Countless challenging foes can be found lurking in the darkness, waiting for their chance to strike the Keyblade Wielder down. Don’t let them see you as an open target. We’ve compiled some of the best areas to grind up exp in KH1.5, so now Sora can level up and show the Heartless who they should fear.
10. Destiny Island Duels
We’re starting our list with the very first spot in the whole game that you can grind at. Before you even embark on your journey to stop the darkness, you’re given a few opportunities to get Sora prepared for the hardships ahead. If you can stand the biggest test of patience, then battling Wakka or Tidus over and over again can net you quite a few tech points. Since this is going to be your only time seeing these characters in the franchise, it can also be fun to spend some time with them. This method takes quite a while, and a whole lot of patience, to get to a high level like 20 or above. But if you manage to do so, you’ll be way stronger than you need to be against the next several boss fights. Once all hell breaks loose on the island and Heartless flood the seas, you can take this chance to knock out a bunch of Shadows to gain a bit of power as well.
9. Blizzard in Atlantica
Has your wallet been looking a little dry lately? There’s no better place to soak it up a bit than Atlantica! This is mainly a spot to gain heaps of Munny rather than exp – but will still net you a fair bit of experience too. Groups of enemies can be found right outside the King’s Throne. Get rewarded for protecting his majesty by spamming the hell out of your Blizzard spell. Enemies will drop around 50 munny each, and a whole area kill will give around 400 at once. Use this method as much as you can, since the enemies here are known to disappear after a while and never return.
8. Pot Scorpion Puzzle
In front of the Palace Gates in Agrabah lies twelve pots. Can you uncover the secrets these pots hold? Or will you awake the Poisonous One? Let’s hope you’re Indiana Jones skills are up to task. One of the pots in this area is actually a Pot Scorpion in disguise. Your goal is to smash every pot that isn’t hiding the Pincered Menace. This can be figured out by gently shoving/walking into the pots a little. The bad pot won’t budge when you walk into it. Once you break all of the good pots, you’ll net 155 tech points. Leave the area, circle the market, and return to the same room to rinse and repeat the puzzle until you’ve had enough. This isn’t the best exp farm – but it is a unique and entertaining one.
7. Early Coliseum Matches
Now if you’re in need of some early game exp and still want a bit of a challenge, look no further than the Coliseum. Many people forget until it’s too late that throughout Sora’s Journey, various cups open up for battle in Olympus. These can all be saved until the end… or you can challenge them as they unlock to get exp and fabulous rewards! The Phil Cup will most likely be the first tournament you do when visiting the world, as it’s available right when you lock Traverse Town’s Keyhole. After that, you can challenge the Pegasus Cup when you complete Monstro, and the Hercules Cup after you seal Halloween Town and Neverland. These can provide ample bonuses during times of need along your journey. There is one more cup, but we’ll get to that one later…
6. Ice Titan Tennis
Speaking of the Coliseum battles, a certain frosty terror can be found lurking within the Gold Match. Now you won’t be able to challenge this match for a while, even after the big Hades Cup later in this list – but it’s still good to note this method for later-game grinding. The Ice Titan boss can only be damaged by striking his icicle projectiles back at him. Now here’s the kicker: Knocking back his ice blasts nets you 100 tech points per hit. He launches an average of 3-5 missiles every couple of seconds, so you can gain quite a lot of exp if you’re good at pong. Top that off with 5000 exp for winning the battle and you’ve got yourself quite the generous mutant snowman.
5. Manor Ruins Mayhem (Halloween Town)
After rescuing a certain Kairi, Heartless will start to spawn in hordes outside of the Manor Ruins in Halloween Town. Use this chance to your advantage and wipe out the flood of enemies to net a hefty sum of experience points. Make sure to equip Encounter Plus here to increase your future body count, and then quickly eradicate all of the Heartless in the area. One run should net you around 4960 tech points. Once you’ve cleaned the area, leave through the waterway and jump up the bridge platforms to return to the Ruins and start your carnage all over again.
4. Attempt to Defeat Sephiroth
Now we approach what is, quite possibly, the method that will gain you the most exp out of everything else here. You can net around 18,000 exp each time! Why is it only in this spot on the list, you ask? Well, to claim this hefty sum of exp you’ll have to defeat the One-Winged Angel himself, Sephiroth. This is the hardest battle in the game by far and is even harder to attempt to grind it. Forget fighting the Titans over and over again, most people can barely face Sephiroth once. However, if you’re skilled at the game and are already a high level, then this might be your best and quickest chance to get to level 100. That, and you can net some pretty good bragging rights.
3. Return to Traverse Town
A very popular grinding strategy is going along several paths of enemies in Traverse Town, kind of similar to the Halloween Town method. Both of these paths can be found after rescuing Kairi – and can net you roughly 1680 exp per lap, depending on which path you choose. First Path: found in the Second District Hotel. When you’re in the Hotel, do laps of the Green Room, Red Room, and the Hallway, all while fighting the waves of enemies. Again, don’t forget your Encounter Plus to ensure you find lots of Heartless. Second Path: this one’s more straightforward but yields less exp. All you need to do is repeatedly enter the Gizmo Shop in the Second District and defeat what you find. Rinse and repeat.
2. Hades Cup and a Rocky Battle
The final (but not last) battle cup of the Coliseum is one named after the egotistical God of Death himself. This is a long and challenging feat with lots of boss fights, tough enemies, and a whole 50 seeds of fights. Upon completion, if you can make it that far, you’ll have gained a lot of exp and other goodies. But that’s not where the fun ends. If you really want to net in the points, consider grinding the last 10 seeds over and over again. The final Boss, the Rock Titan, is the best boss to grind in the game. (At least, the most reasonable boss… cough cough Sephiroth.) Once you get a good hang of killing this boulder-filled beast, each defeat will give you 5000 exp and about a 100 tech pints. That’s on top of whatever you gained from the other 9 seeds.
1. Juggling Rare Truffles
Now, ladies and gentlemen, we have the truly best way to grind exp in KH1.5: Truffle Juggling. Throughout your journey you’ll come across these lovely little Heartless mushrooms who don’t really feel like fighting. They just wanna have a fun time vibing in the sky. It’s up to you to grant their wish and make ‘em float. When you spot one, try to lure him into a corner. This will keep him steady during his flight. Once he’s all prepped for launch, cast an Aero spell underneath him and watch as he soars into the outer reaches of space. Once won’t be enough to satisfy his lust for air travel, though. So be sure to keep casting Aero once he reenters the orbit. If you can manage to keep him afloat for 100 juggles, he’ll give you a generous 5050 tech points! 100 juggles can be achieved the easiest way during the Hercules Cup, but can also be done in the Ship Deck in Neverland, Oogie’s Manor, and the Final Rest in the End of the World.
