How to Level Up Fast in Raid Shadow Legends (2026)

The fastest way to level up in Raid Shadow Legends is to farm the Campaign with one strong farmer and a queue of food champions, keep an XP Boost running, and let Multi-Battle (or Background Multi-Battle from account Level 45) repeat the stage for you, then top champions off with XP Brews in the Tavern. Brutal 12-3 has been the standard farming stage for years, and every rank-up follows one fixed formula: the number of same-rank food champions you need equals the champion's current rank.

We checked this against Plarium's RAID support guides to the Tavern, Multi-Battle, Instant Rank Up and Brew Upgrade plus its Campaign FAQ, HellHades' leveling, energy and update coverage from 2021 to 2026, and Ayumilove's champion leveling guide (updated September 2026), in November 2026.

Ranks, Levels and the Food Formula

Every champion has a rank from 1 to 6 stars, and each rank caps the level: Plarium's Tavern guide lists Level 10 at Rank 1, 20 at Rank 2, and so on up to Level 60 at Rank 6. Once a champion hits the cap, you rank it up by sacrificing champions or Chickens of the same rank, and the number required equals the current rank. A Rank 2 needs two Rank 2 fodder, a Rank 4 needs four, and the final step from Rank 5 to Rank 6 takes five. Each rank-up drops the champion back to Level 1, but its stats jump, and reaching Rank 4 unlocks the first accessory slot for Rings.

Level caps and XP to max each rank (caps and food rule from Plarium's Tavern guide; XP totals from Ayumilove, matching HellHades' figures)

Rank	Max level	XP from Level 1 to max	Food to rank up
1 star	10	22,761	One Rank 1
2 stars	20	81,326	Two Rank 2
3 stars	30	200,681	Three Rank 3
4 stars	40	449,082	Four Rank 4
5 stars	50	963,806	Five Rank 5
6 stars	60	2,010,669	Maximum rank

That table explains why "leveling fast" is really two jobs. One is pushing a single champion to the top, which is where XP Brews and Chickens help most. The other is mass-producing food: every champion you take from Rank 5 to Rank 6 consumes five maxed Rank 5 champions, and each of those needed its own food on the way up. A good farming setup does both at once.

Where to Farm XP

HellHades calls Brutal 12-3 the most common place to farm. Stage 12-6 gives slightly more XP, but 12-3 pays more Silver, which makes it the more cost-effective of the two. If you cannot clear 12-3 yet, HellHades suggests farming stage 3 of the highest chapter you can clear, such as 10-3 or 11-3, until your farmer catches up, and CGMagazine's 2026 beginner guide still names Brutal 12-3 as the early farming goal.

• Use one farmer and three food. Plarium's Campaign FAQ says the XP each champion receives depends on your RAID Card XP boost, your XP Boost, the Campaign difficulty and the number of champions in the team, and the more champions you bring, the less XP each gets. HellHades adds that a maxed champion in the team takes XP it cannot use.
• Start with your starter. HellHades recommends the starter champion as the first farmer because it is usually your best-geared champion; any champion with an AoE attack can farm once geared.
• Chase clear speed. HellHades considers a farmer that clears 12-3 in about 15 seconds or less a great one, since faster clears mean more runs per hour.
• Do not rush Nightmare. HellHades notes Nightmare can give more XP but most players lack the champion or gear to solo it.

Gear makes the farmer. A Lifesteal set keeps a solo farmer alive through long sessions, and our artifact set guide covers what to pair it with.

Let the Game Run the Stages for You

Plarium's Multi-Battle guide covers the tools that turn farming from tapping into a background task. Multi-Battle replays a stage you have already beaten on Auto, and everyone gets 30 free attempts per day in the Campaign and Dungeons, refreshing at 00:00 UTC. A RAID Card raises that to up to 100 per day while it is active.

• Champion Queue: put your farmer in the team, leave empty slots, and queue up to 20 food champions. When one hits the max level for its rank, the next in line takes its place automatically.
• Settings that matter: tick Continue Multi-Battle even when all Champions hit Max Level if you are farming Silver or gear afterward; Plarium's FAQ says forgetting it is the usual reason a run stops early. The gear selling filter can auto-sell the drops you would never keep.
• Background Multi-Battle: unlocked at account Level 45, it runs your Multi-Battle on Auto at double speed by default while you play Arena, Cursed City or Grim Forest, open shards, or manage gear. You can use the same champions in the Arena, but you cannot change their stats, skills, Masteries or gear mid-run.
• Super Raids: HellHades' Update 10.20 coverage describes Campaign Super Raids as runs that cost twice the Energy, count as two battles and pay double rewards, available on stages you have cleared with at least 1 star. They save time, not Energy.

