Level

Level, also known as LV and Lv., is the measure of how far a character has progressed in their personal growth potential. Gaining levels is the way for the player characters to advance throughout most of the Final Fantasy games. The characters advance in levels by gaining Experience Points. Both enemies and player characters have a level, but most times the opponents' level is fixed.

Gaining a level is called a "Level Up". Gaining levels may augment stats, unlock new magic and skills, and enable the use of new items. The party's level may also influence the enemy's stats. The typical highest level is 99 for players, but 100+ for bosses and enemies. In Final Fantasy VIII the limit for player characters goes up to 100, but it can also be as low as 41 in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.

It is considered a challenge to attempt a "No Leveling Up Game", whereupon the player tries to complete the game without the player characters having gained a single level.

Levels are also widely used to measure an enemy's strength in the series, and some games allow enemies to level up in the middle of battle.

Final Fantasy
The level system is the prototype used in many future installments. The maximum level is 50. Character class dictates the stat growth gained from level ups. In Final Fantasy Origins and later versions, the level cap is 99. The amount of experience required to level up is also capped, at 29,000. Characters' levels were originally meant to determine the success rate of fleeing from battles, but in the NES version this is glitched.

Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy II is unique in the series for not utilizing experience-based levels; each character develops depending on what they do during battle, e.g., characters who use a particular weapon become adept at wielding a weapon of that type, as well as gaining in physical strength; characters who frequently cast a particular magic learn more potent versions of that spell, as well as gain Magic Power. HP and MP, similarly, increase depending on need: a character who ends a battle with little remaining health might earn an increase in maximum hit points.

The system is associated with numerous issues, such as that it encourages players to hit their own characters to finish battles in low health. The target-cancel bug also lets the player level up weapons and spells by repeatedly cancelling actions.

Final Fantasy III
The level up system is based on the first game's system, though being more refined. Also differently from the first game, the characters can use different jobs and gain separate levels by acquiring Job Points and stat growth within those jobs. The max level is for each jobs is 99.

Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IV employs a traditional level up system where characters level up by gaining EXP from battles, which boosts their stats along a predetermined path; physical characters will earn more strength and HP when leveling, and magic-users will gain more magic power and MP. The characters learn new skills as they gain higher levels. However, after Level 70 the stat gains characters earn from leveling up become somewhat random, with eight different options the game randomly chooses from, and characters can lose stats, though in general they will have higher stats at Level 99 than Level 70.

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-
Level returns in the sequel to Final Fantasy IV, and works the same way as it did in that game.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
The same system used in the game's predecessors returns, though stat gains are no longer random after level 70, but level caps are in place depending on the chapter. The level caps (for at least the Wii version) are as follows:

The exceptions to the information above are for generic characters (Black Mage, White Mage, Monk, etc.) who cap at level 20. In the Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection version, Golbez's level in the Lunarians Tale is capped at 45, and Fusoya's is capped at 40.

Final Fantasy V
The job system returns, this time separate from the character levels: characters and jobs have their own levels, e.g. a character can be on level 38, but his job may be on level 5. Characters boost their base stats by leveling up, and gain new abilities as their job levels up.

Characters level up by gaining EXP from battles, and jobs level up when the characters gain ABP while using said job. The maximum level is 99. The EXP needed for max level is 9,696,668.

There are various ways to temporarily change level in battle, such as the Mix skill, Dragon Power, which raises a character's level by 20, and the song Hero's Rime that continually boosts the party's levels while the Bard is singing.

In the mobile and Steam versions the player earns achievements by mastering jobs and leveling up characters.

Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI has a traditional leveling up system, where characters gain EXP from battles. Terra and Celes gain new magic when reaching certain level thresholds, Sabin learns new Blitzes, and Cyan learns new Bushido skills. The characters can equip magicite to boost their stats while leveling up; without magicite, the party only earns HP and MP from level ups.

