Now that Final Fantasy 15 is finally out, you’ll want to conquer every nook and cranny of its densely-packed world. While mastering elemancy (the art of magic and spell crafting) and obtaining all 13 Royal Arms can help you in your quest, you’ll need to understand Final Fantasy 15’s leveling system in order to maximize your EXP gain and reach Level 99. Check out our guide to gaining EXP and power-leveling up fast by using lodgings, sidequests and meals in Final Fantasy XV below.

First of all, you don’t level up automatically in Final Fantasy XV . Instead you need to camp, rest at lodgings, or complete a chapter in order to level up.

You earn EXP through combat, by completing sidequests, by exploring, and via conversations that allow you to select your choice of response. Each monster you defeat has a fixed EXP value. As for Exploring, you want to take advantage of the Exploration Tree in Ascension, which has abilities like Reel Experience (gain experience for catching fish and each species has its own value) that let you gain EXP just for enjoying the world of Altissia.

Here are some methods for increasing your EXP totals:

• Get good grades on your post-battle Report Cards

• Equip the Moogle Charm accessory (EXP+20%)

• Eat these restaurant meals: Galdin Gratin (Galdin Quay, EXP +10%), Fine Cavier Canapé (Maagho, EXP+50%), Fat Chocobo Triple-Decker (Wiz Chocobo Post, EXP+50%), Maagho Lasagna (Maagho, EXP+100%)

• Eat these cooked meals: Lasagna al Forno (EXP+100%), Cup Noodles (perfect - EXP+20%), Stacked Ham Sandwich (EXP+50%), Royal Banquet Canapé (EXP+50%), Mother and Child Rice Bowl (EXP+30%)

• Defeat an enemy using an Armiger Sagechain (EXP+50%)

• Catch fish after unlocking the Reel Experience Ascension ability

• Drive the Regalia after unlocking the Roadlife Ascension ability (10 EXP for every half mile driven in any mode)

• Ride a chocobo after unlocking the Chocobonus Ascension ability (10 EXP every .35 miles)

• Win a chocobo race after unlocking the Chocoracer Ascension ability (50 EXP per race won)

• Max your accumulated EXP with a bonus modifier by staying at a lodging, to a maximum x3 multiplier from The Leville (Royal Suite) in Altissia

If one of your party members are “down” when the fight ends, they lose out on EXP for that fight, which is especially devastating if you’ve completed a major story encounter or defeated a final boss in a dungeon, since they could lose out on final quest bonuses as well. Make sure you revive your buddies before landing the finishing blow.

HP and Strength grow a great deal between levels 30 and 70. Noctis has the highest Magic stat by far, followed by Ignis at half of Noctis’s ability and then Prompto and Gladiolus bringing up the rear (at quite a distance). Only Noctis should ever have a spell equipped, with Ignis tagging in to back up as necessary.

Vitality and Spirit don’t really increase much as your party levels up, so you need to use gear and status effects to make these stats increase. Gladiolus has the best survivability out of all four bros, since his HP and Vitality growth is notably greater than that of the other three.

What does this mean? Past level 70, just grinding for levels is NOT going to cut it! You need to equip high-end gear and eat the right food to buff your party exactly where it’s lacking. If a specific late or post-game enemy is giving you trouble, the answer is not simply to level up. Find out what its strengths and weaknesses are and prepare accordingly.

Lodgings

Lodgings provide powerful bonuses to EXP and are worth a closer look. Basically, while lodgings grant bonus EXP, you have to pay a fee in Gil and Ignis doesn’t cook you any of his magical stat-boosting dinners. However, if you’ve completed lots of sidequests since your last rest, the bonus EXP can be a very big deal.

The best time to exploit EXP bonuses is in Chapter 8, where a bunch of sidequests unlock at once. Go to Altissia and unlock “Call Umbra”, then travel to Hammerhead and complete Cindy’s “The Ever Illustrious Regalia” sidequest. Make sure the Regalia has its Enhanced Headlights upgrade and complete as many sidequests in Lucis as possible. Ideally, do so with EXP bonus multiplier from a meal.

