The RS3 XP & Level System: A Complete Reference
Everything you do in RuneScape 3 is measured in experience (XP), and the shape of the XP curve quietly dictates how you plan every goal. This is the complete reference: the curve, the exact numbers, and the rules of thumb that fall out of them.
The XP curve is exponential
Each level costs roughly 10% more XP than the one before it. That compounding means the early levels are trivial and the last few are enormous, the curve stays almost flat until about level 90, then rockets upward.
The exact formula
The XP required for a level is defined by a fixed formula (the same one for every standard skill):
XP(L) = ⌊ ¼ × Σ (from x=1 to L−1) of ⌊ x + 300 × 2^(x/7) ⌋ ⌋
You never need to calculate it by hand, the XP Calculator does it for any skill, including Invention's separate curve, but it's why the numbers grow the way they do.
Milestone table: XP for every key level
| Level | Total XP | Level | Total XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1,154 | 80 | 1,986,068 |
| 20 | 4,470 | 90 | 5,346,332 |
| 30 | 13,363 | 92 | 6,517,253 |
| 40 | 37,224 | 99 | 13,034,431 |
| 50 | 101,333 | 110 | 38,737,661 |
| 60 | 273,742 | 120 | 104,273,167 |
| 70 | 737,627 | 200M cap | 200,000,000 |
The ratios worth memorising
These fall straight out of the curve and do most of your goal-planning for you:
- 92 is halfway to 99. Level 92 (6.52M) is almost exactly half of 99 (13.03M), so the 92→99 stretch costs as much as everything before it.
- 99 is a rounding error next to 120. 13M vs 104M, reaching 120 is roughly eight 99s of XP.
- 200M is ~15 times a 99. The single-skill cap is 200M, so maxing XP in one skill is about fifteen times the effort of getting it to 99.
Virtual levels
Your level display normally stops at a skill's cap (99, 110, or 120), but the game also tracks virtual levels from your XP beyond it, a 99-capped skill with lots of XP might read as a "virtual 108", continuing up to virtual 120 (and 150 for Invention). Virtual levels don't unlock anything; they're a way to compare progress at the very top. Toggle them on any Codex profile to see them.
Total level and maxing
Add every skill's level together and you get your total level, which peaks at 3,232 with every skill at its cap. Getting there — and the XP each milestone costs, is covered in the max total level guide, and you can plan multi-skill routes on the Goal Planner.
Track your XP automatically
Search your name on The Codex and every skill's XP is tracked over time, with progress toward 99, 120, and 200M, plus a daily-gains heatmap. XP formula and values here are computed from the standard RuneScape experience table.