Tales of Arise is the first new game in the series since 2017’s Tales of Berseria. It is a lot like its predecessors with almost the same action RPG combat as the original release decades ago albeit with a much more fluid system. Tales of Arise is also the best-looking and running game in the series. Reviews are rather high for it so there is no doubt this is going to be remembered at the end of the year.
Real-life awards talk aside, let’s discuss Arise's in-game rewards such as experience points. Are there ways to cheat the JRPG and rack up a huge amount of experience points quickly? Is there a glitch to exploit? Sadly, the answer to that is no. The only way to level up quickly is through good old-fashioned grinding. Still, there are ways to lessen the burden of the grind if these steps are taken in Tales of Arise.
Updated October 29, 2021 by Tom Bowen: The JRPG genre is synonymous with many things, but none more so than grinding for experience points. Sadly, this is once again the case in Tales of Arise, though the game is thankfully nowhere near as guilty as some of its predecessors in this regard. At least not until the end-game, anyway. For the most part, Tales of Arise leveling is fairly organic, with players rarely needing to go out of their way to grind as they work their way through the main story. Those looking to assemble the best possible team to take on some of the challenging post-game content will need to partake in quite a bit of grinding, however, though these tips and tricks should make the process a lot less painful and time-consuming than it might otherwise have been.
EXP And SP
Before beginning, it’s important to know how leveling up works in Tales of Arise. Characters can improve themselves in the normal RPG ways. Fight battles and gain experience points. Leveling up then will boost all stats on a single character. It’s also important to note that even if a character isn’t in the battle party, everyone still gets experience.
The other way to improve characters, besides equipment as an extra side note, is through the skills menu. SP, or Skill Points, can be used to unlock stat boosts as well as new moves. One of the most important skills to unlock right away is the one that can defy death. This grid can also unlock new Artes. SP is gained a little by fighting but it is mostly gathered through side quests so don’t ignore those.
Eat The Proper Food
There are a few ways to improve how much experience points are gained in the field. Like other modern RPGs, Tales of Arise features a food system. It’s a trait that actually precedes many modern RPGs as this has been a standard in the Tales series for ages now. The world is a pretty open place and it can sometimes take a while to get to an Inn so that the party can replenish their health.
That’s why the developers put in Campsites. It is here where players can make food to temporarily boost stats as well as test their weary bones. The Fruit Sandwich, for example, can boost experience gained. The Fruit Sandwich is one of the more important early recipes to utilize if one wants to grind, even if the idea of a white bread sandwich with fruit is not, in reality, appealing.
Use Artifacts
Artifacts are a new feature introduced in Tales of Arise seemingly as a way to help those struggling with the difficulty. They can be found within the game or many of them can be bought via DLC. As the name implies, Artifacts are powerful items that boost stats for everyone.
Nearly everything can be boosted eventually from experience points gained to Gald, the money in this series, acquired. In the Artifacts menu, players can turn these effects on or off at their leisure. If things start to get too easy, this is a way to crank up the difficulty. Players are never truly trapped in their choices in Tales of Arise which is a principle more games should mimic.
Switch To Easy
On the subject of difficulty, players are presented with a few choices at the beginning of Tales of Arise. Don’t worry about what to choose right away as, like Artifacts, the difficulty can be changed on the fly.
While the difficulty setting affects how strong monsters are, it does not seem to impact rewards earned such as Gald or experience points. An easy way to grind then would be to turn down the difficulty. There is no shame in a shortcut like this if the difficulty is cranked back up after grinding for boss fights or main dungeons. The challenge should be measured by the journey and not by individual fights.
Chaining Monsters
About eight or ten hours into the game, which is about a third or fourth of the way through, players can chain together monsters for a significant boost in experience points and rewards overall. It is somewhat similar to Neo: The World Ends With You, which is another recent action RPG. In that game, players can literally chain together monsters in order to boost rewards. Battles must be fought all in a row though, and if the party fails then there are no experience points to be had.
Tales of Arise operates differently. All a player has to do is fight a monster and then move on to the next in order for the bonuses to stack. There will be a numbered icon underneath the map in the top right corner that shows progression. The higher the number, the higher the boosts. Sometimes these numbers can even attract secret monster encounters so make sure to properly save when one gets close to max level.
Grouping Monsters
There is another way to boost experience points sort of like the chaining technique. If two monster squads get within a certain vicinity of each other and the player initiates combat, both monster parties will do battle. This saves time on fighting two groups separately which is always good.
When trying to level up fast, any method to save time is appreciated, even if only by a few seconds. Fighting so many monsters at once also increases the earnings. It’s a bit harder to pull off in some areas but it’s still a good strategy to point out. Alphen is also a good character to main in Tales of Arise, or at least, he is if someone is trying to maximize time.
Where to Farm EXP in Tales of Arise
Early-Game Farming - Traslida Highway (Level 15 - Level 30)
Even on the most challenging difficulty settings, players shouldn't need to farm too much during the early stages of Tales of Arise. In fact, doing so is arguably a little counter-productive, as it's not until players reach the Traslida Highway area in Menancia that they unlock the ability to chain enemies together. As mentioned above, this can have a huge bearing on the amount of EXP and SP earned in battle.
As it happens though, Traslida Highway is actually a great place for players to farm. Due to its large size and the number of enemy groups that can be found there, both chaining and grouping enemies is incredibly easy when compared to smaller or less open areas. Unfortunately, however, the enemies aren't all that strong, so farming there starts to become a lot less viable once the party's levels start to reach the early to mid-thirties.
Mid-Game Farming - Adan Lake (Level 30 - Level 40)
Unless players are actively avoiding enemies, there shouldn't be too much need for farming during the game's middle stages either. A lot of the sub-quests become active around this time and there are plenty of dungeons to complete too, meaning the party should level up naturally without any need for grinding. That said, Adan Lake is a good place to do so if players are in need of a few extra levels.
There's a decent range of enemies in the area, some of which offer great returns when it comes to both EXP and SP. Berg Volcano (Level 40 - Level 50) is also a pretty decent spot for those who have reached it, as too is Rena (Level 50 - Level 60). As the latter is very close to the end of the game, however, players may be better off waiting until they have unlocked the post-game area, The Otherworld, if possible, as farming there is far more efficient.
End-Game Farming - The Otherworld (Level 60 - Level 100)
After players have completed Tales of Arise and all of the available quests, they'll be able to take on the "Another Hill-Side Anomaly" sub-quest in Viscint, which, in turn, will unlock "Otherworldly Visitors." The latter sees players travel to The Otherworld, where they'll come face to face with some of the game's toughest bosses.
The good news is that four of these bosses can be farmed repeatedly and offer a great way to earn EXP. The final one, Chronos, is naturally the best for this, but Edna and Eizen also offer decent returns and are quite a bit easier to defeat. With the right food bonuses, players should be able to jump from level 70 all the way up to level 100 with around one hour of grinding in The Otherworld.