XP

Experience points (XP) are earned by players through various actions and are used to buy skills. A new character must spend 100 XP on their first skill; each successive skill costs 25 XP more.

Gaining XP

Combat

When attacking, characters receive XP equal to weapon damage for each successful hit. XP awarded is equal to full weapon damage even when then target is at only 1 HP.

All XP awards are halved for attacks on characters on the same side. There is no XP award for attacks on NPC traders.

Kill bonuses

When a target dies, the character dealing the killing blow receives a bonus XP award of (5 + target's maximum HP) / 2, rounded up. (See animals for bonuses for killing animals, which do not always follow this formula.) There is no bonus for killing NPC traders.

Healing

Note: XP gains for Healing reduced, approx June 2, 2006.

Applying a healing item to yourself or another character (or animal or NPC) gives you XP equal to the number of HP healed. For example, if you drink a bottle of water (which can heal 5 HP) to heal 1 HP, you gain only 1 XP. Eating tasty berries gives up to 2 XP, mangos and bananas give 1 XP, and so on. Similarly, a character with first aid or native medicine skills can earn up to 10 XP using a first aid kit or healing herbs.

Poisoning

Eating a poison berry inflicts 2 HP of damage while giving you 2 XP. It is believed that 2 XP are awarded if you kill yourself with only 1 HP remaining. There is no XP bonus for killing yourself.

Exploration

There is an occasional 1 XP award when chopping jungle (of any density). Revealing a hut by chopping down vegetation yields 10 XP. Revealing a food source (bush or tree) by chopping vegetation also yields an unknown XP reward. (See Special weapon event odds for research on the matter.)

Haunting

This information is tentative; see Death for details.

Spirits can gain XP by using spirit scream skills. Haunting Scream is believed to give 1 XP per scream (when heard by another player). Shocking Shriek and Banshee Wail give progressively more XP, increasing with the number of damaged victims. It is speculated that spirits receive a kill bonus when a victim dies of fright.