Then, don’t rest, but go back to Altissia and stay at the Royal Suite in the Leville for the maximum x3 multiplier. This will cost you 30,000 Gil, but what’s Gil when compared to EXP? This is why you need to complete as many sidequests in one go as you can before attempting this power-leveling technique, or it’ll be rather a tragic waste of Gil.

The x2 multiplier at Quayside Cradle in Galdin Quay is also a good place to bank EXP if you’d like to do so before reaching Altissia. But be careful of advancing the storyline to the next Chapter, since that will lead to your accumulated EXP being banked automatically without any multiplier.

Making camp at havens does not boost your EXP gain, so it’s no good for power leveling. But if you camp right after staying at a lodging, you can enjoy both the EXP multiplier and one of Ignis’s home-cooked stat-boosting meals.

There’s a hard level cap of 99, so there’s no need to do any extreme moves such as ignoring every sidequest until Chapter 8 for mega-marathon EXP sessions.

Anyway, here’s the list of all lodgings and their multipliers so you can plan your grinding wisely:

• Hammerhead (Caravan): 30 gil, 1.2x EXP bonus

• Longwythe Rest Area - Three Z’s Motel: 300 gil, 1.5x EXP bonus

• Galdin Quay (Caravan): 30 gil, 1.2x EXP bonus

• Galdin Quay - The Quayside Cradle: 10,000 gil, 2.0x EXP bonus

• Prairie Outpost (Caravan): 30 gil, 1.2x EXP bonus

• Coernix Station - Alstor (Caravan): 30 gil, 1.2x EXP bonus

• Cauthess Rest Area (Caravan): 30 gil, 1.2x EXP bonus

• Taelpar Rest Area - THree Z’s Motel: 300 gil, 1.5x EXP bonus

• Lestallum - The Leville: 300 gil, 1.5x EXP bonus

• Old Lestallum - Three Z’s Motel: 300 gil, 1.5x EXP bonus

• Burbost Souvenir Emporium (Caravan): 30 gil, 1.2x EXP bonus

• Verinas Mart - Ravatogh (Caravan): 30 gil, 1.2x EXP bonus

• Meldacio Hunter HQ (Caravan): 30 gil, 1.2x EXP bonus

• Cape Caem - Hidden Getaway: 0 gil, 1.0x EXP bonus

• Altissia - The Leville: 500 gil, 1.5x EXP bonus

• Altissia - The Leville (Royal Suite): 30,000 gil, 3.0x EXP bonus

• Vagoni Albergo di Cartanica: 30 gil, 1.1x EXP bonus

• Tenerae - Roues du Repos: 30 gil, 1.1x EXP bonus

Got any questions about gaining EXP in Final Fantasy 15? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below. And don’t forget to check out our other Final Fantasy 15 guides:

• 'Final Fantasy 15' Review: Combat, Plot, Characters Create Something Flawed, Beautiful, Fantastic

• Justice Monsters Five Rewards List: Every Item To Snag From The Pinball Mini-Game

• Favorite Foods List: Complete Recipes, Stat Boosts & Effects For Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto

• Outfits Guide: Attire Stat Bonuses And Buffs For Noctis And Allies’ Gear

• How Many Chapters Are in 'Final Fantasy 15'? Tips For Pacing Yourself

• Flying Car Guide: Here's How To Get The Regalia Type-F [VIDEO]

• How To Fish In 'Final Fantasy 15' Skill Guide: Best Locations, Equipment And Bonuses To Level Fishing Fast

• Full List Of Trophies And Achievements [NO SPOILERS]

• Wait Mode Explained: How It Works And When To Activate It

• Report Card: Finesse, Time, Offense And EXP Bonus Explained‘Final Fantasy 15' Royal Arms Guide: Tips And Tricks To Master Combat

• Ascension Tree Tips: 9 Must-Have Skills To Prioritize Early On