The Best Strategy Games If You Love Grinding

Key Takeaways

Established strategy games with RPG elements promote grinding for success to blend macro-scale conflict with number crunching.
In games like
Darkest Dungeon
and
Final Fantasy Tactics
, grinding is crucial for preparing parties for challenging battles.
Titles like
XCOM 2
and
Disgaea 5
reward players who invest time in leveling up characters and acquiring better gear through grinding.

As someone who’s spent countless hours honing my strategic prowess across various digital battlefields, I can wholeheartedly attest to the charm of grinding in strategy games. The thrill of investing time and effort into a party or squad, only to see them rise from humble beginnings to unstoppable forces, is an experience that few other genres can match.

Some individuals find the concept of grinding in video games utterly dreadful, while others see it as an exceptional joy that gaming provides. There’s no sensation quite like investing time diligently and eventually witnessing remarkable outcomes, and surprisingly, strategy games provide a captivating setting for such experiences to unfold.

Many strategy games combine standard gameplay elements with role-playing game (RPG) features, resulting in an exciting fusion that brings intricate number-based calculations to larger-scale conflicts. Essentially, this merger implies that leveling up or ‘grinding’ is crucial, as it can significantly impact the outcome, determining whether a player achieves victory or suffers defeat.

5 Darkest Dungeon

Grinding For The Insane

Darkest Dungeon is known as one of the most successful indie games, appreciated for its challenging gameplay and distinctive ambiance, but also for encouraging strategic thought and thorough planning. A hasty or ill-prepared venture into its diverse dungeons can easily turn disastrous (though prior knowledge of some strategies can significantly improve the experience).

At times, players might have to venture into lower-level dungeons to boost their party’s level for future challenges or to discover uncommon magical artifacts crucial for success in the ultimate Darkest Dungeon. Every Darkest Dungeon player understands that without proper preparation early on, they may not be victorious.

4 Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Pledge Allegiance To The Grind

Fire Emblem’s impressive reputation is well-deserved, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses stands out as an exceptional addition to this storied series, further emphasizing its defining elements. Set in the divided nation of Fodlan, players find themselves teaching at Garreg Mach Monastery, where they must choose allegiance among three powerful factions. As a professor, you’ll navigate relationships with a diverse cast of characters, some of whom offer romantic possibilities to explore or avoid as you see fit.

If a player skips the crucial practice fights to accumulate experience and level up, or neglects to use their activity points in the Training Grounds at the university, it will become quite challenging for them to triumph when they encounter exceptionally difficult battles later on.

3 Final Fantasy Tactics

The Classic Still Delivers

First introduced in 1997 for the PlayStation 1 during the height of its popularity, “Final Fantasy Tactics” stands as a renowned installment within the series, still maintaining a dedicated fanbase up to the present day. This enduring appeal is largely due to its compelling narrative, but also because it masterfully combines the classic Final Fantasy job system with tactical turn-based gameplay.

Many gamers cherish (or occasionally not-so-fond) recollections of Mandalia Plains, an initial zone recognized for earning Job Points and Experience Points (often abbreviated as XP), a vital aspect for future victories. Skipping the ‘grinding’ phase may lead to encountering steep difficulty jumps that could be quite challenging.

2 Disgaea 5: Alliance Of Vengeance

The Strategy Game Bible

Enthusiasts of the Disgaea series are well-acquainted with the unique joys and challenges it presents, especially for dedicated strategy game enthusiasts. Renowned for its outrageously high damage figures and deep character customization, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance can be considered the epitome of the entire series, although it could still develop in remarkable ways for future sequels.

In Disgaea 5, this game offers a great fit for those gamers who enjoy accumulating points through persistent play, as it actively promotes such behavior. The Item World’s randomly generated dungeons motivate players to repeatedly explore and battle enemies to obtain superior equipment and boost their stats. Additionally, the Carnage Dimension, available post-game, is specifically designed for relentless grinding that can elevate player characters to extraordinary levels of damage output.

1 XCOM 2

Grind The Aliens To Dust

Although XCOM 2 might not be the most complex strategy game out there, it’s undeniably one of the best, and has attracted numerous gamers to the realm of strategy gaming. Set 20 years following the initial 2012 re-launch of the series, XCOM 2 places you in charge of a resistance group trying to eject the alien occupiers from their worldwide dominance.

XCOM 2 is well-known for its permanent death feature, yet it motivates players to undertake missions to enhance their soldiers’ equipment and skills, transforming them into formidable battle machines. After some grinding, a player can create a cohesive fighting unit, but this process demands patience and strategic planning.

2024-10-04 08:04