Retirement Guide

Contains information regarding retirement mechanics

Retirement

Etrian Odyssey 1 has a feature called 'Retirement'. When an adventurer reaches level 30, you can retire it at the Explorer's Guild. Retiring an adventurer will:

• Reset it to level 1
  
• Remove all of the current equipment and send them to your inventory
  
• Allow you to change its name
  
• Allow you to change its class
  
• Give extra bonuses based on its current class and level

Not having enough space on your inventory when retiring a geared adventurer will result in those items being deleted.

The retirement bonuses are extra stats and skill points. The stat that will be increased is based on the adventurer current class. The amount is based on the adventurer current level.

Here is a list of which class gives which stat:

• STR: Landsknecht, Ronin
  
• VIT: Protector
  
• TEC: Medic, Alchemist, Hexer
  
• AGI: Dark Hunter, Survivalist, Troubadour

Here is a list of how many skill points and stats you'll get based on your current level:

• Lvl 30-39: +2 skill points, +1 stat
  
• Lvl 40-49: +3 skill points, +1 stat
  
• Lvl 50-59: +4 skill points, +2 stat
  
• Lvl 60-69: +5 skill points, +2 stat
  
• Lvl 70: +6 skill points, +3 stat

As an example, retiring a level 45 Landsknecht will give the retired adventurer a +1 STR and +3 skill points bonus.

Retiring multiple times the same adventurer will not stack the bonuses.

Is it worth it?

With all that in mind, you might be asking yourself whether is it worth it to sacrifice hours of leveling just to get some meager bonuses.

The answer: absolutely not... for most of the cases.

Most of the hardships in this game can be dealt by grinding levels/gear. The only exceptions are the endgame bosses, which require specific defensive skills to not get 1hk, but you can easily make decent builds with such skills without the extra skill points from retiring.

The only real reason you would retire is if you plan on using Ronin or Hexer (which are only unlocked later in the game), or if you're not enjoying one of the classes you picked. In that case, you could 'sacrifice' a current party member by retiring him instead of recruiting a brand new adventurer, since that way you'll at least get a few bonuses.

[moriturus]

STR: Landsknecht, Dark Hunter, Ronin
VIT: Protector
TEC: Medic, Alchemist, Hexer
AGI: Survivalist
LUK: Troubadour

[Rockisch]

@Zack yeah, retiring in EO1 sucks. You only do it if you want to do a class swap while throwing your current party member away (for example, when you get Ronin and Hexer) or if you want to make 'perfect builds' just for fun. It gets better in later games.

[Zack the Legendary Super Saiyan]

@Gaia Thanks for answering my question enjoying the game but that sucks make retiring characters less troublesome & provide more incentive to do that.

[Rockisch]

@Claws typo, fixed

[Claws]

You mention that between level 40-49 you get +3 skill points and +1 stat. But in your example about the level 45 Landsknecht, you say he gets +2 STR...

[Gaia]

@Zack the Legendary Super Saiyan they still get reset even if you pick the same class for them since they go back to level 1.

[Zack the Legendary Super Saiyan]

@Rockisch cool then I'm gonna grind my characters & change my Landsknect aka Swordsman into a Ronin once they're all lvl 70. Though 1 last question are skills for the characters that don't class change kept or are they all reset along with the lvl going to 1 & you simply get the stat & skill points bonus also thanks for the help.

[Rockisch]

@Zack at least in the remake, you don't actually lose your gear when retiring, it goes to your inventory. Added some explanation regarding that.

[Rockisch]

@Gaia true, fixed

[Zack the Legendary Super Saiyan]

Can the equipment be kept if put in inventory before retirement?