History Main / NonCombatEXP

* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' awards the player EXP for simply exploring the world map, by discovering landmarks and hidden areas. It also awards EXP for successfully completing sidequests and completing key points (called "Chapters") in the game's story. Being that it's easily over 80 hours in length (up to 100, or more, including sidequests) [[AntiGrinding it's not hard to see why that is.]]

* Basic Roleplaying and its 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/DiscoElysium'' entirely relies on this, given that the game doesn't have any combat. The bulk of XP is gotten from completing quest objectives, while smaller amounts can be gotten from picking dialog options that give new information.

* ''VideoGame/RingFitAdventure'', being an [[{{Exergaming}} exercise game]], ties XP to doing exercise in most capacities. Doing things like running through stages, breaking obstacles, playing minigames, and even the stretching done to warm up before playing all reward EXP. The player can even do exercise with the Ring-Con while the game's turned off, earning coins for squeezing and stretching it.

* In ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'' and ''[[VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII Original Sin II]]'', characters gain experience points from advancing quests (both in the main quest line and {{Sidequest}}s and from exploring new map regions, as well as from killing enemies.

** Both games (''Invisible War'' has no XP system) also award the ''vast'' majority of points simply for progressing in the story: it's certainly possible to max out all the skills a player is likely to actually want without doing anything optional.

* In ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'' and ''[[VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII Original Sin II]]'', characters gain experience points from advancing quests (both in the main quest line and {{Sidequests}} and from exploring new map regions, as well as from killing enemies.

* Besides the standard exp for battle victories, ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'' occasionally doles out exp for completing quests. This happens often at the beginning of the game, tapers off toward the middle, and is not found in any other game in the ''Franchise/{{Lunar}}'' series.

** Staff users gain EXP whenever they use a staff, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness except]] in the original ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' where they gain nothing upon healing. Similarly, in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', Micaiah gains experience whenever she uses her "Sacrifice" skill.

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* ''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 a short story in which he actually gains a level by exploring; the punchline reveals that it took about four months and hints that his teammates have been waiting for him to finish all that time.

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** Staff users gain EXP whenever they use a staff. Similarly, in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]'', [[MysticalWaif Micaiah]] gains experience whenever she uses her "Sacrifice" skill.
** Because of the unique mechanics of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'', each unit has a separate amount of currency, and characters will not give money to others. However, thief units (Dew and Patty or her replacement) can, and they gain EXP for giving their money to another unit.
** In both ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Tellius]]'' games, Bonus EXP is awarded for completing maps, doing so quickly, leaving certain units alive, and other tasks, which can be given to different units to build them up.

* In ''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'' combat skills and all others have different "experience tracks". Non-combat skills are improved by succeeding at skill use. Combat skills are improved by achieving adventure goals, which may or may not involve actual combat.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', the first time the Order levels up on-screen, Belkar, their [[HeroicComedicSociopath psychotic evil halfling ranger]], was a mere handful of XP shy from leveling up with everyone else. When killing rats proved to not grant XP and party kills were banned from him, he resorted to pulling out a [[AssPull sob story]] for roleplaying XP.

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* ''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'' has two types: Advancement Points are earned by performing well on skill rolls (e.g.: Stealth) and are spent on training in skills, while Experience Points are gained by progressing through the story and are spent on training in weapons proficiencies, {{Equipment Upgrade}}s, and unique personal abilities called "Virtues". It's possible to gain both without ever entering combat.
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** 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.

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!! Mixed Type - Contains both variants