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{{trope}}
[[File:pld-rdm-75-small_3397.png|link=Final Fantasy XI
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In most games with Character Levels, the main character starts off with a fairly low "level", usually described in single digits (e.g. "Lv.1"). When they defeat an enemy, they receive [[Experience Points]], and each time their experience reaches a designated threshold, the character "levels up": Their stats increase by a small amount, and they may be rewarded with new skills and abilities. This improves the character's ability to vanquish monsters, and allows the player to successfully take down larger monsters (with higher yields of experience) over time.
Generally speaking, monsters do not "level up" with the player; monsters are usually assigned a fixed experience level which remains the same for the entire game (although it may vary from one area to the next). There are exceptions, however (e.g. ''[[
Depending on the game, the increase in level may either have a predetermined effect, [[Character Customization|allow the player to invest into new abilities and stats]], or a combination of the two. Some games even tried to make the process more logical by [[Stat Grinding|increasing the attributes the character has used most]].
Like many [[Role Playing Game]] tropes, this comes directly from ''[[
Finally, some games may actually use levels to restrict options. For instance, that [[Infinity+1 Sword]] may [[Level-Locked Loot|require you to reach, say, Level 500]] before you're allowed to even lay eyes on it, let alone pick it up and start bashing monsters. This comes up in games where it's feasible for a level 1 character to get his or her hands on that sword somehow; typically, this would be an online multiplayer system.
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See also [[Level Grinding]], [[Absurdly High Level Cap]], [[Absurdly Low Level Cap]], [[Class and Level System]], [[Level-Locked Loot]], [[Super Weight]], [[Level Scaling]] and [[Stat Grinding]]
Oh, and if you're looking for the game called ''Level Up!'', that's [[Level Up (
{{examples}}
== [[Action Adventure]] ==
* ''[[
* Played for laughs in ''[[X
* In ''[[Marvel Ultimate Alliance]],'' [[Deadpool]] gets the best level up lines. "[[No Fourth Wall|I gained enough experience points, and I leveled up!]]" "Now ''I'm'' the best at doing whatever it is [[Wolverine]] does!" (As one of Wolverine's post-[[Mook]]-kill phrases, as well as one of the character's signature phrases, is "I'm the best at what I do.")
== [[First-Person Shooter]] ==
* ''[[Call of Duty]]
== [[Hack and Slash]] ==
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== [[Racing Game]] ==
* ''[[Blur (
== [[Role Playing Game]] ==
* The ''[[Fallout]]'' series has a fairly generic level-up system similar to ''[[GURPS]]'' (which it was originally slated to use), in which each level-up is primarily focused on allocating skill points. Base attributes do not change upon level-up, but every third level grants a perk for further customization of the player character. Your [[NPC|NPCs]] level up as well, and, as the page quote shows, they will throw in some funny lines when they do. [[Fallout|Fallout's]] level system is notable for not holding the player back from wielding powerful weapons in an open game, allowing people in later playthroughs to pick up [[Game Breaker|devastating weapons and armor]] early on with the proper know-how. This is marginally balanced by the fact that most low-level characters won't be able to pick up enough ammo or even hit anything with an energy weapon at 20% skill with it.
* Despite being a card game, some [[Genre Shift|Genre Shifting]] ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' video games do this, preventing you from using stronger cards until you "level up" to their caliber. This has sometimes gone to the extreme, not only preventing you from using cards higher than your current level, but whose collective experience point total is higher than yours, as well, essentially forcing you to play with lackluster cards until you're more than halfway through the game.
** The card game itself has "Level Monsters", monsters that are capable of Leveling up and becoming stronger. Lower level monsters usually just need to survive a turn to level up, but destroying a monster in battle is also typical. Higher leveled monsters usually get some benefit from being leveled up from their previous level, while the highest leveled monsters typically cannot be summoned by any way but by leveling up the previous leveled monster.
*** The card Level Up can also be used to bypass any leveling conditions, it tends to be abused.
* The ''[[Elder Scrolls]]'' series has a variation on this, starting with the second game ''Daggerfall''. (''Arena'' used standard levels.) Levels are gained in individual skills (rather than levels leading to new ones). Every 10 "major" skills (skill designated when creating a new character) leveled results in a new character level (and an increase in stats based on what skills were increased). In addition to this, more variations within a skill become available every 25 levels a character gains in that skill (for example the spell related skills allow the character to use more powerful spells, melee skills grant more power attacks and so on).
