Most players in Far Far West assume you need to kill enemies to earn spell XP. You don't. Every time you cast a spell, you earn XP for that spell's element, regardless of whether the cast lands a kill. That one detail changes everything about how you approach spell progression. Reaching Level 35 in a spell element unlocks the max spell for that element, while Level 50 and Level 100 unlock Jokers and Titles respectively. Here are the two methods that actually get you there fast.
How does spell XP actually work?
Spell XP is tied to casting, not to kills. Each spell cast earns XP based on the spell's level: higher-level spells award more XP per cast but carry much longer cooldowns, sometimes exceeding 100 seconds. Lower-level spells award less XP per cast but have cooldowns as short as 8 seconds, meaning you can cast them far more frequently in a single run.
Every spell also has a one-time 200 XP first-use bonus per run. That bonus resets when you die and start a new run, which is the foundation of the second method covered below.
You earn spell XP from casting, not from dealing damage or getting kills. A spell cast into empty air still counts.
Method 1: Spam level 1 spells throughout a run
The simplest method is to equip level 1 spells from the elements you want to level, then spam them constantly during any run. The low cooldowns mean you can cycle through multiple casts per minute without waiting around.
Mino has an 8-second cooldown
Here are the recommended level 1 spells and their cooldowns:
Mino (Cactus) is the standout here with its 8-second cooldown. You can cast it roughly 7 times per minute, making Cactus the fastest element to level by a significant margin. Pyro and Elec are close behind at 20 seconds each.
You can push this further with the Cantrip One-trick Joker, which reduces spell cooldowns and lets you cast even more frequently. Pair it with Mino and you're looking at very fast Cactus progression.
Equip spells from multiple elements at once so you level several lines simultaneously during a single run. Swap between them as cooldowns expire.
For a deeper look at which spells are worth investing in once you've leveled them, check the Far Far West spells tier list to prioritize your progression order.
Method 2: The Nightmare death loop
The second method is faster for bulk XP but requires you to play on Nightmare difficulty and die intentionally. Here's the logic: high-level spells award significantly more XP per cast than level 1 spells, but their 100+ second cooldowns make them useless for sustained spamming. The solution is to use the one-time 200 XP first-use bonus on every spell at the start of a run, then let enemies kill you before those cooldowns expire, and repeat.
The loop looks like this:
- Start a run on Nightmare difficulty.
- Cast every spell you have equipped as quickly as possible after engaging enemies.
- Collect all the first-use XP bonuses.
- Let enemies kill you. Nightmare mode enemies are aggressive enough that this happens fast.
- Reset and repeat.
Nightmare mode enemies deal enough damage to end your run quickly, which is actually what you want here. The faster you die after collecting all spell bonuses, the faster you can reset and collect them again.
XP progress toward Level 35
Which method should you use?
The right choice depends on what you're trying to do. Spamming level 1 spells works well when you want to level multiple elements at once during normal play without disrupting your run. The Nightmare death loop is faster for pushing a specific element to Level 35 or beyond as quickly as possible.
For most players, combining both makes sense: use the death loop to push priority elements to Level 35 fast, then switch to level 1 spam during regular runs to keep secondary elements ticking upward passively.
Understanding how spells interact with each other once they're leveled is the next step. The Far Far West spell combos guide covers every elemental interaction worth knowing, from Acid fire tornadoes to Portal duplicates.
For everything else you need to build an effective run from the ground up, the Far Far West beginner guide covers spell combos, weapon elements, fragment targeting, and grind routes in one place. The full Far Far West guides collection has everything else you need once your spells start hitting their level milestones.