How run XP and Team Level work

Team Level is temporary progression inside a run. Its XP requirement follows a level-band curve with integer truncation and a stored cap. Gold Medal raises the effective requirement after that curve is calculated.

Updated Written by Eli Hart9 min readAll players

Make the Team Level decision

Default: Keep a safe movement line and collect XP already on that line instead of detouring only to force the next Team Level.

Reason: The next bar grows through the current level band, while direct level-up rewards bypass that XP bar entirely.

Premise: This applies to the temporary Team Level inside the current run, not Survival Level or a named Survivor Level at Camp.

Cost: A detour changes positioning, and raises the selected bar by 10% even though it improves a separate Military Training threshold.

Alternative: Chase a named Team Level only when an active objective or Item condition requires it; use the one-level check below for the exact current bar.

Identify the level you are reading

The number that rises as you collect experience during combat is the current run’s Team Level. It resets with the run. It is not the shared Survival Level at Camp and it is not a Survivor’s permanent level.

This distinction matters because the curves are unrelated. The Skill Tree guide owns permanent Survival and Survivor levels, ranks, caps, and their XP formula. The rules below apply only to the level-up bar inside a run.

Calculate the next run level

Level 1 needs 100 XP. After each level is reached, the game multiplies the previous stored requirement by the multiplier for that new level, truncates the fractional part, and keeps at least 1 XP. The stored value cannot exceed 10,000,000 XP.

Complete run XP growth curve
Reached Levels 2 to 101.25xPrevious stored requirement, then truncate
Reached Levels 11 to 201.12xPrevious stored requirement, then truncate
Reached Levels 21 to 301.07xPrevious stored requirement, then truncate
Reached Levels 31 to 1001.04xPrevious stored requirement, then truncate
Reached Levels 101 to 2001.03xPrevious stored requirement, then truncate
Reached Levels 201+1.02xPrevious stored requirement, then truncate

Level 1 starts at 100 XP. The stored requirement cannot rise above 10,000,000 XP.

The band belongs to the level you just reached. Reaching Level 10 uses 1.25x. Reaching Level 11 switches to 1.12x. That boundary is why estimating the entire curve with one exponential multiplier produces the wrong answer.

Apply XP modifiers in the right order

The game scales a single pickup in this order:

  1. Multiply mode XP scaling by Team XP Modifier.
  2. Multiply that result by the pickup’s base XP.
  3. Truncate to a whole number for one pickup.
  4. Multiply that whole number by the pickup count.
Pickup scaling uses a fixed order
pickup XP = truncate(mode XP scaling × Team XP Modifier × base XP)grant XP = scaled pickup XP × pickup count
  1. Start with 17 base XP.
  2. Apply 1.2x mode XP scaling and 1.35x Team XP Modifier.
  3. Truncate the result to 27 XP for one pickup.
  4. Apply the count after truncation: 27 x 3 = 81 XP.

The count comes after truncation. A compacted gem that represents several pickups therefore preserves the per-pickup whole-number result instead of rounding one large combined value. The ground pickup guide lists every experience gem’s base value and explains how physical gems merge and compact.

Carry XP through more than one level

XP above the current requirement stays in the bar after the level changes. The game checks the new requirement again and repeats while enough XP remains.

One XP grant can cross several levels

Start at Level 1 with 80 XP in the bar, then grant 300 XP. The result is Level 3 with 155 XP carried into the next bar. That one grant awards 2 levels.

Remainder
Carries forward
Multiple levels
Allowed in one grant
Direct level-up reward
Does not use XP multipliers

This is why a high-value pickup or an accumulated grant can open several level-up choices in sequence. The leftover amount is not discarded at each threshold.

Account for Gold Medal

changes the effective XP requirement, not the XP earned by a pickup. The game first calculates the stored threshold, multiplies it by 1.1, and truncates.

At Level 100, the stored requirement is 69,617 XP. Gold Medal changes that bar to 76,578 XP. Once the stored curve reaches its 10,000,000 cap, Gold Medal can still raise the effective bar above the stored cap because its multiplier is applied afterward.

The tradeoff is separate from Gold Medal’s Military Training effect. While the Item is active, the selected XP bar is 10% larger after the game calculates its stored requirement. This guide does not assume the Item was present for earlier bars.

Separate XP from direct level-ups

A reward that says it grants a level-up does not pass through mode XP scaling, Team XP Modifier, or the Gold Medal requirement. It advances the level directly.

Items that grant levels directly

Every time you open an Item Chest, you receive a level-up. SOS Signals grant you Cash.

Gain a level-up for each Skip on Military Training & Item Chests. Recruiting a Survivor provides one level-up for every 2 minutes that has passed since the last Survivor joined the team.

Every time you Liberate a Survivor, you gain two level-ups instead of one. Item Chests grant you Cash.

None of those rewards should be converted into a guessed XP amount.

Choose XP Items by their condition

An XP Modifier is useful only while its condition is true, so compare the condition before the printed percentage.

Items with XP conditions

Depending on the number of Survivors currently in your team, you gain a bonus of: 1: +20% XP Modifier & +20 Movement Speed 2: +20 Armor & +10% Dodge Chance 3: +15% Critical Chance

For each damage type tag with bonus of at least +3: +1% Dodge Chance +3% Cash modifier +5% XP modifier

For every empty item slot up to 8 you gain +10% XP Modifier. +10% XP Modifier

Halves your Max HP. This item cannot be swapped to a different one. +44% XP modifier

Gain points from every use of the Skip function. +1 point for the level-up panel skip, +5 for any other. Every 2 points: +1% XP modifier Every 5 points: Military Training Point

If you're below level 100, gain 2% XP per second. Receiving damage causes it to pop, swapping this item into a random other.

Strategy follows from those conditions. A solo opener can use Duct Tape’s XP line immediately. Emerald Gem needs matching damage-type investment. Jewel of Death asks whether faster levels are worth the permanent health loss for that run.

Check one Team Level

Enter the Team Level shown in the current run. The result owns one selected bar and its Gold Medal state; it does not compare nearby levels or guess when the Item entered the run.

The URL query keeps this selected state on the same mechanism page without taking over its heading anchors. With scripts disabled, the formula, growth bands, scaling order, and decision above remain available.

FAQ

Does Team XP Modifier lower the next-level requirement?

No. It changes scaled XP earned from eligible pickups. The requirement follows the run XP curve. Gold Medal is the Item in this guide that changes the effective requirement.

Does Gold Medal reduce XP gains?

No. While Gold Medal is active, it raises the selected bar to 1.1x the stored value after truncation rules are applied. Pickup XP uses the same mode and Team XP Modifier calculation.

Is Team Level the same as Survival Level?

No. Team Level belongs to the current run. Survival Level is permanent shared progression at Camp.

Can one pickup award several levels?

Yes. The game carries the remainder and checks each new requirement until the stored XP falls below the current bar.

Do direct level-up rewards become stronger with XP Modifier?

No. Direct level grants bypass XP multipliers. They advance the level without calculating an equivalent amount of XP.