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The fastest ways to earn XP in Starfield

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As much as humanity has advanced in the universe of Starfield, it has yet to eliminate conflict. While not ideal for the characters, it does mean you as the player get plenty of excuses to enjoy different forms of combat, stealth, persuasion, and other interactions to accomplish your goals. There’s a wide suite of tools for your character to learn, and while you start off with only three skills based on which Background you picked, you’re not limited to just those. You can dive deep into one category, or spread yourself out among them all, but either way, you’re going to need XP to level up and get more points to invest. This RPG rewards you with XP for doing almost anything, but not in equal amounts. If you want to level up fast in Starfield, here are the most efficient ways to earn XP.

Quests

Cockpit in spaceship from Starfield.
Bethesda Softworks

No sense ignoring the obvious. Quests will dish out the highest XP payouts of any single activity in Starfield. Main quests specifically have the biggest rewards, but are obviously limited to how many there are within the main storyline. If you want to power-level before doing other content, mainlining these missions is the fastest way. However, if you are looking to beef yourself up for the main quest, then you will want to rely on the other methods.

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Sidequests come in second behind main quests in terms of earning XP. These are categorized in your journal as Faction and Misc missions and usually should be prioritized in that order for more XP. Faction missions will obviously require you to join and do missions for a specific faction, of which there are plenty in Starfield. Once you’re a part of a Faction, much like a Guild in Skyrim, you will get a sort of mini-story arc within that group composed of multiple quests. Doing these not only makes the grind more interesting and offers some variety, but adds more lore and options for you to explore in the game. Misc missions also tend to be multipart, but more contained. These are usually picked up by talking to certain people and inquiring about their issues.

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Mission Board

A mission board screen with a list of optional objectives.
Bethesda Softworks

While technically listed under your quest log as Missions, we have to put them in a lower tier than the other types of quests. These are your most generic, almost randomly generated-feeling quests. Across the various hubs in Starfield, you will find different kiosks, and the first you will likely see is in the basement of The Lodge. By looking at them, you will be presented with a list of missions you can take for different payouts, while earn ingXP on the way. It isn’t much, but you can stack up an entire list of them to bang out in a single trip without doing too much thinking. Still, you can maximize your time by choosing ones that involve fighting to get XP for each kill, as well as discovering new locations if they take you somewhere new.

Don’t negotiate

A merc with a skull carved into his space helmet.
Bethesda Softworks

Negotiation is a big mechanic that has the option to be used (assuming you have the skill) in the majority of main missions, and even quite a few Faction and Misc missions too. These open up a little minigame where you can attempt to persuade a key character of something, most of the time involving avoiding a fight. While you do earn a bit of XP for succeeding in a persuasion argument, it is dwarfed by the amount you can get by fighting and killing just two or three goons. If you have the choice between fighting and talking, just go in guns blazing to rack up that XP.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
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Believe it or not, your Arisen in Dragon's Dogma 2 is very skilled at crafting. We're not talking about building structures, tools, or weapons, but item crafting. By combining specific pairs of ingredients in your inventory, you can produce some extremely potent consumables. As you will discover for yourself on your first long trip across the land, there are a ton of materials to discover, leading to hundreds or thousands of possible combinations. Knowing what items are best saved to make something special can save you from having to scour the world looking for more or struggling without it. Here are the best recipes that not even the best pawns will tell you about.
Best item recipes

Salburious Drought
This green liquid will be your most common healing item in Dragon's Dogma 2 and also the item you will probably craft first. It probably has the most possible combinations of ingredients to make and will always be a more effective way to get the most healing out of any individual ingredients. If you have a Greenwarish and combine it with almost any fruit, you can whip this tonic up.
Detoxifying Decoction
Status effects are no joke in Dragon's Dogma 2. If you get poisoned, it isn't going away until you cure it or rest at an in or camp. And that's if you have enough healing items to keep yourself alive long enough to make it there. Detoxifying Decoctions will cure what ails you and keep you adventuring instead of scrambling to get back to town. An easy way to make it is by combining Pitywort and Syrupwort leaves.
Exquisite Dried Spud
Stamina regenerates naturally, so you may not think an item that replenishes it would be all that important. Ask yourself that when you're clinging to the back of a Griffen 100 feet above the ground and your grip is slipping. Pop an Exquisite Dried Spud to keep climbing or running in those touchy moments. Just smash two Ripened Princess Harspuds together to make it.
Mighty Robrant
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Bunch of Flowers
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Dragon's Dogma 2 is full of mythological monsters and beasts. During your travels, you will encounter many classics like Cyclopses, Griffins, and Dragons, but a more obscure creature is hidden away in a cave waiting to challenge you in a different way. The Sphinx is found in the Mountain Shrine at the top of the hill once you go through Wordlsend Cave. It won't attack you when you approach, but instead, it will challenge you to a test of intellect. There are a total of 10 riddles to be solved, with a reward given for each one you manage to crack. Dragon's Dogma 2 never holds your hand with anything, so we'll help you unravel these riddles.
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Open-world RPGs can be anywhere from around a dozen hours long to well over 100. Dragon's Dogma 2 is very unique, even among others in the genre, for not adhering to a lot of traditional design philosophies, such as how it handles fast travel. If anything, that will only add to your total playtime, plus there are all the optional quests to do, Vocations to try out and level up, and more if you're a completionist. If you're wondering if you have the time to fit Dragon's Dogma 2 into your schedule among all the other games releasing, here's how long you can expect this adventure to last.
How long is Dragon's Dogma 2?

For the main quest, Dragon's Dogma 2 can probably be beaten in around 25 hours, give or take. That's assuming you mainline the story as efficiently as possible and don't get stuck on any boss fights being under-leveled. A more realistic playthrough where you explore a bit, do some side content, and maybe go for the true ending will push you into the 30 to 35-hour range, as it did for us.

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