History Main / NonCombatEXP

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:{{MMORPG}}s]]

[[AC:TabletopRPG]]

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** Through ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', the series uses a leveling system in which the player gains experience toward an increase in a certain skill by successfully using that skill. For example, if you sneak around, your Sneak skill will increase. If you brew potions, your Alchemy skill increase. If you strike enemies with a sword, your Blade/Long Blade/One-Handed skill will increase, etc. After 10 skill increases, you'll level up, at which point you can choose some of your Attributes (Strength, Intelligence, Endurance, etc.) to increase. Attributes which govern the skills you increased will receive multipliers based on the amount of times you increased those governed skills. (For example, increasing your Heavy Armor skill 5 times will give you a 5x multiplier on your Endurance skill). You don't have to increase Attributes that receive multipliers, but it is highly recommended in order to avoid EmptyLevels.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', the system is similar but has a few major changes. First, there are no longer Attributes. Increasing your skills 10 times still allows you to level up, but instead of increasing Attributes, you choose to add 10 points to your [[HitPoints Health]], [[{{Mana}} Magicka]], or Fatigue. Secondly, leveling up allows you to choose a Perk in one of the skill trees, with more Perks being unlocked the higher your level in that skill.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

[[AC: First-Person Shooters]]

[[AC:{{MMORPG}}s]]

[[AC:{{Roguelike}}s]]

[[AC:{{Role Playing Game}}s]]

* In ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'', characters can still gain EXP and level up outside of combat. You can "Upgrade" a character with weapons, angelic fodders, and special "Power-up" items such as macaroons, cakes, Valentine's Day chocolates, and spellbooks.

** TabletopGame/DarkSun'' (World of Athas) campaign setting.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series uses a leveling system which gives the player experience for doing a given task (so you level up in sneak if you sneak, destruction magic for killing things with magic and so on) and awards levels (with respective stat increases, as well as perks in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'') every 10 ranks (so you could become quite high level by doing nothing but sneaking, smithing and [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath learning to talk really well]]).
** Though this often leads to people focusing on non-combat less in the early stages of the game in games such as ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' and especially in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. Enemies will scale with your level so if you do the various guild sidequests and others which focus less on combat skills before the main story line you can find yourself facing very high leveled enemies despite still having weak combat skills. This leads to what The Unofficial Elder Scroll Pages wiki calls "the leveling problem". You can read more about ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Level here]] and [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Leveling here]].

* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' offers sources of EXP for tasks besides winning battles: successful demon talks, completing quests (both main quests and optional quests), and fusing new demons.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series awards XP for doing non-combat related things, which may bypass combat altogether, such as lockpicking, hacking and persuasion.

** Though this often leads to people focusing on non-combat less in the early stages of the game in games such as ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]] and especially in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. Enemies will scale with your level so if you do the various guild sidequests and others which focus less on combat skills before the main story line you can find yourself facing very high leveled enemies despite still having weak combat skills. This leads to what The Unofficial Elder Scroll Pages wiki calls "the leveling problem". You can read more about ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Level here]] and [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Leveling here]].

** Though this often leads to people focusing on non-combat less in the early stages of the game, especially in Oblivion. Enemies will scale with your level, so if you do the various guild sidequests and others which focus less on combat skills before the main story line, you can find yourself facing very high leveled enemies, despite still having weak combat skills.

* ''ValkyrieProfile'' has Event Experience, which is received at the ends of dungeons and after triggering events while exploring dungeons. It's usually pretty meager in comparison with the experience you get from killing all the stuff in the dungeons, but has the advantage of being able to be divided as you wish among your characters, allowing you to stockpile it and level up weak characters who'd have a difficult time surviving combat.

* The video game franchise ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' utilizes this mechanic in its games. Instead of a class or level system, the core mechanics are an attribute system and a skill system. Players gain more powerful at their skills by using them repeatedly.

[[AC:{{RolePlayingGame}}s]]

* ''TricksterOnline'' gives the player experience from various activities, namely drilling and playing cards.

* ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'' has shown experience points to be gained by exploration and completing quests. In the webseries, a semi-RunningGag has one of the characters try to level up on exploration alone [[spoiler:; while it didn't actually work, he still reached level 100 with the EXP gained by discovering a new place]]. The comic has short story in which he actually gains a level by exploring; the puchline reveals that it took about four months and hints that his teammates have been waiting for him to finish all that time.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series uses a levelling system which gives the player experience for doing a given task (so you level up in sneak if you sneak, destruction magic for killing things with magic and so on) and awards levels (with respective stat increases, as well as perks in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'') every 10 ranks (so you could become quite high level by doing nothing but sneaking, smithing and [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath learning to talk really well]]).

* ''{{Elona}}'': Using any skill exercises the skill and the skill's associated attribute, ''and'' gives you experience towards raising your level. And when you gain a level you get a few points [[PointBuildSystem you can spend to advance any skill you feel like]].

* Games based on the Hero System (''{{Champions}}'', ''Danger International'') gave experience points for things like good role playing, how outnumbered the {{PC}}s were and how successful the adventure was. The {{PC}}s did not gain XP just for defeating opponents.

* MutantsAndMasterminds is entirely divorced from combat experience instead awarding build points on a per game session basis which can be spent to acquire or improve any sort of power or ability you can think of.

* The ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series, despite relying ''heavily'' on combat, did away with XP-for-kills starting with part two, instead handing it out for quests and some item pickups. Even ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', some XP was gained upon unlocking each Codex entry, i.e. from simple exploration and interacting with the environment.

* Basic Roleplaying and it's descendants (Call of Cthulhu and Runequest being the most famous) doesn't have experience points. Instead they have a system where you get a chance to increase a skill if you used it. Realistic in that you get better at doing stuff by actually doint it, unrealistic in the amount of increase a single use can get and unrealistic in that it causes player to use skills for little or no reason other than to increase it.

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon: Friends of Mineral Town'' (and more friends of mineral town): You get experience on using the tools by using the tools.

* The German tabletop RPG ''TabletopGame/{{Midgard}}'' explicitly splits XP into three categories depending on how they're acquired: combat, magic, and "general". This division informs what skills they can be invested in; combat XP in particular are good only for acquiring and raising combat and certain other primarily physical/athletic skills, which means that aside from the usual dangers to life and limb getting the lion's share of one's XP solely from fighting also risks stunting the character's development in other areas.

* In ''TabletopGame/ApocalypseWorld'' and games running on the same engine, e.g. ''TabletopGame/MonsterOfTheWeek'', your most common source of XP is botched skill rolls: the GM gets to do something nasty to your character, but you get an XP for it.

* ''{{Recettear}}'': You get Merchant Exp by haggling in your shop. Vending Machines do not count.

* ''PlanetSide'' gives you a small amount of Combat Experience Points for completing tutorial missions. Using an [=ANT=] truck to recharge a base's generator will grant you [=BEP=]. Taking over an enemy base while commanding a squad will grant you Command Experience Points, regardless of whether you were actively engaging in combat or simply giving orders.