Four sources of XP
Each one can be switched on and off individually and weighted individually.
| Source | What for | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Messages | XP per message written | Set a cooldown, otherwise spam pays off |
| Voice channels | XP per minute in a voice channel | Muted or alone should not count |
| Reactions | XP for reacting to messages | keep it small, otherwise people just click through |
| Commands | XP for using bot commands | usually the least useful |
The cooldown is the most important number
Without it somebody gets XP twenty times for twenty one-word messages, and in the end the leaderboard shows who spammed the most, not who was the most active. The cooldown defines how long after a counted message no further one counts.
Two switches for voice channels
- Alone in the channel = no XP. Otherwise somebody parks alone in the voice channel overnight and is at the top in the morning.
- Muted or deafened = no XP. Prevents the same thing with people who sit there in company but without taking part.
We recommend leaving both switched on. They cost real users nothing and close the two most common ways of exploiting the system.
Role rewards
You store pairs of level and role: whoever reaches level 5 gets role X; whoever reaches level 20 gets role Y. The bot assigns them automatically.
One switch decides the behavior on level-up:
- Keep old roles, the rewards accumulate. Good if every role unlocks a permission of its own.
- Remove old roles, only the highest one ever remains. Good for rank titles that replace one another.
The level-up message
By default the bot announces a level-up in the same channel in which it happened. You can also choose a fixed channel or switch the message off entirely, on very active servers that is sometimes sensible.
You design the message itself freely: the placeholder {level} stands for the new level, {user} for the member. As an image card or an embed, as everywhere.
The leaderboard
A panel of its own shows the most active members. In the dashboard you only choose the channel, the bot puts the panel there by itself and keeps it up to date. No command needed; if you change the channel, it moves along. Clearing the field removes it again.
Exceptions
Two lists keep the system clean:
- Excluded channels: bot playgrounds, spam channels, counting channels. There should be no XP there.
- Excluded roles, for bots, for example, or for members who explicitly do not want to appear on the leaderboard.
Common pitfalls
- The reward role is not assigned. Check the role order, see the warning above.
- Somebody is levelling up unrealistically fast. Check the cooldown. Without it every message counts.
- Voice XP keeps running although nobody is talking. The two switches for “alone” and “muted” are off.
- Progress is gone after leaving. It is not, the values are kept and still apply when someone rejoins. We do not delete progress data.