Getting off to a strong start in Ragnarok New World can make a huge difference, especially if you’re planning to play without spending money. While many players simply rush through the early quests and log off after reaching the daily level cap, there are several strategies that can give free-to-play players a noticeable advantage during the first few days.
This guide covers the best Day 1 progression route, from leveling efficiently to saving dungeon entries, farming resources, and collecting valuable treasure chests. Following these tips will help you build a stronger character without relying on premium purchases.
1. Rush the Main Quest Until Level 32
Your first objective is simple: focus entirely on the Main Quest.
During the opening hours, the game introduces its core systems through tutorials while providing enough experience to level quickly. Continue progressing through the story until you reach Level 13, where you’ll unlock your first Job Class. After selecting your preferred class, continue following the Main Quest without getting distracted by optional activities. The story will eventually bring you to approximately Level 32, where progression temporarily stops because the next quest requires Level 36.
This is the point where your Day 1 strategy begins.
2. Complete Every Daily Activity Except Time Corridor
Once you hit the level requirement wall, the game unlocks several daily activities that reward useful progression resources.
Complete every available daily activity to earn:
- Energy Points for Life Skills
- Monster Extermination Points (Wild Points)
- Various daily rewards and currencies
However, there’s one important exception.
Do not use your Time Corridor dungeon entries on the first day.
3. Why You Should Save Your Dungeon Entries
Time Corridor gives every player two dungeon entries each day, with a maximum storage capacity of four entries.
Instead of using your two available runs immediately, save them.
This strategy allows you to start Day 2 with four dungeon entries instead of only two.
The reason is simple:
- The first dungeon unlocks at Level 25.
- The next dungeon becomes available at Level 40.
- Most players only reach around Level 38 on their first day.
Since you won’t realistically reach Level 40 on Day 1, spending entries in the lower-level dungeon provides less value. By waiting until Day 2, you can immediately use all four entries inside the stronger Level 40 dungeon.
4. The Level 40 Dungeon Offers Better Rewards
Saving your entries becomes even more valuable because the Level 40 Hard Dungeon introduces exclusive rewards.
Hard Mode has a chance to drop Red Crystals, an important material used to exchange for Royal Chests.
Royal Chests can reward Royal Equipment, which is currently among the strongest gear available during the early stages of the game. Farming these crystals earlier gives free-to-play players a better chance of improving their equipment without relying on luck from other systems.
5. Clear the First Dungeon Normally Without Spending Entries
During the early version of the game, clearing a dungeon’s Normal difficulty for the first time didn’t consume one of your daily entries.
If this mechanic remains available, you should clear the Level 25 Normal dungeon once to unlock future difficulties and collect the initial rewards while still preserving your two stored entries.
This gives you the best of both worlds:
- Unlock future dungeon progression.
- Keep your daily entries for the higher-level dungeon.
The same strategy can also be used later when approaching new dungeon unlocks at Levels 55 and 70.
6. Spend Your Wild Points Efficiently
After completing your daily activities, you’ll have approximately 3,600 Wild Points available.
These points should be used to farm:
- Character experience
- Equipment materials
- Monster drops
- Additional resources
Using all your available Wild Points should raise your character to roughly Level 36.
Once you reach that milestone, return to the Main Quest and continue progressing through the story.
7. Finish the Main Quest to Reach the Day 1 Level Cap
With your Wild Point farming complete, continue following the story until it ends for the day. Most players will finish around Level 38, which is generally considered the highest practical level for the first day.
At this stage, many players stop playing or create alternate characters. However, this is actually one of the best opportunities for free-to-play players to continue improving their account.
8. Spend the Rest of Day 1 Hunting Treasure Chests
Instead of logging out, begin exploring every accessible map for hidden treasure chests. There are hundreds scattered throughout the world, and they provide valuable rewards that significantly improve early progression.
Treasure chests commonly contain:
- Refinement materials
- Treasure Maps
- Gold Coins
- Adventure Coins
- Enhancement materials
- Other useful upgrade resources
Collecting these rewards can dramatically strengthen your equipment before the second day begins.
9. Explore With Friends Whenever Possible
While treasure hunting can be done alone, bringing one or two friends makes exploration much easier.
Some treasure chests require defeating powerful monsters before they can be opened, while others only unlock when another player stands on a nearby switch.
Having teammates allows you to collect every available chest much faster while reducing unnecessary deaths during exploration.
10. Avoid High-Level Dragon Maps Early On
Not every area is worth exploring during Day 1.
The maps located between Glast Heim and Geffen contain aggressive dragon monsters that greatly outlevel fresh characters.
Attempting to explore these zones too early usually results in repeated deaths, wasting valuable time that could be spent collecting easier treasures elsewhere.
Save these dangerous areas until your character becomes significantly stronger.
11. Keep Play Dead Ready at All Times
Many monsters throughout the world attack immediately once you enter their range.
Keeping the Play Dead skill on your hotbar provides an easy escape whenever you accidentally attract multiple enemies.
Using this ability effectively can save a considerable amount of time by reducing unnecessary deaths during exploration.
12. Use Every Treasure Map You Find
Treasure chests frequently reward Treasure Maps.
Rather than saving them for later, use them immediately.
Each map automatically guides you toward another hidden treasure location, rewarding additional materials and currencies that further boost your character’s progression.
These extra rewards quickly add up and can provide enough resources to upgrade equipment much earlier than expected.
13. Spend Gold Coins on Refinement Materials
Once you’ve finished opening treasure chests and clearing every Treasure Map, invest your Gold Coins wisely. Prioritize purchasing:
- Oridecon
- Elunium
Both materials are essential for refining equipment and provide one of the biggest early-game power increases available to free-to-play players.
Avoid spending Gold Coins on less impactful purchases during your first day.
14. Upgrade Your Equipment Aggressively
Thanks to the resources earned from exploration and Treasure Maps, it’s entirely possible to achieve impressive refinement levels without spending real money.
Many players following this approach can realistically reach upgrades such as:
- Weapon around +8
- Armor and accessories around +5
These upgrades provide a significant combat advantage heading into Day 2.
Even if you’re still using lower-level equipment, don’t hesitate to invest in refinements.
15. Early Refinements Are Never Wasted
One of the most player-friendly mechanics in Ragnarok New World is equipment progression. As you obtain stronger gear later, you can transfer your existing refinement and enhancement levels onto better equipment. This means investing in early upgrades doesn’t slow down future progression, making refinement one of the safest ways to increase your combat power from the very beginning.
A successful Day 1 in Ragnarok New World isn’t about reaching the highest possible level as quickly as possible. The real advantage comes from making smart long-term decisions. Saving your dungeon entries for Level 40 content, completing every daily activity, spending Wild Points efficiently, and dedicating extra time to treasure hunting will leave your character significantly stronger than players who simply stop after reaching the level cap.
By the time Day 2 begins, you’ll have more upgrade materials, stronger equipment, additional dungeon entries, and a solid foundation for faster progression throughout the early game—all without spending a single cent.