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FFIX Level up!

Party members in Final Fantasy IX leveling up due to Experience Points gain.

Experience Points (経験値 or けいけんち, Keikenchi?, lit. Experience Value), usually abbreviated as EXP or XP, are a recurring statistic in the Final Fantasy series. Like in almost all RPGs, characters grow stronger by accumulating EXP to level up, but the method of gaining it can vary. Generally, experience is gained at the end of each successful battle.

Appearances[]

Final Fantasy[]

By killing monsters, all members of the party will gain an equal amount of EXP, whether they carried out an action or not. Unconscious party members will not gain EXP, and petrified party members will only gain EXP in the Pixel Remaster version. Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster also now includes EXP multipliers the player can set from the menu.

Final Fantasy II[]

The traditional experience and leveling system is not used. While some stats have a chance to rise based on actions taken during battle, characters have individual experience meters and levels for each weapon category and spell. The amount of experience gained is based on the skill, its level, how many times it is used in a battle, and the rank of enemies fought. If a higher-level skill is used against low-rank enemies, less or even no experience may be gained. Evasion and Magic Defense levels have hidden experience meters that increase as the character is targeted by physical or magical/status attacks respectively.

Final Fantasy III[]

EXP is gained by defeating enemies. In addition to the regular level system, the job system is introduced. Job experience points are a hidden value that accumulates as characters take actions in battle. Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster also now includes EXP multipliers the player can set from the menu.

Final Fantasy IV[]

EXP is gained by winning a battle while not being KO'd or Petrified. Once a character joins the party for the first time, they always gain EXP regardless of if they are in or out of the party. Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster also now includes EXP multipliers the player can set from the menu.

In the 3D remake versions, equipping the Augment Level Lust doubles the EXP gained for that character as long as the Augment is equipped.

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-[]

EXP is gained by winning a battle while not being KO'd or Petrified.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years[]

EXP is gained by winning a battle while not being KO'd or Petrified.

Final Fantasy V[]

EXP is gained by winning a battle while not being KO'd, ejected, or petrified. The EXP needed for level 99 is 9,696,668. Maximum EXP is 9,999,999. The gained EXP is divided between alive party members at the end of battle.

ABP gained depends on the battle formation fought and levels up the party's jobs.

EXP Up exclusive to Cannoneers raises the amount of EXP gained from battles. Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster also now includes EXP multipliers the player can set from the menu.

Final Fantasy VI[]

At the end of a battle, all available party members are awarded AP and EXP. Characters not currently in the party forgo EXP. AP teaches abilities from the party's equipped magicite. AP is not awarded until the first set of espers are obtained at Zozo.

Equipping the relic Growth Egg doubles the amount of experience gained. Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster since the console versions' release also includes EXP multipliers the player can set from the menu.

If the player gets a Game Over, the game goes straight to the last save point instead of the title screen. Though gil and items are returned to the value of the last save, experience earned will be kept.

Final Fantasy VII[]

FFVII Level Up Screen

Battle results screen.

Once a character is classed as a member of the player's party, they will gain experience from won battles, even if they're not in the active battle party. If the character is a member of the battle party, they receive the full EXP, unless they are knocked out, in which case they receive no EXP at all. If they are outside of the battle party, they receive half as much EXP as the members in the active party, even if they are KO'd.

Experience is not divided among the party members, so they gain more total experience if the party is bigger. If a party member leaves the party due to a story-related event, such that they can no longer be chosen in the PHS menu, they will gain no experience until they rejoin.

Playable characters require slightly different amount of EXP to reach level 99. Aeris requires the most EXP for level 99: 2,484,643. The EXP Plus Materia earns EXP at an expedited rate for the equipper.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-[]

Zack levels up through the Digital Mind Wave. The game has a hidden EXP system, where Zack gains experience from slain enemies. After meeting certain invisible EXP thresholds, he is eligible for a level up.

The potential level is a factor; for example if Zack is at level 15 and has enough experience to be at level 20, he is considerably more likely to level up than if he only has enough experience to reach level 16.

Final Fantasy VII Remake[]

EXP is gained from felled enemies, which counts towards leveling up. Only characters who are alive at the end of a battle gain the EXP. EXP Up Materia EXP Up Materia doubles the amount of EXP earned by defeating enemies.

