I am getting near 300, and I can say that thanks to renshuu my grammar and vocabulary improved so much! And I am able to think in japanese ( but small words ). But I can't understand that fast because I have a long way to go.
Keep in mind that levels don't equal Japanese proficiency. It's just how much time you've spend on the platform. You can get to level 300+ and still be at N5. I started using the platform at around upper N3.
There's very heavy diminishing returns on EXP so you can't really "grind" either.
I guess if anyone here started from zero and isn't really using anything else (which you absolutely should), they can answer your question.
Personally, I'm not very "good" at speaking, since I don't get a lot of conversation practice.
In addition to what ギョルギ九十三 said (which I totally agree with), something useful to keep in mind: language learning is not a game. We gamify it because it's fun and useful (our brains remember pleasant, rewarding things), but it can't always work like "hitting level 90 means you can wield the legendary-level Spear of Fire and you'll be able to defeat the Cave of Despair boss".
In short, it's ALL up to you. If you go through the tasks mechanically just to get the most XP bonus, you could be level 500 and still not be able to use the language usefully. If you apply what you learn all the time and practice outside of Renshuu too, you can do great though your in-app level is low.
The adventure system in Renshuu is for motivating you to study regularly, not for measuring your proficiency. XP is awarded for maintaining consistent study habits long-term, not for cramming a certain amount or difficulty of material, so what someone's adventure level is has nothing to do with their functional Japanese level.
I'm over level 1000 because I've been using Renshuu since before the adventure system existed and I study daily, but I'm terrible at speaking Japanese because I never practice speaking Japanese out loud. Using Renshuu a ton can't magically award you skills you never practice outside of the app; it's a support system to help remember what you're already learning.
Like everyone said, the level in renshuu is absolutly not correlated to your speaking ability. If you don't do anything outside, you won't be able to speak easily no matter how hours you put in renshuu.
Renshuu is really good for new thing (new word, new kanji, etc) but don't waste your time grinding words until they are level 9. Being able to recognize a word is nice and all but it won't miraculously make you able to use it nor will it help you with its nuances. For that part, you need to... use those word (or read japanese definition for the nuances). There is no secret to that.
Renshuu for polishing small basic brick that will help you to build a foundation. But don't do that too much, otherwise, you will even forget that you polished those brick. And even forget the existence of those brick. You need to have a certain balance between using renshuu to build some foundations and building on those foundations with more advanced exercises (like reading, writing, listening, speaking). Otherwise the effort you spent on renshuu will go to waste (I'm exagerating a bit here but still).
And if you able to do that, you will be able to speak far sooner than people like me. I'm decently able to have basic conversation because someone "force" me to speak with some japanese when I was not even able to introduce myself. But even with that, I did run away from trying to speak, read, etc. And now I have a bunch a useless basic word that I'm forgetting because I didn't "use" them enough outside of renshuu. I'm correcting that by watching video in japanese everyday but still, it's annoying. I don't use renshuu that much right too nowadays until I rebalance a bunch a of things. I will still use it to continue to learn kanji later tho.
Anyway, to sum up, SRS system like renshuu are not a miraculous solution that will solve everything. If you use it too much, you will just waste your time and get demotivated. Also if you can't remember some word, that's normal. The biggest advantage of SRS system is quantity, not quality. Just do it but don't expect anything from it. If you can use renshuu with that mindset and also do some more "advanced" exercises, you won't be disapointed :3
I'm only Level 26 on Renshuu currently, but I've been studying Japanese for four years so I'm quite comfortable with reading, listening, and even a bit of writing, though I definitely still make mistakes. Perhaps a better question would be asking "if you've studied Japanese for this many years, how good are you at it", since I would assume most people here didn't start on Renshuu or at least use it exclusively.
I agree that renshuu levels aren't a reliable indicator of someone's mastery of the Japanese language. Personally, I started using Renshuu as a beginner about a year and a half ago, and my level is now over 500, but I'm still learning N5 level materials (I'm planning to start N4 later this year).
I prefer to learn at a slow, gradual pace, whereas someone who prefers to learn more quickly than I do might have learned a lot more by the time they reach the same renshuu level that I'm currently at.
I think what really matters is finding the learning pace and style that works for you as an individual
my user level is around 200 and I started at N5. I would say that my understanding is coming along and I can understand simple content like someone talking about what they did today or a simple let's play gaming video. As I don't speak to any Japanese people, I would really struggle to have a conversation. I am currently reviewing N4 content and plan to start N3 sometime in July. I hope this is helpful!
I know I’m not quite level 300, but my insight is that, like others said, your level doesn’t always match your proficiency. I personally can speak (not very well mind you), but only because I have gone out of my way to contact and talk to natives. I think it really depends on how much extra effort you put into it
