If you’re looking to round out your last few levels or have decided to start a new character, the main thing on your mind when it comes to Star Wars: The Old Republic is how to quickly and efficiently get those levels awarded. As always, the best way to level up is to progress through your story missions attached to your chosen class, and then to move on through the DLC content (which – there’s a lot of!) It’s not necessarily fast however, and if you’re one to enjoy your time spent in story areas, rushing through these might not provide you with the experience you’re looking for.
It’s excellent practice when trying to level up quickly, to stack the deck in your favor. If you were playing the game and were an active subscriber during the Dark vs. Light event, you will have access to the special XP armor that was released during it. Each tier of this armor’s set bonus increases XP gains by a total of 50%. Plainly stated, if you have this armor set, it’s crazy not to use it! In addition to this, you can also equip an XP boost, which will increase your gains by another 25%. A larger guild will also have a 15% increase to experience gains, so it’s usually a good idea to join one if you’re hoping to level up quickly. Most guilds will advertise their XP boost in general chat. Depending on what activity you’re going to invest your time into, you might also consider unlocking Legacy XP buffs from the Character Perks tab. These perks only apply to the character they are unlocked on, so choose wisely. There are improved XP gains for Warzones, Flashpoints, Class missions, space missions, and even general exploration.
Remember, the XP gained from these methods is variable. Depending on your own level, and the level of entities that you are killing, the XP gain is going to fluctuate quite a bit.
Here are some other methods you can employ when you’re only interested in gaining XP as quickly and efficiently as possible:
10. Commander’s Character Token
While this is not really something you can farm, this method for leveling up quickly and gaining XP in a manner of seconds, does get the job done. You can purchase one of these character boosts from the Cartel Market for 2,000 Cartel Coins. Sadly, it does cost real-life money, which makes this “method” somewhat inaccessible for some people. Buying this token will grant you the ability to create a level 60 or 70 character at the Character Select screen.
9. Master’s Datacron
Like the Commander’s Character Token, this isn’t exactly a “method”, but does increase your level instantly. Rather than granting a boost to an uncreated character, this method will boost whatever character you use the item on. So, if you’re a level 1, you will instantly become level 70 when you use this token. Additionally, this token comes with a full set of basic gear for level 70 and access to your ship and droid. Like the Commander’s Token, this item does cost real-life money, and is available on the Cartel Market for 2,000 Cartel Coins.
8. Rishi and Yavin Exploration
While this method is not repeatable, it’s an extremely effective way to gain a few levels if you are starting a new character. You’ll need a friend who has access to a Rishi or Yavin Stronghold (or both!) to invite you over and then promptly kick you out using the kick player function. Doing this will send you to the planet’s surface, which will grant you a large amount of XP purely for exploring a high-level area.
Since the areas are higher level and you will land on the planet’s surface as a level 1, you may die quite frequently. You can try to avoid this by bringing a high-level friend with you to protect you. The more areas you can explore, the more XP you gain. Make sure you have all the exploration bonuses unlocked in your Legacy tab if possible, as it will buff your gains.
XP per hour: This is variable depending on how much you explore, and if you have a friend with you to help kill things. If you explore all of Rishi, you should end somewhere around level 15, or level 30 if a double XP event is active. Keep exploring areas to gain more levels, the gain is really up to your level of persistence!
7. Bestia Farm
This method has been hugely reduced since it was first “discovered”, so your XP gains may be a little lackluster in comparison. Basically, to do this particular method, you would gather a group together to farm the adds spawned by Bestia in The Dread Palace operation, and then reset the phase before killing the boss to do it over again. These were significantly nerfed, since the developers stated that this method danced along the line of exploit and non-exploit. To be completely safe with this type of method, I would say it’s best to play within intended game mechanics.
XP per hour: Again, this method’s XP output depends hugely on what level you currently are when you step in to kill these entities.
6. Operations
Operations probably provide the largest amount of XP upon completion and subsequent killing of each boss found within. The biggest issue with operations is well, they’re harder content! Not all players can complete them with ease, and it can take a significant amount of time to gather seven other players together with the proper roles to complete one. You have to be level 70 to even enter an Operation (and be a subscriber to boot), so this is also a little restrictive for someone just trying to level up fast. Operations are an excellent way for a 70+ player to grind out those last few levels however, and are usually very fun and rewarding experiences that provide loot drops and credits throughout.
