Now we will discuss Black Desert Online’s best Exp grinding spots for the current meta. This is going to be your one-stop guide for XP grinding in BDO; basically, general knowledge about it is based on the BDO's current meta of 2022. What’s good, what’s best, what’s trash and not worth your time? This result was actually tested personally, and thus the credibility of this list will be at its best. Without further ado, let's dive straight into it.

10. Sycraia Underwater Ruins Upper level

How to farm in Sycraia Underwater Ruins Upper Zone

Pearl Abyss made some adjustments to Sycraia Upper Zone’s loot table, increasing weapon and armor black stone drop rates. This may look good on paper, but in reality, this area is not worth grinding for trash loot but is actually suitable for XP grinds. This is one of the best grinding spots for experience, so we see Sycraia Upper Zone on this list.

Why Sycraia Underwater Ruins Upper Zone is a Great Farming Spot

• Fragment of the Deep Sea drops here (this item is currently sold out on EU servers).
• It has a respawning area boss, just in case you are into that while farming XP.
• High mob density.

How it works

• Recommended: 240 AP kutum
• Basically, you start familiarizing yourself with the map. It is not that hard to do since the field of view is not as complex compared to other maps.
• After familiarizing yourself with the map, planning your own rotation route will be easy.
• Your main goal is to lure those aggro mobs, ideally 2 groups of them, then lure them to a non-aggro mob group and start killing.
• Rinse and repeat.

9. Castle Ruins

How to farm in Castle Ruins

A lot has been changed in the Castle Ruins since the rework. Changes include optimal AP for the castle ruins, increased drop rates for different kinds of items, an increased spawn rate for spirit weapons, and a lot more. This XP grinding spot may prove difficult to run solo and is more suitable for running with two other players at a party. Not only will it be faster to kill and more efficient for XP farming, but grinding this spot will be less boring since you will be grinding with a party.

Why Castle Ruins is a Great Farming Spot

• A lot of aggro mobs are making lures and pulling them easily.
• Grind rotations are pretty straightforward, with no complicated mechanics or conditions
• One of the few places where farming with a group can still be done efficiently for everyone in the party.
• There are a ton of mobs that are conveniently packed together.
• Just another casual XP grinding process with competitive XP gain results.

How it works

• As mentioned, better results and faster runs can be achieved with a party of 3.
• If you are solo running this zone, do your rotation on the outside area, Grain belt to Southern Mountain Range facing centermost. It is proven to be sufficient for a solo run to do a rotation in this kind of way. Lure one group into another or if the area has 3 groups in one spot (which is very common here), try to lure all of them, but that is not recommended and is not time-efficient either. The best thing you can do while running this solo is trying to kill one pact as fast as you can, then quickly jump to another one.
• At a party, dedicate one member who will take the mid part, left and right parts. Start by the entrance and then move toward the outside area and go further into the centermost area. Your party also has the option to put your horses on the middle part of your whole route, so you could at least drop some trash there on your horses and also serve as a mark point for either a repeat cycle run or this is the halfway point of the route.

8. Elvia Nagas

How to farm in Elvia Nagas

This spot is located in Naga Marsh with an optimal 260–280 AP rating based on Pearl Abyss itself. Not only is farming this spot profitable in terms of silver from trash loot, but the experience is also not as bad, provided you have prior experience running this zone. Some mobs here are quite tankier thanks to recent changes from the reboot, making grinding here on an intermediate level. Don’t be discouraged though, as this zone is easy to get the hang of.

Why Elvia Nagas is a Great Farming Spot

• Elvia weapons now work as intended thanks to the reboot changes.
• With Elvia weapons now working properly, the kill rate increases, also increasing XP and loot in the process.
• It is not a highly contested grinding spot amongst other players. You can do runs here casually without being bothered by other players, even on the busiest servers.
• By far the most basic grinding rotations. Random transferring from 3 cluster mobs regardless of order, benefits are still there. It's definitely worth your time.

How it works

• Just look for a “Poisonous Swamp Plant” always being surrounded by 3 commanders.
• These 3 commanders will surely spawn 9 mobs which will stay there regardless if the commander died first.
• Jumping around and looking for a flower plant will get you 31 mobs in total which is very easy to clear.
• No pulling and luring is needed just look for another Poisonous Swamp Plant after killing one group
• Easy rinse and repeat, no need for a complicated route.

