Progression & Leveling
Hacking XP sources
| Source | XP |
|---|---|
Successful ns.hack() / manual hack | +10 flat, per success |
| Each hacker you employ | passive XP every game tick (rate depends on hacker tier — see Resources) |
| Each machine you own | passive XP every game tick (rate depends on machine tier) |
| Winning a boss fight | large lump sum, boss-specific (see Boss Fights) |
| Winning a PvP fight | playerLevel * 50 |
Passive (hacker/machine) XP is boosted +10% per level of the "Increase Resource Multiplier" research.
Leveling formula
expRequiredForLevel(L) = levelUpExpMultiplier * L // levelUpExpMultiplier = 10,000So leveling up from level L to L+1 requires 10,000 * L hacking XP accumulated since your last level-up (it's a rolling threshold, not a cumulative total — excess XP carries over into the next level's progress). E.g. level 1→2 needs 10,000 XP, level 2→3 needs 20,000 XP, level 3→4 needs 30,000 XP, and so on — it grows linearly, not exponentially.
Leveling up:
- Increments
player.hackingby 1. - Carries over any leftover XP beyond the threshold into progress toward the next level.
- Re-checks all level-gated unlocks (tabs, machines, boss targets, etc.) and queues unlock notifications for anything newly available.
- Can trigger any level-gated story emails.
Ticks
The game runs on a 1-tick-per-second loop. Every tick:
- The time counter advances.
- Passive hacking XP from hackers/machines is added (skipped during offline catch-up — see Offline Progress) and a level-up check runs.
- If enough ticks have passed since the last server-money regen, all servers regenerate (see Hacking & Servers).
- Any completed research is finalized.
Passive XP gain is paused entirely while a resource freeze penalty (from a failed boss fight) is active — see Boss Fights.