So this list is dedicated to all the places in the game perfect for grinding up some AP, just to make these difficult bosses a bit more manageable. As you might already know, Final Fantasy X changes things up by ditching the normal leveling system in favor of what they call the “sphere grid”. With the sphere grid, you’ll battle to earn AP instead of EXP. And this unlocks nodes in your grid for extra health, strength, abilities, all that good stuff! And to gain AP, a character must be a part of the battle, so a big part of grinding for AP is making sure you’re switching party members so everyone gets a share. Now onto the list – I’ll be ranking spots in order from early game to late game. There are weapons throughout FFX that also have abilities like double AP, triple AP, and Overdrive → AP (which gives more AP instead of charging your overdrive gauge). Use these weapons when you can for a much easier grind!
7. Kilika Woods
Let’s start with basically the first real stop in your adventure across Spira. In the very early part of the game, right after meeting everyone in Besaid, you’ll find yourself on the island of Kilika. Although grinding this early isn’t needed, the woods offer a great low-level area to start grinding. At least until you can grab the spell haste for Tidus in his sphere grid. Lord Ochu is an optional monster you can fight at this point as well, and it offers good AP for a challenging (at the time) fight.
6. Mi’ihen Highroad/Mushroom Rock
If you find yourself struggling with the Sinspawn boss fight, you can stay around here to grab some quick AP. By this point, you really want to make sure Lulu is unlocking her -ra spells (watera, fira, thundera, etc.). Especially if you want an easier time with Sinspawn.
5. Bevelle High Bridge
Now this is a pivotal point in the story, and probably your best grinding spot until later in the game. It also becomes unavailable immediately after fighting Seymour. So if you want to use this place to grind, make sure to stay clear of the Seymour Natus battle until you’re ready to go. Enemies here are gracious with their AP, and in the end, you should be able to unlock the spell Reflect for Yuna.
4. Mount Gagazet
I think Mount Gagazet is best known for the boss fight that takes place here. But we can take the path before the battle to hang back and grind until Wakka or Auron get through as much of their sphere grid as possible (both are great characters to get leveled up). For the battle ahead, it’s also wise to grind until you have enough material to synthesize armor that defends against the Zombie status. This gets used a lot in future boss fights. Protip: if you find Wantz selling his wares here, I would recommend stocking up on a good amount of Holy Waters to help with any Zombie statuses you pick up.
3. Zanarkand Ruins
If you haven’t noticed, there’s a repeating theme where we tend to grind. All the best grinding spots tend to be by a save point, and those save points tend to be right next to the following boss. Final Fantasy X gets some flak for being more linear than other Final Fantasy games of the time. But this setup means it’s easy to know when you might want to stop and grind. Zanarkand Ruins is much like other areas on this list. You’ll want to stop here before the boss fight with Spectral Keeper and Yunalesca. The ruins are a good source of sphere keys, too, which you’ll need to fully complete everyone’s sphere grid. You may even find yourself taking a break here to grind out some more abilities and stats before heading on.
2. Omega Ruins
Once you have the airship, you can unlock the Omega Ruins. It’s a special optional dungeon that’s unlocked with the right coordinates (69-75x and 33-38y), and it holds some of the strongest enemies in the game. Which means they drop a fairly large amount of AP. So take a stop here if you’re feeling up to the challenge. Your team should be leveled up in no time.
1. Monster Arena
Now that you have full access to your airship, you can go anywhere you want! Grind anywhere you please… well, except Bevelle, they’re still a little angry at you. There are also tons of side quests, optional bosses, extra aeons, and lots more that can help you get extra spheres and AP. But if that isn’t enough for you, then in the Calm Lands you’ll be able to unlock the Monster Arena. From here you can buy special weapons that can capture monsters throughout Spira, and send them to the arena to fight repeatedly for prizes and AP. And if you catch 10 of each monster in every region of Spira, you’ll be able to battle special monsters. These monsters will be your very best source for spheres and AP until the end of the game (and even in post-game). Although it’s not mentioned in this list, in the Monster Arena you can unlock a monster called Don Tonberry. Don Tonberry gives you a whopping 99 AP! That is… if you can defeat him, but that’s a strategy for a different guide. Just keep in mind that anywhere near a save point in FFX can be a great place to grind some AP! Just visit the save point to fully heal up, then get right back to it.
