There are 2 separate levels: character level and job level.

• Your character level increases your base stats.
• Your job level increases the job's efficiency (damage, defense, effectiveness depending on the job).
• Your base stats are predetermined, so it doesn't matter what job you are using.
• The only stat that is affected by the job is HP. HP grows when you level up your character; however, the amount of HP growth depends on what job you are using.

The only stat you need to care about is HP growth. As I've mentioned earlier, the job you are using affects how much HP you gain when leveling up. The job that gives the highest HP growth is Black Belt, which you can get as soon as you reach the Surface World (in contrast to the 3D version, where you get it much later in the game).

Read more details about how to effectively farm both character and job levels in the Leveling Grinding section.

There are a few that you can only visit one time or before a certain point in the game.

• Living Woods: This tiny place is home to fairies, with no monsters and no treasures. However, you won't be able to enter after the event at Castle Hein. You need to enter this place in order to complete Adventurous Wayfarer achievement.
• Castle Hein: Once you get inside, you cannot come out until you defeat Hein. After defeating Hein, you will lose access to the castle.
• Wracked Ship: Can only be entered once, the first time you sail to the Surface World. There are no monsters; however, there are 2 chests you need to collect here.
• Sea Monsters: At some point in the game, you'll lose your ship, the Enterprise. Thus, you also lose access to the seas because you won't be able to sail.
• Lake Dohr: As long as you don't kill Leviathan, you can get in and out anytime.
• Doga's Grotto: You cannot enter this dungeon after killing Doga and Unei, so be sure to collect everything.

There are 2 positions you can set for each character: front row and back row.

• Front Row: You deal more physical damage and also receive more physical damage. Ideal for fighters.
• Back Row: You deal less physical damage and also receive less physical damage. Ideal for magic users.
• Ranged weapons such as Bow, Boomerang, and Throw (Ninja's ability) deal the same damage from the front row or back row.

• Some staves can be used as items to cast black magic spells. This allows a white mage to deal decent damage while being the support. To use a weapon as an item during battles, select "Item," then press up until you see the equipped weapon, select the weapon, and select a target.
• When buying items, you'll get a 5% discount for every 4 items. For example, if you buy 15 items, 12 will receive the 5% discount.

• Viewing Bestiary: There are 2 ways you can view the bestiary:
  (1) From the main menu, "Main Menu" -> "Extra" -> "Bestiary".
  (2) During gameplay, "Menu" -> "Configuration" -> "Bestiary".
  While on bestiary page, you can press Y button (or Tab on keyboard to view monster locations on the map). It provides a nice visual on the map.
  Unknown monsters will be displayed as question marks so you cannot rely on the in-game bestiary list. You can view a full list of bestiary here to complete your achievement.
• Turn on/off "Encounters": this is an invaluable feature. I normally turn it on when I want to go through dungeon quickly.
• Boost: The new update includes a feature "Boost", it allows you to "EXP" and "Money" earn from battle. Just in case you don't want to spend time on grinding, this is your to-go setting.
• Quick Save: Use "Quick Save" frequently, especially before a boss fight.