The best early route is to farm Goblinmon in the Shinjuku Underground Reservoir, then feed the Digimon you scan into the one you want to level using Load Enhancement. Digimon Story: Time Stranger, an RPG built around raising Digimon, doesn't level up on EXP alone. Talent also matters, because it sets the highest level each Digimon can reach, up to level 99.
| Method | Where to do it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Goblinmon EXP farm | Shinjuku Underground Reservoir, near the end of "Truth Born From an Egg" | Early EXP and scan data |
| Load Enhancement | Digivice menu, then Digimon, then Load Enhancement | Turning spare Digimon into EXP |
| Battle and reserve slots | Your active team | Full EXP from each battle |
| Talent actions | Battles, DigiFarm training, Load Enhancements | Raising the level cap |
| Story-area fights | Gear Forest, Abyss Palace, midgame Shibuya | Repeat fights later in the game |
| Outer Dungeon runs | Protect the Giant Digimeat Outer Dungeons | Fast Talent gains |
| Hall of EXP | Outer Dungeons: The Halls of EXP, Gold, Materials (DLC) | Courage Points, DLC only |
Start the Goblinmon EXP Farm in Shinjuku Underground Reservoir
The Shinjuku Underground Reservoir is the best early farm. You reach it near the end of the "Truth Born From an Egg" main mission, and it has 11 Goblinmon encounters. Goblinmon take little effort to beat, and each fight gives a decent amount of EXP.
- Progress through "Truth Born From an Egg" until you reach the Shinjuku Underground Reservoir near the end of the mission.
- Clear all 11 Goblinmon encounters in the area.
- Interact with the In-Between Theater by the entrance, go in, and come back out. This resets the encounters.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 for as long as you want to keep farming.
Going into the theater and back out is what resets the area, so you never have to leave the spot to start a new run. Each loop also builds Goblinmon scan data, which you use for conversion and Load Enhancement.
Use Load Enhancement to Turn Spare Digimon Into EXP
Load Enhancement lets you feed one Digimon into another for a large EXP boost. The game teaches it early in the ADAMAS mission, and it's a core part of fast leveling.
- Open the Digivice menu.
- Go to Digimon, then select Load Enhancement.
- Choose the Digimon you want to level.
- Choose the material Digimon to feed into it.
The material Digimon is consumed and lost, so only use ones you're willing to give up. The size of the boost depends on the material. Higher-level material gives more, and so does a Digimon scanned to a 200% scan rate.
Build Better Load Enhancement Fodder With 200% Scans
Better material gives better results, so it's worth planning what you feed in. Scan Digimon until their scan reaches 200%, then convert them. Converting at 200% also gives the highest starting Talent, which pays off later.
Follow this loop as you go:
- Scan Digimon to 200% and convert them.
- Digivolve the converted material whenever it can evolve. Evolved material gives more EXP than the same Digimon in its unevolved form.
- Keep the Digimon you want for your team.
- Load Enhance the leveled Digimon you don't need into your target.
Champion and Ultimate material often gets stuck when a stat requirement blocks its next Digivolution. Level it up until that happens, then use it as material.
Place Digimon in Battle, Reserve, and DigiFarm Slots for Steady EXP
Where a Digimon sits decides how much EXP it gets from each win. Battle and Reserve members earn the most, so keep the Digimon you're leveling in those slots. Digimon in storage earn less.
Digimon on the DigiFarm also earn EXP as you win battles. The farm can also train stats, change personality, and improve bond. If a Digimon is held back by a stat requirement, put it on the farm and train that stat.
Bonds of Loyalty Agent Skills can also boost EXP. The Education nodes target particular evolutionary stages, and the ones to look for are:
- In-Training Education
- Rookie Education
- Mature Education
- Complete Education
Lesson in Rearing is another node, and it boosts EXP for Digimon in your battle and reserve slots.
How Talent Sets the Level Cap in Digimon Story: Time Stranger
Talent decides how high a Digimon can level. Every Digimon has a maximum level, and that cap can reach 99. A Digimon with low Talent can have a much lower cap, and some Ultimate Digimon may top out around level 35 to 50.
You can see a Digimon's Talent on its information page, between the EXP bar and its bond percentage. If a Digimon stops leveling even though it keeps fighting, it has probably hit its Talent cap.
How to Raise Talent Faster
Talent goes up through a few actions, and most of them happen during normal play. Taking part in a battle counts, so a weaker Digimon can join a fight while a stronger one does most of the work. Finishing off an enemy is an extra benefit on top of that.
These actions raise Talent:
- Taking part in battles
- Finishing off an enemy
- Hitting an enemy's weak point
- Winning a battle without taking damage
- Training at the DigiFarm
- Using Load Enhancements
Talent progress isn't obvious at first, so check it on the Digivolution screen. Open a Digivolution option to see the projected Talent value. For a Digimon to reach level 99, aim for Talent 100.
If you want a head start, the Awakening Sagacity Agent Skill adds five starting Talent levels. You'll find it on the Bonds of Valor, Philanthropy, Amicability, or Wisdom trees, and it only works when the Digimon's personality matches that tree.
Farm Story Areas for EXP Later in the Game
Once the early farm slows down, move to a larger area with dense enemy spawns. Gear Forest and Abyss Palace are good choices, and a midgame area in Shibuya works too. Pick the highest-level area you can still clear comfortably.
Enemies respawn in an area, but not close to you, so you need a way to refresh them. Moving between areas respawns enemies instantly.
- Pick a dense area, such as Gear Forest or Abyss Palace.
- Fight until the enemies nearby are cleared.
- Move to another area and back to refresh the enemies, then repeat.
Use DigiAttack to speed up each encounter, since it can clear enemies quickly.
Outer Dungeon Runs for Fast Talent
The Protect the Giant Digimeat Outer Dungeon is a fast way to build Talent. It sends around 30 enemies in waves, and a strong Digimon can one-shot them with DigiAttack. A run takes less than two minutes and rewards Medical Spray DX, money, and Friendship S. Each Friendship S adds a 1% bond bonus.
Around 20 minutes can max out five or six Digimon in your battle and reserve slots.
Courage Points and the Hall of EXP (DLC)
Courage Point items give direct EXP. Courage Point I, for example, grants 5,000 EXP. You can also get Courage Points as rewards in base-game side content, and the Hall of EXP is another way to farm them.
The Hall of EXP is part of Outer Dungeons: The Halls of EXP, Gold, Materials, which is DLC that requires the base game. Inside the Hall of EXP, defeating Digimon grants EXP items, and you can use it to earn Courage Points. This route is DLC only. The Goblinmon farm and the story-area farms don't need the DLC.
