Wiki · Skills and Progression
Skills and Progression Overview
Character level, skill levels, SP, affinities, skill categories, and core progression rules.
Definya progression has two related layers:
- Character level: driven by XP.
- Individual skill levels: driven by Skill Points (SP) earned through actions.
A character can be high level while still having uneven individual skills, so builds are about both XP progression and the specific activities you train.
Skill categories
Basic attributes
Basic attributes are:
- stamina
- strength
- resistance
- dexterity
- magic
- magic resistance
Combat skills
Combat skills are:
- fist / unarmed
- club
- sword
- axe
- distance
- shielding
- dagger
Crafting and gathering skills
Crafting/gathering skills are:
- fishing
- farming
- mining
- lumberjacking
- cooking
- alchemy
- blacksmithing
SP and skill levels
Each individual skill tracks its current level, earned Skill Points (SP), and progress toward the next level.
You gain skill progress by doing the thing the skill represents: fighting, blocking, casting, gathering, crafting, or training basic attributes through play.
Character XP and level
Character XP uses a cubic formula:
XP for level = level3 × 3
For example, level 10 needs 3,000 total XP. Use the calculators page to check target levels, total XP, and skill affinity estimates.
Class affinity tiers
Class affinity affects how much SP effort a skill requires. The tiers are:
- Best — fastest affinity.
- Good (
1.2) — above average. - Average (
1.3) — default/moderate. - Weak (
1.4) — below average. - Terrible (
1.5) — very slow. - Awful (
1.8) — worst tier.
Higher affinity tier values mean slower progression. Use the skill affinity calculator to compare the relative effort between tiers.
Skill gain pacing
Skills do not advance on every single action. After each successful gain, that skill waits a short cooldown before it can progress again. The length depends on how easy the activity is to repeat without spending resources.
Cooldowns by activity type
| Pace | Wait between gains | Skills and activities |
|---|---|---|
| Easier | about 5 seconds | Distance (bows, spears, thrown weapons), Magic (casting spells — mana cost limits spam) |
| Medium | about 6 seconds | Melee combat skills: fist, club, sword, axe, dagger |
| Harder | about 8 seconds | Resistance, Dexterity, Shielding (often trained while blocking or taking hits) |
Distance and magic feel faster because you spend mana or ammo and usually hunt actively. Shielding, resistance, and dexterity are paced more slowly because they can be trained in steadier, lower-effort situations.
Crafting and gathering skills follow the same cooldown rules as medium-paced combat skills unless a specific activity says otherwise.
Early-game bonus (skill level below 10)
Every individual skill below level 10 earns a large bonus on each gain. Your first few levels in a skill come much faster than later ones.
This bonus applies per skill, not to your character level. You might have sword at level 25 while magic is still below 10 and benefiting from the boost.
Once a skill reaches level 10, gains use the normal pace for that activity type.
Anti-rush pacing
The game discourages standing in one spot and grinding the same weak target for hours. In plain terms:
- Cooldowns mean you cannot level a skill by spamming actions as fast as possible.
- Vigor drains during training; long sessions without food slow both SP and XP gains. See Vigor and XP.
- Rush detection watches for repetitive training patterns (such as little movement or hitting the same target over and over). When triggered, training costs more vigor, so marathon grinds become less efficient than varied hunting.
Active play with different monsters, movement, and breaks for food keeps progression at a normal rate. The goal is steady growth, not instant maxing.
Death and skill loss
Dying can reduce skill progress on combat skills and basic attributes. How much you lose depends on your character level, skull status, and game mode. Full death rules — including newbie protection, skull multipliers, and Amulet of Death — are on PvP, Skulls, and Death. Skill-specific loss and recovery are covered on Vigor and XP.
Crafting affinity note
Crafting and gathering are broadly available to every class. Choose your class for combat identity and progression style, not because you think crafting is locked behind a specific class.