ESO Grind Guide for Maximum XP and Power Leveling
In this guide, I'll show you the best spots to grind xp fast in ESO! Not only will this guide help you level your character from 0-50, but it'll also show you the best spots to grind out Champion Points as well as XP to level up your Companion!
Before we begin...
This guide's focus is to show you the perfect locations to go in ESO to maximize your xp grind. If you're looking for a full leveling guide on how to start and power level a new character, check out my full Leveling Guide. Ok, let's dive into the best spots to grind out xp fast in ESO!
Quick Tips
In order to get the most out of this guide, you may want to consider following these tips as they'll help you maximize the XP you can gain from the locations below.
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Tip #1: Use Training gear!
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The more pieces of armor and weapons you have with the training trait on them, the more XP you'll earn from kills. If you're brand new to the game I suggest joining a guild and asking if anyone in that guild can help craft you some gear with the training trait on it. Upgrading those items to Purple quality or higher will increase the benefits of the training trait even further. This is my #1 tip for a reason, so make sure you follow this one.
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Tip #2: AOE (Area of Effect) skills help when killing large groups of enemies. Rather than killing them one at a time, try using skills that do damage around you to multiple enemies at a time. The more enemies you kill and the faster you do it is the recipe for success when it comes to gaining XP fast!
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Tip #3: Use XP boosters!
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Crown Experience Scrolls, for example, can add a huge boost to your XP gains and are often easily obtained for free as a daily login reward. Here's a list of all types of consumable XP boosters, but keep in mind that the drinks and scrolls do not stack.
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Crown Experience Scrolls - These are most common in the 50% Experience Point bonus, but I've also had ones that reward you with 100% and 150% Experience Point bonuses.
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Psijic Ambrosia - Craftable drink in game and usually sold in guild stores for a modest price, these will grant you a 50% XP bonus from all sources for 30 minutes.
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Aetherial Ambrosia - Craftable drink in game and usually sold in guild stores for a reasonable price, these will grant you a 100% XP bonus from all sources for 30 minutes.
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Mythic Aetherial Ambrosia - Craftable drink in game and usually sold in guild stores for a very high price, these will grant you a 150% XP bonus from all sources for 30 minutes.
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Other sources of XP bonuses include:
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10% XP gain from ESO Plus Membership
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10% XP from being in a group of two (group with a friend for bonus XP!)
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10% XP from the Ring of Mara (a ritual where you "marry" a friend and receive a ring you can wear to boost your XP together)
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100% XP gain from in game events such as the Jester's Festival or Witches Festival.
XP Grind Locations
Spellscar (Craglorn) - No DLC Required
Spellscar is located just north of Belkarth and is easily traveled to via the Mountain Overlook Wayshrine. This is my personal favorite grind spot as Craglorn is my favorite zone, but also because Spellscar is unique as it has three different sides. One side is fire themed, another is lightning themed, and the last is ice themed. To grind here, just pick one of the themed sides and stay in that area. Run around in a circle, grouping up mobs and killing them all. By the time you circle back around within that themed area, the mobs will have spawned again. One downside to grinding in Spellscar though is that it can get crowded as it's a fairly popular spot.
Pros:
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My personal favorite spot
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Easy to get to and doesn't require you to own any DLC
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Lots of monsters with great XP
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Can group with a friend to maximize your XP here, but any more than 2 people and you'll begin losing out on XP. So if you see other people killing stuff too, it may be best to find a new location
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Great location for harvesting materials as well
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Good solo spot if nobody is there
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There's a Merchant named Antonia Gratas just NW of the Mountain Overlook Wayshrine where you can easily sell your loot and repair your gear during your grind.
Cons:
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Often crowded
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Can get boring after a while if you're killing the same things over and over again. Take breaks when needed!
Forgotten Wastes (Vvardenfell) - Morrowind Required
Forgotten Wastes is a Public Dungeon in northern Vvardenfell and is easily accessed via the Valley of the Wind Wayshrine. This location does require the Morrowind DLC but has some additional perks as well. To grind here, enter the Forgotton Wastes public dungeon. Navigate through it until you get into a cavern called Caverns of Kogoruhn (you can check your map to make sure). Start at the top of the path and snake your way down to the bottom, killing all the enemies you pass. Then, turn around and make your way back up again, killing them again. Repeat this over and over and that's the Forgotton Wastes XP grind in ESO!
One bonus of grinding here is if you're interested in unlocking the Sixth House Robe Costume. There are seven different pieces that are only obtained in this Public Dungeon, and with any luck you may get some of the pieces to drop just by grinding here.
Pros:
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Good grind spot for 1-2 people
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Mob drops can rarely drop the Sixth House pieces needed for the Sixth House Robe Costume
Cons:
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Requires Morrowind DLC
Verrant Morass (Greenshade) - No DLC Required
Verrant Morass is located in Greenshade and is easily accessed via the Verrant Morass Wayshrine. To grind here, just go around Verrant Morass in a circle, grouping up and killing all of the Feral Bosmer you can find. Continue this grind in a circle around this area over and over to grind out that sweet XP!
Pros:
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No DLC required
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Easy to get to and full of lots of enemies
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Great spot for harvesting nodes, treasure chests and heavy sacks!
Cons:
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Can sometimes be populated or "in use" by others.
Paragon's Rememberance (Wrothgar) - Orsinium DLC Required
Paragon's Rememberance is located in southwestern Wrothgar and is easily accessed via the Siege Road Wayshrine. To grind here, enter Paragon's Rememberance and head straight. When you get to the large first room, the grind begins. Go around this room in a circle and kill all the enemies. By the time you get back to the beginning the enemies should have respawned already or will just be about to respawn.
Pros:
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Great solo spot!
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Enemies respawn fast and the grind loop is easy to do
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Lots of barrels and things to loot inside the room
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Less populated than other grind spots
Cons:
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Requires Orsinium DLC
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XP may not be as good as some of the other spots, but it's usually not as occupied which can be a good thing!
Lost Prospect (The Rift) - No DLC Required
Lost Prospect is located in The Rift and is easily accessed via the Fullhelm Fort Wayshrine. To grind here, just run loops inside this area (you can actually see the path loop very easily on the map), pulling as many enemies together as you can. Kill them with AOE skills, then continue on. Do this in a circle over and over, killing everything you see, and that's the Lost Prospect grind!
Fun fact: I actually used to grind my new characters here from Level 1-50 way back in the early ESO days (we're talking 2014-2016 here). I had forgotten about the location and thought maybe it wasn't a viable grinding spot anymore, but upon researching and putting this guide together I went there in game and found out the Lost Prospect grind is still a thing and can give you some solid XP!
Pros:
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No DLC required
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Easy grind loop (nice big circle)
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The enemies here drop a lot of loot that you can sell in town for some extra gold!
Cons:
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Can sometimes be populated or "in use" by others (You never wanna be in a grind spot, killing the same enemies, with more than 1 other person. If there are 3 or more people there you will lose out on XP and it's not worth your time. If you encounter this at any location, just move to another grind spot.)
These spots should be enough to get you started, but I'll continue to add more spots to this guide soon!