Knowing how to farm EXP efficiently in Monster Hunter Stories 1 Exp Farm Guide is the difference between being stuck on a boss for hours and pushing through story content smoothly. The game’s EXP curve steepens notably in High Rank, and reaching the post-game Tower of Illusion requires a well-leveled party that you can’t always build through story quests alone.
This guide covers every viable EXP farming method in Monster Hunter Stories, organized by where you are in the game — early story, High Rank story, and post-game — with specific EXP values, locations, and recommended strategies for each method.
EXP Multiplier: Training Charm — Get This First
Before covering specific farming methods, the Training Charm is the most important item in any EXP farming setup. It multiplies EXP gained from battles, and essentially all the EXP values in this guide assume Training Charm is active:
- Without Training Charm: base EXP as listed
- With Training Charm: EXP values increase by 50% (example: 10,000 base → 15,000 with Training Charm)
The Training Charm is obtained from a prayer at the Navirou-style blessing system. Prioritize activating this before any dedicated farming session — the difference over an extended grind session is significant.
Early Game and Story Mode EXP Farming
Method 1: Subquests (Best Early-Mid Game Method)
Subquests are the most reliable EXP source during the main story and should be your primary leveling method before reaching High Rank. If you find yourself under-leveled for a story boss, checking which subquests are available at your current rank and completing them is the fastest catch-up method.
Key points for subquest EXP farming:
- Higher-ranked subquests yield significantly more EXP than lower-ranked ones — always take the highest rank available
- Some subquests are repeatable — identify repeatable ones and farm them after clearing story content to maximize EXP
- Complete subquests alongside story progress to avoid falling behind the difficulty curve
Subquests are time-efficient because they’re short encounters with guaranteed EXP. Unlike random field encounters, they don’t require searching for specific rare enemies.
Method 2: Barrel Melynx — Best Random Encounter EXP
EXP: 10,000 base / 15,000 with Training Charm
Barrel Melynx (also called Barrel Felynes) are rare feline enemies found in field areas that award a large EXP bonus when defeated. During the story, they provide 10,000 EXP — a massive reward compared to standard enemy encounters. The challenge is finding them, since they spawn rarely and can flee from battle if not killed quickly.
Best Barrel Melynx farming route during story:
- Unlock the caravan fast travel points at Great TreeRoot and Monsoon Plains Highlands
- Teleport between these two locations repeatedly and check the field for Barrel Melynx spawns
- When you find one, approach from behind — this grants a bonus first turn that can help you one-hit KO it before it flees
- Recommended kill method: Ratha’s Fireball + Cheer Skill combination for reliable one-hit KO
- If you can’t OHKO, prioritize the fastest, hardest-hitting moves available to prevent the Melynx from escaping
The respawn pattern means teleporting between two caravan points is faster than walking circuits — each teleport resets area spawns, giving you more attempts per minute than walking the same route.
High Rank EXP Farming — Starting High Rank
Method 3: Repeated Subquests at Rank Ceiling
When entering High Rank, the difficulty jump means older subquests no longer provide meaningful EXP, and new High Rank subquests award substantially more. Identify the highest-rank repeatable subquests available as soon as you unlock High Rank and farm them systematically before pushing story content.
High Rank subquests that feature standard Large Monster targets (Rathalos, Zinogre, Brachydios variants) award between 5,000 and 20,000 EXP per completion and are consistently available. The goal is reaching a party level that makes the next story boss manageable — grinding 3 to 5 subquest completions is typically sufficient to close a level gap.
Method 4: Barrel Melynx in High Rank Areas
EXP: Same as story-mode Barrel Melynx during story High Rank; increased EXP in Tower of Illusion (post-game)
Barrel Melynx continue appearing in field areas during High Rank with the same farm locations and approach-from-behind strategy. The EXP per kill remains 10,000 base / 15,000 with Training Charm during story content, but the encounters scale to your current rank’s difficulty. The teleport loop between Great TreeRoot and Monsoon Plains Highlands remains the most efficient search method.
High Rank Barrel Melynx have slightly higher stats than their story counterparts — confirm your OHKO setup is still reliable before relying on it.
Post-Game EXP Farming — Best Methods
Post-game EXP farming in Monster Hunter Stories is substantially more efficient than story farming. Three distinct methods are available, ordered from most passive to most active:
Method 5: Expeditions to Mount Celion — Passive EXP
EXP: 60,000 per hour (passive)
Once you unlock Mount Celion in the post-game, expeditions to this location generate passive EXP at 60,000 per hour. This EXP accumulates while you are not actively playing — send Monsties on the expedition, put down the game, and collect the EXP when you return.
60,000 per hour is modest for active farming standards, but the completely passive nature makes it an excellent background method. Running expeditions to Mount Celion while doing other farming provides bonus EXP at no additional time cost. Send all available Monsties simultaneously to maximize expedition EXP per real-time hour.
Method 6: Tower of Illusion Barrel Melynx — Best Active Farming
EXP: 50,000 base / 75,000 with Training Charm per encounter (Floor 5 minimum); increases on higher floors
The Tower of Illusion is the primary post-game challenge content, and its Barrel Melynx encounters are the best active EXP farming method in the game. The EXP values are dramatically higher than story-mode Barrel Melynx encounters:
- Floor 5: Guaranteed Barrel Melynx encounter — 50,000 base / 75,000 with Training Charm
- Higher floors: Even larger EXP rewards per Barrel Melynx encounter (floor 5 is the recommended entry point)
Recommended Tower of Illusion Barrel Melynx strategy:
- Unlock the Tower of Illusion by completing post-game prerequisites
- Enter the Tower and clear to Floor 5 — a Barrel Melynx is reliably present on Floor 5
- Use a Barrel Bomb item if available to burst down the Melynx quickly (they are faster in the Tower than in field areas)
- After defeating the Floor 5 Melynx, exit the Tower and re-enter to reset and repeat
- Equip Training Charm before entering every Tower run
The Floor 5 loop is the most time-efficient EXP farming method in the game once unlocked. At 75,000 EXP per run (with Training Charm) and each run taking approximately 3 to 5 minutes including clearing floors 1 through 4, a sustained hour of farming produces 900,000 to 1,500,000 EXP — enough to level multiple Monsties significantly.