When a character joins the party, their level is calculated based on the average level of the current party members. The level for each character is recalculated at certain points. The new character's level equals the average of all current member's level rounded down. If a character rejoins in the World of Ruin, the new level will never be lower than their old level. If a character is joining for the first time, a value is added to the average party level to determine their new level.

The Advance version has a level reset glitch that lets the player reset the characters' levels.

Final Fantasy VII
Unlike in most games, characters will also gain EXP to level up from boss battles. In the final battles Bizarro and Safer∙Sephiroth have more HP if more members of the player party are on level 99. During Battle Square battles certain handicaps can temporarily lower the player's level, and the effect stacks. Apart from the player characters, Materia can also be leveled up by gaining AP from battles; this unlocks new abilities and births new Materia when a Materia reaches its maximum level.

Cloud will always level up from level 6 to level 7 in the first battle; this may be one of the many subtle allusions to the number 7 used throughout the game.

The playable characters require slightly different amount of EXP to reach level 99. Aeris requires the most EXP for level 99: 2,484,643.

Leveling a character to level 99 gains the Top Level achievement in the PC version re-release. Doing so in the PlayStation 4 version earns the Liege of Leveling trophy.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-


Zack gains levels through the Digital Mind Wave reel: as the reel rolls to 777, Zack will level up, boosting his stats. The maximum level is 99. It appears random, but in fact, isn't; the game has a hidden value that works the same way as gaining experience points in the rest of the series, and the reel will gain a chance to spin to 777 once Zack has killed enough enemies to enable it. Zack can also level up his Materia to a max level of 5, at which point the Materia become mastered.

Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII is the first game in the series where the maximum level for character and enemy growth is 100 instead of 99. The game is different in many other aspects as well: instead of the EXP required for a level up gradually growing, the requirement is set at the fixed value of 1000 EXP for a level up, but the amount of EXP enemies give after battle varies, depending on their level in comparison to the player party's.

As the junction system functions separate from the leveling system, a viable style of play can include keeping the party (and thus monsters) low level.

Character levels
The player's level affects how far they can progress in the SeeD rank tests that can be undertaken in the menu; the player cannot take a test that is of higher grade than Squall's current level. Squall always starts at level 7 with his EXP bar half-way filled, similar to how Cloud always levels up in his first battle. Squall's first level up being from level 7 to level 8 may thus be an allusion to the number 8, Final Fantasy VIII being the eighth installment in the series. Finishing the game with Squall on level 7 earns the player the achievement Contrived Finish in the Steam version. Getting a character to level 100 earns the achievement Top level.

Characters who join the party start with a set level. In the PlayStation demo, the player characters cannot level up at all.

Enemy levels
The enemies' level is normally not fixed, and depends on the active party members' current levels, according to the following formula:
 * $$Base\,level = floor[average\,level\,of\,active\,party]$$
 * $$Level\,diff = floor[Base\,level / 5]$$
 * $$Enemy\,level = Base\,level \pm Level\,diff$$

Normal enemies will never have levels between the two values given by the formula; however, bosses have level caps, which are used to limit their levels if the value resulting from the formula is too high.

In certain locations enemies' levels are subject to specific conditions:
 * The Fire Cavern has enemy levels fixed at 5.
 * The Lunatic Pandora (with Squall as party leader) has enemy levels fixed at 1.
 * The Island Closest to Heaven and the Island Closest to Hell have enemy levels fixed at 100.
 * The Deep Sea Research Center uses the normal formula, but then adds 15 levels.
 * In the PlayStation version, Omega Weapon is always level 100.
 * In Ultimecia Castle, enemy levels are random.

The LV Down and LV Up abilities learned by Tonberry let the player manipulate the enemies' levels and thus affect which spells can be drawn, what items they will drop, and how much EXP they give. Bosses are immune.

Guardian Force levels
Guardian Forces also gain levels, and certain Guardian Force abilities cannot be used until said Guardian Force has reached level 100. Guardian Forces share the EXP the player characters earn from battles, but it is distributed evenly between the GFs the character has junctioned. Different GFs require a varying amount of EXP for a level up; e.g. Siren requires only 200 EXP for a level up, whereas Eden requires the full 1000.

Boko's level
Upon winning a battle in Chocobo World, Boko receives a magic stone which is randomly placed on a tic-tac-toe-style board. If three stones line up in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row, Boko gains a level of experience, which increases his hit point count in Chocobo World and his strength when summoned in Final Fantasy VIII. If Boko is leveled up to level 100 in the Steam version, the player earns the trophy Top Level Boko.

Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX uses a traditional level up system. Leveling up boosts the party's stats and the number of Magic Stones used to equip support abilities. As bosses do not give EXP, it is possible to attempt a no leveling up challenge and finish the game at level 1.

Joining party members' levels are determined by the previous party members' levels. Zidane, Vivi, Dagger and Steiner are the characters the player starts with, but when another party member joins and the player party is at a higher level than LV1, the joining party members level up to match the rest of the party.

Joining party members will not gain any level up bonuses for the number of Magic Stones, and for that reason, if the player levels up a lot early, party members who join later will miss out. If the player wants maximum Magic Stones for all party members, they must stay on level 1 till Amarant joins.

The maximum amount of EXP required to level up to 99 is 6,633,167 but the maximum that can be displayed in the menu is 9,999,999; the following formula is used in game to achieve this: $$(Level^4 + 10*Level^3 + 37*Level^2 + 56*Level - 96) / 16$$

Final Fantasy X
Characters and enemies don't have specific levels and their strength is measured in stats only, however, gaining AP from battles advances the characters through the Sphere Grid through Sphere Level, abbreviated as "S.Lv". The AP required for gaining sphere levels increases the further a character has progressed through the grid, up to a maximum of 22,000.

Final Fantasy X-2
The traditional leveling up system returns, with characters gaining levels based on the EXP they earn in battles. Levels will not carry over when using the game's New Game Plus feature. The maximum level is 99. The character's level determines their stats in their currently equipped dressphere, apart from the special dresspheres, whose stats are also affected by the number of nodes the character activated to change into it.

Initial levels of recruitable allies in the International and HD Remaster versions depend on the average level of the three leading girls.

Even if the girls all have the same EXP totals they progress at different rates. Paine is a little faster than Rikku and Yuna tends to lag behind.

Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI deviates from the traditional level-up system by having levels tied to each job class, rather than the character. Each class receives their own experience tally, and can be individually leveled up to the maximum level of 99.

At the release of Final Fantasy XI, the level cap was 50, and was raised five times in intervals of 5 after the release of the first expansion, Rise of the Zilart, up till 75 where the level cap remained for nearly seven years. When Vision of Abyssea was released in 2010, the level cap was progressively raised again at intervals of 5 to hit the final cap of 99 in December 2011.

Final Fantasy XI also employs a level system for combat and crafting skills that is similar to the system used in Final Fantasy II. Repeated attempts at crafting and uses of a combat skill have a chance at increasing the proficiency of that skill. To prevent exploitation, such attempts must be performed with crafting recipes and enemies of a certain range relative to one's current skill or job level.

Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII employs a more traditional level up system, with characters progressing through levels by gaining EXP from defeated enemies.

The International Zodiac Job System version has a couple of New Game Plus features that allow the player to attempt a new playthrough with either all characters starting on level 90, or all characters on level 1, while being unable to gain levels.

The exact equation describing EXP and level is:
 * $$Exp = 0.1*Lv^4 + 4.2*Lv^3 + 6.1*Lv^2 + 1.4*Lv - 11.4$$

The player starts the game as Vaan, but any party members who join him have their starting level determined by the levels of the characters in the current party. E.g., when Balthier and Fran join Vaan in Royal Palace of Rabanastre, their level is Vaan's level +1.

