The central point of the game is exploration and questing. Therefore, it is the primary method for gaining experience and leveling up the party. Unlike similar games, defeating enemies does NOT grant experience! This allows the player to engage in combat as much or as little as they want. Through the use of Stealth, a party can sneak past most encounters and still experience the majority of the game. Essentially this removes the traditional concept of “grinding” to gain experience, and instead rewards the player for participating in their world.
Each Class gains unique abilities and/or spells as they increase in level, but all characters advance at the same rate (as shown by the following table). A small golden “+” sign appears on the portrait of a character to indicate that she or she has leveled up. Clicking on that icon allows the player to assign skills and abilities, or choose new spells.
Advancement Table
| Level | Required XP | Bonus to All Defenses and Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 1,000 | +3 |
| 3 | 3,000 | +6 |
| 4 | 6,000 | +9 |
| 5 | 10,000 | +12 |
| 6 | 15,000 | +15 |
| 7 | 21,000 | +18 |
| 8 | 28,000 | +21 |
| 9 | 36,000 | +24 |
| 10 | 45,000 | +27 |
| 11 | 55,000 | +30 |
| 12 | 66,000 | +33 |
Spell casters such as druids, priests, and wizards gain spells according to the rules of their class, but all of these magic users are allowed to may cast the listed number of spells from each level before their spells are exhausted. Also, as they level up, the number of spells at a specific level eventually changes to per encounter. For example, as shown in the table below a level 10 priest would be able to cast four level 1 spells each encounter.
Spells Per Level
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — |
| 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | — |
| 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — |
| 9 | 4* | 4 | 4 | 3 | — |
| 10 | 4* | 4 | 4 | 4 | — |
| 11 | 4* | 4* | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 12 | 4* | 4* | 4 | 4 | 3 |
*Italicized numbers represent a shift to per encounter uses