A Treatise on EverQuest's Experience Calculations

[Torven]

I found some old claims regarding pet experience in groups that I think are credible and worth documenting here.

A guy using the handle "TedtheChanter" posted on enchanter class forums and he claimed to understand how pet exp splits worked. He also says in another thread I've found that he was either examining network packets or otherwise was using ShowEQ.

Originally Posted by TedtheChanter in 2001

In a group, pets take exp as a group member of the caster's level, but only if they get more than half the total damage.

You can search on this BBS on my alias for numerical test results with level 1, 2, and 3 characters that clearly show the pet taking experience in groups.

https://web.archive.org/web/20010716...c&f=9&t=004834

Unfortunately his post or thread containing his "numerical test results" was seemingly not captured by Internet Archive. IA did capture another, later, post of his however:

Originally Posted by TedtheChanter in 2002

OLD VERSION, GROUPED:
-Pet does more than half damage in a group of N players, it takes 1/(N+1) exp. Group splits the remaining N/(N+1) of exp. Depending on how many are in your group, 1/(N+1) ranges from 14% to 50%.
- Pet does less than half damage, pet takes nothing.

Originally Posted by TedtheChanter in 2002

3. There are two small nerfs to DC in large groups.

A. DC pets used to be capped at 14% exp suck in a 6 man group in normal combat. Now they can take 25% to 50% of group experience. Obviously a nerf, but not a big one in a good group.

https://web.archive.org/web/20020718...c&f=9&t=007328

This obviously bolsters the "takes a share as if they were a group member" argument. (the opposing claim being pets take half even in groups) Until further evidence is discovered to the contrary I will lean in the direction of "takes a share".


He also claimed to understand how multiple pet splits worked post charm nerf.

In response to somebody asking the question: "1) If the group consists of 2 enchanters w/DC pets and 1 slacker druid (for snaring mostly), and the damage distribution is DC pet 1 does 45% and DC pet 2 does 45% and gimp druid does 10% damage, does the group get 100% exp for the kill or will there still be a penalty?"

he replies:

Originally Posted by TedtheChanter in 2004

Only the last pet to engage counts, and only damage done after it is engaged is counted. Dire charm > regular charm > summoned pets, so engaging a summoned pet late will still use the Dire Charm pet rules.

https://web.archive.org/web/20040122...hp?p=11923&amp


He does make some other statements regarding experience gains that I know to be incorrect, so I wouldn't take this to be definitive proof, but it may be the best evidence that has been preserved. I would say however that I think it likely that Sony did not add up damage credit from multiple pet sources, so his claim aligns with my intuition at least.