Best way to grind experience?

[VynalDerp]

Hey! I'm not sure if this has been asked already, I couldn't find a threat about it while searching and I have been having a bit of trouble trying to level up Etheryn for the new quest.

So, the new blog post advises to level Etheryn up to level 5 even if she's not apart of your party. In order to heed this advice I decided to have a go at it, but I ran into a bit of a major roadblock.

The winter region, (Frostwood?) is the only real place where I can get decent experience from a fight, but I ran into a major issue in that the overwhelming majority of encounters are friendly. Between Varl (leothran woman), the two kitsunes, and the Snakewoman I've found that I only rarely encounter the Drider Queen or Imps. I noted the Drider Queen gives some good experience but I could literally spend in-game days at a time without seeing her due to the 30 minute time pass per single tile of movement. Normally this isn't an issue but with Etheryn's libido mechanic needing constant tending to keep lowered (hugs are only available in Hawkethorne) and her Dominance needing to be increased, I've found grinding her out in Frostwood is a huge pain in the arse. The 60 in-game days or so I spent trying to level her ended up more like 20-30 of trying to actually fight and level up due to the travel time. I didn't even get her a single level, just about halfway to level 5.

So I've come to ask, is there really any easy way to level up? The only real fight I have found with a good amount of exp gain is Drider Queen but between all of the encounters it's difficult to find her. Or maybe I'm trying to use the wrong zone?

I suppose I can use the CoC 2 save editor to cheat experience in, but I'd rather not go to that length and just cheat in whatever I need if there's a better alternative.

 

[The Observer]

Razorcup nectar from Argoth, unless you used it on someone else.
Gythia should also drop a razorcup nectar.

 

[VynalDerp]

Razorcup nectar from Argoth, unless you used it on someone else.
Gythia should also drop a razorcup nectar.

I think I already used it on another companion, I've already completed the Right of Conquest Quest and I don't believe Argoth appears after that point. I'm... actually not sure who Gythia is and there doesn't appear to be a wiki page for her yet. I should say most of my time spent has been going through the Kitsune stuff in Frostwood so I'm not very familiar other places like the Foothills or Harvest Valley.

 

[The Observer]

Southern harvest valley has level 3-4 encounters, try grinding there. Cross the river.

 

[VynalDerp]

Southern harvest valley has level 3-4 encounters, try grinding there. Cross the river.

It requires 10k experience for Etheryn to go from level 4 to level 5, and the average amount of experience per encounter (in Harvest Valley) is 100-300, compared to the 700 or so from the Drider Queen and 300-400 from Imps, so it will still be a fairly slow slog to get the necessary experience. I suppose I can try it but I'm not sure it will be any easier, considering I still have to take frequent breaks for Etheryn's libido.

 

[Tristan Black]

It's a bit of a slog, but it's doable. Mix up your hunting grounds and travel routes to help relieve tedium, and don't forget your sleep bonuses.

 

[Malpha]

Kohaku can also sometimes sells Razorcup Nectar in her special deals.

 

[Fullgames]

Frostwood is the best place, everyone there gives a lot of xp, the kitsunes for example give around 700 to 1350 on level 4.

 

[TheShepard256]

I could literally spend in-game days at a time without seeing her due to the 30 minute time pass per single tile of movement.

You could just hit the Explore button; that'll force an encounter on the tile you're currently on. I don't think it'll change the appearance rate of any given encounter, but it does mean you won't have to waste time travelling between tiles (especially since you're not guaranteed an encounter when you move to a different tile).

Also, though this is more of a long-term gameplay choice rather than something suitable for grinding, I tend to rotate my companions so that I'm using the ones with the lowest total XP, so they're all around the same level and I don't have to grind for XP.

 

[VynalDerp]

Frostwood is the best place, everyone there gives a lot of xp, the kitsunes for example give around 700 to 1350 on level 4.

Unfortunately, as I stated above, it's a Kitsune playthrough so I've already become friendly with all of the Kitsune in the region and they don't want to fight me anymore, which basically halves the amount of encounters.

You could just hit the Explore button; that'll force an encounter on the tile you're currently on. I don't think it'll change the appearance rate of any given encounter, but it does mean you won't have to waste time travelling between tiles (especially since you're not guaranteed an encounter when you move to a different tile).

Also, though this is more of a long-term gameplay choice rather than something suitable for grinding, I tend to rotate my companions so that I'm using the ones with the lowest total XP, so they're all around the same level and I don't have to grind for XP.

Oh, I actually didn't realize the Explore option forced an encounter. I thought it was just used to discover new areas or find loot like eggs and whatnot. That is actually extremely helpful. I can just sit outside the Kitsune Den and just grind encounters, then. Will still be a bit slow but since I'm not wasting a minimum of like an hour per encounter I should in theory be able to get more overall in the amount of time it takes Etheryn to be upset due to her libido, so grinding should be a bit easier. Thanks!

 

[Tristan Black]

A camping set might be a sound investment. You're late enough in the game that using one won't incur a loss, and can set one up in such a way that it lasts for days before disappearing.

This would let you stay out in the field longer, and give you a place to retreat to when Ryn's arousal is causing distractions. Plus it doesn't nullify the encounter tile.

 

[VynalDerp]

A camping set might be a sound investment. You're late enough in the game that using one won't incur a loss, and can set one up in such a way that it lasts for days before disappearing.

This would let you stay out in the field longer, and give you a place to retreat to when Ryn's arousal is causing distractions. Plus it doesn't nullify the encounter tile.

True, but not all scenes for Ryn are available in the campsite. If I recall most of her lewd scenes include a libido increase, however the hug scene which decreases libido (and as a result increases the amount of time you can spend out and about) is only available at the Frost Hound. I tried using a camp but without all the scenes all that happened was basically just diminishing returns. Each camp visit meant less time I could spend next time I went out, unless I visited Hawkethorne every couple of days anyway.

That said, I have actually been able to grind! Being able to explore to grind makes the process leagues simpler and I can easily pack in double the amount of encounters per day, although since some encounters take more time than others it varies a fair bit. Still, I was able to get Etheryn from 4 to 5 with way fewer breaks needed and I didn't have to waste half a day just travelling back to Hawkethorne, just about an hour or so.

 

[WolframL]

Pretty much all of her sex options are available in camp aside from the (unlockable) Boomer double BJ option. If you want to lower her Libido while out in the field, Ball Massage>Feed Her will do it. This will also reduce her Confidence so if that's a concern of yours, follow it up with two uses of Ball Massage>Leave Her to wipe out that reduction, or one go of Spoiling Her for a net Confidence gain. It's really not that hard to get her Confidence and Libido exactly where you want them to be and keep them there once you work out which options do what, in the field or at the Frost Hound.

 

[Alypia]

True, but not all scenes for Ryn are available in the campsite. If I recall most of her lewd scenes include a libido increase, however the hug scene which decreases libido (and as a result increases the amount of time you can spend out and about) is only available at the Frost Hound. I tried using a camp but without all the scenes all that happened was basically just diminishing returns. Each camp visit meant less time I could spend next time I went out, unless I visited Hawkethorne every couple of days anyway.

Ryn's Libido is a persistent stat, not one that increases passively and resets when she gets relief. Libido is a multiplier for the time she needs before relief.

Once Etheryn has confessed her situation, the next time Etheryn becomes blue-balled (calculated as time since her last orgasm + (60 * (40 - Libido/3))) which at base usually means about 34 - 36 hours since she's last cum, Etheryn will not be able to recover resolve through resting until she's cum due to her predicament.

So Hug -> Cuddle doesn't actually help (unless she isn't already at zero Libido, but if you didn't crank her Libido up with other scenes then it won't be very high at all), and, if her Confidence is already maxed out (and if you're just doing this to level her quickly), is a waste of time compared to just, y'know, giving her balls a massage.

Also - I know this is OBE at this point, but for future companions - if you're farming near the Kitsune Den and are friendly with them, you can just use the statues to travel back to Hawkethorne instead of marching south through the forest. Doesn't take ages that way. You don't need to give Ryn relief (unless she's the third in your party, obvs) but you can keep sleep buffs active if you want.

I apologize for all of the parenthetical asides, lol.