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Character progression in ArcheAge Chronicles runs on two separate tracks. Character level and experience supply stat points, while trait points, which shape how each weapon fights, come from defeating powerful bosses found while exploring rather than from levelling. The Global Project Manager set out the system in a developer post on 15 October 2026, ahead of the Steam Next Fest Demo, and the studio says point costs, tree layouts and which skills get alternate versions are likely to change during Early Access.

Levels and Experience

Characters start at level 1 and level up on reaching each experience threshold. Defeating monsters gives some experience, but most comes from questing, finding things in the world and completing points of interest. The studio's stated aim is a steady, fairly predictable rate of levelling as players work through each section of the open world, so that progression never feels like a chore done before the fun starts.

Stats

Every level grants stat points, which the player assigns. One point always buys one point of a stat, however high that stat already is, and the character screen previews how attack power, critical chance and other values will change before the choice is locked in. There are six primary stats:

Weapon Traits

Traits decide how a character actually fights. Every weapon type has its own trait tree, spent through the Traits menu, so a Warrior's longsword and greatsword trees are entirely separate, each with its own paths and unlocks. Most nodes are smaller stat boosts along a path. Others give the weapon new skills, and some change how an existing skill plays out. Because the paths branch, two players using the same weapon can end up fighting very differently. See Character Classes and Warrior Class.

The developers gave the greatsword as an example. One player takes its damage branch, unlocking Armor Break and turning Sunder into Sweeping Slash, which hits twice instead of once across a broader cleave arc. Another takes the defensive branch and picks up Pummel Strike, an attack usable while guarding that grants a shield to absorb damage. Both builds are meant to be viable; they simply suit different playstyles.

Early in development, trait points were tied to character level, as stats still are. The team split them off so that the answer to a hard fight would not simply be to go and level up, and tied them to challenges instead.

Raeven's Coilstones

Trait points come from Raeven's Coilstones, and every Coilstone sits near a powerful boss. Some of those bosses are out in the open, some are hidden away, and some appear only through certain quests, so finding a Coilstone means a fight before the reward. The design goal is for exploration to pay off in combat: a boss finally beaten rewards the player with a new skill or a new way to play. See Exploration.

Nui Tears and Treasure

Nui Tears are tucked all over the open world. Brought to a Nui Statue, they raise maximum HP. The first few increases need only a handful of tears and each later one needs a few more, so health grows over the whole journey rather than in a single afternoon. Nui Statues are also where players switch between standard and PvP channels; see PvP Arenas.

Treasure chests range from ones sitting in plain sight to ones hidden in easily missed spots, and can hold gear, rare crafting recipes and other useful items. Chests and other discovered objects open once per character, so players never race each other to reach them first.

Field Bosses and Dungeons

Field bosses roam the open world as a clear step up from the monsters around them, with attack patterns that take some learning. They drop gear, including accessories, along with crafting materials that cannot be obtained anywhere else. Story quests also end in fights that push back. See World Bosses.

Dungeons are instanced for a single player or a party of up to four. Quest progress is shared inside, and a dungeon can be taken on solo. The demo includes a new high-level dungeon, Throne of Hinnon, which the studio warns will not be an easy clear with the progression available there, making it a test of whether a first build holds up. See Endgame Content.

Hersander's Towers and the Hereafter Challenge

Every zone hides a set of Hersander's Towers. Hersander is the god of gambling, and each tower poses a riddle describing the offering it wants; sometimes the answer is just down the road, and sometimes it is somewhere only an attentive player would look. Satisfying every tower in a zone awards a unique accessory and unlocks the Hereafter Challenge, in which Hersander pits the player against a strengthened version of one of that zone's bosses, chosen at random, against the clock. Clear times go on a leaderboard, so players compete to finish fastest.

Subject to Change

The studio presents the current system as most of the way to its goal and expects to adjust point costs, tree layouts and which skills receive alternate versions based on player feedback during Early Access. As of 19 October 2026 no level cap or total number of trait points has been published, and no trait tree has been documented node by node.