** The noted skill perks are only present on the latest two installments of the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion and Skyrim. Skyrim also does away with major and minor skills.
* In the ''[[
** In the ''[[Pokémon (
* In ''[[Lost Kingdoms]]'', you would only level up with the storyline. This wouldn't stop the player from using powerful cards, since you'd use HP instead of rune stones when you ran out of them (and your HP wouldn't drop to 0 from this, and exploitation fixed in the sequel).
* In ''[[
* The first two ''[[Paper Mario (
** ''[[Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga
* Averted (for the most part) in ''[[
* ''[[.hack GU Games|.Hack//G.U]]'' uses your character level to lock you out of higher level equipment till you hit that level.
* Inverted in the first two ''Rockman.EXE / [[
* The NES/Famicom (along with its [[Updated Rerelease|Updated Rereleases]]) game ''[[Final Fantasy II (Video Game)|Final Fantasy II]]'' went the "level up only what you've been using" route, and applied it to weapons and spells as well as stats (for example, your maximum HP would increase if you got hurt a lot). Needless to say, it didn't last, although its remakes have made it less grindy and more generous and balanced, along with removing the occasional stat decreases from the NES/Famicom version.
* In ''[[Infinite Space]]'', only assigned crew members will gain experience points from battle, and when they level up, the stat required by their post will go up faster than other stats. The assignment and command skills owned by your crews will level up for each twenty levels.
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== [[Stealth Based Game]] ==
* The early ''[[Metal Gear]]'' had leveling systems. In the first ''[[
== [[Survival Horror]] ==
* ''[[Dead Rising]]'' uses a basic form of this: you kill zombies and take pictures to gain experience, and each level gained results in either a stat boost (Speed, Power, Inventory, etc.) or a new move (Double Lariat, Disembowel).
== [[Turn
* ''[[Jagged Alliance]]'' has an "Experience Level" that increases slowly whenever the character's attributes or skills go up (no matter which skills...). It increases performance in nearly every aspect of gameplay, but does not increase the level of challenge (that's based on another, character-irrelevant value). However, more experienced characters do cost more to hire, which means that you need to watch out not to train your characters beyond your financial means.
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[
** All of the [[
* Two of the first tabletop RPGs not to use levels at all were ''[[Traveller]]'' and ''[[Rune Quest]]'', which relied on skill and stat advancement entirely.
* Averted in ''[[
* ''[[
* HERO System games like ''[[Champions]]'' don't use Character Levels or even a typical class progression. Rather, your [[Experience Points]] function in a manner identical to the points given at character creation, creating a more consistent curve of progression rather than the "Staircase" style of other systems. Or it could make the game needlessly complex.
* ''[[Mutants and Masterminds]]'': First edition had levels the character earned after every 15 power points. These levels in turn acted as a cap on how much a character could invest in certain attributes. Second edition loosened this up a bit, and level simply became a cap on all players power point expenditures (the cap only applies to certain categories) that could be changed any time the GM felt like it.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Apparently gaining a level in ''[[
* In ''[[
* Often, [http://www.goldcoincomics.com/?id=13 lower character levels] mean you get the lower end of the equipment list.
* Red Mage of ''[[8-Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight Bit Theater]]'' lets out a barbaric howl of DING! when he "[[Cloudcuckoolander|levels up]]".
* Played straight in ''[[Our Little Adventure]]''. The group even get a fanfare filled panel when they do level up.
** When the characters levelled up in the Rosoro Underground, not all the characters levelled up at the same time. Lenny levelled up first ''accidentally'' in [http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0158.html this comic here.]
* Parodied in [http://xkcd.com/189/ this] [[
== [[Web Original]] ==
* The serial ''Memetic Narration'' ([http://writetocreate.tumblr.com/ found here]) features a third-person narrator whom the main character can hear. Said narrator informs the main character that as he builds relationships with his friends he will be alerted when the relationships "level up," a la ''[[
* In the first ''[[Asdfmovie]]'' a character levels up after randomly punching another character in the face.
* [[Mall Fight]]'s perception of a Character Level is absolutely distorted into oblivion. One fighter has some set stats (Attack, Defense, etc.) while another has totally different stats (Strength, Perception, etc) while another doesn't even care about it at all.
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