Something that you find in just about any RPG or JRPG is a varying reliance on grinding.
Whether intentionally or not, there are some challenges you cannot overcome without spending some time farming experience and gaining raw levels.
10 Best JRPGS Where Grinding is Fun
JRPGs are a beloved part of gaming history, but over the years, the gameplay loop of explore, random battle, boss battle, has worn a bit thin.
Most Soulslike games, being RPGs themselves, are no exception to this. It’s not a bad thing; sometimes it’s nice to be able to overcome high difficulty with a raw numerical advantage.
That said, for those who prefer a somewhat purer Soulslike experience, the idea that any boss can be beaten with enough grinding can feel like cheating.
Luckily, there are plenty of Soulslike games that, even if you can grind in them, those numbers never completely supplant the need for skill.
10Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Understanding Fundamentals Is More Important
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Out of all the games created by the progenitors of the Soulslike genre, FromSoftware,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis definitely the least grind-reliant.
The game does have an experience system, granting skill points that can be used to unlock new skills and passive abilities.
However, no matter how much experience you grind up, the game’s fundamental combat loop of dodging, parrying, and slashing never diminishes in importance.
No matter how much you grind, if you don’t have the combat basics down pat, you will not progress in this game.
9Hollow Knight
No Leveling To Be Found Here
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knightis an outlier amongst its Soulslike contemporaries, and we’re not just talking about how it’salso a Metroidvania game.
Hollow Knight doesn’t have any experience system to speak of. you’re able to kill enemies all you want, but all you’ll get out of it is cash.
That cash can definitely be used in beneficial ways, unlocking charms and buying useful items, but this is a stone in the proverbial pond.
If you want to make your way through the ruins of Hallownest, you’re going to have to do it almost exclusively through your own grit.
8Blasphemous
Exploration Over Grinding
Blasphemous
Killing enemies inBlasphemousyields Tears, which are both a currency and a leveling material. However, Tears don’t work like Souls in Dark Souls.
you may’t pour Tears into stats; you can only use them to unlock new sword skills, which only become available as you uncover special shrines.
Rather than farming, tangible progression in Blasphemous comes more from exploring the world andencountering its bizarre bosses.
Exploration is how you gain access to more avenues of character improvement, as well as the requisite materials for these avenues.
7Another Crab’s Treasure
Switch Shells As Situations Demand
Another Crab’s Treasure
In Another Crab’s Treasure, every enemy you kill yields microplastics, which can be used to increase your four stats.
Boosting your stats helps in dealing with big foes, but nowhere near as much as a good understanding of the game’s shell defense and parry system.
In addition to that, you also need Umami crystals to unlockthe game’s more useful abilities.
These only spawn in designated places and on designated enemies, and don’t reappear after you grab them, which means they cannot be farmed.
6Mortal Shell
Speaking of Shells
Mortal Shell
Like any Soulslike, this title has its own equipment system, butMortal Shell’s equipment system supplants the concept of leveling entirely.
Your Shell and its equipment can be independently upgraded using various materials, but the most important thing is having the right gear for the right job.
It doesn’t matter how impressive your gear is; if it’s not the right build to beat a particular boss, it’s not going to work.
Mortal Shell is less about grinding to meet a numerical requirement, and with Shellsto see what works.
5Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
A More Straightforward Soulslike
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
If ever there were a profession that you can’t get good at by grinding, it’d be a Jedi Knight.
Whether in the Star Wars movies orthe franchise’s many gamessuch asJedi: Fallen Order, Jedi only get stronger by having a character arc.
How Jedi: Fallen Order Captures The Magic Of Star Wars Worldbuilding
Fallen Order’s prowess in adding to the lore of Star Wars is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Fallen Order has a leveling system, but leveling up only rewards you with skill points. To actually get access to the skills that skill points unlock, you need to progress the story and explore the map.
When it comes to moment-to-moment conflicts, your only real recourse is to get acquainted with lightsaber battle mechanics and Force abilities.
4Code Vein
Get Good, Not Over-leveled
Code Veindiscourages grinding in two distinct ways: by limiting the overall benefits of leveling up and by placing hard limits on how much you can over-prepare. There’s only so much blooda vampire can drink, after all.
Leveling up in Code Vein only really provides small buffs to your health, stamina, and damage.
The lion’s share of your stat improvements will come from your gear rather than your raw character stats.
More than that, if you level up too much, the game will begin hindering XP gain in lower-level areas. Even if you found a good grinding spot, it’d only work for a little while before becoming useless.
3Remnant: From The Ashes
It’s Harder To Out-Fight A Bullet
Remnant: From the Ashes
Remnant: From the Ashesdifferentiates itself from other Soulslikes by being a third-person shooter rather than a melee-focused game.
The incremental improvements that come with leveling up can’t replace simply being a good shot. There is melee combat as well, but it’s not really the crux of the primary gameplay loop.
Additionally, your character’s more helpful and esoteric abilities will only come to you from story progression and exploring dungeons.
In simplest terms, grinding helps, but it’s no substitute for thoroughly searching the world and honing your ability to get consistent headshots.
2Salt And Sanctuary
Less Grinding, More Optimizing
Salt and Sanctuary
Salt and Sanctuarymanages to avoid the grind by shifting focus from raw numbers and more toward strategic optimization.
Killing enemies rewards you with Salt, which in turn earns you Black Pearls. These Pearls can be slotted into your progression tree to improve your stats.
However, you can’t just stick your Pearls anywhere and expect to automatically be better.
You need to strategically assign them to abilities based on your build, some of which you can’t even take until you’ve filled out a tree from a previous character class.
1Ender Lilies: Quietus Of The Knights
Practice Your Management Skills
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
In Ender Lilies, your combat power comes from the Spirits following you rather than your own strength.
Gaining levels for Lily only provides you with a small, flat damage buff to your Spirits’ attacks. Lily can only gain more health through designated upgrades found in the world.
Unlocking and leveling your Spirits, as well as equipping special trinkets, are what will really bring about improvement.
It is technically possible to grind out materials to upgrade Spirits, but the sheer volume of materials required versus the necessary effort isn’t worth it compared to just getting better at using your Spirits.
10 Best JRPGs With No Grinding
Don’t have time anymore to grind JRPG boss fights? Check out our grinding-free list of JRPGs to try instead.
