The Gob returns, after many levels of grinding, to teach you how to grind.
1. What is Grinding?
Grinding is the mass murder/massacre/genocide of creatures that give good exp per kill.
2. How to Grind?
a. Basic Concepts
First, I have to put up a disclaimer. Grinding, no matter how fast it can be, is still grinding. Many of you of course want to grind as little as possible. But keep in mind, as you progress to higher levels (say hi, lv72-76), you do not have repeatable quests, so that leaves you with only 1 option: Grind. And even if there is a repeatable, grinding is usually a faster option. Take this example: Would you like to kill 150 monsters for 10% quest exp reward, or kill 50 abyss monsters for 10% kill exp? It's your choice.
Preparations for grinding? Definitely use the best scrolls you can afford (especially if planning to AOE). If you fight in Abyss, you will probably want to kill many monsters at the same time to increase your kill speed, and since many monsters = many hits, you need scrolls to survive (even with +9 gear). And if you plan to kill single, strong monsters, you need scrolls to survive.
What to grind on? Abyss is always a good choice. Aim for 10-20 levels above your current level. So if you are a 4x cleric, do 6x abyss. Abyss monsters at that level don't hit much harder and are nearly as squishy and they give many times the exp of lower level monsters.
A note about pkers. They love to kill hard-working levellers like you. There are 2 solutions. You could get a guildie to kill them, or you could go somewhere else. That's it.
If you don't like Abyss, dungeon is always a choice. For example Concealed Peak, Land of Trials, etc. Apart from good exp, you can also fight the boss for drops if you want. The monsters there have quite a lot of HP and hit really hard, so be careful. The first time I went into Trumpy Remains, I pulled seven dungeon clover trumpies, and got 1 hit.
Or at higher levels, some Elite monsters also give a LOT of exp. Examples include Guardian Master (lv91) and Cursed Knight Gold (lv94). They should be fought from lv70 on. At lower levels though, such chances do not exist, and you should follow the above 2 tips.
b. How not to be too bored.
-Since committing genocide against monsters can get boring fast, you want to reduce bored time XD. So:
Get EXP Boost cards. I know it costs SC, but it's double the speed...if you have spare money, go for it.
Get an AOE party. You're not the only one who is trying to level. If you can get a party of equally genocidal players, you get EXP much faster (fighter + mage + cleric = awesome efficiency).
Scroll up. That way you can handle more mobs and kill more of them at the same time. Or kill mobs you couldn't kill without scrolls.
Do quests. Duh! But doing quests is about the same as grinding, maybe a little slower, and it's less boring.
Do Kingdom Quest. Especially at higher levels (which is when you need to grind), the rewards are lovely. The exp may not be great, but hey you get lots of rewards.
Get Teva. Optional. If you don't want to lose 1% exp when dying, then get Teva.
3. Afterthoughts.
You'll love grinding. Trust me. Except if you hate it