Experience
Every guild uses skill requirements to determine circle.
There are five skill sets which are learned by every guild at varying rates. Each guild has one of the five as a specialization skill set or primary skill set. Two of the remaining four are support skill sets for the specialization skill; these are known as secondary skill sets. The remaining two are considered to hold minor relevance and referred to as tertiary skill sets. Skills within the primary skill set are learned the fastest, while skills within the tertiary skill sets are learned the slowest. Players start the game as commoners with all skills learned at the secondary rate.
| Guild | Armor | Lore | Magic | Survival | Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | Secondary | Tertiary | Tertiary | Secondary | Primary |
| Bard | Tertiary | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary | Secondary |
| Cleric | Tertiary | Secondary | Primary | Tertiary | Secondary |
| Empath | Tertiary | Primary | Secondary | Secondary | Tertiary |
| Moon Mage | Tertiary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary |
| Necromancer | Tertiary | Secondary | Secondary | Primary | Tertiary |
| Paladin | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary | Tertiary | Secondary |
| Ranger | Secondary | Tertiary | Tertiary | Primary | Secondary |
| Thief | Tertiary | Secondary | Tertiary | Primary | Secondary |
| Trader | Secondary | Primary | Tertiary | Secondary | Tertiary |
| Warrior Mage | Tertiary | Secondary | Primary | Tertiary | Secondary |
| Commoner | Secondary | Secondary | Secondary | Secondary | Secondary |
Experience Pools and Pulses
Every skill has its own individual pool, which fills with field experience as you obtain it. The current amount of field experience in your pool ranges from empty (clear) to mind lock (full).
Factors that determine maximum pool size (in descending order of importance): whether the skill is in your primary, secondary, or tertiary skillset; the number of ranks you have in the skill; Intelligence; and Discipline.
This field experience is gradually converted into actual ranks. When field experience is converted to ranks, it is called a pulse. The pulse size primarily depends on whether the skill is a primary, secondary, or tertiary skill and the total size of the pool. Wisdom also affects the pulse size.
Mental stats should be aligned highest to lowest as follows: Intelligence, Wisdom, Discipline.
As of July 10, 2009, there are now 34 experience pool states:
| Amount Learning | Mindstate Fraction | Amount Learning | Mindstate Fraction |
|---|---|---|---|
| clear | 0/34 | analyzing | 18/34 |
| dabbling | 1/34 | studious | 19/34 |
| perusing | 2/34 | focused | 20/34 |
| learning | 3/34 | very focused | 21/34 |
| thoughtful | 4/34 | engaged | 22/34 |
| thinking | 5/34 | very engaged | 23/34 |
| considering | 6/34 | cogitating | 24/34 |
| pondering | 7/34 | fascinated | 25/34 |
| ruminating | 8/34 | captivated | 26/34 |
| concentrating | 9/34 | engrossed | 27/34 |
| attentive | 10/34 | riveted | 28/34 |
| deliberative | 11/34 | very riveted | 29/34 |
| interested | 12/34 | rapt | 30/34 |
| examining | 13/34 | very rapt | 31/34 |
| understanding | 14/34 | enthralled | 32/34 |
| absorbing | 15/34 | nearly locked | 33/34 |
| intrigued | 16/34 | mind lock | 34/34 |
| scrutinizing | 17/34 |
The experience pool states under the old system were:
clear
learning
thoughtful
pondering
concentrating
muddled
very muddled
perplexing
perplexed
bewildering
bewildered
dazed
mind lock
Mind States
Currently there is no negative mind state within the game since the new exp system was introduced in July 2009. There is plans to re-intoduce some form of mind state back into the game but no firm plans have been announced.
Below are details of the old mind state system.
Mind state is a very important factor in experience to rank conversion. The worse your mind state is, the slower you learn. Mind states range from clear to very frozen. Every skill you raise to a mind lock state affects your overall mind state. At a Frozen or very frozen state, you no longer learn at all.
However, as long as the Multiple Opponent skill is not Mind Locked, the state of the Evasion skill, the Parry Ability skill, and the Shield Usage skill will not contribute to overall state.
When the new experience system was released, mind states were disabled. It has been stated that it will return, but not in the way it was previously implemented.
The mind states are as follows:
clear
fluid
murky
very murky
thick: penalty begins
very thick
dense
very dense
stagnant
very stagnant
frozen: no longer absorbing experience
very frozen
Stats and Learning
Your character's mental statistics are an important component in your overall learning process. The three mental stats, wisdom, intelligence, and discipline affect learning in different ways, and all of them are based upon a logarithmic return rate, thus eventually reaching a point of diminishing returns.
According to GM Zeyurn, statistics now have a much greater effect on the experience system. Intelligence and Wisdom both provide the same bonus amount to different things.
Intelligence Maximum size of experience pools.
Wisdom Pulse size.
Discipline Removed from experience calculations.
Soft Caps: Because of the recent changes to the experience system, the point of diminishing returns is no longer known. However, even if it were known, each of these stats affects other systems, so it's usually not a good idea to stop training mental stats. Discipline, in particular, affects many things.
Wall Cycle
The wall cycle has gone away. Now primary skills always pulse better than secondary skills which always pulse better than tertiary skills. However, under 50 ranks skills will all drain like primary, and under 100 they will all drain at least like secondary.
RP Messaging
Ranks in each skill are numerical. However, there is also a role-playing system of nomenclature set up for skills, to make it easier to integrate into gameplay.
- Ranks 1-49 / Novice
Within the above range:
- + 0-09 = Lowly
- + 10-19 = Promising
- + 20-29 = Able
- + 30-39 = Trained
- + 40-49 = Full
- Ranks 50-99 / Practitioner
- Ranks 100-149 / Dilettante
- Ranks 150-199 / Aficionado
Within the above ranges:
- + 0-09 = Beginning
- + 10-19 = Competent
- + 20-29 = Proficient
- + 30-39 = Experienced
- + 40-49 = Skilled
- Ranks 200-299 / Adept
- Ranks 300-399 / Expert
Within the above ranges:
- Rated by degrees 0-99
- Ranks 400-499 / Professional
- Ranks 500-599 / Authority
- Ranks 600-699 / Genius
Within the above ranges:
- + 20-39 = Exceptional
- + 40-59 = Outstanding
- + 60-79 = Renowned
- + 80-99 = True
- Ranks 700-799 / Savant
- Ranks 800-899 / Master
- Ranks 900-999 / Grand Master
Within the above ranges:
- + 20-39 = Distinguished
- + 40-59 = Venerated
- + 60-79 = Exalted
- + 80-99 = Transcendent
- Ranks 1000-1249 / Guru
- Ranks 1250+ / Legend