Mao's Leveling guide [updated 2024 Re-release]

Learn how Mao made the great leap forward and reached the next level.

Leveling Requirements

Talent and Skill menu

Open the Talent and Skill menu by pressing K. At the bottom you will find various points you can spend, which I will explain below. Important in this menu is the physique submenu. There you will find mining and lumbering. Your first 10 expertise points should be invested in these two categories until they are fully leveled up (you can remove them later and invest them elsewhere).

It is also important that you unlock all relevant perks from these two categories in order to farm the maximum possible number of items. More items when farming => more items when crafting => more XP through crafting.

1. Comprehension points

   Comprehension points are perk points. You get them by discovering shrines on the map and collecting all the shrines. If you ever run out of Perk points, you can get more this way. There is an online map with all the locations (https://moe-map.com/).
   

2. Expertise points

   The number of expertise points is limited to 60 and you get one per level up to the maximum level of 60, so they should be used wisely, especially at the beginning. Later you can remove 5 points per week and allocate them elsewhere (it is the "unspent expertise points this week" at the bottom).
   
   Invest the first 10 points in mining and lumbering.
   
   Experise points give the following bonuses:
   
   

   Expertise Points	Bonus for the selected skill
   1 Expertise Point	1.43 XP gain multiplier
   2 Expertise Point	2.05 XP gain multiplier
   3 Expertise Point	2.93 XP gain multiplier
   4 Expertise Point	4.19 XP gain multiplier
   5 Expertise Point	6.00 XP gain multiplier

Server Boost/Bonus

If you hover over your level bar in your inventory, you can see the current server level. When you are below the current server level, you gain an XP boost to keep up or a penalty for being too dedicated.

Crafting XP-Bonus

You have to hold "E" on the workbench and click on "use" while crafting items to gain the full crafting XP and also speed up the crafting time.

Farming hint

Farm bushes, trees, rocks, ore and clay on foot, but with a horse wagon (unlocked at level 27), as you get a lot less XP while farming on a horse. Set the horse with the horse wagon to follow and deposit your inventory from time to time.

Name	XP per hit
Tree level 1 (branches)	XX
Tree level 2 (Hardwood)	XX
Tree level 3 (Completed Wood)	XX
Rock level 1 (Rubble rock)	XX
Rock level 2 (Rock)	XX
Rock level 3 (Completed rock)	XX
Clay	XX

Boundary Marker Boost (Guild)

You can purchase different booster at the boundary marker (Tool cupboard in Rust) of your guild. You can find them under the submenu "Blessing". Here it is possible to purchase two XP boosters (one with 44% and a second one with 66% = 100% XP boost) for around 500 gold coins.

Quests

1. Main and side quests

They do not require any special explanation.

2. Daily quests

Dailies give a good amount of XP. It is important to know that you can complete the same daily quest up to five times. Therefore, focus on the ones that are easy and give you the most XP. You can ignore the others.

AFK idling training

Level 1 - 11

Just do your initial tutorial missions (visible when you press L, under Main and Side Quests)

Level 12 - 20

Continue doing your missions and include daily missions now. In case you do require XP, craft a sickle (unlocked at level 12). Use the sickle and go to a place with lots of bushes and farm them. There are usually lots of them by rivers or lakes.

Switch to a PvP server as soon as possible after level 20, as you will receive an XP gain penalty on PvE servers.

Level 21 - 30

Name	Crafting time (min.)	XP
Wooden plank	0:08	16.15
Flagstone	0:08	14.72
Square brick	0:18	68.70
Square broad	0:18	68.70
Bronze axe	1:37	322.4
Bronze hammer	1:37	322.4
Bronze sickle	1:37	322.4
Bronze skinning knife	1:37	322.4

Then use the square bricks and broads to craft stone building items, but no big gates or walls as the crafting time is too long.

Bronze weapons, shields and the bronze hoe are a bad way to gain XP.

Level 31 - 40

Level 41 - 50

Level 51 - 60

Combat Skills Leveling

Image by https://steamcommunity.com/id/Mimmo_ITA. Check out his awesome workshop submissions.

[Virdana]

If you go to the third chat-tab you see the actual base EXP before being modified by the server or your own exp boosts. That might help in making the guide proper?

[Chairman_Mao]

I am currently updating everything as this guide was published in 2021. At the moment I am behind the server level wherefore I cannot provide actual XP values as mine are server boosted.

[Ironleg]

im guessing this is a work in progress

[Chairman_Mao]

too long and too expensive. Tools are needed every hour and are cheap too with more xp and less time than armor

[Muck]

Crafting forged armor gives around 600 xp but is 5 minutes but worth it sense armor is a must for the tribe