The enemy ability, Growing Threat, doubles the subject's level.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Unlike Final Fantasy XII, the character's starting level is not based on Vaan's or the rest of the party, but is fixed. If the character leveled up more than the fixed level when rejoining, their level is retained. For example, if Penelo leaves the at level 3, when she rejoins later, she'll be at level 6 or 7. However, if she leveled up more than level 6 or 7 (for say, level 12) she'll rejoin the party at level 12.

The player characters level up by gaining EXP from battles. When they level up they learn new abilities and their stats are increased. If the player completes all missions, the enemies in the final boss battle will be on level 99.

In conjunction with Monster Melee and Summoning Melees, all enemies' levels are tied up by the total average of the party's level, so the party can level up by fighting any type of enemy, with a fair amount of EXP gained.

Final Fantasy XIII
The characters' roles gain levels by advancing through the tiers in the Crystarium, meaning that it is the character's "role" or "job" that gains level, not the character itself. The level gain is capped, and new tiers in the Crystarium are opened by progressing through the storyline. Role levels make the role more powerful when the character is using it and grant more powerful role bonuses.

More traditional leveling system is seen in the characters' weapons and accessories, whose stats the player can enhance by giving them EXP through the various components gained from battles and bought from the Retail Network. Mechanical components give more EXP, but organic components add a multiplier to the equipment pieces' EXP intake, giving the chance to as much as triple the received EXP.

Every weapon and accessory has its own growth potential and maximum level. After a piece of equipment has reached its maximum level, it is often possible to use a catalyst component to transform it into a new item, usually a more powerful version of the original, at the cost of the new item starting back at its base with no EXP.

The enemies have fixed levels, but unlike in other games in the series, it is not an indication of the enemy's strength, and the levels vary widely. The only things the enemy's level determine are whether the enemy is immune to Random: Instant Chain or not (enemies above level 49 are immune) and the rate of TP recovery after battle.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Paradigm roles gain levels, but now each role can level up all the way to level 99. At certain milestones the Crystarium expands and allows for further customization of a character or a Paradigm Pack monster. Levels are gained by expending CP, which Serah and Noel gain by winning battles.

Monster allies do not gain CP, and must be given items to level them up, and the items' attributes define the quality of the stat boosts. While Serah and Noel can reach level 99 in all their roles, the monsters have only one role, and depending on the monster, their level may be capped at lower than 99.

"Requiem of the Goddess"
In a downloadable content scenario, "Another Beginning - Lightning's Story: Requiem of the Goddess", Lightning returns as a playable character. Her leveling system returns to its roots as when a certain amount of Experience Points are acquired she levels up.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Crystarium Points are not gained from battles, instead, Lightning must complete quests, which at most times raise her maximum HP, Strength, and Magic, but at times ATB, Item Limit, and EP are raised as well.

Abilities can gain levels by synthesizing the same ones at magic shops. Abilities locked on garbs cannot gain levels.

Final Fantasy XIV
A character's progress was originally measured in two ways: physical levels representing one's actual physical development, with class ranks measuring how adept one is with various arms and tools. This system was later changed to something similar to Final Fantasy XI, each class having its own level tied to it and no "global" character level. can be individually leveled up to the maximum level of 70.

Final Fantasy XV
Party members obtain EXP from felled monsters, but cannot use it to level up unless they rest. By setting up a camp site at a safe location the player can cook food from ingredients they obtain from shops and monsters for buffs, and to apply the EXP earned to level up the party. If the party stays at a caravan they cannot cook, but receive EXP at an expedited rate. Forgoing resting allows for low level challenge playthroughs. The system calls back to the early Final Fantasy series that had the use of Cottages and Tents in a larger role.

The party's level cap at launch was 99, but this was increased to 120 in version 1.05. The Nixperience Band accessory can be used to limit how much experience is gained by the party, so that players can choose to set their own caps and complete low-level runs of the game.

Final Fantasy Type-0
Characters have levels that determine their base stats and level up by gaining EXP from battles. The maximum is 99. The enemies on the Arena have their levels depend on the chosen player character. The game's difficulty setting determines enemy levels. In the HD remake players can choose between Cadet (easy), Officer (normal), and Agito (hard, enemies +LV30). The Finis difficulty level (very hard, enemies +LV50) is unlocked after completing the game once. The player first chooses the difficulty level at the title screen, and the difficulty can also be changed mid-playthrough, albeit not mid-mission. Levels carry to New Game Plus playthroughs.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Lv. stands for Level. As each human character takes action in battle, they gain experience, which will increase their overall level. Characters also gain Job Points (JP), which allow them to level up within a job until they have mastered it.

The character's level is determined with an experience system where every 100 experience grants a level up. Each successful action grants EXP based on the target's level. If the target is the same level as the user, 10 EXP is granted. For each level difference 1 EXP is added or removed. For example, if a level 50 character successfully attacked a level 60 character, they would gain 20 EXP. The stat boosts for leveling up depend on what job the player is when they level up. The maximum level is 99. The abilities Accrue EXP and EXP Boost can be equipped to gain more EXP.

The job level is determined with a JP (Job Points) system. JP is gained the same way as experience, with successful actions, but instead of trying to gain 100 JP to level a job up, it depends on the specific job, and leveling up takes more JP at each level. The maximum for each job is 8. The abilities Accrue JP and JP Boost can be equipped to gain more JP.

As a character gains more experience in various jobs, they gain access to other, more advanced or specialized jobs. Some jobs, like Arithmetician and Mime, require invested time and experience in several jobs, and require mastery of others to be truly effective. Once learned, skills and job-specific commands can be used even after a character switches jobs, though a penalty may be applied.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Unlike Final Fantasy Tactics, the level system in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is more simple as it doesn't have Job Level, and leveling up only raises the character's own level and stats. Similar with Final Fantasy Tactics, character's level is determined with an experience system where after exceeding 100 experience, the character will level up. Each successful action grants EXP based on the target's level. If the target is the same level as the user, 10 EXP is granted. For each level difference 2 EXP is added or removed. For example, if a level 20 character successfully attacked a level 30 character, they would gain 20 EXP. The minimum EXP gain after an action is 1 while 99 in maximum. The stat increase when leveling up depend on what job the player is when they level up. The maximum level is 50.

Based on the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Official Nintendo Power Guide book, stat growth/increase upon leveling up is rated to the maximum of three stars. The stars indicates how much and how quickly the specific stat will grow upon leveling up. The stars are representative percentage, not a hard number.

When a new clan member joins, their level is based on the average of all the current clan members' level. Their maximum level when joining the clan is 30, but certain characters that join—Ezel Berbier, Babus Swain, Shara, Ritz Malheur and Cid Randell— are a few levels above the average.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Leveling up is no longer possible during missions as participating party members only gain EXP when a mission has been declared "Complete". Still, with this feature, enemies also can no longer level up during battles. It is also possible to gain more than 100 EXP, so a character can level up more than one level. If the character's level is higher than the mission's level, the character may gain considerably less EXP, or no EXP at all. The maximum level for one character is 99.

Like in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, when a new clan member joins their level is based on the average of all the current clan members' level. Their maximum level when joining in the clan is 30, but certain characters that join—Adelle, Cid, Hurdy and Frimelda Lotice—are a few levels above the average.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Only Benjamin can level up. Phoebe, Kaeli, Tristam, and Reuben are at fixed levels and do not gain experience, although allies who leave and return later are at a higher level. Unlike the majority of the series, Benjamin cannot exceed Level 41. Upon level up, Benjamin will gain 40 HP, 2.5 Attack, 2 Defense, 2 Speed, 1 Magic, and 0.5 Accuracy per level, and typically gains a few Magic Left for at least one of the three types of magic. Although level is capped at 41, players can continue to accumulate experience, with every 10 million experience gaining two or three Magic Left per magic category, to a maximum of 99 each.

Unlike in the rest of the series, where current HP remains the same after a level-up, Benjamin's current HP is adjusted after leveling up so he remains at the same percentage of health.

The next level formula seems to be:
 * $$(13*(Current Level^3) + 61 * (Current Level^2))$$

Leveling itself seems to change after level 40. Upon reaching level 40, the next battle will cause a level up, regardless of experience points. Reaching level 41 is also different in that HP is the only stat to experience growth.

Final Fantasy Adventure
Only Sumo can level up, and every time the player defeats an enemy, they will gain Experience and GP. The level maxes out at 99. After gaining a certain amount of Experience, they will gain a level. A message will appear on the screen telling the player that Sumo leveled up, and that their HP/MP has also been restored to full. A new screen will appear asking the player to choose what type of stat they want to boost. This will boost that stat by 2, and two related stats by 1. The remaining fourth stat will not be boosted. By carefully boosting two "opposite" stats, the players statistics could be raised evenly, or the player could aim for specialization.

Final Fantasy Legend III
Level is called L within the game. Only Arthur, Curtis, Gloria, and Sharon can level up. The temporary party members are at fixed levels and do not gain any experience.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
The player characters level up by gaining EXP from battles, and their level determines the characters' stats within the crowns they are wearing. The maximum level is 99. The Salve-Maker's Level Serum increases the party's level by one for the duration of the battle. The Seamstress's final ability, Sew Together, causes the user and an ally to combine their levels and double the user's stats.

Bravely Default
Characters level up when they get a certain amount of EXP. Job levels are separate from character levels and can be increased when the characters obtain enough JP (Job Points) from the enemies. By satisfying certain combat bonuses players can gain more EXP or JP to help level faster.

Final Fantasy Dimensions
Characters earn Experience Points to level up. Upon gaining a Level, their overall stats increase, thus making them stronger. Experience Points are earned to participating characters of the battle, but are not awarded to participants who have been Knocked Out. Characters can gain levels until they reach Level 99. Afterwards, any Experience Points obtained in battle are deemed useless to them, and their Experience Point count stays capped at 11,315,479.

The job system also returns. Job levels are gained with AP, with rewards earned similar to a characters base level. Characters are awarded 69 JP overall from the main story line. Later on, JP can also be earned by Moogle Coins. JP is used to increase the character's maximum Job Level, up to a maximum of 20. Similarly to a characters base level being capped, AP is also deemed useless when a character is assigned a Job that has been mastered. Different jobs require a different amount of AP to level up. All jobs equivalently assigned to characters do not require a different growth rate.

In the beginning of the game, all jobs that are available to characters start out at level zero, with a maximum level of three, and done so respectively to jobs earned later on.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Characters gain experience by dealing HP damage to the opponent in battle, the higher the opponent's level and the more damage dealt, the more experience the character gains. As the character levels up they learn new attacks and abilities. Equipment pieces have a level requirement that require a character to be at that level or higher to equip them. Characters max out at Level 100 with a total of 1,964,655 EXP gained.

The item Chocobo Cologne, which can be won from the Easy Arcade Mode, can be traded for in the shop to increase a character's level by 1.

Some Booster Accessories trigger depending on the character being a certain level.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Leveling works identically to how it functioned in Dissidia, but the player has the option to adjust a character's level to a lower level. As a new mechanic, Gateways may have a Bonus Line; if the character's level is higher than the Bonus Line level the player receives a penalty to the KP they earn for completing that gateway, but do not actually subtract the player's current total KP. Conversely, setting a character's level lower than the Bonus Line grants an automatic bonus to the KP that will be earned for completing the gateway.

The Chocobo Cologne can still be traded for a single-level increase to a character. Several new Booster Accessories rely on the gap in level between the player's character and their opponent.