The opening of Kingdom Hearts is a bizarre and fairly obtuse tutorial, which sort of goes hand-in-hand with Disney combining its characters with those of Final Fantasy. You'll learn the basic mechanics of movement, attacking, and interactions, but also be asked to make a few choices that seem completely random or arbitrary to the game.

Almost like a personality test, these questions, on the surface, seem like they might somehow impact the personality of Sora. In reality, these questions can drastically change the game's difficulty curve and certain abilities Sora can learn throughout the game.

Updated on October 26, 2023, by Zoë J. Osik: As Kingdom Hearts has been released on multiple platforms through different collections, it is arguably one of the most beloved franchises and experiences that Square Enix delivers. As more players are introduced to the series, and as veteran fans return to replay it, the early choices in-game that affect the overall experience are worth looking into. This guide has been updated to reflect the growing interest in player experiences and how the Kingdom Hearts awakening choices impact the leveling system and overall gameplay experience.

What Weapon Choices Mean

Although these adjustments can ultimately change a player's Kingdom Hearts experience, these choices won't restrict you from accessing certain parts of the game.

These decisions only alter when Sora can learn certain abilities and impact how easy it is for him to increase levels. With that being said, let our guide be your guiding light in understanding what these questions mean and how exactly that affects your Kingdom Hearts adventure.

These choices cannot be changed later. You will have one opportunity to change them before confirming, so choose wisely.

The first choices you make will be the Kingdom Hearts opening questions, which are related to your build. This is represented by three weapons: the sword, shield, and staff. The game is pretty clear about what your choices mean here: You pick one to be a focus and one to sacrifice.

• The sword represents a melee focus.
• The shield represents a focus on defense.
• The staff represents a focus on magic.

While each weapon possesses a "focus" on its respective category, that doesn't mean Sora will be severely lacking in the category of the weapon he sacrifices. By first selecting a weapon, Sora's attack, defense, or magic attributes will be boosted to start the game.

The only way to max certain stats, like magic, is to pick the staff.

Taking the initial hit on either attack or magic attributes isn't the end of the world, because when you hit Traverse Town, Donald and Goofy will join up with Sora. Having those two contribute with their own physical and magical attacks will offset Sora's slight offensive deficiencies.

After you've made your decisions, it's time for Sora to explore his home of Destiny Islands, where more tests await.

Destiny Island Questions

Once on Destiny Island, you're restricted to a small area of the island with fellow island residents Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. For our Final Fantasy enthusiasts, you'll know Tidus and Wakka from Final Fantasy 10 and Selphie from Final Fantasy 8.

Each of the characters has a question for you with three possible answers. Unlike the weapon choice, the game hides just how important your answers here are. Here are the three questions and answers:

Like the weapon questions, you'll get a chance to confirm your choices. These cannot be changed later and impact how you progress through the game. Choose carefully.

Tidus: What are you so afraid of?

1. Getting old.
2. Being different.
3. Being indecisive.

Wakka: What do you want outta life?

1. To see rare sights.
2. To broaden my horizons.
3. To be strong.

Selphie: What's most important to you?

1. Being number one.
2. Friendship.
3. My prize possessions.

What Each Answer Means

While you can go with your gut and answer honestly, it's important to know what you're actually picking here and how it will affect your game.

Depending on which answers you choose, the number of experience points (XP) you need to level up at different stages of the game will change. This can either be helpful or hurtful, depending on your choices.

There are three possible ways this can turn out: You'll be able to have an easier leveling experience at the beginning, keep the XP required per level static, or reduce the XP needed to level in the late game.

• When your journey begins at dawn, the first 50 levels require less XP, and those beyond 50 require more.
• When your journey begins at midday, the XP required per level will stay the same throughout the game.
• When your journey begins in the dead of night, the first 50 levels require more XP, but those afterward will require less.

Here are all the option choices and what journey they will take you on:

Choosing the first, second, or third options exclusively for each question will result in their respective paths: dawn, midday, and night.

This is the fastest way to get through the questions, but it takes away from some story elements on your end.

Sometimes "Midday" and "Night" are referred to as "Noon" and "Dusk," respectively.

In addition to altering how quickly you earn experience, your choices will affect how much experience it takes to reach level 100 overall.

Your level up speed will determine how much experience is needed to reach level 100. With dawn, the XP you need increases after 50 whereas it decreases after 50 when you start in the dead of night.

There are benefits to each answer choice depending on how you like to play and what your long-term goals are. There's plenty to do in Kingdom Hearts, and there are ways to do it efficiently.

Why You Should Begin Your Journey At Dawn

Choosing to start at dawn is a great option for those who want to progress through the game quickly. It's also a great option for trying to complete the speedrun in under 15 hours (whether it's for fun or for an achievement).

The downside is that you'll have to gain more experience overall to reach level 100. While you'll level up quickly at first, after level 50, you'll find yourself struggling more to reach the maximum.

While you gain levels quickly up to 50, the benefits begin to dry up around level 40. After that, you'll be fighting hard to get stronger.

This is not recommended if you want to explore the game in detail.

If you're here for the story and only the story, this is the way to go.

Why You Should Begin Your Journey At Midday

For a truly balanced experience, starting your journey at midday is the way to go. While there are no specific benefits to this choice, it provides an overall challenge without pushing your limits.

If you prepare accordingly, you can progress through the game without much trouble. You won't level quickly like with the dawn route, but you also won't be punished early on as you would by starting in the dead of night.

If it's your first time playing Kingdom Hearts, this is the recommended way to play.

This is also the best option if you don't plan to collect everything or defeat all the optional secret bosses. If you only want the story, with a hint of a challenge, this is for you.

Why You Should Begin Your Journey In The Dead Of Night

Beginning your journey in the dead of night is the hardest option in the beginning, but it pays off the most in the end. While you'll find yourself struggling to reach level 50, the rest of the levels will come much easier.

This option is best for powering through the late-game with ease to reach level 100, but the early game will be a struggle, especially on harder difficulties.

If you're a completionist, this is the route to take. It grants you the most benefits long-term and saves you time and effort when compared to dawn and midday.

All in all, you'll save around 100,000 points of experience if you choose to take this path, as opposed to midday or dawn.

You'll save hours on grinding secret bosses and enemies to reach level 100.

To summarize, if you want to level up fast in the early game, select the first answer for each question. To have a neutral leveling experience, choose the second option, and to level up quickly later on in the game, choose the third option.

Now, this might seem important to your Kingdom Hearts experience, but don't overthink it. By the time you reach the final world, Sora should be around level 50, so the choice is solely designed to enhance your play style.

The game can be beaten on any difficulty with any setup, so the choices reflect how you'd like to play instead of having a strong impact on the game or ending. While there are arguably "better" answers, there are no wrong answers.

If you're not sure what to pick, either choose the answers that resonate most with you, or pursue the midday option for a balanced playthrough your first time.

Unless you welcome a difficult challenge, it's best to choose a smooth experience. When paired with other decisions, like what difficulty to play and what weapon choice selection best complements your style, you can customize your difficulty to make the game a breeze or an uphill battle.

NEXT: Kingdom Hearts: All Of Sora's Different Outfits, Ranked