Dimension Strategy

How and when you use the portal changes throughout the game. It’s an essential element for progression, but it’s not best to just warp every chance you get. This guide should help you know when, where, and why to use the portal. Don’t forget to check out the Portals and Dimensions page for all the nitty gritty facts and details.

Use this helpful calculator to compare dimensions for coins and soul gains, online and offline.

Consider looking at this page to consider different enemy patterns you might encounter in different dimensions.

### **Understanding Portal Basics:**

Here are some portal basics:

* **Which dimension a portal will spawn is on a cycle** - each of the 5 basic dimensions will randomly appear, and then the cycle will repeat. So, within a cycle, you’re guaranteed to go to every dimension once. But, keep in mind this doesn’t mean you’ll get to every zone within four portals - the dimension you’re looking for might be in the *next* cycle.
* **When you unlock a new dimension, it gets added to your next cycle.** It might be a while before you’re able to travel there!
* **Portal cycles have an eight hour cooldown.** That can be reduced to 4 hours, 2 hours, and later 1 hour. The portal cycle cooldown timer does pause during certain events (cracking a dragon egg, for instance).
* **Each dimension has its own portal color***.* The color of the portal matches its dimension. The colors are intuitive enough, and listed here.
* **You don’t have to go into a portal** - you can leap over it. This is easiest to do while boosting. If you’re looking for a specific destination for a quest or material, and like the dimension you’re in, you can trigger the portal, decide if you want to go based on color (check the wiki page first), and leap over the portal if it’s not where you want. This advances the cycle, without making you leave your dimension.
* **Be wise about using Portal Cooldowns** *-* buying the two portal cooldown reductions also come with immediate cooldowns. Therefore, don’t buy them until you have someplace to go. Say you’re in Hills, and you get a bat quest. You have a spare 200 SP, so you think, “I’ll get Portal Traveler,” and that way if I don’t get a bat dimension, I’ll only have a 4 hour cooldown.” Nice thought, but wrong order. First, trigger a portal. If it’s not where you want to go, jump it. Then buy Portal Traveler, and you’ll get an instant cooldown - you can try again right away.
* **You can buy Portal Cooldowns** *-* Portal cooldowns are available in the Jewels of Soul shop for 5 JoS. They’re only visible when your portal is on cooldown.
* **You’ll unlock more dimensions as the game goes on** - Arguably the three best dimensions are locked when the game starts. All three of them are on the Ascension Tree. You’ll get two of them - Mystic Valley and Factory - your first time through. Desert can only be unlocked after you Ultra Ascend.
* **If grinding materials for temporary items**, it’s likely you have Portal Dominum and offline material collection, and so choose to go to the necessary dimension while you sleep. You’ll wake up with extra materials, and you can leave once you start playing again.

### **The Three Reasons to Use the Portal:**

There are three reasons to portal - and only three:

* *To reach a better dimension for SP gain*. The main goal of Idle Slayer is to collect as many Slayer Points as is humanly possible. The dimensions all give various amounts of SP - some are better than others. If you’re grinding SP, choose the best dimension.
* *To finish a quest*. Quests are a primary game progression, and are the main reason to use the portal frequently.
* *To collect materials.* After late game, you’ll be collecting materials from various dimensions to craft into permanent items. This will make you move around frequently, especially after you unlock temporary items.

Perhaps there is a fourth reason, but it’s not gameplay related: you just don’t like where you are. But that’s not really a reason to portal right away - it’s a reason to grind hard and complete your tasks!

### Gameplay Dimension Strategies

#### **Early Game (and immediately post UA) Dimension Strategy:**

In Early Game, the Hills' Giant is your best source of souls. You’ll want to stay in Hills for as long as possible, before you’re absolutely forced to leave for quests. You should prioritize quests that a) unlock new quests, b) increase your soul gain, or c) unlock new equipment.

The next few quest packs you’ll unlock will require slime and flying enemies for progression to the Gloves, and so you might want to linger in Modern City once you get there, the first portal is guaranteed to take you to Modern City. At this stage in the game, you’re playing actively, gaining souls, and learning the ropes. Use the portal frequently.

*At this stage, the dimensions in order of likely SP gains are:*

* Hills
* Frozen Fields
* Haunted Castle
* Modern City
* Jungle

#### **Mid Game (after unlocking the Legendary Belt) Dimension Strategy:**

This is likely the most quest heavy period of the game. You’ll also be gaining enemy evolutions pretty rapidly, so the best zone for SP farming might change often. Feel free to utilize the calculator.

In general**,** stay in a dimension until all the quests there are done. Then, trigger the portal and take it if:

1. The portal takes you to a dimension you need for quests. -or-
2. The portal takes you to somewhere with better SP gains.

Otherwise, jump the portal.

*Check the calculator for your exact list, but a general list of SP gains values would be:*

* Mystic Valley (once unlocked)
* Haunted Castle
* Hills
* Jungle
* Modern City
* Frozen Fields

#### **Late Game (after unlocking Divinities):**

Haunted Castle. It used to be Factory, but unless you’re chasing quests (and you’ve got some to chase yet) or materials, you want to be grinding SP in the best place. It’s likely Haunted Castle if you’ve stayed up with your enemy evolutions.

*Likely SP gains, from best to worst:*

* Haunted Castle
* Mystic Valley (if Blue Wildfires - drops two spaces if not)
* Factory
* Modern City
* Hills
* Jungle
* Frozen Fields

#### **End Game (After an Ultra Ascension):**

Use your intuition to chase quests and materials as needed - you’ve been playing for a while! The absolute best place to grind, generally, will be Hot Desert. But immediately after your UA, don’t leave the Hills right away. Stay as long as you can, taking advantage of the Hills' Giant for SP gain. After your 2nd or 3rd UA, you might not leave Hills until after you’ve unlocked the Legendary Belt in the Ascension Tree.

Use the automatic portal cooldowns well to get to the best dimension.

Once fully maxed, SP gains, from best to worst are:

* Hot Desert
* Haunted Castle
* Mystic Valley
* Factory
* Modern City
* Hills
* Jungle
* Frozen Fields