In most RPGs, characters normally level up with EXP. They gain levels, which can increase stats or perhaps give characters a new skill or spell. Final Fantasy 7 is a classic RPG that will increase stats as you level up. When Pokemon level up Pokémon games, they can sometimes gain new traits or even evolve.
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This linear progression through a game is important because it can help players tackle bigger challenges. The problem is that linear leveling systems don't give players as much freedom over their experience. For anyone looking for more versatile leveling systems, here are some RPGs to consider.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Build a better RPG
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 features an innovative turn-based combat system where players can attack, use skills, dodge and counter enemies to give combat a more active feel. Leveling up EXP gives players two things: one skill point and three attribute points.
Skill points can buy each character a skill within their individual trees, but some cost more than one skill point. Attributes are basic stats in RPGs, and raising them can affect attack power and HP, for example. Both skills and attributes can also be easily reset.
Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars
The best music ever?
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars also has an active turn-based combat system where the right timing can affect attacks and defenses. Characters will level up in EXP, get a boost in stats as normal and sometimes a skill.
Characters can also choose one of three attributes to increase for an extra boost: HP, magical power, or physical power. This leveling system was unchanged in the 2023 Switch remake, and while it wasn't incredibly deep, it was different at the time for SNES RPGs, along with the battle system.
Each level through your command
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's Leveling system can be a bit confusing as there are two types of leveling going on. Most actions in the game are tied to skills, and when players use them, they will increase, which then gives players EXP for their character.
For example, using a healing spell or sneaking past guards can increase the associated skills. Once a character reaches a new level, they can go into a wide assortment of skill trees to decide what kind of character they want to build. Health, Stamina or Magicka can also be increased as you level up, as they are the three core stats that affect everything.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery Of The Soulless Army
Demon Mastery 101
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army changes up the gameplay in this remaster, making the battles feel more fluid than in the original PS2 game. Players, and their demons, will gain EXP and level up like a regular RPG.
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Demons can learn skills at certain thresholds, and during the fusion process players can decide which techniques to transfer, giving them more customization for their party. As for Raidou, the main character, players can manually increase all of his stats as he levels up.
Fire Ring
Make some noise for poise
Fire Ring does not use EXP to level up the hero after defeating enemies, which is true of most of FromSoftware's games. Instead, players will receive runes when defeating enemies, which can be used to raise stats or buy items from merchants, as it is also the game's currency.
Players can customize their character and choose a starting class, but they are not locked in, unlike other RPG class systems. How they level up stats determines how good they will be at certain tasks, from using magic to drawing a bow, so they need to pay attention to equipment requirements.
Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels Of The Starry Sky
Vocations For Days
Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Sky is a turn-based RPG that uses a class system called Vocations. When players equip a Vocation, and they level it up, they will get skill points to dump into one of five skills, most of which will be weapon related.
Increasing these levels can gain permanent stat boosts for the overall character, along with an affinity for that weapon. For example, reaching level thirteen with a sword can earn players Metal Slash, which is super effective against all Metal Slime monsters.
Fallout: New Vegas
Come and get your benefits
Leveling up Fallout: New Vegas is one of the hardest, and not because EXP comes slowly. This is because the Perks players can win are so varied and appealing that it can be difficult to decide which one to choose.
When creating a character, players can dump points into core stats, such as Strength, which can affect melee attacks and how much players can carry. Core stats can be leveled with rare books, while perks can be obtained every other level. An example of Perk is Bloody Mess, which can cause critical hits to cause enemies to explode, which can be quite fun to watch.
Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends Of The Titan
Dungeon Divers
Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan was the first entry for the 3DS, and it is still considered one of the best entries in the series. In the beginning, players have full customization when it comes to the party as they can fill it with characters from a wide variety of classes and then dive into dungeons.
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As characters level up in EXP, they gain skill points and each class has different attributes to increase. The more they put into a group, the better skills or spells they can get at different levels. These attributes can also affect skills, such as how effective a fire or healing spell will be. It's a lot to process, and Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan isn't the easiest turn-based dungeon crawling RPG, but it's rewarding for patient players.
The Outer Worlds 2
An open game system
The Outer Worlds 2 has a ton of stats and skills to set in the beginning, and the great thing about progression in the game is how open-ended it is. There is no right way through a mission or environmental problem. Players can boost stats to be efficient engineers to open doors, or they can be strong brutes who force their way instead.
As you level up, skill points can increase basic functionality from weapon specialties to engineering, while Perks are more interesting, specific boosts, just like in Fallout: New Vegas. The two games have a lot in common as Obsidian Entertainment developed them both.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories
The heart of the cards
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories has a similar leveling system as Super Mario RPG. As Sora levels up, by defeating enemies and gaining EXP in battle, players can choose one of three things. HP is self-explanatory, and CP allows players to equip more cards in battle.
In the original GBA version, combat is still action-based, but players must put cards into their decks beforehand. The more cards they carry, the better combinations they can perform. The last thing players can choose on the level up screen is to gain an ability, which usually relates to card combos.
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