Best Farming and Grinding Spots: EXP, Gil and Item Drops

Farm on Casual: enemies have 60% of their HP and you get exactly the same EXP, gil and drops. In Chapter 1, pick up Ethers from the Fire Wisps in burning Grandshelt Castle and grind Dhorme Chimeras on the overworld outside Marauder Cave. From Chapter 2, the Metal Minituars and lone Cactuars of Dirnado pay over 1,000 EXP a fight. Later on, Metal Cactuars (25,000 EXP), Gil Snappers (13,000 gil), and finally Metal Gigantuars (150,000 EXP) and King Gil Snappers (28,000 gil) are the fights to look for; the Metal Gigantuar EXP farm guide covers the best of them.

How Farming Works

Every character who has joined your party gets a battle’s full EXP, including the ones sitting on the bench, so a bigger roster never splits the reward. Gil is paid once per battle. A battle’s EXP and gil are the totals of every enemy in it, and you only collect them by winning: running away pays nothing.

Two result bonuses add to that. The No Damage Bonus raises EXP by 20% when you win without taking any damage. The Overkill Bonus raises gil by 30%: defeat every enemy during the bonus phase, then land a follow-up attack. The third bonus, Stagger Finish, raises MRP; the MRP farming guide covers it.

Switch the battle difficulty to Casual in the gameplay options before a long farming session. Enemies have 60% of their normal HP and a stagger gauge 40% of the normal size, while EXP, gil and drop chances are the same on every difficulty. Expert only raises MRP (x1.5), so it’s worth switching back only for MRP.

Item Drops and Drop Rate Up

Every enemy you defeat rolls once for its normal item and once more, separately, for its rare item, so one enemy can drop both. Normal items are usually 1 in 8 or 1 in 12, and rare items 1 in 30. Each enemy rolls on its own, so a battle with three Fire Wisps is three tries at an Ether.

Drop Rate Up adds 25 percentage points to every one of those rolls, which turns a 1-in-30 rare item into better than a 1-in-4 shot. It’s Victoria’s Mastery Rank 9 ability (35 AP), and her request, Victoria Revivified, opens in Mysidia during Chapter 5. Only one copy counts, and it has to be on a character in your active party; a benched character’s Drop Rate Up doesn’t help. A character who has taken Victoria to MR 9 can keep Drop Rate Up equipped while using a different Vision, as the All Visions guide explains.

Farming Boosts

EXP boosts only help the character wearing them, so put Double EXP on whoever is furthest behind. Gil and drop boosts count once for the whole battle, as long as someone in your active party has them.

Take off the Warding Bell (halves encounters) and the Dragon Seal (stops them) before you farm. The two DLC armors are capped: the Chestplate of Preparation never adds more than 100 EXP to a battle and the Blessed Cuirass never more than 70 gil, so they help in the first chapters and barely register next to a 25,000 EXP Metal Cactuar.

Best Farming Spots by Chapter

Average EXP and Average Gil are what one fight in that area pays on average, taking into account how often each battle shows up, assuming you defeat every enemy. Levels are the levels of the enemies you’ll meet there. Overworld areas don’t have names, so they’re listed by the two closest towns, dungeons and Sanctums, closest first; the world map outlines each one. Optional areas have no story chapter.

Chapter 1: Grandshelt Castle

While the castle burns and you’re rescuing the King, about 69% of the fights include Fire Wisps, often three at once, and each Fire Wisp drops an Ether 1 time in 8. That works out to about 16 Ethers per 100 fights. Sergeants drop a Mist Potion 1 time in 8 and carry an Ether as a rare drop (1 in 30). Both are hard to come by this early: no shop sells Ethers until Chapter 2, and the shop you can use during the attack doesn’t stock Mist Potions. Ethers also sell for 120 gil each, more than the average fight here pays. The Wraith Soldiers in the castle only carry Knife of Poison.

The castle only burns during this stretch of Chapter 1, so do your farming before you leave. Save at least one Ether: the Citrine Pot in Siren’s Tower asks for one later in the chapter and pays 120 MRP when you hand it over (see Magic Pots). The stronger Sergeants and Wraith Soldiers that drop Mist Hi-Potions, Mist Turbo Ethers, Turbo Ethers and X-Ethers are different enemies. They only show up in set battles at Zoldaad Castle, so you can’t farm them.

Chapter 1: Dhorme Chimeras and Siren’s Tower

Dhorme Chimeras are worth 300 EXP and 600 gil each at level 16, about five times what a castle fight pays. Look for them on the overworld near Marauder Cave and the Sanctum of Cloud, where about 26% of the fights have one. Chimeras hit hard with magic and are difficult to stagger, so come back after a few levels if they wipe you. Once you have Zidane, they’re also the earliest source of the steal-only Ring of Rage (stealing guide).

