Combat XP Modes

Configure how offensive weapon skills earn XP

Overview

Combat XP Mode controls how offensive weapon skills (Swords, Axes, Polearms, Staves, Blunt, Daggers, Archery, Unarmed) earn experience. Defense and Acrobatics always earn XP per-hit regardless of the selected mode.

Change the mode from the admin dashboard (/mmoadmin) under General Settings, or set combatXpMode directly in mods/mmoskilltree/skill-config.json.

Available Modes

ModeConfig ValueHow XP Is Earned
Damage+Kill (default)damage_plus_kill1 XP per damage dealt on every hit, plus bonus XP when you land the killing blow (from mob-kill-xp.json with optional weapon scaling)
Damagedamage_basedXP equal to damage dealt on every hit (1:1 ratio). No kill bonus
Per-Hitper_hitXP from weapon XP maps on every hit. Each weapon has a fixed XP value defined in xp-maps.json
Kill-Onlykill_onlyXP only when you kill a mob. No XP from individual hits. Kill XP comes from mob-kill-xp.json

Damage+Kill (Default)

The hybrid mode combines the best of both worlds: immediate feedback from every hit plus a satisfying kill reward.

  • Per-hit component: 1 XP per point of damage dealt. A hit dealing 15 damage awards 15 XP immediately
  • Kill component: When you land the killing blow, bonus XP is awarded based on the mob type (from mob-kill-xp.json)
  • If Weapon XP Scaling is enabled (default), your weapon's per-hit XP value acts as a percentage bonus on the mob's base kill XP

This mode rewards both sustained combat and finishing kills, making progression feel natural regardless of weapon type or enemy difficulty.

Damage

The simplest mode: XP equals damage dealt in a 1:1 ratio. No kill bonuses.

  • A hit dealing 15 damage awards 15 XP
  • Stronger weapons that deal more damage naturally award more XP
  • No need to land the killing blow — all damage counts equally
  • Broken weapons (0 durability) award no XP

Per-Hit

The traditional mode from earlier versions. Each weapon has a fixed XP value defined in xp-maps.json, awarded on every hit regardless of damage dealt.

  • XP is determined by the weapon's entry in XP maps, not by damage dealt
  • Higher-tier weapons have higher per-hit XP values
  • Customize per-weapon XP from the admin dashboard via XP Values

Kill-Only

XP is only awarded when you kill a mob. No XP from individual hits. See the Mob Kill XP page for details on per-mob XP values and the kill XP formula.

  • Kill XP comes from mob-kill-xp.json with over 100 default mob entries
  • Optional Weapon XP Scaling applies your weapon's per-hit value as a percentage bonus on kill
  • Only the player who lands the killing blow earns XP

Unaffected Skills

The following skills always earn XP per-hit, regardless of which combat XP mode is active:

  • Defense — Earns XP when the player takes damage
  • Acrobatics — Earns XP when the player survives fall damage

Config File

The combat XP mode is stored in mods/mmoskilltree/skill-config.json:

{
  "combatXpMode": "damage_plus_kill"
}

Valid values: damage_plus_kill, damage_based, per_hit, kill_only

Choosing a Mode

If you want...Use this mode
Balanced progression with hit + kill rewardsDamage+Kill
Simple, damage-proportional XPDamage
Fine-grained control over per-weapon XP valuesPer-Hit
XP only from kills, no grinding on tanky mobsKill-Only