Leveling up in Rune Slayer can feel overwhelming at first. With multiple areas, questlines, faction choices, and boss fights, there’s a lot to navigate. Whether you’re a new player or starting a fresh character, this guide will walk you through how to level up efficiently from 0 to 50, detailing what zones to visit, which quests to prioritize, and how to take advantage of boss farming for maximum XP.
How to Progress Easily in Rune Slayer
Level 1–15: Starting in Ali’s Farm
You’ll begin your journey in Ali’s Farm, a peaceful starting zone that hides a surprisingly dense bundle of early-game quests. The first thing you should do is run around and collect all the nearby question marks on the map. These unlock a series of beginner missions—about 10 or more in total.
Key objectives here include:
- Joining the Guild: Speak to the NPC inside the building to access job board missions.
- Mandrake Missions: These enemies are weak (around 20 HP) and tied to multiple overlapping quests, making them a fast way to level up.
- Bee and Honey Collection: Kill small and adult bees while collecting honey for another set of quests.
- Black Ooze Slime Hunt: After finishing the mandrakes, head toward the slime area. Black Ooze Slimes and regular Slimes drop items needed for quests, including a rare drop called Sadie’s Bag that increases your inventory.
By completing the Mandrake, Bee, Slime, and other early tasks, you should be around level 15 and ready to face your first mini-boss.
Level 15–20: The Lost Party and Rat King Area
Around level 15, a crater opens up in the Mandrake farming area. Inside is your first boss fight, which can be tough alone—bring a friend or ask for help from a higher-level player.
After defeating the boss, continue toward the Rat King’s territory. Here, you’ll start quests involving:
- Boars, Wolves, and Bears
- The Lost Party quest, which is found deep within the Rat King’s cave
This whole section should bring you to around level 20 once all missions are turned in.
Level 20–30+: Quests in Ashenshire
Next, you’ll head into Ashenshire, the game’s second major quest hub. Once you arrive, make sure to:
- Set your spawn at the motel
- Collect all available quests in and around the building
- Seek out a lesser-known quest in Greatwood Forest that requires defeating six mud crabs (easy XP that many players overlook).
One of the major challenges in this area is the Spider Cave, where enemies increase in difficulty the deeper you go. You’ll eventually fight the Mother Spider, a boss that typically requires help from other players or a strong build.
By the time you finish all the quests and get your job promotion, you’ll likely be around level 30 to 35.
Level 35–40: Exploring Lakeshire and Faction Paths
Leaving Ashenshire, you’ll make your way to Lakeshire, the next major zone. Along the way, you’ll pass a mining area where you can collect Silver, which is used to craft upgraded tools and gear.
In Lakeshire:
- Grab new quests from NPCs and the job board
- Begin missions involving Imps, Ghosts, and a resource called Frost Metal
- Decide whether to join the Demon Sect or Holy Knights, which will determine your faction perks
The area contains several high-XP bosses, including a cave near the top of the zone where you’ll face powerful enemies that give solid XP. This portion should get you to around level 38 to 40.
Level 40–45: The Beach and Runic Whale
At level 40, head toward the Beach, the next zone packed with quests and another quest board. While traveling, be sure to collect Tokconuts, which are required for a mission that most players do around this level.
Once you’re at the beach:
- Set your spawn
- Complete all available side quests
- Start the Shark Quest, which involves killing frogs to gather meat and taming your own shark mount
A major highlight here is the Runic Whale boss, which spawns every hour. You can track its timers through the Rune Slayer Discord and server hop to kill it multiple times per hour, earning roughly 1,500 XP per kill. This is one of the fastest ways to level up from 40 to 45, especially when combined with job board missions.
Just don’t accept the Runic Whale job promotion mission too early. It’s best tackled once you’re level 44 and above!
Level 45–50: Boss Farming to Max Level
At this stage, you’ve done most available quests, but they won’t quite get you to level 50. The final push comes from boss farming.
You have a few options:
- Continue grinding the Runic Whale every hour
- Farm the Goblin King, which spawns frequently and gives around 1,000 XP per kill
- Server hop efficiently between active boss servers to rack up XP fast
If you’re level 46 and farming the Goblin King, it’s possible to hit level 50 in just 30–60 minutes depending on your speed and build. Many players use a solid PvE setup and cycle bosses continuously until they cap out.
Leveling up in Rune Slayer becomes much easier once you understand the optimal progression path. By following the main questlines, job board missions, and boss routes, you can reach level 50 efficiently without wasting time. Prioritize early quests in Ali’s Farm, push through Ashenshire’s spiders, and take full advantage of the Runic Whale and Goblin King XP farms once you hit the Beach zone. Be sure to server hop smartly and don’t overlook lesser-known missions like the mud crab quest in Greatwood Forest. With the right approach and a bit of coordination, you’ll be max level and ready for endgame content before you know it. If you want to know more about the best pets in Rune Slayer, I have a tier list you can follow to hopefully help you get the right one for you!