7. Elvia Swamp Fogans

How to farm in Elvia Swamp Fogans

I’m talking about the better fogans located between Southern Cienaga and Fogan Marsh, not the other not-so-better fogans at Northern Swamp. Mob density here is great, especially for the XP grind. Nothing flashy either, just a swamp full of fogan mobs, and that's about it. This is just a very simple and casual XP grinding run with high XP gains.

Why Elvia Swamp Fogans is a Great Farming Spot

• Elvia weapon drops for a much easier and faster kill per minute rate.
• There is a boss spawn event here wherein there will be a random spawn of Nagas (yes, Nagas) with 3 mob groups worth that will slowly move to the center. Killing these will give you more experience points on your run. These spawn events happen quite often.
• This is a straightforward area where you could do a circular route around the swamp and serve as your grind route.
• It is a less contested farming spot since this spot is specifically good for XP only, so players would be more likely to go to Northern Swamp for loot and quest materials.
• One of the maps with mobs basically improved after the reboot.

How it works

• It's best done with a class with high mobility for faster rinse and repeat.
• Pick a side in the swamp. It literally is your choice whether to move circularly in a counter-clockwise or clockwise direction.
• If Elvia weapon drops, pick it up as it will make your cycle faster, providing you with better XP per hour gain.

6. Star’s End

How to farm in Star’s End

Specifically, talking about Star’s End Towers, or the three towers located in Star’s End surrounded by respawning mobs. One tower is located on a cliff southwest of the Star’s End icon on the map. If you farm there with a somewhat agile class, you will have a little problem as you may fall off the cliff. The next one is located near the forest near the Star’s End icon and in the southwest area. The last but the most contested spot is the 3rd tower, located very near to the Star’s End icon with just a little travel going to the east after you pass a road. Its most distinct landmark is that it has some sort of ruin around it with a staircase. These towers are very easy to find as they stand out taller than the mobs surrounding the tower and have a red-colored ominous aura.

Why Star’s End is a Great Farming Spot

• Whether you fall below the zone's minimum AP, you can still find this spot consistent in every possible benefit you may get from here.
• You just have to kill the waves it spawns. No need to run around making routes.
• The spawn rate and mob density are consistent.
• Provides a lot of XP.

How it works

• Find a tower spot suitable for you. The tower on the ruins, the one with the ruin staircase landmark, is highly contested. Feel free to swap channels if you really want to farm that specific spot.
• Monster spawns will start as soon as you start attacking the tower until the tower is destroyed.
• Be mindful of your HP as you clear waves and waves of enemies. Although the enemies don’t hit that hard alone, in a large number, you will probably die if you don’t pay that much attention.
• Kill the Harbinger of Defilement (the spear guy) and the Apostle of Immorality (the big mage) first to make your waves easier to clear.
• Having a decent DP will help your Star End’s farming easier.

5. Thornwood Forest

How to farm in Thornwood Forest

The mob density in this zone is pretty condensed while being decently populated, so XP grinding is easier here. The reboot also improved the map's drop rates. Another important thing to mention about this zone is that you should always keep an eye out for a boss spawn event, the black bottle that spawns weaker mobs and eventually spawns a boss in the end. Doing so will add up to your experience point gain. The more you can trigger this event, the better for your XP.

Why Thornwood Forest is a Great Farming Spot

• The spot literally has a lot of entry points to serve as where you will start your route cycle.
• Running this solo is not only doable but also highly beneficial for both loot and XP gain.
• The KPM for this zone is quite high due to the fact that mob groups are constantly near each other, making every group clear faster without too much moving around.
• Different clusters of mobs tend to group up as you are clearing one, improving your clear speed and providing you with bigger XP gains.

How it works

• There are currently five effective grinding routes for this zone, named the river route, the forest route, the bridge route, the castle entrance route, and the courtyard route.
• The wide range of options on how to do grinding on this map only shows that, regardless of whether some players contest you with farming, you can easily pick another route that is not contested.
• It's pretty much straightforward: kill everything you see on your path and repeat from the starting point of your route.
• Always keep an eye out for the black bottle for additional XP gains as it spawns mobs and a boss.

4. Biraghi Den

How to farm in Biraghi Den

Currently labeled as the new gahaz bandits by most players of the current meta, Biraghi Den rose to popularity as one of the top spots to grind after the reboot. With the map’s interesting mechanics, rare loot, not-so-dumb boss, and decently grouped aggro mobs, there is no argument why it rose to popularity in the current meta. Please do note that this zone is highly contested and you may see a lot of other players grinding on this zone. That is one piece of evidence that this is one of the best spots to grind XP.

Why Biraghi Den is a Great Farming Spot

• A lot of aggro mobs will just instantly follow you around. No more complicated pulling and grouping of mobs before starting to clear them.
• You can literally just one-shot every mob if you manage to get an Elvia weapon.
• Additionally, with an Elvia weapon, you can easily extend your grinding route while farming in this zone as you will literally just kill them as you run through them.
• Very good XP rates in the current meta.

How it works

• Start at the entrance with the wood fence gate and work your way straight. Just about it.
• The place is actually just a straight path, mostly consisting of narrow spots.
• When farming in this zone, there is no pulling or luring required since aggro mobs will tend to rush towards you.
• Just be mindful and kill ranged mobs first when clearing groups, as melee mobs will surely follow you around and those ranged mobs won’t. This method will make your clearing faster.
• You also have the option to make a longer route for you to have a back-to-back route wherein you can kill from the entrance to inside and vice versa.

3. Orc Camp

How to farm in Orc Camp

The suggested AP for this zone is 280-320 AP set after the reboot. This is by far the most perfectly balanced zone in Black Desert Online. Marni’s Realm installment made the Orc Camp into your daily 1-hour grind that you must not miss. Doing this on a daily basis will surely tire you in some instances, but when you look at how much XP you can squeeze out of this zone, you will surely come back in no time. No players will interrupt your grinding rotations for an hour in Elvia Orc Camp, meaning you can use a lot of buffs, especially XP boosts, and maximize their worth for one full hour undisturbed. Only your internet connection could stop you.

Why Orc Camp is a Great Farming Spot

• In Marni’s Realm, your grinding will be undisturbed for one hour, meaning you can get the most out of your rotations, buffs, effort, and playtime.
• Rotations in farming Orc Camp are generally grouped into a whole single rotation by its very own map geography.
• Once you get to learn the proper mechanics of running Orc Camp rotations, everything about the grinding process will be utterly easy as the mechanic provides a certain debuff for the enemies, making them vulnerable to damage.

How it works

• Every spot rotation has orc wizard mobs that deal lots of damage when left unnoticed and a prison, a little cage-like with lights.
• The first thing you must do before starting grinding your rotation is clear off each and every prison around your rotation area, then escape to a safe place, as all of the aggro mobs are surely following you now. Just not too far.
• Once this is done, head to the first prison cage you destroyed, and there you will notice lights appearing within that certain area. By then, you may start grinding as the enemies are now more vulnerable to damage in the same way that you destroyed all of the prison cages.
• Just keep in mind to be mindful of the prison cages' lights and continue to destroy them first once they respawn. Your rotations will be smooth and efficient as long as your prison cage rotation order is the same as your mob clearing order.

2. Bloody Monastery

How to farm in Bloody Monastery

By far the most broken when it comes to silver gain, but also a great area for farming XP, is the Bloody Monastery. If you have at least 280AP, you should really consider grinding XP here as it is one of the best gains in the current meta. To give you an idea, at level 61 and above, 2.5% XP per hour is easily achievable here on a full-hour grind. Yes! With some boost buffs, not only will you be gaining a lot of silver, but XP grinding is made easier in just one hour, even at a higher level.

Why Bloody Monastery is a Great Farming Spot

• Farming here is very easy. You will literally just follow the road path and that is really it.
• High mob density, high XP rates in the current meta, not so hard to kill mobs provided that you have the suggested AP for this zone.
• It is not yet nerfed by the devs, and you can still enjoy the brokenness of this zone either XP-wise or loot-wise.