Method 7: Elder Dragon Special Subquests — Best EXP per Run (High Level Required)
EXP: 180,000 with Training Charm per Elder Dragon defeat + 10,000 quest completion reward
Special Subquests targeting Elder Dragons award 180,000 EXP with Training Charm when you defeat the designated target Elder Dragon — the highest single-encounter EXP in the game. The quest completion reward adds another 10,000 for approximately 190,000 EXP total per completion.
Requirements and recommended approach:
- Requires Level 50 to 60+ party to farm effectively — at lower levels, the Elder Dragon fights take too long to be efficient
- Recommended target: Kushala Daora — weak to Dragon element; builds with Dragon-type Monsties clear it fastest
- Ratha also works effectively for Elder Dragon Special Subquests due to high damage output
- At Level 99 Monsties, Elder Dragon Subquests complete in a few minutes and become the most time-efficient overall
EXP comparison per hour:
| Method | EXP per Run | Est. Run Time | EXP per Hour |
| Expeditions (Mount Celion) | Passive | Passive | ~60,000 (passive) |
| Tower Floor 5 Barrel Melynx | 75,000 (w/ charm) | ~3–5 min | ~900K–1.5M |
| Elder Dragon Subquests (L60+) | ~190,000 (w/ charm) | ~5–8 min | ~1.4M–2.3M |
| Elder Dragon Subquests (L99) | ~190,000 (w/ charm) | ~2–3 min | ~3.8M–5.7M |
EXP Farming by Game Stage: Quick Reference
| Stage | Best Method | EXP per Run |
| Early Story | Repeatable Subquests | Variable |
| Mid Story | Barrel Melynx (field) | 10K–15K w/ charm |
| High Rank Start | High Rank Subquests | 5K–20K |
| Post-Game (passive) | Mount Celion Expeditions | 60K/hour passive |
| Post-Game (active) | Tower Floor 5 Barrel Melynx | 75K w/ charm |
| Post-Game (L60+) | Elder Dragon Special Subquests | ~190K w/ charm |
Tips for Efficient EXP Farming
- Always activate Training Charm before any farming session — the 50% EXP bonus applies to all methods and compounds significantly over extended sessions
- When searching for Barrel Melynx in the field, teleport between caravan points rather than walking loops — each teleport resets spawns and is faster than covering the same ground on foot
- Approach Barrel Melynx from behind when possible — this grants a bonus first-turn attack that helps secure an OHKO before the Melynx can flee
- Use Barrel Bomb items in the Tower of Illusion to burst down Barrel Melynx quickly — Tower Melynx are faster and more likely to escape than field versions
- Run Mount Celion expeditions passively at all times during active play — the 60,000/hour accumulates even while you’re doing other things
- At Level 99, Elder Dragon Special Subquests become the most time-efficient overall; before reaching 99, Tower Floor 5 is the better active grind
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to level up in Monster Hunter Stories 1?
The fastest active leveling method in post-game is the Tower of Illusion Floor 5 Barrel Melynx loop — 75,000 EXP per run with Training Charm, repeatable every 3 to 5 minutes. For high-level parties (Level 60+), Elder Dragon Special Subquests at approximately 190,000 EXP per run are more efficient per hour. During the story, repeatable High Rank Subquests and field Barrel Melynx encounters are the most reliable methods.
Where do I find Barrel Melynx in Monster Hunter Stories?
During story mode, Barrel Melynx spawn in field areas and are most reliably found by teleporting between the Great TreeRoot and Monsoon Plains Highlands caravan points. Each teleport resets area spawns, giving you more encounters per hour than walking routes. In the post-game, Floor 5 of the Tower of Illusion guarantees a Barrel Melynx encounter.
How much EXP does a Barrel Melynx give in Monster Hunter Stories?
During story mode field encounters: 10,000 base EXP / 15,000 with Training Charm. On Tower of Illusion Floor 5 (post-game): 50,000 base EXP / 75,000 with Training Charm. Tower floors above Floor 5 provide even higher EXP per Barrel Melynx encounter.
What is the Training Charm and how do I get it?
The Training Charm is an item that increases EXP gained from battles by 50%. It is obtained through the prayer/blessing system in Monster Hunter Stories. Activating a Training Charm prayer before any farming session increases all EXP gained, making it one of the highest-priority items for efficient leveling. Always confirm Training Charm is active before starting an EXP farm.
Final Thoughts
Monster Hunter Stories’ EXP system rewards players who know the right methods at each stage. During the story, Barrel Melynx encounters and repeatable subquests are your two main tools. In the post-game, the Tower of Illusion Floor 5 Barrel Melynx loop is the most accessible high-EXP method, and Elder Dragon Special Subquests become the optimal farm once your party reaches Level 60 or higher.The Training Charm multiplies every method’s efficiency — never start a dedicated farming session without it active. With Tower Floor 5 farming plus passive Mount Celion expeditions running in the background, reaching Level 99 Monsties is a matter of a few focused sessions rather than dozens of hours of unfocused grinding.
