Yakuza: Like A Dragon XP grinding tips - how to grind experience as fast as possible

As is the case with any RPG, you’re going to want to know how to grind out experience points to level up as fast as possible in Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Fortunately, there are a few different locations in the game that allow for quick levelling, as well as having some awesome loot to boot. 

One thing that’s important to do before grinding for XP is to try and make sure your characters have the maximum Bond level with Ichiban. To raise the Bond level, you need to have party members fight in the active party and then talk to them at Survive Bar. The higher their bond level is, the more experience points they’ll earn when they’re not fighting with you. By the end of the game, there will always be three characters on the sidelines, but you’re going to want them to be earning as many experience points as possible when they’re not directly fighting with you, so make sure to level up those Bonds. 

If you’re grinding for XP, it might be worth swapping your characters job every so often as well. One of the downsides of the job system is that every time you change into a new class, you essentially have to start from level 1. That means that experimenting with them is a little bit annoying unless you’re constantly trying to raise levels for them. When using these grinding methods, consider also trying to swap jobs as often as possible.

XP boosting items and gear

There are a few ways to increase the amount of XP you’re earning in Like A Dragon. The first, and easiest, is to buy the Kiwami Drink. This drink will give you more XP at the end of whichever battle you choose to drink it, which can be good if you’re facing a particularly tough enemy. You can also gain XP boosts for you and your party by combining the right kinds of foods at restaurants. Certain food combos will give a boost to your party's XP. 

Another fairly easy method is to unlock the Tranquil Tenugui item from completing all of the vocational tests. This piece of gear will increase the amount of XP you earn from each battle, and completing the vocational tests is something you’re going to want to do anyway. 

The hardest piece of XP-boosting gear to find is the Yakuza Training Gear, which can be found in late-game dungeons or purchased at the MIRAI batting centre with the points you earn from playing that mini-game. Be warned though, doing it like this will take a lot of grinding so you better be ready to play the batting mini-game over and over again. Personally I preferred drinking Kiwami Drink or just suffering more grinding than missing home runs.

Yokohama Underground Dungeon

Once you reach Chapter 7, you’ll get access to the Yokohama Underground Dungeon. You’ll have visited this area earlier in the game, but this time you’ll get to go around and grind as much as possible with some tougher enemies. To explore it fully you will, however, need to make sure that Ichiban has the 'Demolish' skill from the Foreman job. This lets you knock down certain walls in the dungeon (and elsewhere in Like a Dragon's areas), which in turn allows you to access extra areas.

The nature of the Yokohama Underground means that it's a great grinding spot. There are places to heal, powerful enemies, and it's easy to access from the main Yokohama overworld areas. This is a great choice for grinding before Chapter 12 and is essentially the only reliable option up until that point. 

In addition, you’ll also be able to encounter a rare Sujimon exclusively in the Yokohama Underground. The Invested Vagabond is a curious enemy with low HP but extremely high defence. He'll reward you massive amounts of XP if you manage to beat him. Like we say, his high defence means he’ll take very little damage, but he also has very little health. These are typically found on the B2F level of the dungeon. Wail on him with your whole team to get massive rewards. 

Sotenbori Battle Arena

The Sotenbori Battle Arena is absolutely the best way of grinding for XP in Like A Dragon, but you’ll have to get to Chapter 12 of the story to unlock it first. This arena is a 30 floor combat tower that has you taking on increasingly difficult enemies until you reach the top. Not only do you get a ton of money but you’ll also be getting a lot of experience per fight. 

If you’ve got the right team combination, you can clear the Battle Arena with little difficulty. Best of all, you’ll get the same amount of experience points and money every time you grind the battle arena out so it’s easily one of the most reliable ways of getting your characters to high levels. The checkpoints can also be handy, as you can use them to encounter specific enemies if you're after certain weaknesses in order to grind out XP for specific jobs. 

Final Millenium Tower & Super Final Millenium Tower

Once you’ve beaten Like A Dragon, you’ll unlock the Final Millenium Tower to fight through. This seven floor tower is incredibly difficult and will require your team to be as high level as possible. Be warned though, you can’t exit the tower once you’ve entered it so you’re going to need to beat it to claim the XP from it. It’s a cruel challenge, but it’s worth it if you can struggle through. 

If you manage to beat the Final Millenium Tower, you’ll unlock the Super Final Millenium Tower to try and beat. This is even harder and basically requires a fully levelled team anyway so it might not be the best for XP grinding. If you’re some kind of super player that can do it without being max level then this is sure to get you there though.