Best level before 2nd party member

[GOD GUNDAM]

Oh, no I have my Iron Sword! Thank you, though!

[Final Killer]

or you could buy the map from the cartographer in the square before you go out of the gates

[Renmiri]

OK, for early levels
From 1 - 10 - Eastersand, Giza Plains....
From 10 -20 - Level up at Lhusu mines (don't go up the stair through the last stretch till you are at least level 13). Skeletons can be chained pretty neatly at the last straight stretch and they drop bone fragments like crazy which you can sell for 200 gil each, making a fortune
between 20-30, the best place to get gil and level up is the Simoon's Bluff at the Nam Yensa sandsea (teleport to Raythwall's tomb then go northeast). It is chock full of Bagoly (looks like an armored Ulstrix) that drop 1,000+ gil Bent Staff and of a blue turkey thingie that drops Rainbow Eggs that sell at around 550 gil. There's also a Wyvern that gives you some good Exp points. Try to chain the Bagoly - flee the turkeys and wyvern - to improve your odds of getting Bent Staff.

[tidus_rox]

My Step-By-Step leveling up guide...

1. Go to the config menu and put your battle speed to the fastest.
2. In the first area of the eastersands, fight wolves and cactites(maybe cocatrices) till level 5.
3. Get an Iron sword from Nalbina and bronze armor and helmet.
4. Get to the Westersands and fight the stronger wolves till level 8.
5. Go to the next area in the westersands(corridor of sand or something) and fight the cocatrices only.
Alternative to step 5 or step 4. If you are level 6, fight the fish like monster on the north beach in the eastersands(area before the vilage with dantro`s wife)Icthion or something.
6. Get to level 11 from the cocatrices in the corridor of sand and then you can start fighting the urstix monsters.
7. At level 14(i went at 13) you can also go to other areas in the westersands and fight sleipners(sp)
8. At level 16 or so,(maybe 15) go to the giza plains and make sure you have red spiral for Vaan. Now fight werewolves and make sure you hit a great combo with your Quickening(if you hit an inferno attack you should get it, and if you hit 2 red spirals its a maybe) Inferno hits more than monster, so take advantage of this and hit the 2 werewolves that respawn there when they are close. After you use your Quickening run to the save point were you find jinn(but you dont need to wait for jinn to be there, cause I did all of this without even getting Penelo for the first time) and save it. After you beat the 2 werewolves in the area, go to the savepoint, save, and restart by pressing start and square.

Continue step 8 for as long as you wish

Notes
1 Levels dont need to be exact! Only close!
2 Get the iron sword and the bronze armor earlier if you can(it has to be after the Rouge tomato hunt)
3 Fight the Icthions if you can hit over 100 for step 4
4 Werewolves hit over 150 on me with a regular attack and over 600 i think on thier smite of rage attack.
5 GET YOUR AUGMENTS AFTER YOU CAN USE THE IRON SWORD AND BRONZE ARMOR!!!!!
6 This entire guide was made for leveling before you have your second party member
7 If you are feeling lucky, fight wild saurians for step 8, but I greatly recommend werewolves


Your welcome for all who is benefiting from this:D(wow long guide)

Are you on crack?

[leader of mortals]

no i did all of this

i can kill werewolves with physical attacks now but i just died after a 33killchain of them(and no kotetsu !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[tidus_rox]

no i did all of this

i can kill werewolves with physical attacks now but i just died after a 33killchain of them(and no kotetsu:mad2: :mad2: :mad: :mad: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I have a kotetsu. Just buy one. There not that much, but i found a better sword called the kugosugamaru or something. Its really good. Attack power of 52 i think... so yeah just buy a kotetsu

[Holy Lancer]

I was level 1-10. I didn't train much until later.

[J0sh]

I must be really lucky because I got the Kotetsu from the werewolves without chaining them. I hunted them from level 8-22 or so and somewhere in-between one of them dropped one.

I found it's best when you get to 22-24 to go to the dinosaur in estersand. he gives a lot of exp and if you do a 3 chain quickening on him and have the gladius or the kotetsu you either kill him with the chain or can easily finish him afterward helps to have all the HP augments as well. I stopped at level 27 though because I was getting bored and I wasn't getting the bone armor or helm and continued with the story. It's funny how easy like the firemane and mimic queen are when your level 27 but then you can get through it quick and get on with over-leveling.