You level up on Discord by earning XP from the leveling bot a server has added, mostly by chatting and, in some servers, by spending time in voice. Most bots hand out XP at most once a minute, so steady conversation beats spamming. To see where you stand, type /rank (MEE6 and PeakBot) or /level (Arcane) in the server.
This guide is for members who want to understand how their level actually moves. If you run a server and want to set leveling up, skip to the section for server owners at the end.
Levels come from bots, not from Discord
The level numbers, rank cards and leaderboards you see in servers are made by a bot the server added, such as MEE6, Arcane or PeakBot. They are not a Discord account feature. That has two consequences:
- Your level is tracked per server. Reaching level 30 in one server does nothing for you in another.
- The rules depend on the bot and on how the admins set it up. Two servers running the same bot can level at different speeds.
To find out which bot a server uses, look at who posts the "you leveled up" messages, or type / in a channel and browse the commands listed for each bot.
One naming trap: a server's level (Level 1, 2 or 3) is something else entirely. That comes from Server Boosts: 2 boosts for Level 1, 7 for Level 2 and 14 for Level 3, according to Discord's Server Boosting FAQ. Members cannot raise it by chatting.
How message XP is counted
Every common leveling bot works the same basic way: you send a message, the bot gives you some XP, then it ignores your messages for a cooldown period before you can earn again.
| Bot | XP per message | Cooldown | Voice XP | Check your rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEE6 | A random 15 to 25 XP | Once per minute | Not described on MEE6's Levels wiki page | /rank, /levels for the leaderboard link |
| Arcane | Random between a minimum and maximum the server sets, or a per-word mode | 1 minute by default | Premium only, 3 minute default cooldown | /level, /leaderboard |
| PeakBot | Random between a minimum and maximum the server sets | Set by the server | Per minute with a session cap, on a paid plan | /rank, /leaderboard |
The figures for MEE6 come from its wiki, Arcane's from its docs, and PeakBot's from its own wiki.
What this means in practice: if you send 20 messages in one minute on MEE6, you get XP for one of them. Spamming earns nothing extra, and most servers treat it as a rule break. Arcane's optional per-word mode is the exception that rewards longer messages: it awards XP for each word of three or more characters, up to the maximum.
How voice XP works
Voice XP is less common and usually more restricted than message XP.
- Arcane only counts members who are unmuted and undeafened, needs a minimum number of members in the channel before anyone earns, and gradually lowers XP for anyone who stays in voice for many hours in one session. Voice XP is a Premium feature for the server.
- PeakBot pays voice XP per minute with a cap per session, when a server on a paid plan has switched it on.
So sitting alone in a voice channel while muted will usually earn little or nothing. If a server rewards voice, the intent is to reward actually talking with people.
Things that change how fast you level
- No-XP channels and roles. MEE6, for example, lets admins set channels and roles that never earn XP. Bot-command and spam channels are the usual ones. If your level is not moving, you may be chatting in one of these.
- Multipliers. Arcane supports XP boosters for certain roles and channels, and its
/boosterscommand shows the list. MEE6 lets the server change its overall XP rate, and has a setting that gives MEE6 Pro subscribers extra XP, which admins can switch off. - Reaction XP. Arcane can award XP for reacting to messages and for receiving reactions, with a 5 minute default cooldown.
- XP decay. Some bots let servers slowly lower the XP of inactive members, so a level can drop if you disappear for a while.
- Manual changes. Admins can add or remove XP. MEE6 has
/give-xpand/remove-xp, and some bots offer the same from a web dashboard.
How to check your level and rank
| Bot | Your rank | Leaderboard | Rewards and boosts |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEE6 | /rank or /rank @member | /levels posts a link to the server leaderboard | Role rewards are set by the server's admins |
| Arcane | /level | /leaderboard shows the top 10 and top 100, and the web leaderboard lives at arcane.bot/lb/ followed by the server | /rewards lists role rewards, /boosters lists XP boosts |
| PeakBot | /rank or /rank <user> | /leaderboard | Level roles are set per server |
How much XP each level takes (MEE6 example)
MEE6 publishes its formula. The XP needed to go from your current level to the next is 5 × level² + 50 × level + 100.
| From level | To level | XP needed for that step |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 100 |
| 1 | 2 | 155 |
| 5 | 6 | 475 |
| 10 | 11 | 1,100 |
| 20 | 21 | 3,100 |
Adding the steps up, reaching level 10 from zero takes 4,675 XP. At 20 XP per rewarded minute (the middle of MEE6's 15 to 25 range) and the default XP rate, that is roughly 234 separate minutes in which you sent at least one message. Other bots use different curves, and admins can change the rate, but the shape is similar: each level takes longer than the last.
How to level up faster without breaking rules
- Talk regularly rather than in bursts. One real message per cooldown window is all the bot counts. A conversation spread over an hour beats fifty messages in two minutes.
- Chat where XP counts. Avoid channels you suspect are excluded, and check the server's FAQ or pinned messages for which ones are.
- Use voice the way the server intends. If voice XP is on, join conversations unmuted with other people.
- Look for boosts. On Arcane,
/boostersshows any channels or roles with an XP multiplier. Some servers also run double-XP events. - Join events and threads. Active events are the easiest places to have real conversations, which is what every leveling system is built to reward.
Two things not to do. Do not spam: the cooldown means it does not work, and moderators often mute or reset people who try. And do not automate your account. Discord's policy on "self-bots" says that automating a normal user account is forbidden and can lead to the account being terminated.
For server owners
If you landed here while setting up leveling, our guides on leaderboards and rank cards and the best Discord leveling bots cover the admin side. PeakBot's leveling, including message XP, cooldowns and level roles on the free plan, is documented in its XP and leveling wiki.
Frequently asked questions
Why am I not getting XP on Discord?
The usual causes are a cooldown (you already earned XP this minute), a no-XP channel or role, voice XP being off or requiring you to be unmuted, or the bot lacking permission to see the channel you are typing in. Ask a moderator which channels count.
Does my Discord level carry over between servers?
No. With the bots covered here, XP and levels are tracked separately for each server.
Is there a command to see my level?
Yes. Try /rank on servers using MEE6 or PeakBot and /level on servers using Arcane. Typing / shows every command the server's bots offer.
Can admins give or take away XP?
Yes. MEE6 has /give-xp and /remove-xp, and other bots let admins edit XP from a dashboard. Admins can also reset the leaderboard, so a level is never permanent.
Does Nitro make you level up faster?
Not by itself. The XP rules in these bots' documentation do not involve Nitro, but some servers give their Server Booster role an XP multiplier, so boosting a server can speed things up there. Some bots also have their own perks: MEE6, for example, can give extra XP to MEE6 Pro subscribers if the server allows it.
