How do you (level) grind?

[Grampy_bone]

I don't level grind until late in most games. My thoughts are it is a waste of time to kill enemies in the current area when the next area's enemies will provide more experience--often much, much more. FF13 is a good example of this; not only do the crystarium point yields increase dramatically as you move on, but so too do the ability costs. By level grinding in the same spot you're spending 3x longer for the same result. It's all about efficiency.

I had a roommate who just loved to level. We'd get the same game, like Valkyrie Profile 2, at the same time and we'd both be ten hours in; but where I was a good way through the game he'd still be very near the beginning. Sure he'd have an easier time with the enemies than I would, but I was still a higher level than him with the same time investment.

 

[Alkestes]

All I can say is, thank God for dual monitors. <3 Full screen WoW on my left, full screen The Princess Bride, Buffy, Firefly or some other awesome show/movie on my right. And if I don't want to bother minimising except to change video, I steal my dad's notebook thing to use for my messengers. :'D

 

[MurderousToaster]

Say, in WoW, I like to listen to music. It makes it far more bearable if you have something with a good beat in your ear than if you're just sitting there feeling the repetition explode in your face.

 

[MetaKnight19]

In games like Pokémon, I just level up my team as much as I need to so I can beat the next gym. The only times I actually level grind is when I'm constantly getting my arse kicked by the same gym.

 

[CK76]

I get a system in place so my brain can function at 50% while doing it. Music, a DVD, heck sometimes another game.

On Disgaea (PS2) I could remember the button sequence for Cave of Ordeal so well I didn't need the television on. Muscle memory and practice and voila, leveled up dozens if not hundreds of times.

 

[mip0]

I quest as much as I can. STAND eh
I hate Badlands and ~Descolace and westfall and bladublirrAAAAGHHHLAISJDCFIJRCKCSPRSPRP hallehalle how do you make that sound ?now!nnhnn hn hm hn

 

[Plurralbles]

... the knowledge that if i"m not playing the game, then I'm studying for finals.

Somehow everything becomes fun except finals whenyou should be studying.

 

[necromanzer52]

I avoid games that involve level grinding as much as possible.
With the exception of pokemon which I actually like.

 

[DividedUnity]

... the knowledge that if i"m not playing the game, then I'm studying for finals.

Somehow everything becomes fun except finals whenyou should be studying.

lol i find myself with that exact problem. i will do everything else possible before stufying. im like a ultra procrastinator

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

1. Find a quick, simple and legal way to grind.
2. Go here on the Escapist, YouTube, or listen to music while grinding.

I hate grinding so much.

 

[SimuLord]

I avoid games that require grinding. You know, other than oblivion. For that I just beared with it until I had one character who had gotten the important skills high enough and never made a new character.

I felt a similar feeling about Fallout 3. As I see it, leveling in that game is just incidental to me playing it and I wish more games would follow its model.

 

[Jark212]

Run around whatever world I'm in in a Caffeine world rage listing to Metal killing everything in sight for XP...

This may or may not have happened in real life as well...

 

[kawaiiamethist]

I wait until I'm in an area with easy battles that offer high rewards. I also do a lot of side quests; they offer exp and high rewards, so why not.

I played the waiting game in FFXIII and have rarely had to grind. I only took on a few side quests, to my disappointment, because just about all of them are best taken care of after the end credits (which is really messed up). Now I'm in the second last chapter and doing my last batch of grinding to finish up and continue to the finale.

 

[Yopaz]

Well, it's either music or watching a series while doing it. I've watched a lot of anime and The Simpsons getting my levels.

 

[mrdude2010]

in pokemon you have to level grind to get the pokedex full, i usually jus put the exp share on whatever i want to level up and go through the elite 4 repeatedly until i reach the desired levels

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

When I'm leveling in WoW, I use the most simplistic rotation possible (Mangle spam on my Feral Druid, for example) and either listen to music or watch TV. There are tons of mods out there that make leveling and questing as simple as following a big fat idiot arrow on your screen and following the instructions it gives. It gets boring, but it's worth it in the end.

 

[Mr.PlanetEater]

In Paper Mario when I was grinding to the highest level to completely cock up the challenge. I just turned the T.V. down, put on my headphones and listened to 3 hours of Classic Rock.
That's how I grind..but Mother 3 kind of shot my method then stripped and burned its corpse with the Rhythm based battles.. but thankfully the music was awesome enough to make the Grinding fun.