What are the primary ways to gain experience and level up in Ashes of Creation?

The main leveling methods include questing (both static and dynamic), monster grinding, exploration, gathering, and the processing of resources through crafting professions.

Is questing or grinding mobs faster for leveling?

Questing provides consistent rewards and story progression, while mob grinding can be highly efficient for experience gain, especially in groups and at higher levels with optimized pulls.

Can I level up purely through gathering and crafting?

Yes, experience is earned through all forms of progression, including gathering and crafting, making a non-combat path to leveling viable, though potentially slower or resource-intensive.

Ashes of Creation How to Level

Leveling in Ashes of Creation is about more than grinding mobs. The game rewards players who explore, complete destinies, and push through early quests tied to their starting zone. Getting to level 25 takes time, but there are clear ways to make it faster and smoother.

How Leveling Works

Experience comes from killing enemies, finishing quests, gathering materials, crafting items, and progressing destinies. Most of your early levels will come from questing, but combat and gathering give strong bonuses when chained together. Death lowers XP slightly, so avoid dying often or you’ll slow down your progress.

Early Game Leveling

The first 10 levels are your setup phase. Pick a starting zone like the Riverlands or the Anvils. The Riverlands offers easier solo combat, while the Anvils focuses on denser mob packs and more group events. Both give you a full set of crude gear early on, which upgrades to uncommon by following local quests.

Focus on these tasks in your first hours:

Complete your starting node quests for free gear upgrades
Work through the Combat and Starter Destiny paths for bonus XP
Equip both melee and ranged weapons to build weapon XP faster
Use food and rations to stay in combat longer without downtime

You’ll unlock your Wanderer weapon around level 5 by completing Destiny objectives. This weapon often carries you through the next 10 levels easily.

Mid Game Leveling

After level 10, the pace changes. You’ll have access to your full class kit, which lets you pull larger mob groups. XP gains become faster when you mix repeatable quests and combat. Look for grinding areas near Ember Springs, where respawn rates are high.

If you’re playing a class with strong area attacks like Fighter or Cleric, focus on humanoid mobs since they drop both Glint and usable crafting items. Crafters can level up too by producing tools and processing materials, which still gives small amounts of experience.

Keep these tips in mind:

Always check Destiny challenges for tasks you can double up on
Group up for elite hunts and dungeon bosses for extra XP bursts
Use your node storage often so you don’t lose mats from deaths
Level weapon skills evenly, since some weapon trees give passive XP boosts

Late Game and Group Leveling

Levels 20 through 25 are slower and designed to push players into dungeons or open-world events. Most players grind in small parties near active caravans or contested regions. Group XP scales well, so having a mix of classes helps with kill speed and survivability.

Crafting rare items and contributing to your node’s growth also give XP, though smaller amounts. Focus on combat first if your goal is max level before the next phase wipe.

Final Blurb

Leveling in Ashes of Creation isn’t about one perfect path. It’s about staying active — questing, fighting, crafting, and helping your node expand. Follow your destinies, rotate through mobs with good respawn timers, and you’ll hit level 25 before you know it.