XP per hour: At level 72, you would gain 280,950 from completing an operation. Depending on your group and how fast you can form, you may be able to complete two operations in an hour, which would give you around 560,000 XP. Single boss raids also grant the same amount on completion, and take significantly less time, so keep them in mind if you are choosing to level with operations!
5. Warzones
Warzones are SWTOR’s version of PvP! PvP might not be for everyone, which is understandable, but it is a method for leveling up your character (and gaining some knowledge on how to play your class well!). While the XP rewards are not astounding, it’s fairly accessible for F2P players, while providing some variety with the added element of human unpredictability.
XP per hour: This is a harder number to calculate, as the end result of a match and your performance dictate how much XP you gain from the endeavor. Winning of course grants you more XP per match, and performing well (gaining medals, playing objectives) will also grant you more XP at the end.
4. Heroics
Heroics are missions across many of SWTOR’s planets that are repeatable on a daily basis. They claim to require either 2 or 4 players to complete with ease, but with the companion overhaul, these are all easily soloable (and come with transportation right to the front door of the heroic phase or area). More heroic areas will unlock as you level up, as they are locked to a planet’s specific level. It’s a good idea to farm heroics until you can access the daily areas.
XP per hour: Level really matters here. The lower your level, the less XP you will seemingly gain (remember: the amount of XP needed between levels also varies, and increases with each level!). Each heroic completion affords 156,084 at level 72, while each completion at say, level 28 will only afford around 17,000. Regardless of your level however, these missions are repeatable and there are a lot of them, meaning that this method is still a tried and trusted way to gain levels quickly.
3. Dailies
Similar to heroics, dailies reset on a daily basis, as the name suggests! These are usually simple missions that take place on their own respective planets or areas. It’s beneficial to do them all, if you can, as that will net you more XP (and more credits!) and thus more levels. Some areas are not unlocked for everyone (F2P) however, such as Section X. The best areas to prioritize for maximum level gain is CZ-198 and Yavin 4. CZ’s area is quite compact, and you won’t have to travel too far between missions – you can complete the entire batch of them in about 15 minutes if you are speedy! Yavin takes a bit longer, mostly because the planet is much larger. Make sure you have your mount unlocked, and you’ll barely notice.
XP per hour: Once more, the XP reward from these missions depends on what level you are currently at (14% of your level for F2P players, and about 17% of your level for subscribers). Remember to grab the Planetary Mission for your respective planet from the Activities tab: it should award you the amount of one mission’s XP just for completing the tasks you were already working on.
2. Flashpoints
These are like mini-dungeons. Flashpoints usually consist of a few bosses, some trash between said bosses, and a cutscene or two. All Flashpoints take place within a phase, and allow for a full group of four. Remember: the more people in your group, the more XP you will gain! You can queue for Flashpoints through Group Finder, which will shuttle you directly to the phase once you are matched to your group and destination. Alternatively, you can gather a group of friends with you and walk into the phase on the Flashpoint deck on your faction’s Fleet, or queue through Group Finder for an instant pop. If you prefer to play solo, there are also solo versions of most of the Flashpoints, which you can access from your Activities tab. The XP gain from these is a bit less than doing a normal Veteran mode Flashpoint, but you can go at your own pace and blast through them much quicker when fighting solo. Remember to unlock the Legacy boosts for Flashpoint XP gain, and you’ll be breezing through levels!
XP per hour: The XP you gain varies based on how many adds you kill in the phase and of course how long it takes you – and in some cases, it even matters what class or spec you’re playing. Each tier of difficulty also plays a factor: boss kills and mission completions are always going to be worth more XP the harder it is.
1. “Bug Hunt”
'A Question of Motivation' is the heroic to be at for this XP farm. Unfortunately, this heroic is only available to Imperial-aligned characters (though the Republic side of things does have it’s own version – 'The Morgukai' – many players often note that it’s simply not quite as efficient as 'A Question of Motivation' is). While Bug Hunt has been nerfed, it’s still a very profitable way to grind out a few levels. When you arrive at this heroic’s location, all you have to do is go around in a circuit and kill the mobs in the building. They have a very quick respawn timer, which essentially allows you to go in a continuous circle around the building without waiting for adds to respawn.
You should be able to find large operation groups of people in this area during double XP, which will significantly speed up the process.
XP per hour: Previously, one could get from level 15 to 70 in about three hours using this method (as long as you were in a large group of people also farming). It has been nerfed significantly, but is still a rather valid method for grinding out some levels during double XP and beyond. The amount gained of course, is dependent on your current level, and so is quite variable.
