History Main / ExperiencePoints

->"Food!", thought the dragon.
->"Levels!", thought the knight.

** It's interesting that the game does not work like that. Any enemy around 5 levels below you garners no XP.

* In From Software's Shadow Tower series, you don't get experience points. Instead each breed of demon automatically gives a stat increase of specific type and number once you kill it. So you are always improving every battle that you win. Since there is no dynamic difficulty, if you play a New Game + enough times you'll soon become a virtual god.

* Similar to how ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' has souls as currency and experience, Warhammer Quest uses gold. The reasoning behind it is that every character is so talented that they have the potential to quickly become maximum level regardless of how much actual combat they've seen. But to reach that potential, they have to spend money training with other heroes and it gets more expensive as you must keep looking for mightier trainers to avoid stagnating. The computer version of Warhammer Quest reverts back to the traditional experience system.

* In ''VideoGame/DeltaRune'' which is related t ''Undertale'' somehow, battles end by saying how how many EXP you've earned, [[SubvertedTrope but you can never get any]]. As in ''Undertale'', gaining EXP is GainingTheWillToKill, and none of the party in ''Delta Rune'' do so.

** There are also skills in game that work the on the basic EXP scale, I.E. you use them and you get EXP. There are some unique requirements, such as having to fall victim to the looking at dirty magazines/sexy poses a certain number of times, for unlocking/leveling up skills, but it could easily be equated as EXP

* In VideoGame/{{Undertale}}, EXP is awarded by defeating monsters; this is also lampshaded similarly to in ''[=Kotor II=]'' above. [[spoiler:Sans reveals near the end that EXP stands for [[KarmaMeter Execution Points]]. EXP showcases [[KillingIntent how easily you are able to harm others]] and [[LackOfEmpathy dismiss both the harm to others and to yourself]] by hardening your mind and soul. Simply put, you gain EXP by killing people, which [[ItGetsEasier makes it easier for you to kill people.]] Gaining EXP ''makes you a bad person''.]]

*** The 3rd Edition experience points system focuses on Gang Leaders, [[NumberTwo Champions]], Specialists[[note]]promoted Gangers[[/note]] and [[NewBlood Juves]], who can use their experience points to purchase improved statistics or skills during a campaigns pre-battle sequence. Regular Gangers meanwhile have a simplified experience points system, randomly acquiring statistic increases for every 6 experience points they earn.

* MouseHunt: The 'levels' are called ranks. "Rank Percentage" is gained to "rank up", mostly from catching mice, and there is a significant amount of time between moving up from one rank to another. While each mouse has a certain amount of points, it is NOT directly proportional to the amount of "rank percentage" earned. "Rank percentage" also cannot be lost.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

*** The 3rd Edition experience points system focuses on Gang Leaders, [[NumberTwo Champions]], Specialists[[note]]promoted Gangers[[/note]] and [[NewBlood Juves]], who can use their experience points to purchase improved statistics or skills during a campaigns pre-battle sequence. Regular Ganagers meanwhile have a simplified experience points system, randomly acquiring statistic increases for every 6 experience points they earn.

* In TabletopGame/{{Mordheim}} and TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}} units gain experience for surviving and achieving objectives in each battle which can be used to gain new skills or stat increases.

* In VideoGame/{{Undertale}}, EXP is awarded by defeating monsters; this is also lampshaded similarly to in ''[=Kotor II=]'' above. [[spoiler:Sans reveals near the end that EXP stands for [[KarmaMeter Execution Points]]. EXP showcases [[KillingIntent how easily you are able to harm others]] and [[LackOfEmpathy dismiss both the harm to others and to yourself]] by hardening your mind and soul. Simply put, you gain EXP by killing people, which makes it easier for you to kill people. Gaining EXP ''makes you a bad person''.]]

CharacterLevel is its SisterTrope, and ClassAndLevelSystem is the SuperTrope for both. Compare StatGrinding, in which you get better at a skill or ability by actually using it. Contrast EquipmentBasedProgression.

* In the ''FireEmblem'' series experience is not only gained from killing enemies, but also from healing allies, using thieves to steal enemy items or weapons and using [[SpoonyBard dancers]] to allow another unit to move again.

** ''DarkSiders'' employs an identical system, gathering souls to buy advancements. Fitting, as it was a love-letter to the genre itself.

* In VideoGame/{{Undertale}}, EXP is awarded by defeating monsters; this is also lampshaded similarly to in ''[=KotorII=]''. [[spoiler:Sans reveals that EXP stands for [[KarmaMeter Execution Points]]: EXP showcases [[KillingIntent how easily you are able to harm others]] and [[LackOfEmpathy dismiss both the harm to others and to yourself]] by hardening your mind and soul. Simply put, gaining EXP ''makes you a bad person''.]]

* In VideoGame/{{Undertale}}, you may think you're being rewarded for killing enemies with ExperiencePoints. [[spoiler: Nope, in this game EXP actually stands for [[KarmaMeter Execution Points]].]]

* ''DemonsSouls'' uses Souls as a dual currency/experience points. You can spend them on items and weapon upgrades… or spend them on improving your stats, eventually gaining Soul Levels as you do.

* The first ''ValkyrieProfile'' has, in addition to the normal experience points you get from battles, Story Exp., which goes into a communal bank instead of directly to one character. You can then divvy up that experience in whatever portions you want to any of your characters. It's particularly handy when you get a new, under-leveled character and want to get him or her up to speed, or at least a head start on catching up.

* The online mode in ''MetalGearSolid4'', uses a slight twist. Each character has levels, and levels determine who you get automatically matched up against, but all EXP is, in fact, based on the player's overall performance, rather than a basic EXP scale. That means that it ranks your ratios from each match, and determines how much EXP you gain. To make things fair, if you don't preform above a set scale, then you can lose EXP and levels.

** In ''CrisisCore: VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' Zack levels up whenever the slot machine that grants him special attacks comes up 777, apparently at random. In fact, it does keep track of experience points, though never shows the player their total, and the probability of it coming up 777 is based on how much experience above the threshold for the next level you have.

* The old MarvelComics RPG put out by TSR had Karma. Player characters would get Karma at the end of every adventure chapter if they accomplished mission objectives, which they could spend on either permanently raising attributes and abilities or on modifying dice rolls in-game. Karma could also be contributed to a community pool in order to help your teammates out in a tight spot. However, being heroes, they lose Karma if they fail objectives or do heinous things. They will lose ALL of their experience points (with the exception of any Karma specifically set aside, either before a session begins or after it ends, in a sort of "savings account" toward improving your character later on) if they kill anyone, including villains, and even if it was by accident (thanks to an unlucky roll of the dice, for example). The rulebook (written quite a few years before the NinetiesAntiHero concept would become endemic) actually cites this as the reason why "murderous" characters like Wolverine or the Punisher rarely add new tricks to their repertoire.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} a fridge levels up after being thrown at imps. It makes more sense in-- ... [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext actually it doesn't]].

* In [[spoiler:Homestuck]] a fridge levels up after being thrown at imps. It makes more sense in-- ... [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext actually it doesn't]].

* Most of the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}} series has a traditional experience points system, but ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza 0}}'' forgoes experience points in exchange for using money earned from sidequests and random battles to purchase new skills and abilities. This plays into the game's [[TheEighties 80's setting]], during Japan's "Bubble Economy": an era of economic prosperity.