Siren’s Tower is the better Ether spot: Aqua Elementals, Green Slimes and Mages all drop Ethers 1 time in 8, for about 18 per 100 fights, and you can come back here later. The Sharks there are worth 225 EXP each.

Chapter 2: Dirnado

In the area southwest of the Dwarven Forge, 30% of the fights are a lone level 18 Metal Minituar worth 2,500 EXP. It has only 6 HP, but most attacks miss it or deal 1 damage, and from its fourth turn it can run away, so use attacks that hit several times from the start (see the Metal enemies below). The rest of the fights have Medusas, who use Petrify and Charm; with them the area averages 1,327 EXP a fight.

Next to it, in the area west of the Sanctum of Onion Knight, every fight is a single level 30 Cactuar worth 1,111 EXP, 1,111 gil and 220 MRP, as long as you stay off the forest tiles. Cactuars also drop a Healing Spring 1 time in 8, and those sell for 1,250 gil. Cactuars dodge most attacks until you stagger them and can run away from their third turn, so stagger them quickly and finish them while they’re staggered.

Chapter 3: Olderion

The overworld southwest of Ruby Cave averages 1,425 EXP and 1,320 gil a fight. 30% of the fights are a Mini Gil Snapper worth 1,500 gil; it counters physical attacks and has high magic defense, so expect a hit back for every physical attack. The other fights are Destroyers, some with Maelspikes, and Destroyers carry the drop-only Heavy Crossbow as a rare item.

Chapter 4: Zoldaad

Between Infernal Hollow and the Rebel Hideout, a third of the fights are Cactuars and the rest have Sandworms worth 2,000 EXP each, for an average of 1,770 EXP and 1,504 gil a fight.

The fields between Mozul Station and the Sanctum of Cecil are the first good Mist Turbo Ether spot: Red Elementals and Magma Tortoises carry one as a rare drop, about 6 per 100 fights or 54 with Drop Rate Up. They sell for 2,500 gil, and the two Azure Pots in Chapter 5 each want one.

Chapter 5: Mysidia

Between Jotunn Cave and the Sanctum of Vaan, 33% of the fights are a Metal Cactuar worth 25,000 EXP. Like the Metal Minituar, it has only 10 HP and takes 1 damage from each hit that lands, and from its third turn it can run away, so open with your multi-hit attacks. The other fights are Mahadevas, Stealth Coeurls and Ice Sculptures. If you beat every Metal Cactuar, the area averages 10,937 EXP a fight, by far the best before Chapter 7; each one that escapes brings that down.

For gil, go to the area north of Salome Cave: 33% of the fights are a Gil Snapper worth 13,000 gil, and the area averages 7,367 gil a fight. Gil Snappers have 30,000 HP, counter physical attacks and have high magic defense, so it’s a long fight. Steal from them on the way down: their Small Golden Shell sells for 2,500 gil and the rare Golden Shell for 5,000.

Chapter 6: Gronoa

Between Necromonarch Cave and the Sanctissimus Shrine, the Ancient Dragons and Malbodooms are worth 4,800 EXP and 9,500 gil each, and 25% of the fights are a Gigantuar worth 600 MRP. That’s 4,003 EXP and 7,603 gil a fight on average.

In the Gronoa Shrine, one fight in eight is a group of three Tonberries, worth 14,400 EXP and 28,500 gil together. Each has 39,393 HP and low defenses, and they walk toward you and stab with their Chef’s Knife once they’re close, so kill them before they get there.

Chapter 7: Pharm

For X-Ethers, the overworld between Malboro Menace Cave and the Abandoned Cabin is the best spot you can keep coming back to: Shuts and Heimdallrs drop them 1 time in 12, for about 14 per 100 fights (57 with Drop Rate Up). Shuts also carry a rare Mist X-Ether.

Optional: Dragon’s Maw and the Islet Past It

The part of Dragon’s Maw where Ominous Ones and Ganymede appear pays the most per fight in the game: 67,333 EXP and 44,400 gil on average, against enemies of level 64-70. Ganymede also drops an Elixir 1 time in 12, the best repeatable Elixir drop there is (about 3 per 100 fights). You can’t run from any fight in Dragon’s Maw, so only farm here once your party wins these fights quickly.

The far end of Dragon’s Maw opens onto a small islet off Pharm’s east coast, and walking through the dungeon is the only way to reach it. It’s the best farm in the game. Every fight there is one of three single enemies, each a third of the time: a Metal Gigantuar (150,000 EXP), a Gigantuar (600 MRP) or a King Gil Snapper (28,000 gil), on the forest tiles too. That averages 50,704 EXP and 10,204 gil a fight if you beat every Metal Gigantuar. On Casual it has 8 HP, so you need 8 hits that land, and from its third turn it runs away almost half the time. The Metal Gigantuar EXP farm guide covers the route, the setups that kill one in a single turn and how many kills each level takes. Steal from King Gil Snappers too: their rare Large Golden Shell sells for 10,000 gil.

