Talk:How to Play/@comment-139.193.166.128-20150313092111/@comment-26093926-20150313104430

Safer, resource friendly way:

get a lv 40+ Iwatooshi, set the sword you want as Leader, and grind 2-4 until the sword you want to level can hold its own in 4-1 (which is around lv 30~ish). In 4-1, ditch Iwatooshi create a team set up that let's the sword you want to level attacks twice but the rest will not so that he gets mvp in every battle. Grind 4-1 because it has the highest chance of getting to the boss node which gives almost 4000 exp. Do the same in 5-3 when the lv cap hits.

Faster, more repairs/equipment consumption:

Skip 2-4 and go repeatedly clear 4-1. I got three tantous to lv 40 in a few days and grinding 2 hours per day. I lost around 5k in resources and 10 insta-repair tho

In reality, this won't happen until you have unlocked most of the game (I didn't do this until i was lv 55). The best way to level up before 4-1 is to hoard mvp to your team Leader. So be patient and enjoy the grind with your main team for now :)