Final Fantasy VIII[]

FFVIII Level Up Screen

EXP received after battle.

Every character and Guardian Force receive the "base EXP", but the one who lands the killing blow gains the most experience from that particular enemy. If there are KO'd/ejected/petrified/LV100 party members in the active party, the EXP they cannot receive does not get redistributed to the other party members.

The amount of experience needed for a character to level up is 1000. The LV Up and LV Down command abilities can be used on enemies to modify the amount of EXP they give when defeated. Boss battles do not yield EXP.

The player receives EXP from battles even if they escape, the amount depending on the amount the player reduced the enemies' HP by; if they damage an enemy 50% of its HP, they will get 50% of the EXP the enemy would give when defeated. However, carding enemies forgoes their EXP.

Guardian Forces gain experience and AP at the end of battle provided they are junctioned to a party member prior to combat. Unlike human characters, GFs gain experience from battles where their host is KO'd; the only time GFs do not get EXP is when they are KO'd themselves. GFs get as much EXP as the host character would (and get the kill bonus if the enemies died to a summon attack), but a GF's final share of EXP is divided by the number of GFs junctioned to its host. To compensate, most GFs require fewer EXP to level up than characters.

The EXP formulas are as follows, where:[1]

M = monster level
P = average active party level (rounded down, dead characters count)
C = level of character/GF who kills the enemy
X and Y depend on the monster

Base EXP: It is rounded down at the end. The minimum amount to receive is 1, provided X > 0.

Kill bonus: It is rounded down at the end. The minimum amount to receive is 1, provided Y > 0.

The biggest factors determining the amount of EXP received are the enemy type and enemy level : average party level ratio. To get the most EXP, the party's average level should be low and the enemy's high.

Final Fantasy IX[]

Experience is gained by defeating enemies and AP is used to learn new abilities from equipped equipment. Boss battles grant no EXP, but will give AP.

The experience is shared between active party members. Party members on standby or away from the party do not gain EXP.

Equipping the Level Up support ability boosts wearer's EXP income by 50%.

At the end of the battle, characters that are KO'd or afflicted with the Virus status will not receive EXP or AP. Enemies defeated via Stop or Petrify do not yield EXP.

Final Fantasy X[]

Ability Points (AP) are used to gain Sphere Levels in place of EXP. Sphere Levels equal the amount of steps each character can take on the Sphere Grid, similar to classic board games.

Final Fantasy X-2[]

The characters gain EXP after battle. The statistical boosts provided on level up for each dressphere are preset, so each character will have identical stats if they are on the same level and using the same dressphere.

Final Fantasy XI[]

Experience points are earned after an individual enemy is defeated, but is modified by its relative level, size of party, chains, and other factors, and will not be earned if a player is KO'd. EXP is earned and tallied separately for each job; further, limit points can be obtained in place of EXP starting at level 75 (automatically switched at maximum EXP) to gain Merit Points.

Special battles (e.g. battlefields, Dynamis, etc.) do not award experience points. However, some events such as Campaign will award EXP at its conclusion based on player's performance. Additionally, particular battlefields reward players with items that grant a random amount of EXP with a set cap, usually named as if it were a lost scroll, passage, or page ripped from an ancient text.

Players are penalized EXP upon K.O. A player at levels 1-3 will receive no penalty. From levels 4-24 a player will lose 10% of the amount of EXP required to reach their next level. From levels 25-67 the penalty is lowered to about an 8% EXP loss. And, after level 68, the amount of EXP lost upon knockout is always 2400 EXP.

Receiving any of the various Raise spells or Reraise effects will reduce these EXP loss penalties as follows after Level 50 has been obtained:

  • Raise or Reraise: EXP loss from KO is reduced by 50% upon revival.
  • Raise II or Reraise II: EXP loss from KO is reduced by 75% upon revival.
  • Raise III or Reraise III: EXP loss from KO is reduced by 90% upon revival.

If a player has just recently achieved a new level, then becomes knocked out, and the penalty incurred is greater than the amount of total EXP they've amassed for their new level, they will Level Down. Leveling Down can become a serious problem for players, as certain weaponry and armor require a particular player level to equip.

