistic goal in the original KH title. So I suggest entering the Hades Cup at Seed 10 and chain-fighting the Rock Titan instead.
This is a very manageable fight that is somewhat time-consuming, but the time spent is pretty worth it when you consider that you’ll be able to gain 4,000 EXP for every win. The quickest way to take them down is by using Graviga and Ars Arcanum when they are on their feet, and then floating up on top by gliding and using Sonic Blade and Ars Arcanum when they are knocked down. With every win, you’ll get quicker, and this will serve as a very effective EXP builder.
3The Hotel Loop
Traverse Town (Post Hollow Bastion)
3360 EXP (Per Loop)
There are a lot of places within Post Hollow Bastion Traverse Town where you can grind for Munny and EXP, but my personal favorite has always been the Hotel Loop. This is a loop where you enter different rooms within the hotel in the First District of Traverse Town, allowing enemies to respawn and, in turn, allowing you to stack up EXP fast.
The loop goes as follows: Enter the Hotel and kill the enemies in the main hall, then enter the Green Room and clear it out, then enter the Red Room and do the same. Then, simply step back out to the main hall and repeat this loop as many times as you like.
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One loop will take you anywhere from 45 seconds to one and a half minutes, depending on your combat ability, and you’ll gain 3,360 EXP, provided you have Tech Boosts equipped when you do this. There are some loops around Traverse Town that will provide more EXP per loop and at a faster rate, but I still feel this one is best due to the lack of enemy variety and the close proximity. So, if you’re in Traverse Town dropping off some letters, give this one a try.
4The Gizmo Shop
Traverse Town
100EXP Per Minute (Approx.)
For most players, the time spent grinding levels will be after you complete the main story content, but if you’re someone who likes to keep their level a few notches ahead of where it should be to make the game a little easier, then you’ll want to get familiar with this grinding spot that is brilliant for early game level ascension.
The Gizmo Shop is an area where you’ll be able to battle waves ofbasic Heartless enemiespretty much infinitely, as when you kill one wave, another will spawn to replace it, allowing you to constantly gain EXP without needing to move to a new location.
This is a great early-game spot that I would recommend using until you are around Lv.15-20. After this, the amount of EXP per kill won’t be enough to level up at a rapid speed, but this spot can be a great way to get ahead of the game before you leave Traverse Town for Wonderland or Deep Jungle.
I would also consider heading to Olympus Colusseum, gaining the Thundaga spell, and then returning, as this makes clearing these waves of Heartless at pace a breeze. Plus, this is also a great end-game grind to farm Munny, Elixirs, and EXP too!
5The Tidus Strategy
Destiny Islands
40EXP Per Minute
If you’regearing up for a Proud Mode run, and you want a jump on leveling up, then you can start this process at Destiny Islands, which sounds ridiculous, but I assure you, it’s very effective.
The best way to gain EXP in this early stage of the game is by asking Wakka for a fight, and then proceeding to avoid fighting them completely. You’ll want to get into a rhythm of parrying their attacks, and this will grant you 2EXP per parry. He’ll get off about one hit every three seconds, meaning you’ll have the potential to score 40EXP per minute, and you’re able to do this for as long as you like.
The rhythm is pretty easy to get down; all you need to do is immediately parry when he backflips. Then run backward, and then parry when he charges you. Due to the low experience gained, I would suggest that you move on at Level 10 at the very latest, as after this point, everything begins to slow down drastically. But, when Proud Mode, when small margins will likely make all the difference, this little boost before the real game begins could be a blessing.