How it works

• You may start at the Southern Mountain Range, facing the Bloody Monastery.
• Kill the mobs and make your way to the Death Pilgrimage.
• From there, move on the road on your left or right, facing the Bloody Monastery. An extra tip: moving on the left side will make your rotation much faster and more comfortable.
• Kill all the mobs you see as you make your way through Bloody Monastery’s courtyard.
• Sweep all the remaining mobs in the courtyard and move on to a crack in the wall leading to the other pathway you could’ve chosen when you were in Death Pilgrimage.
• You will find yourself back on the spot where you first started Death Pilgrimage’s group of mobs.
• Rinse and repeat.

1. Gyfin Rhasia Temple (Underground)

How to farm in Gyfin Rhasia Temple (Underground)

Finally! We have Gyfin Rhasia Temple (Underground) on our list. A lot of changes have been made to this zone. It has been reworked, buffed, buffed again, and buffed once more. Considered the end-game playground, this zone provides the highest XP rates throughout Black Desert Online. The XP gain here is very high, as with its general suggested AP and DP of 300 and 380, respectively. It also has the most interesting and complex grinding mechanics among the other zones available for grinding in BDO. In terms of gameplay, this zone will require advanced play skills for you to grind here efficiently.

Why Gyfin Rhasia Temple (Underground) is a Great Farming Spot

• This is a very fun zone to grind XP in. The new and complex mechanics of this zone will surely keep you moving on your feet. This zone has no dull moments.
• The area is not as complex as its mechanics. It's mostly a circular area, and it's not confusing to make a route at all.
• The suggested AP and DP are high enough to make this zone not very populated, so your farming routes will not be contested.
• The highest XP raw rate gain.

How it works

• There are more than 10 towers in the zone, and all you have to do first is find 2 of them, which are near each other. Basically, the choice will vary based on the player’s preference. As long as you can secure 2 towers that are near and comfortable for you to go back and forth as your grinding rotations, that will be great.
• You need to remember this always, as this mechanic is vital for your efficient XP grinding. There will be 3 sets of elites per tower spot, not only categorized by their appearance and abilities but also categorized by color coding that represents the buffs you will get from them.
• Blue - Gyfin Rhasia Guard the one with shield and sword  [Resolve]
• Purple - Gyfin Rhasia Flamen the slender magic caster  [Denial]
• Red - Gyfin Rhasia Crusher the big guy with a mace [Anger]
• These buffs will give you some sort of color-coded buff with which you will gain a damage boost against the elite of matching color with the buff that you have. Simply put, the order is Blue > Purple > Red > Blue. For example, if you kill the Blue Elite-Gyfin Rhasia Guard, this will then give you the purple-colored buffs(remember the order?) which will grant you a damage boost against denial monsters, and that includes the Gyfin Rhasia Flamen, the purple elite. In short, your first elite kill will be harder since you don’t have any damage boost buffs, so I suggest killing first which of those 3 elites you are most comfortable killing without buffs, and then working your way up with the color matching buffs to gain the advantage of these damage boosts. Or have it in the standard order: kill the guard first, then the flamen, and last the crusher.
• To maximize your XP gains, keep an eye out for the despair mobs. These mobs respawn in exactly the same locations within any tower spot. Killing them will benefit your XP gains as it will let the tower spawn more mobs for 8 minutes. The spawn rate of these despair mobs depends on how fast you kill those 3 elite mobs.
• Another interesting mechanic of this zone is the spawning of "The Butcher" or Butcher of Gyfin Rhasia, which most players say its spawn rate or appearance is heavily influenced by your current drop rate buffs. When the butcher spawns, all three groups of the elite mobs of the tower will freeze. They won’t attack and will not move until the butcher is slain. Once you are finished, all three elite mobs will wake up and attack you instantly, and you will get the butcher buff (yellow color-coded), which will make the other 3 color-coded elites very squishy with your buffs. Despite the butcher’s buffs being the strongest amongst buffs you may get while grinding, not paying attention right after the butcher was killed proves to be very fatal.
• The last mechanic of this zone you should know about is the enraged mode of the 3 elite mob groups. It does rarely happen in grinding sessions, but when it does, you will probably be dying or plain dead as the 3 elite mob groups will instantaneously attack you, even without the butcher being slain.

And that’s a wrap! I hope you learned about the [Top 10] BDO Best XP Grind Spots. Let me know your insights, thoughts, and feelings about this list in the comment box below, and I'll see you next time. Peace!

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