For a while, coins and gems did most of the motivational heavy lifting in Path of Progress. You complete a quest, you earn currency, you spend it in the shop. That loop works well — but it was missing something.
Currency tells you what you can buy. It doesn’t tell you who you’re becoming.
That’s what XP is for.
Experience Is About Identity, Not Just Reward
When I started thinking about adding experience points, the question I kept coming back to was: what does it mean to grow? Coins are transactional. You earn them, you spend them, the balance fluctuates. But a character level only goes one direction. Every point of XP you’ve ever earned is permanently part of you. That felt worth tracking separately.
XP is awarded every time you complete a quest — and here’s what I love about how it works: the amount you earn scales with your current level. Early on, the numbers are small and fast. As you grow, each quest you finish reflects more of what you’ve built. Higher levels earn more XP per quest because higher-level adventurers are taking on harder responsibilities and bringing more to the table.
The Curve Is Intentional
Leveling up gets harder as you go. The XP required to reach the next level grows with each milestone, and it grows faster than the XP you earn per quest. That gap is intentional.
If leveling up stayed easy, levels would stop meaning anything. The challenge of reaching higher tiers is what makes them feel like an achievement. A level-15 character represents months of consistent effort — that should feel different than a level-3.
But here’s what I wanted to avoid: the feeling of being stuck. So I made sure that even as the curve steepens, a single completed quest can still carry you through multiple levels in one burst if you’re close to the threshold. That momentum matters. Nothing deflates a kid faster than feeling like they’re grinding forever for no visible result.
Golden Scrolls Double Everything
Some quests come marked with a Golden Scroll — these are special assignments that double all rewards, including XP. When you see one appear on the Quest Board, it’s worth prioritizing. They’re a way for parents to signal that a task carries extra weight, and for kids to feel the difference between a routine chore and something that genuinely matters this week.
Levels Unlock the World
As your level climbs, things open up. Shop tabs that were previously locked — new avatar options, banners, themes, pets — become accessible. The fortress on the World Map, home of the weekly Boss Fight, has a level requirement before you can challenge it. You have to prove yourself in the day-to-day before you get access to the big weekly showdowns.
This was an important design choice. Not everything should be available on day one. Discovery and unlocking are a core part of what makes progression feel real. A new family joining the app gets to experience a genuine arc — the world expands around them as they grow.
Lifetime XP Tells the Whole Story
Beyond your current level, the app tracks your total XP earned — every point, ever. This number never resets, never goes down, and doesn’t care about spending or seasons. It’s a record of everything you’ve ever done.
We show this in the stats panel because we wanted there to be a number that purely represents effort. Not where you stand today. Just everything you’ve put in since you started.
That felt worth keeping.