Boosts and Energy: Get More From Every Run

XP Boosts are the simplest multiplier to use. Plarium's Campaign FAQ explains that activating several in a row extends the timer rather than stacking the bonus, using five items lasting 15 days as its example, so there is no reason to hoard them for one big day. GamerEmpire lists weekly and advanced quests as a regular source, and Plarium's Recall Quests include a one-day XP boost for players at Level 30 or above who have been away for 21 days or more.

Energy is the real limit. HellHades' beginner energy guide puts regeneration at 1 Energy every 3 minutes below your cap, with the cap rising as your account levels and settling at 130. Regeneration stops at the cap, so an account left full for a day wastes 480 Energy. Spend down before bed and before work, and save Energy refills for days when an XP Boost is active.

The Tavern Shortcuts

The Tavern unlocks at Level 6 and is where you convert items into levels instantly. Plarium lists four ways to give a champion XP there: sacrificing other champions, XP Brews, XP Barrels, and the Instant Upgrade button.

• XP Brews: the Brew Upgrade button lets you level several champions at once with a slider. Plarium notes that a Brew whose Affinity does not match the champion takes more Brews to reach max.
• XP Barrels: one Barrel takes a champion straight to the highest level for its rank, so a Rank 4, Level 1 champion jumps to Level 40. They come from tournaments, events and limited offers.
• Feasts: given to a champion at the max level of its current rank, a Feast takes it straight to Rank 6, from any rank. They are also event, tournament and offer rewards.
• Instant Upgrade: sacrifices Common and Uncommon champions of Rank 2 or lower in one tap, with optional settings to include Rares and vault champions.
• Instant Rank Up: ranks up several champions at once using fodder and Chickens, skipping locked champions, fusion ingredients with warnings on, vault and Arena Defense champions. It costs the same Silver as ranking manually.

Save Barrels and Feasts for champions you actually plan to use, such as a new Legendary or a fusion ingredient on a deadline; our fusion guide explains why those deadlines are unforgiving.

A Daily Routine That Keeps Food Moving

None of these tools help if they sit idle, so build them into a simple daily loop:

1. When you log in: spend the Energy that built up while you were away on your farming stage with a full Champion Queue, and collect any Brews or Chickens waiting in your Inbox.
2. Between runs: open the Tavern, use Brew Upgrade on anything a few levels short of its cap, then use Instant Rank Up on the batch of food that just maxed out.
3. While you play other modes: leave Background Multi-Battle running on the Campaign so Arena fights and Cursed City stages do not cost you farming time.
4. Before you log off: refill the queue with the next group of food champions, and if an XP Boost is active, use a refill so the boost is not wasted.

The two leaks to plug are Energy sitting at the cap and maxed champions sitting in the queue. Both throw away XP you have already paid for.

Raising Your Account Level

Account level is the other kind of leveling, and it unlocks features: the Tavern at Level 6, the Doom Tower at Level 40 according to GINX and Pocket Gamer, and Background Multi-Battle at Level 45. HellHades' account-level analysis found the Campaign gives the best account XP per Energy, with Faction Wars adding a daily amount at no Energy cost. Its 2022 figures put Hard Brimstone Path (chapter 12) at 1,770 account XP for 6 Energy and Brutal chapter 12 at up to 330 account XP per Energy.

In practice the food farming above levels your account at the same time, so there is no need for a separate plan. Spend every point of Energy, clear daily quests, and the account levels follow. If you are just starting out, our beginner guide lays out what to prioritize before your first farmer is ready.

Skipping the Leveling Grind

Even with every shortcut, building a deep roster of Rank 6 champions takes months of Energy. If you would rather start with strong champions and a large Energy bank instead, the store's Raid Shadow Legends page lists Raid accounts whose titles name the strongest champions on each one, and most descriptions add the Energy and silver banked for leveling. Check each listing's platform notes against your device before checkout. Plarium's terms forbid account trading, so read our account guide before you buy from anyone.

Frequently Asked Questions