Grinding

Grinding is a common term used in discussion of role-playing games to describe the process of completing some menial or monotonous task in order to achieve some greater objective. Grinding is often viewed as necessary in order to fully enjoy certain parts of a game, grinding is always optional however.

In Dragon Quest

In Dragon Quest, grinding most commonly refers to fighting monsters in order to gain experience. More experience allows characters to gain levels and thereby become more powerful in a variety of ways. However, it can also refer to any monotonous task such as collecting specific items, playing a mini game over and over, or completing some menial task repetitively. The best spots for players to grind for levels are collectively referred to as "slime hill", though the locations are not necessarily always outdoors.

Examples in the Dragon Quest series

• Fighting monsters in order to gain levels or earn gold
• Collecting alchemy ingredients to make specific items in Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest IX.
• Playing any of the gambling mini games available in a variety of games in order to win certain items.
• Fighting monsters in the hope that they will drop a specific item after the battle.
• Fighting monsters in the hope that they will join the party in games where monster recruitment is possible.