Final Fantasy XII[]

Experience and License Points (LP) are gained from defeated enemies and displayed under the status page in the menu. EXP is received by all characters in the active party not in KO, Stone, or X-Zone statuses. LP functions the same but is received by all six party members. When defeating an enemy, the EXP is divided evenly between party members, including guest characters who join at fixed levels, though they can only gain EXP and level up in the Zodiac versions. Bosses do not give EXP, but do give LP. If an enemy kills itself with confusion, it will not drop any items or give EXP or LP, but enemies that die to other hazardous ailments, like Poison, will yield EXP as normal.

EXP-gain can be doubled for the user equipping the Embroidered Tippet, and LP-gain can be doubled for the user equipping the Golden Amulet (especially useful when equipped to reserve party members).

The zone out glitch allows the player to respawn any opponent if by zoning out before the EXP and LP values appear on-screen.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings[]

EXP is not determined by the number of killed opponents, but is a fixed amount depending on the battle itself. Even KO'd characters receive EXP after battle as long as the player wins.

Ashe's Embroidered Tippet accessory boosts the EXP received from battles for all party members.

Final Fantasy XIII[]

Crystogen Points are used to advance on the Crystarium system. Every character has a different Crystarium for each paradigm role. Every character receives the full amount of CP from defeated enemies, even when they are not in the party.

Equipping the Growth Egg (from Mission 55) will double any CP gained from enemies.

The equipment upgrade system uses Experience Points. EXP can be added to equipment via the upgrade menu accessed at save stations. Organic components add a multiplier, which can be boosted up to 3x to receive triple the regular EXP. Mechanic components add more EXP, but take the multiplier down when used.

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

Crystogen Points and the Crystarium system are used. Serah and Noel each have their individual Crystarium from which all stat boosts and abilities for all roles are accessed. Each role can be leveled to a maximum of 99. A number of larger bonus nodes are scattered about the Crystarium that grant an additional stat bonus based on the role that is used to access them, allowing a degree of customization. CP is earned after each battle and each time a fragment is obtained. Some fragments grant a massive amount of CP, as much as 30,000.

Activating the Fragment Skill "Rolling in CP" doubles the amount of CP earned after a battle.

Final Fantasy XIV[]

Experience points allow characters to level up, which fully restores HP and MP. EXP is gained via defeating monsters, gathering items for Disciples of the Land, or synthesizing items for Disciples of the Hand, as well as finishing quests. In battle, the exact amount gained is based on the difference between the player's level and the monster's and the size of the party, being granted even if the player is KO'd. Monsters more than 10 levels lower than the player's will not yield EXP.

For gathering, the amount of EXP gained is based on the grade of the gathering spot and the player's gathering class's level. Players only get EXP for a successful attempt. When synthesizing an item, the amount of experience gained is based on the relative rank of the synth and the player's current class's rank, and if the synth is related to a local Guildleve or not.

Final Fantasy XV[]

Experience Points (EXP) are awarded for defeating foes and completing quests. However, the experience is not applied automatically; characters must rest in order to level up.

Loading screen
Camping-FFXV

EXP yield being tallied at camp.

Experience is acquired from felled monsters and applied to party members when resting at campsites or lodgings, or at the end of a chapter, leveling them up and thus boosting their stats. Camping and chapter change give no EXP multiplier, but various lodgings yield higher EXP—the fancier the setting the higher the EXP multiplier. The best yield is at the Royal Suite of the Leville Hotel in Altissia that triples the party's EXP. The party can also acquire experience multipliers from food eaten at camp or restaurants, and by equipping Moogle Charms.

The player can save their EXP and then use it at the most opportune moment to gain a large multiplier. Equipping the Nixperience Band accessory stops the EXP from being tallied when the party sleeps and in-between chapters (the player should equip it on Noctis as some party members temporarily leave mid-chapter). Each party member gains EXP individually from battles they partake in and are not Downed at the end of it. The player receives EXP from fled battles as long as they killed at least one foe.

The player doesn't gain EXP or level up in character DLC episodes or the Close Encounter of the Terra Kind quest.

Final Fantasy Type-0[]

Active party members gain EXP from defeating enemies, or other methods such as the Arena. EXP can still be earned at Level 99, and some accessories modify the amount of EXP gained. Eidolons receive significantly more EXP than party members.