Cactuars, Minituars and Gil Snappers

These enemies pay far more than anything around them. Best Place is the area where they make up the biggest share of the fights.

The three Metal enemies work like Dragon Quest’s Metal Slimes. They nullify almost all physical and magic damage, so every hit that lands deals 1 damage, and they have no elemental weakness to exploit. They dodge too: an attack with normal accuracy lands only 40% of the time. Each hit of a multi-hit skill rolls to hit on its own, so more hits means more damage, and anything that always hits is better still (best abilities below).

They don’t run straight away. A Metal Minituar never flees during its first three turns, and a Metal Cactuar or Metal Gigantuar during its first two. After that, every turn it takes has a 33% (Metal Minituar), 36% (Metal Cactuar) or 46% (Metal Gigantuar) chance of Escape. If it gets away, the battle ends without a victory and you get nothing, so spend those safe turns on your best multi-hit attacks. The averages on this page count every Metal enemy as defeated.

Regular Cactuars and Gigantuars take normal damage but dodge most attacks until they’re staggered. They run too: never on their first two turns, but from the third on, a third of them have fled by the end of that turn and almost 9 in 10 by their sixth. Every third turn they fire 1,000 Needles, or 10,000 Needles from a Gigantuar. A staggered Cactuar can’t act at all, so stagger it early and finish it while it’s staggered. Gil Snappers counter physical attacks and have high magic defense. Steal from them before you finish them: every Gil Snapper carries a Small Golden Shell (2,500 gil), and the rare steal is a Golden Shell (5,000) from Gil Snappers and a Large Golden Shell (10,000) from King Gil Snappers.

Best Abilities Against Metal Enemies

Against the Metal enemies, what matters is how many hits land, not how hard they hit. Normal attacks land only 40% of the time, so a 5-hit attack averages 2 damage. Start with Aim, Amelia’s Mastery Rank 3 ability (15 AP): it guarantees all your attacks hit for 5 turns. Once a character has taken Amelia to MR 3, they can equip Aim while using any other Vision. Amelia comes from the request Errand’s End in Zoldaad, the Imperial Capital, which opens after you finish the request Token Legacy.

Then use abilities that hit many times, or ones that always hit. The Metal enemies always fight alone, so attacks that hit random enemies put every hit on them. Gravity and Graviga get around the 1-damage rule: they always hit and cut a share of the enemy’s current HP, which the Metal enemies’ defenses don’t block. Awakening abilities only work while their Vision is equipped, but a character who has ranked a Vision can equip its Mastery Rank abilities with any Vision for the AP shown.

Every Limit Burst and Resonance attack always hits, and many hit 10 times or more, enough on their own for a Metal Gigantuar’s 8 HP on Casual. The biggest Limit Bursts are Crimson Onslaught (Rain, level 25, 12 hits), Glücksschmied (Jake, level 30, 12 hits), Transient Rite (Lasswell, level 25, 12 hits) and Sakura’s Ultima (Sakura, level 35, 10 hits). The Resonances of Amelia, Bartz, Cloud, Lightning, Noctis, Shantotto, Squall and Zidane hit 10 times each.

Where to Farm Each Item

Earliest Good Spot is the first place where the item drops at least 3 times per 100 fights. Per 100 Fights shows how many you get on average, first without and then with Drop Rate Up. Best Spot is the place with the highest rate anywhere. Sells For is the shop sell price.

No shop sells Elixirs, and each of the two Pearly Pots in the Crystal Tower asks for one, so keep the ones you find.

Gear You Can Only Get From Drops

No shop, chest or reward gives these weapons; they’re rare drops (1 in 30) from regular enemies. Drop Rate Up turns each roll into a 28% chance.

Four more only drop inside story dungeons: the Arc Hammer (Wandering One) and Illegible Lexicon (Hill Gigas) in the Underground Tunnel, the Vita Cloak (Gargoyle) under Zoldaad Castle, and the Ballista (Heavy Gunner) in Fina’s Psyche. Watch for them while you pass through.

What to Spend Gil On

• Magicite. Clearing each Colosseum league adds magicite to the Colosseum shop: Magicite Shards for 10,000 gil after the Fledgling League, Magicite for 50,000 after the Brawler League and Magicite Crysts for 250,000 after the Gladiator League. They awaken your Visions (All Visions guide).
• Adept’s Armlet. Double EXP for 25,000 gil at the airship’s shop from Chapter 6.
• The Mastery Pendant. The High-Power Generator costs 60,000 gil, and it’s the last step toward the Mastery Pendant’s double MRP (MRP farming guide).

When you need gil fast, sell what the farming spots give you: Healing Springs (1,250 gil), Mist Turbo Ethers (2,500) and Golden Shells (2,500 to 10,000) are worth far more than most fights pay.