Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game – Current XP Levels and How to Maximize Player Level

Current XP Levels and How to Maximize Player Level

As of today the current XP level breaks with cumulative totals are as follows:

Earned / Cumulative

• Level 1- 0/0
• Level 2- 300/300
• Level 3- 900/1200
• Level 4- 1300/2500
• Level 5- 1600/4100
• Level 6- 1900/6000
• Level 7- 2200/8200
• Level 8- 2400/10,600
• Level 9- 2600/13,200
• Level 10- 3600/16,800

I don’t have the numbers beyond 10 and for character creation purposes it isn’t necessary as 10 is an inflection point for Mastermind builds and the bonus feat.

The developers have stated that XP gains come from approximately 65 quests(not shared) and 100 encounters(shared). Simple math means that a solo character without any feats at level 4 Intelligence will achieve approximately 3,900 XP from quests and 9,000 XP from encounters for a total of 12,900 XP and a max level of 8. If you add in any modifiers, you’ll need to consider several things:

1. XP gains from Intelligence bonuses are not retroactive. That means that if you are starting at a breakpoint, say 6 intellegence(+10% AP) until you plug in a datajack, ALL XP GAINS will be set at your current multiplier.
2. XP gains from the Bridge Officer chip are not retroactive either.
3. XP gains from Educated are retroactive. However, taking Educated as a feat late in the game reduces it’s efficiency significantly. For example, you to gain feats much quicker and earlier which in turn boosts your character’s power and efficacy. Example: a level four character fighting Detroit will have a harder time than a level six character.
4. XP gains from encounters(90XP) are split evenly among your party, i.e. a trio would each get 30 points unmodified.

As companions share encounter XP with the Main Character(MC), there are a lot of folks who have been theory-crafting around how to maximize player levels. Currently, there are three ways to do this:

• A. Go full charisma/intelligence. This leaves you with only a few stat points left over and usually relegates your MC to a support role. However you can reach +95% XP if you go Cult Leader(+25% from Educated, +20% from Cult Leader, +40% from level 11 Intelligence, +10% from Bridge Officer chip).
• B. Go Mastermind/Educated build. This gives you extra feats and allow extra tags for a more generalist build, however you will choose between reaching level ten and getting the bonus feat OR achieving some lower level depending on how many companions you bring along with you. If you go this way, I highly recommend not neglecting the civic skills persuasion and streetwise, as they can unlock extra sources of encounter XP that you would not have access to. Also, save a tag for your main weapon, critical strike, and biotech as well. The implant upgrades can be very helpful.
• C. Utilize a split strategy that takes advantage of the complex XP award system in Colony Ship.

Let me explain.

You can still reach level 10 while taking companions IF you are careful in your XP distributions. A lot of folks have theory-crafted ways to maximize player level without going solo, however I can show you how to have your cake and eat it to(pardon the expression, I’m old). Keep in mind that approximately 26 of the 65 quest rewards and 36 of the 100 encounter awards are achieved PRIOR to access to the Maintenance Deck and it’s implant upgrades/Bridge Officer chip. Because they are not retroactive, that means XP gains before this period will be smaller. ALSO keep in mind that achieving level 10 right before the last fight is (in my opinion) counter-productive because feats are typically battle-oriented and are more efficient the more they are used. I’d like to get there halfway through chapter 3 so I can brutalize my enemies with my full build. Right?

So how is this done? There are several steps:

First, you should get the datajack from Little Shop of Horrors right after your encounter at Abe’s. That means going straight to the Medbay and paying for the Biotech upgrade if you need. Then going straight to the encounter and choosing the datajack, taking it back to Sarah, paying for it, and getting it plugged in. This can mean a 10% XP gain for everything in Chapter 1 and half of Chapter 2 if you start out at an even number in Intelligence.

Second, prioritize getting access to the Maintenance deck in Chapter 2. That means a quick visit to the church’s Archive office, and then following the quests to access whomever controls which faction you want to align with. You can do the Heist quest as soon as you get there. Please note, you will need a certain level of sneak in order to complete it. You can either use Faythe or do it yourself but you can get there by doing the following:

• A. Sneak past the first frog encounter in the Armory
• B. Sneak into the window during the McNeil/Deacon quest(you can choose to fight as well)
• C. Sneak into the room below Carlos in the Habitat
• D. Sneak past the first frog encounter in the Habitat
• E. Sneak into the Regulator’s office.
• F. Complete Jailbreak during the factory end-sequence by getting thrown into jail and then sneaking by everyone(and killing some of them if you wish) and activating the turrets without getting caught.

Third, excuse your companions for two or three briefs interludes in order to capitalize on your personal XP gains. Wait, what? Won’t that cripple my companions? Nope. 10-15 solo encounters is enough to push your character to level ten halfway through Chapter 3 (DUO) without negatively impacting their progression. How you say?

Look. Say I have a 90% XP gain from Mastermind, Educated, and Intelligence and Faythe has 55%. If we do an encounter together, we split the XP in half…45 each. With modifiers I get 86 and Faythe gets 70(for a total of 156XP). If I do the encounter alone I get 171. That’s double the XP for me(+85) while robbing Faythe of only 70 XP. In a trio with Jed, Faythe ends with a little over 11,000 XP and Jed with over 12,000, putting them at a solid level 8. They can afford to lose some of that superfluous XP, especially Jed. If used judiciously, you sacrifice nothing but small delays in your companion levels while boosting your MC’s XP gains significantly. In a trio, a Mastermind MC with all the bonuses usually ends with around 14,500 XP, 2300 shy of level 10. If you take Jed later in the chapter(he already starts at a higher level), and you excuse them for some short civic-oriented sequences, you can reach level ten in a trio and easily before Chapter 4 in a duo.

Sequences I recommend skipping with companions:

Chapter 1(Gains: 850XP at +90%, 790XP at +75%, 700XP at +55% in a duo)

1. Abe’s
2. Spike and Bulldozer
3. John Doe
4. Persuade Jed
5. Kill Black Will(wait to turn in quest w/companions)
6. Mysterious Stranger Part 1
7. Solo frog Habitat
8. Persuade Morgan(wait to turn in quest with companions)
9. Persuade Samuel’s Thugs to kill him
10. Kill Samuel’s Thugs(wait to turn in quest)

Chapter 2 (Gains: 540XP at +100%, 474XP at +75%, 420XP at +55%)

11. Persuade Troublemakers(wait to turn in quest)
12. Persuade Prophet John(wait to turn in quest)
13. Persuade shakedown squad(Brotherhood)
14. Persuade Whatley(wait to turn in quest)
15. Persuade or kill bored soldiers
16. Persuade or kill hostile workers(Coming Storm)

Of course, you can use this information however you wish, bearing in mind that companions don’t like to be dismissed on a whim.

Good luck and good hunting!