Enemies have a base EXP value, with the amount of EXP rewarded depending on level. The Cadet difficulty setting lowers the amount of EXP given. When aborting a mission, earned EXP is retained.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest[]

Benjamin is the only character who can earn EXP, which is gained after all non-boss battles. The level cap is set at level 41. If the spell Exit is used to kill enemies during battle, no EXP or GP will be earned.

Final Fantasy Adventure[]

Sumo is the only character that gains EXP, and his experience maxes out at 999,999. The experience needed to level-up maxes out at 1,029,998, though the player cannot reach this value.

Final Fantasy Legend III[]

Arthur, Curtis, Gloria, and Sharon can earn EXP during battle. Temporary party members are at fixed levels and do not gain experience. The player will not get experience for killing enemies with the black magic spell Exit or the lost magic spell Exit2.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light[]

EXP is earned from both regular enemies and bosses. All surviving characters receive all the EXP from battle, so if someone is KO'd at the end of battle the others receive more EXP. The Growth Egg doubles EXP intake from battles.

Final Fantasy Tactics[]

A numerical representation of the unit's experience in battle. A unit's level increases by 1 for every 100 experience points earned.

Description (PSP)

EXP is gained by using command abilities. It can be gained by doing anything to either friend, foe, or on oneself. More EXP is gained when using abilities on higher level units. The ability EXP Boost increases the amount of EXP gained from any action.

Another ability, Accrue EXP, allows the unit to gain EXP just by moving to another square. One levels up when their experience reaches 100, and the EXP count returns to 0 regardless of how much EXP the unit earns. For instance, if the unit has 99 EXP and earns 10 EXP, the EXP will go to 0 instead of 9. EXP is not gained during multiplayer mode in the PlayStation Portable version.

EXP does have a small effect on the success of Errands. The more moderate the EXP level, the greater the rewards (not too high of EXP level, and not too low of EXP level).

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance[]

EXP is gained whenever a unit uses an ability. AP is gained after a battle is won and varies based on several factors.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift[]

Experience is gained by defeating enemies and AP is used to learn new abilities from equipped equipment.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King[]

EXP is gained by Adventurers when they return from exploring a zone or fighting a boss. The player's character, King Leo, however, does not gain EXP. Instead he gains Elementite, which is collected by Adventurers, for use in building structures in the kingdom and paying for certain battles and events.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates[]

EXP is gained by all party members every time an enemy is killed. The amount of EXP depends on the enemy. The equipment bonus "Smart Valor" increases the amount of EXP earned. The game gives no indication of how much EXP an enemy gives, nor the exact amount of EXP a character has, only what proportion of the EXP bar is filled towards the next level.

Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008)[]

EXP is awarded when damage is dealt to the opponent's HP. The more damage is done, the more EXP is gained, thus allowing the player to level up even during battle. "Bonus" EXP is awarded after online battles, or by defeating an enemy with an EX Burst. Most Battle Pieces in Story Mode also reward the player with a fixed bonus when defeated.

When a character reaches level 100, they learn three abilities, which convert EXP to either HP, Brave Points, or EX Force. Each costs 20 CP to equip, and 500 AP to master. Mastering them reduces the CP cost to zero. A character can only equip one of these abilities at a time.

World of Final Fantasy[]

EXP is gained by defeating enemies and bosses. Any EXP earned in battles is divided between all participating members (up to six). Any Mirages accompanying the player but do not participate in battles (up to six Mirages; eight in the Maxima version) receive a flat 8% of the EXP earned. Mirages inside the Prism Case do not earn any EXP at all.

If the player defeats any enemies in a battle, then flees, they still earn the EXP from them but do not earn any gil. Mirages yields only their EXP when imprismed, and do not drop any gil or items. The player does not earn any EXP when participating in matches at the Coliseum.

The player can find the EXP Boost Mirajewel in a post-game bonus dungeon to increase the intake of the distributed EXP by 5% for all participating members, as long as the sibling wearing the Mirajewel is present in the party. Playing on a New Game+ file in the Maxima version allows the player to obtain another EXP Boost Mirajewel: when equipped by both siblings, the bonus EXP intake is increased to 10%.

Playing a New Game+ file with Nightmare difficulty activated makes enemies and bosses yield larger amounts of EXP.

Gallery[]

Citations[]

  1. Vilurum (n.d.) . So how exactly is EXP calculated?. GameFAQs Boards. Archived from the original on 5 October, 2021.
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