Leveling and Progression
Unlike most MMORPGs, Soulbound does not use general experience points (EXP) to Level a character.
Rather, character progression is measured by:
- Gear - Average level of Weapon and Armor equipped
- Skills - affect which gear can be equipped or items that can be gathered or made. Each Skill has its own type of EXP.
- For EXP per Skill level, see: EXP Table.
- Upgrades - Upgrades provide a permanent boost to Weapons and Abilities. Upgrades affect Relic paths in dungeons
Other indicators of progression:
- Quests completed
- Achievements gained
- Leaderboard position
General Advice
Stick to the Main Questline!
New recruits are advised to follow the main storyline, as many items and key locations are unlocked this way. Leveling and progression become much easier when all major zones are available.
Stock up!
- Buy accessories from Farok in Virelda
- Buy cheap Healing Vials from the Gear Vendor in the Tutorial
- Craft potions at the Witch Doctor's
- Cook Beef Burgers and other useful foods at Granny Smith's or an Apartment Kitchen
- Find new gear, potions, and materials from re-spawning world chests (re-spawn every 3 hours)
Level up!
- Level up Combat Skills
- Upgrade your Weapon and Abilities
- Gearforge or trade other players for better gear
- Unlock more Abilities: Healing Pulse from the Witch Doctor questline or Gleam Twins from Aster in Virelda
- Speed leveling guides below!!!
Don't be afraid to use the Home Portal!
In rogue-like games like Soulbound, a player can lose some or all of their inventory or gear depending on dungeon difficulty. The harder the dungeon dive, the harsher the penalty for failure but the greater the rewards. This creates an "extraction" mindset: get in, get as far as you can, and get out. Players must balance risk vs reward and plan accordingly.
As Shakespeare wrote: discretion is the better part of valor! That is, it is better to leave a dungeon with loot rather than take unnecessary risks and lose everything. Don't feel rushed. Take the game at your own pace.
Leveling Skills Faster
Combat Skills
To level a Combat Skill faster:
- equip all the Abilities associated with that specific Skill
- toggle Weapon to MANUAL on the hotbar
- kill enemies in an easier dungeon
This can be done simultaneously while killing enemies for various crafting materials, quest drops, and/or Pioneer Guild Contracts for Skill EXP.
Farpoint T3 gives the most EXP to level a Skill.
Recommended Pioneer Guild Contracts:
- Kill Green Bots
- Kill Desert Sphynxes
- Kill Rockydillos
- Kill Scorched Sphynxes
- Kill Pyrodillos
- Kill Cactolings
- Kill Scorched Lizards
Gathering Skills
Community Events allow players to level Gathering Skills like Foraging, Mining and Fishing in a competitive manner. These can be combined with Pioneer Guild Contracts for additional Skill EXP.
Leveling is more fun with friends!
Foraging
Foraging routes:
- Virelda Outskirts
- Seabreeze Pass > Needlepoint Pass > Everdune Ruin (cave system)
- Hollow Rock > Clifftop Pass > Farpoint cave system
Recommended Pioneer Guild Contracts:
- Gather 10 Plants
Mining
Mining routes:
- Virelda Outskirts
- Seabreeze Pass > Needlepoint Pass > Everdune Ruin (cave system)
- Hollow Rock > Clifftop Pass > Farpoint cave system
Recommended Pioneer Guild Contracts:
- Mine 10 Coal
- Mine 10 Iron Ore
- Mine 10 Copper Ore
** Speed Leveling Mining **
- Go to Virelda and enter the Pioneer's Guild to pick up a Mining Contract from the Board.
- Based on the type of mining contract follow the mining routes above to complete the contract.
- Once completed the contract provides you with $250 gold.
- Next, go back to Virelda and enter the Pioneer's Guild and click on the Contract Board.
- Click "REFRESH" for $50 gold (bottom left corner of the screen).
- Once the board refreshes - Select the new Mining Contract.
- With the remaining $200 gold use it to buy food that provides energy from vendors, such as Faraok in Virelda:
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich (25 stam for $20gold)
- Salads (25 stam for $15gold)
- Onigiri (20 stam for $30gold).
- Rinse and Repeat to gain 500 exp every turn in
- Using the $250 gold allows you to run this mining contract an a unlimited amount of times as the contract board as of 4/8/2025 always refreshes. Cheers!
Hacking
Hacking routes:
Recommended Pioneer Guild Contracts:
- Hack 10 nodes
Fishing
Fishing routes:
Recommended Pioneer Guild Contracts:
- Fish 5 fish
- Fish a Bream
Artisanal Skills
Rare community Events allow players to level Artisanal Skills like Cooking in a competitive manner.
Cooking
Players are recommended to create useful Food items to level Cooking:
- Salad - Stamina
- Beef Burger - extra Health in dungeons
- Cheesecake - Cooldown reduction in dungeons
Recommended Pioneer Guild Contracts:
Crafting (Fabrication)
Crafting will typically level naturally, as the player will need to make several base components for Gearforging items.
Common items include:
- Iron Bar
- Copper Bar
- Cloth - from Fibre
- Yokulite - from Yoku Shard
Gearforging (Smithing)
Focus on items created for natural progression or those crafted cheaply to level Gearforging:
- Cheap to make:
- Desert Hoodpiece
- Desert chestpiece
- Sandstorm Leggings
- Progression Items
Recommended Pioneer Guild Contracts: