Experience
Experience
Experience is primarily accrued by defeating enemies and completing missions.
Experience Requirements Table
This table indicates the experience requirements for each level in both City of Heroes and City of Villains.
| Level | Incremental | Cumulative | Level | Incremental | Cumulative |
| 1 | n/a | 0 | 26 | 85,200 | 446,119 |
| 2 | 106 | 106 | 27 | 108,000 | 554,119 |
| 3 | 337 | 443 | 28 | 135,000 | 689,119 |
| 4 | 582 | 1,025 | 29 | 166,650 | 855,769 |
| 5 | 800 | 1,825 | 30 | 203,400 | 1,059,169 |
| 6 | 1,237 | 3,062 | 31 | 254,000 | 1,313,169 |
| 7 | 1,575 | 4,637 | 32 | 314,600 | 1,627,769 |
| 8 | 1,950 | 6,587 | 33 | 386,400 | 2,014,169 |
| 9 | 2,680 | 9,267 | 34 | 470,600 | 2,484,769 |
| 10 | 3,125 | 12,392 | 35 | 571,200 | 3,055,969 |
| 11 | 3,600 | 15,992 | 36 | 701,500 | 3,757,469 |
| 12 | 4,995 | 20,987 | 37 | 854,700 | 4,612,169 |
| 13 | 6,405 | 27,392 | 38 | 1,036,600 | 5,648,769 |
| 14 | 7,400 | 34,792 | 39 | 1,250,200 | 6,898,969 |
| 15 | 9,093 | 43,885 | 40 | 1,502,550 | 8,401,519 |
| 16 | 11,184 | 55,069 | 41 | 1,692,900 | 10,094,419 |
| 17 | 13,000 | 68,069 | 42 | 1,907,550 | 12,001,969 |
| 18 | 15,950 | 84,019 | 43 | 2,150,550 | 14,152,519 |
| 19 | 19,200 | 103,219 | 44 | 2,421,900 | 16,574,419 |
| 20 | 23,400 | 126,619 | 45 | 2,729,700 | 19,304,119 |
| 21 | 28,000 | 154,619 | 46 | 3,078,000 | 22,382,119 |
| 22 | 36,000 | 190,619 | 47 | 3,470,850 | 25,852,969 |
| 23 | 45,000 | 235,619 | 48 | 3,912,300 | 29,765,269 |
| 24 | 56,000 | 291,619 | 49 | 4,410,450 | 34,175,719 |
| 25 | 69,300 | 360,919 | 50 | 4,973,400 | 39,149,119 |
Source: http://faqs.ign.com/articles/539/539615p1.html
Experience Rewards Table
These are the base experience reward values for each rank and level of critter, as well as missions. Some of the more difficult critters have a bonus modifier that increases the amount of XP rewarded.
| Level | Underling | Minion | Lieut. | Boss | AV/Hero | GM | Mission |
| 1 | 0 | 10 | 22 | 44 | 1074 | 5 | 10 |
| 2 | 0 | 10 | 22 | 44 | 1074 | 8 | 25 |
| 3 | 0 | 10 | 22 | 44 | 1074 | 15 | 25 |
| 4 | 0 | 10 | 22 | 44 | 1074 | 21 | 33 |
| 5 | 0 | 11 | 24 | 48 | 1170 | 67 | 50 |
| 6 | 0 | 12 | 26 | 52 | 1292 | 116 | 50 |
| 7 | 0 | 13 | 28 | 56 | 1388 | 160 | 75 |
| 8 | 0 | 14 | 30 | 60 | 1504 | 247 | 81 |
| 9 | 1 | 15 | 33 | 66 | 1600 | 315 | 112 |
| 10 | 1 | 16 | 35 | 70 | 1722 | 390 | 100 |
| 11 | 1 | 17 | 37 | 74 | 1818 | 535 | 130 |
| 12 | 1 | 18 | 39 | 78 | 1936 | 625 | 140 |
| 13 | 1 | 20 | 44 | 88 | 2154 | 720 | 171 |
| 14 | 1 | 22 | 48 | 96 | 2366 | 1000 | 250 |
| 15 | 1 | 24 | 52 | 104 | 2584 | 1281 | 375 |
| 16 | 2 | 26 | 57 | 114 | 2798 | 1480 | 500 |
| 17 | 2 | 29 | 63 | 126 | 3132 | 1818 | 625 |
| 18 | 2 | 32 | 70 | 140 | 3446 | 2236 | 750 |
| 19 | 2 | 36 | 79 | 158 | 3878 | 2600 | 875 |
| 20 | 3 | 40 | 88 | 176 | 4308 | 3190 | 1000 |
| 21 | 3 | 45 | 99 | 198 | 4856 | 3840 | 1125 |
| 22 | 4 | 52 | 114 | 228 | 5410 | 4680 | 1250 |
| 23 | 5 | 60 | 132 | 264 | 6054 | 5600 | 1400 |
| 24 | 6 | 69 | 151 | 302 | 6798 | 7200 | 1575 |
| 25 | 7 | 80 | 176 | 352 | 7660 | 9000 | 1775 |
| 26 | 8 | 92 | 202 | 404 | 8638 | 10000 | 2000 |
| 27 | 10 | 106 | 233 | 466 | 9718 | 11000 | 2250 |
| 28 | 11 | 122 | 268 | 536 | 10916 | 12000 | 2525 |
| 29 | 13 | 141 | 310 | 620 | 12208 | 13000 | 2825 |
| 30 | 14 | 162 | 356 | 712 | 13740 | 14000 | 3175 |
| 31 | 16 | 185 | 407 | 814 | 15464 | 15000 | 3575 |
| 32 | 19 | 211 | 464 | 928 | 17400 | 16000 | 4025 |
| 33 | 20 | 240 | 528 | 1056 | 19582 | 17000 | 4525 |
| 34 | 23 | 272 | 598 | 1196 | 22072 | 18000 | 5100 |
| 35 | 26 | 307 | 675 | 1350 | 24870 | 19000 | 5750 |
| 36 | 31 | 346 | 761 | 1522 | 28008 | 20000 | 6475 |
| 37 | 34 | 390 | 858 | 1716 | 31574 | 21000 | 7300 |
| 38 | 38 | 439 | 965 | 1930 | 35596 | 22000 | 8225 |
| 39 | 44 | 495 | 1089 | 2178 | 40122 | 23000 | 9275 |
| 40 | 49 | 558 | 1227 | 2454 | 45220 | 24000 | 10450 |
| 41 | 52 | 629 | 1383 | 2766 | 50944 | 25000 | 11775 |
| 42 | 58 | 709 | 1559 | 3118 | 57456 | 26000 | 13275 |
| 43 | 62 | 799 | 1757 | 3514 | 64684 | 27000 | 14950 |
| 44 | 65 | 901 | 1982 | 3964 | 72920 | 28000 | 16850 |
| 45 | 71 | 1016 | 2235 | 4470 | 82230 | 29000 | 19000 |
| 46 | 76 | 1146 | 2521 | 5042 | 92716 | 30000 | 21425 |
| 47 | 79 | 1292 | 2842 | 5684 | 104522 | 31000 | 24150 |
| 48 | 85 | 1457 | 3205 | 6410 | 117832 | 32000 | 27225 |
| 49 | 89 | 1643 | 3614 | 7228 | 132866 | 33000 | 30700 |
| 50 | 92 | 1853 | 4076 | 8152 | 149864 | 34000 | 34625 |
| 51 | 92 | 2090 | 4598 | 9196 | 169016 | 35000 | 34626 |
| 52 | 92 | 2357 | 5185 | 10370 | 190534 | 36000 | 34627 |
| 53 | 92 | 2658 | 5847 | 11694 | 214884 | 37000 | 34628 |
| 54 | 92 | 2998 | 6595 | 13190 | 242368 | 38000 | 34629 |
| 55 | 92 | 3381 | 7438 | 14876 | 242368 | 39000 | 34630 |
Source: iakona
Experience Distribution and Team Bonuses
Overview
The experience that a character gets while on a team is affected by the team's size, by his level relative to the enemies, and by his level relative to his teammates. Larger teams get a higher XP multiplier, but the rewards also get split more ways. Lower-level characters get more XP from each critter (since the critters are comparably tougher), but the game also gives greater-than-average shares of XP to the higher-level characters in the team (since they are presumed to be doing most of the work).
Mission completion experience is affected only by the character's level relative to the mission's. The full amount is awarded to each team member individually, with no split or weighting.
Detailed Breakdown
First, determine if any team members are too low to get or affect XP. The game completely ignores all members whose combat levels are too far below the highest member's level. Ignored members not only get no experience whatsoever, but experience is generated and distributed among the rest as if the ignored characters weren't even there.
The exact maximum level spread is subject to debate. According to one source, it is always 5 levels. According to another, the maximum spread might be anywhere from 5 to 9 levels, depending on the team's highest member, with the strictest range for very low- and very high-level teams and the loosest one for teams where the highest member is around level 25.
Second, determine the team's average combat level and total weight. These figures will come in handy later, and they only need to be calculated once.
- 2.a. Calculate the team's average combat level, dropping fractions.
- 2.b. Look up the weights of all team members by comparing their combat levels to the team's average in the following table. Add all members' weights together to get the team's total weight.
| Char Lvl Relative to Team Avg. |
Weight | Char Lvl Relative to Team Avg. |
Weight | |
| -5 and below | 0 | +3 | 1.15 | |
| -4 | 0.45 | +4 | 1.25 | |
| -3 | 0.68 | +5 | 1.5 | |
| -2 | 0.85 | +6 | 3 | |
| -1 | 0.95 | +7 | 6 | |
| 0 | 1 | +8 | 9 | |
| +1 | 1.05 | +9 | 12 | |
| +2 | 1.1 | +10 | 18 |
Third, for each character in the team:
- 3.a. Look up the standard XP reward that that character would get if he were soloing at his actual level and he defeated an equal-level version of the enemy in question.
- 3.b. Adjust the reward based on the enemy's actual level relative to the character's current combat level:
| Critter's Relative Level | XP Multiplier |
| -5 or lower | 0 |
| -4 | 0.2 |
| -3 | 0.4 |
| -2 | 0.6 |
| -1 | 0.8 |
| 0 | 1 |
| +1 | 1.2 |
| +2 | 1.4 |
| +3 | 1.65 |
| +4 | 1.9 |
| +5 or higher | 2 |
- 3.c. Increase the reward based on team size:
| Team Size | XP Multiplier |
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 1.25 |
| 3 | 1.5 |
| 4 | 1.8 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 6 | 2.1 |
| 7 | 2.2 |
| 8 | 2.5 |
- 3.d. Multiply the reward by the ratio of that one character's weight to the team's total weight. (Use the table back in step 2.b. again.)
- Note: According to the PlayNC Knowledge Database, "a player who is more than two fighting levels less than the team average will not receive XP." It is not known for sure if this is currently accurate or exactly how it is implemented.
Sources: