If you’ve spent even a few hours wandering Enshrouded’s foggy, monster-infested valleys, you know how quickly a higher level enemy can wipe your entire progress and send you back to your last spawn point. Grinding for levels the wrong way can feel like a slog, especially when you’re desperate to unlock new crafting recipes, combat skills, or access to higher-tier zones most players won’t touch for dozens of hours. This guide breaks down exactly how to level fast in Enshrouded, with tricks I’ve tested across three full playthroughs to skip the boring grind and focus on the parts of the game that are actually fun.
Prioritize main story quests for massive, low-effort XP bursts
Most new players make the mistake of wandering off to collect every resource or complete every random side task as soon as they spawn, but that’s one of the slowest ways to level early on. Main story quests give 2 to 3 times more XP per minute spent than random open-world activities, and they’re designed to be completed in order so you won’t run into enemies you can’t handle. the first 10 levels can be unlocked in under 2 hours if you just follow the main quest line instead of getting distracted by every shiny berry or low-tier enemy you pass.
You also don’t have to worry about being undergeared for most early main quests, as the game scales quest rewards to match your current level for the first 15 levels, so you’ll get usable gear as you go. Even if you don’t care about the story, the XP gains are too high to ignore. You can always go back and explore side content once you’re high enough level to clear it in half the time.
That means you should hold off on building an elaborate base until you’ve completed at least the first 6 main quest chapters. A small, functional base with a bed and crafting bench is all you need early on, and spending 2 hours building a fancy base will only set your leveling progress back.
How to level fast in Enshrouded by farming high-XP enemy packs efficiently
Once you’ve hit level 10 and have a decent set of gear, farming enemy packs is the fastest way to level through the mid-game. You don’t want to waste time fighting single scattered enemies across the open world, though. zones just on the edge of the Shroud have denser enemy spawns with 30% higher XP than regular open-world mobs, and you won’t have to deal with the Shroud’s timer cutting your runs short if you stay close to the border.
Before you head out for a farming run, make sure you pack these essential items to maximize your time:
- A stack of fire arrows or a two-handed blunt weapon, which deal extra damage to most common Shroud mobs
- At least two health potions and one stamina potion to avoid dying and losing all your collected XP
- A portable workbench to repair gear mid-run so you don't have to travel back to base every 20 minutes
- Any XP-boosting food you've unlocked, even the basic berry stew gives a 10% XP buff for 15 minutes
When you’re farming, stick to a small 200x200 meter area on the Shroud border instead of wandering far. Enemies respawn every 5 to 7 minutes if you move just far enough out of the spawn zone, so you can loop the same area nonstop without waiting for new mobs to show up. If you’re playing with friends, grouping up with 1 or 2 players around your level makes this even faster, as enemy XP scales with party size but you can clear packs in half the time. Just avoid playing with someone 5 or more levels higher than you, since you’ll only get 20% of the XP per kill in that case.
Complete altars and world objectives for passive, no-combat XP gains
Not everyone wants to spend hours fighting hordes of monsters to level up, and that’s totally fine. There are plenty of low-effort, no-combat activities that give huge XP rewards if you know where to look. activating every Ancient Altar you find gives you enough XP to fill 1/4 of a level bar, even at mid-game levels, and they also unlock fast travel points that cut down on travel time for all your future activities.
Other high-XP non-combat tasks include clearing Shroud roots, rescuing stranded NPCs, and unlocking new crafting stations. I once leveled up twice in 40 minutes just by running around the starting zone activating altars I missed on my first playthrough, no combat required at all. These tasks also give you permanent map upgrades and access to new recipes, so you’re getting more value than just XP alone.
You don’t even have to go out of your way to complete these objectives. Mark every altar or Shroud root you see on your map when you’re traveling for quests, and stop to complete them when you’re passing through the area. That way you’re not wasting extra travel time, and the XP adds up faster than you’d expect.
Avoid these common mistakes that slow down your leveling progress
Even if you’re following all the right leveling tips, small mistakes can cut your XP gains per hour in half without you even noticing. First, don’t waste time crafting low-tier gear you’ll replace in an hour. Unless a piece of gear is required for a specific quest, you don’t need to make every armor or weapon recipe you unlock. Most low-tier gear will be obsolete as soon as you complete your next main quest, so you’re just wasting resources and time that could be spent earning XP.
Second, don’t die unnecessarily. Every death makes you drop all the unbanked XP you’ve collected since your last level up, so you can lose hours of progress if you’re not careful. if you're 90% of the way to a new level, go turn in a quick quest or activate an altar to bank that progress before you head into a dangerous zone. It only takes a minute, and it saves you from losing all the XP you worked for.
Third, don’t save your skill points for a “perfect” build later. Putting points into combat or stamina skills early on makes every fight and travel run faster, which means you get more XP per hour played. Even if you end up resetting your skill tree later, the extra speed you get from using points immediately is worth the small cost of a reset. A lot of new players hold off on spending points for 10+ levels, and that’s one of the easiest ways to slow down your progress.
At the end of the day, leveling in Enshrouded doesn't have to be a boring grind if you know what tasks give you the most reward for your time. You don't have to follow every tip here to the letter, either – pick the tricks that fit your playstyle, whether that's nonstop mob farming or casual world exploration. No matter how you choose to play, knowing how to level fast in Enshrouded will let you skip the frustrating parts of early progression and get to the more exciting, high-stakes content the game has to offer. Next time you log in, try one of these tricks and see how much faster you hit your next level goal.