Character Development
UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
On the Character Development screen, you can see your progress in various skill progression trees. Press ['] (quote) to open the Character Development screen, or click the icon at the top of the map. Use the left and right arrows to scroll through the different skill trees. Progression on any tree begins from the bottom and goes upward.
Presently, this system is in place for:
Nodes, tiers and Horizontal vs Vertical Progression
- A node is any individual box on the character development screen.
- A tier refers to vertical progression, going from gray tier 1 to orange tier 5.
- A branch is a horizontal line of skill nodes, such as Tier 3 Light Armors.
- Mastery is completely filling a branch of skill nodes. After mastery is achieved, continuing to use that equipment will grant "surplus experience if it's turned on.
- Horizontal progression provides bonuses for each node of progression on a branch.
- Vertical progression unlocks higher tier equipment.
Earning Experience
Activity in a skill with the correct piece of equipment (such as Fishing with an Apprentice's Rod with Breadball bait) earns various types of experience points.
Experience points are applied towards unlocking the current skill being used.
Free XP is earned automatically and can be used to unlock any skill node in progress in any skill tree.
Surplus XP is experience earned by continuing to use a skill after fully unlocking that branch. Surplus XP can be converted to Free XP at a 2:1 ratio with a Conversion card.
With Fishing, for example, experience is earned in the Breadball bait skill nodes each time you catch a fish with a Breadball bait. Experience toward unlocking the next tier of fishing rod is being earned at the same time. This means the skill nodes do not need to be maxed out horizontally before unlocking new tiers vertically.
If climbing a skill tree is the goal, think carefully about whether to apply earned Free XP upwards to the next tier or across to the next skill mastery, because there is horizontal and vertical progression. Generally, horizontal movement will assist in doing something better/faster, while moving upward will provide access to using better equipment and to using or gathering new materials.
Free Experience
Free experience is automatically earned at the same time as regular experience and is used to finish unlocking skill nodes. It is earned at a base rate of 2% of total experience (earning 100 experience nets 2 Free Experience).
Free experience is global, that is, can be applied to any skill node on any skill tree as long as you have enough Free Experience to fully unlock the node. For example, if 25,000 experience is needed to unlock a Beetle III bait skill, and 26,000 Free XP is available, Free Experience can be used to unlock it.
Free experience allows using experience earned in one skill line to unlock skill nodes and equipment access in other skill lines. Don't want to fish but love digging? Earn Free XP while doing Archaeology and apply it to Fishing. Theoretically, you could level up an entire skill line without ever actually doing it.
Free Experience can be earned at a rate of 4% instead of 2% if "Turn off Surplus Experience" is selected. This avoids having to purchase a Conversion Points card for the Surplus XP but is a little slower.
Surplus Experience and Conversion Points
Surplus experience is earned by continuing to use a skill line that has already been fully unlocked.
Surplus XP cannot be applied directly to skill nodes like Free XP can. Rather, Surplus XP must be converted into Free Experience at a ratio of 2:1 by using a Conversion Points Card, available in the Supporter shop and at the Glory Quartermaster. That means 10,000 Surplus Experience will become 5,000 Free Experience which can be used to complete any skill node.
Earning Surplus XP can be turned off entirely. This means if you would have earned Surplus XP, instead you will earn 4% Free XP of whatever XP you would have gotten. This is an option that is good for those who wish to avoid using Conversion Points cards, but it is slower.
The checkbox for "Turn off Surplus XP" will only be shown if there is at least 1 Surplus XP.
Examples to show the difference (taken from actual live gameplay):
- Surplus XP is OFF.
- Using Breadball bait after achieving Breadball V mastery.
- Each Fishing attempt earns 5 Free XP.
- This Free XP can be used as it accumulates to unlock skill nodes directly.
- Surplus XP is ON.
- Using Breadball bait after achieving Breadball V mastery.
- Each fishing attempt earns 131 Surplus XP and 2 Free XP.
That 131 surplus XP can be turned into into 65 Free XP with a Conversion Points Card. The Free XP can then be used to unlock skill nodes.
This would yield significantly more than the Free XP earned in the previous example, however it will cost ambers or contribution points to do so.
