When you play Crisis Core Reunion you’ll notice that leveling up isn’t the same as other games in the series, or even other games in general thanks to the DMW. This may make you think that you can’t grind levels like you normally would due to the way the game works, but you can if you know how (and a bit of luck). This page will guide you through how leveling works, what the level cap is, and what the fastest way to level is.

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Zack being duped by Yuffie…again.

What is the Level Cap in Crisis Core Reunion?¶

This probably won’t surprise you, but the level cap in Crisis Core Reunion is Level 99, and you can reach it relatively early in the game, especially if you use our leveling tips.

How Does Leveling Work in Crisis Core Reunion?¶

Leveling up in Crisis Core Reunion is weird for the lack of a better word. The game won’t show you what your experience points are, nor will it show you how much you get from an enemy. This is still happening in the background, but it’ll be hidden to you for some reason. When you reach the threshold to level up, you’ll need to get lucky with the DMW to display a 777.

This will calculate your EXP, and level you up if you meet the EXP requirements. If you don’t get a 777 for some time, the EXP will still continue to be added, and when the 777 does show up, you could earn multiple levels at once. Below you’ll find a table on how much EXP is needed to level for every 10 levels.

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You’ll need a 777 to appear in the DMW to get a level up.

Fastest Way to Level in Crisis Core Reunion¶

Although getting a level up is locked behind the DMW, you can still grind out EXP so when you do get a 777 on the DMW, you’ll get multiple levels at once as the EXP isn’t capped. Using this method will level you up the fastest, but you’ll need to meet some requirements first.

• Reach at least Chapter 3.
• Access to mission 8-6-4
• Have good materia to defeat enemies quickly. Ideally, Blast Wave, although Darkness can work.

Not needed, but will make your life easier.

• A High-Level Status Ward materia to negate some status effects these monsters will throw at you.

• One of the Hell spells such as Hell Thundaga or Hell Blizzaga. When combined with Status Ward, you’ll negate those effects. This acts like a Super Ribbon which you won’t have access to early in the game.

• As much HP as possible for general survivability. Play around with the HP Up materia in Materia Fusion.

• Wizard Bracelet or Dragon Armlet. These will help protect you against all elemental magic. The Wizard Bracelet is better, but it will be harder to get hold of.

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(1 of 4) You can get Blast Wave in a chest during missions M7-5-5, M7-6-4. Alternatively, you can steal it from the Martial Tank or complete M3-3-6.

When you have everything you require, you’ll need to unlock mission 8-6-4. This can be unlocked as early as Chapter 3 after the Sephiroth cutscene in Mako Reactor 5. After the scene, approach the nearby ladder to receive a suspicious mail which will unlock the Yuffie category of mission starting with mission 8-4-1: Suspicious Mail 1. Complete all the subsequent missions that unlock until you finally get access to mission 8-6-4.

Once you start the mission, you want to run in-between the first two areas to spawn battles. Note: if you run around the edges, you can avoid battles altogether, so make sure you run in the middle of the areas to get an encounter. The monster you are looking for are the Scissor Chitin’s as these offer you lots of EXP. Unfortunately, other enemies can spawn here, so escape from the battle, and keep running backwards, and forwards until they spawn. The Chitin’s can and will use Electrocute, Tri-Thundaga, and Stop. This is why we recommend the Wizard Bracelets, and Status Ward/Hell Thundaga.

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(1 of 2) Head to Mission 8-6-4 for this leveling trick. This is the best place for Scissor Chitin’s who give the most EXP.

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Head to Mission 8-6-4 for this leveling trick. This is the best place for Scissor Chitin’s who give the most EXP. (left), Blast Wave will make short work of the Scissor Chitin’s. (right)

When they do spawn, use Blast Wave on them to instantly remove them from the battlefield. Rinse and repeat this strategy until you’re happy with your level. Doing this method can trick the DMW to giving you a 777 as it’ll see how much EXP you have, and it’ll force a level up or multiple level ups to match the EXP you have. When you’re done, finish the mission as there’ll be some more Scissor Chitin’s in the final fight.