What’s the fastest way to level up in Dark and Darker? With a sudden and exciting early access launch already underway, Dark and Darker is finally back after a brief legal hiatus, with plenty of new and returning players ready to delve deep into the PvPvE experience. Whether you participated in the previous alpha playtests or you’re a fresh face to Ironmace’s smash hit, everyone will be starting afresh together and looking to level up to 15 quickly, with many of the original methods of XP garnering still intact.
Given that there are now eight classes available in Dark and Darker with one more yet to come, it’s only natural that you’ll want to lock down the fastest route to gaining levels as fast as you can. Not only that but once you’ve locked down your main class, you’ll want to have the handiest XP-gathering tools at your disposal so you can start off the right way.
Dark and Darker leveling guide
Beginner or otherwise, engaging with Dark and Darker’s enemies and exploring the multi-floored dungeons while juggling the wildcards that are other players is a lot to keep track of. So, while opening chests, looting enemies, and bopping the odd monster will definitely get you some XP, we’ve put together some sure-fire ways to level up fast.
Prioritize blue portal extraction
Definitely a higher priority for newer players, you’ll gain large chunks of early XP by escaping from the dungeon. The more loot you can bring back with you, the better. If you’re feeling confident, we’d recommend opening as many blue portals as possible for some extra XP, just make sure not to die before you extract, otherwise, you’ll get nothing.
Get the last hit on enemies for XP
For those playing in a team, it’s of vital importance to understand that XP is not shared between players. Whoever scores the last hit on a monster or enemy player will be the only one to get XP. If you’re a low-level and hopping in with some more veteran allies, consider letting them weaken the enemies for you so you can nab the final blow and score some easy levels.
Play solo in the Goblin Caves
Originally a more hardcore experience in April’s playtest, the addition of the Goblin Caves allows players to venture solo, with plenty of decent loot and goblin enemies with very simple AI to take advantage of. Space is tighter but the sheer amount of opportunities to get kills and quickly loot aren’t to be snuffed at. We’d recommend taking a bow in with you and taking aim from above at the hapless denizens, just keep an out for other players looking to do the same. It’s also a great area to practice your fundamentals.
Use red portals for higher XP
Whether you’re solo in the Goblin Caves or paired with two friends and armed to the teeth, the first floor of the dungeon won’t offer nearly as many chances to level quickly once you’re about level 5 or above, so it’ll be time to delve deeper via red portals. Opening and entering red portals will guarantee some serious XP if you can manage to extract from the more dangerous depths. Of course, you’ll need to contend with increasingly fearsome enemies, who’ll thankfully also drop better loot and more XP.
The main benefit of maxing out your levels is the availability of new perk slots at 5, 10, and 15 which give you plenty more options to curate your build, so use the above methods to grind them out quickly, and you’ll be diving into the darkest of dungeons in no time. In the meantime, if you’ve been wondering whether you can play Dark and Darker on Steam, then check out what we know.