If you’ve spent your first few hours in Enshrouded running from shroud monsters, scrambling for flint, and wondering why you can’t unlock that cool crafting recipe you saw someone post about, you’re not alone. Figuring out how to level in Enshrouded can feel confusing at first, especially when the game doesn’t hold your hand through core progression systems. I’ve put 120+ hours into the game across three playthroughs, and I’ve tested every leveling hack out there to cut out the grind and make your playthrough feel rewarding, not frustrating. This guide skips the vague advice you’ll find in random forum posts and sticks to actionable steps that work for both solo players and co-op groups.
Prioritize These Activities First When You Learn How to Level in Enshrouded
If you’re wondering how to level in Enshrouded without spending all your time grinding random mobs, focusing on a small set of high-reward activities will get you to level 10 in under 3 hours. Killing low level wolves or goblins gives barely any XP, so you’re wasting your time if you’re camping spawn points for hours just to gain half a level. Main story quests give 3-5x more XP than any open world activity early on, and the first quest to rescue the Carpenter gives enough XP to jump 2 levels immediately. Unlocking Flame Altar upgrades is also a huge XP source, plus it expands your safe zone so you can explore more high-value areas without taking constant Shroud damage.
The top three highest-XP early game activities are:
- Completing main story quests to rescue NPCs and unlock core crafting recipes
- Upgrading your Flame Altar to raise your Shroud tolerance and expand your base border
- Clearing small Spire dungeons for rare loot and bulk XP rewards
Don’t sleep on side quests from NPCs once you rescue them either. Many of them ask you to collect common materials you already have in your storage, so you can turn them in for quick XP without extra work. Avoid exploring high level Shroud zones before you hit level 10 – you’ll die constantly, and the XP you get from mobs there won’t make up for the time you lose running back from your last spawn point.
Optimize Your Co-op Play for Faster Shared Leveling
If you’re playing with friends, you can cut your leveling time nearly in half if you coordinate properly, instead of all running off to do separate tasks. First, all players in a co-op group get full XP for any quest, dungeon clear, or altar upgrade the party completes, even if they’re not in the same area when the objective is finished. That means you can split up to gather materials for a Flame Altar upgrade, and everyone gets the same XP reward when someone turns it in.
But there’s a catch: if one player is 5 or more levels higher than the rest of the group, lower level players will get reduced XP from mobs and quests. So try to keep your party’s levels within 3 levels of each other if you want everyone to progress at the same rate. I once played with a friend who was 8 levels higher than me, and I was only getting 20% of the XP I’d get playing solo. We paused his progression for an hour to help me catch up, and after that we were both gaining levels 2x faster than we were alone. Split dungeon roles to clear them faster too: have one player tank mobs, one focus on breaking resource nodes inside, and one pick up chests, and you’ll finish runs in half the time.
Avoid These Common Leveling Mistakes That Waste Your Time
These small missteps are the reason so many new players complain about how to level in Enshrouded feeling slow, but they’re all easy to fix once you know what to look for. First, don’t waste time crafting low level gear that you’ll replace in 2 levels. Unless you’re struggling to survive against basic mobs, stick to the gear you get from quest rewards and dungeon chests. Crafting low tier gear gives almost no XP, and you’ll burn through materials you need for Flame Altar upgrades that give way more progression.
Another mistake: ignoring the Shroud Roots scattered around the map. Clearing a Shroud Root gives you a permanent 15% XP boost for all activities in that region, plus it removes the Shroud from a large area so you can build and explore safely. I ignored Shroud Roots for my first 20 hours of play, and I didn’t realize I was missing out on that buff for the entire starting region. Also, don’t hoard all your skill points. Spend them as soon as you get them, especially points in the Survival tree that increase your stamina and resource gathering speed. Faster gathering means you can finish quests and altar upgrades faster, which means more XP faster. It’s a simple loop that a lot of players miss because they want to save points for endgame skills.
Mid-Game Leveling Hacks to Unlock Endgame Content Quicker
Once you hit level 15 and unlock most of the base NPCs, you’ll hit a bit of a progression wall if you only stick to main quests. That’s where these tested hacks come in to keep your levels climbing fast. First, farm repeatable bounty quests from the Hunter NPC once you unlock them. Many of these bounties ask you to kill 10-15 mobs that spawn right outside your base, and they give you enough XP to gain a full level every 2-3 bounties. They also give you rare hunting materials you can use to craft high tier armor, so you’re getting double value for your time.
Another great mid-game activity is clearing large Vault dungeons. These take 30-45 minutes to finish, but they give enough XP to jump 2 full levels, plus they unlock endgame skills and crafting recipes you can’t get anywhere else. If you’re playing solo, make sure you bring a stack of health potions and a good two-handed weapon before you go in – the mobs inside hit hard, but the reward is well worth the effort. You can also plant and harvest large fields of flax and wheat once you unlock the Farmer NPC. While this doesn’t give a ton of XP per harvest, you can turn the crops into food and cloth that you can use to complete bulk NPC side quests that give huge XP payouts. I have a 100-plot farm outside my base, and I can get enough materials for 3 side quests every 10 minutes of real time, which adds up to 2 levels an hour if I’m consistent.
At the end of the day, the best way to enjoy Enshrouded is to play at your own pace, but these tips will help you skip the frustrating grind and get to the content you care about faster. Whether you’re a solo player focused on building a huge base or a co-op group looking to take on endgame bosses, knowing how to level in Enshrouded efficiently will make your entire playthrough feel far more rewarding. Don’t be afraid to test out different activities to see what works best for your playstyle – you might find that you love clearing dungeons more than doing quests, and that’s totally fine as long as you’re picking activities that give you the most XP for your time. Next time you log in, try swapping one hour of random mob grinding for a main quest or dungeon run, and you’ll be shocked at how much faster you progress.