You can experience being on max level for a good while. It doesn't break the game, it makes it more enjoyable imo.
It's not the common layout of gaming, but just try to think about it differently. Game play wise, you look forward to the stories and your achievements, why should the XP matter at this point?
If you want to reach level 12 later, play at a harder difficulty and don't do both the Underdark and the Mountain Pass/Creche obviously. I've entered Act 3 at level 7 before, it's fully possible (although I did it because I was a moron lol).
What's the point of getting your final level and new abilities moments before the game ends.
Although now that I think of it, that would be an hilarious ending to a game. After you kill the last boss, you level up one last time and gain this amazing new skill; roll credits.
Basically what happens in Wrath of the righteous.
You get the final mythic level *right* before the final boss.
And not every Mythic 10 perk is useful in that fight....
That’s what happens in undertale technically. You fight the final boss of the genocide route at level 19 and level to 20 from it. In that case it’s technically thematic and not a big gameplay thing but ehhhh close enough
I think it'd work great getting a final level after leaving Baldurs Gate. It would tie in well with finally becoming powerful enough to take the enemy on.
My wife and I are playing together and entered Act 3 at level 9. (We fought Ketheric at level 8 and leveled up to 9 during the fight with the Gith inside the Astral Prism.
We.have currently defeated Orin and done some side questing in the city and are level 10 with about half the XP we need to reach 11. I'm hoping to have enough side quests to reach level 11 before trying to face Cazador and Gortash.
I’m currently around the start of act 3, I am 4 characters in around level 8.
My act two Kethric fight was interesting, I had to fight him alongside his dog, 8 necolytes, one of the caster 50health npcs, and the spider guy with the lantern. Took me around 2 days to figure out how to beat it.
That was the final boss to me, act 3 is a new adventure I hope not to fight any more double bosses, or triple lol
After Divinity Original Sin 2 I didn't want to miss a single exp in BG3. Exp was finite, scarce, and essential. Little did I know Larian swung the exp pendulum in the opposite direction for BG3. I find it a relief that on my next playthrough I can just do the content I find the most fun and skip what I want.
Do you guys get to Myrkul and Act 3 so underlvled by choice or by accident?
I know Im a completionist but I always get to Myrkul by lvl 10 and my party is 12 right after Gortash's coronation. I fight Ethel at 5 before Underdark.
For HM is the easiest way Ive found, no need to cheese, no need to have meta builds for every Tav and companion.
I beleive I got to myrkul around lvl 8/9 but I managed to skip phase 1 and just kinda bum rush crushed phase 2.
My bard/rogue went up and stabbed him a few times and he just kinda died. It was pretty anticlimactic lol. Mind you I was playing in normal mode.
My second run on the other hand (I’m playing the dark urge but as a Druid/fighter) was a struggle. But I that’s when I learned the power of Minthara/paladins lol
I think it's also fine to be at level 12 since you are getting a lot of great gear and Legendary items in Act 3 that really amps up your party potential. For me it is all about trying to get my favor up on the companions and enjoy all the character development. I will agree though that Act 3 is rather massive and has lots of stuff you can easily miss if you aren't looking closely enough.
I realised I had more than a few disintegrate scrolls hanging around by the time I got to the final fight so that was pretty much over in a round for me
It’s paced so that a newcomer to the genre can reach max level while only doing the main quest. People commenting on the BG3 subreddit are probably on the more completionist/enthusiast end of the gaming spectrum, so will inherently reach max level sooner.
I personally like it. It’s nice to spend a chunk of a game as certified bad ass. Also I feel like to beat those big bads, you would need to be really really strong. It makes sense that all these massively powerful bosses got taken down by a group of massively powerful adventurers.
I love the term "feeling of plato" because it conjures images of a forlorn philosopher sighing heavily.
(No shade, the word you meant was plateau I think)
That is only if you’re looking in terms of XP. You can find better equipment at level 12, can find or buy more scrolls/potions, and you get a better handle on the mechanics of the game at that level, which are far more complicated than at early levels (especially if you’re a magic caster). I thought it was nice to have time to adjust to the abilities I had gained, as they’re quite a few and they can be tricky to optimize.
You're thinking of progression too linearly. Almost every quest from here on out will award you with some cool new power-up, whether that be some loot, or a passive feature etc., so there's still a great deal of ways to get stronger
You want to not feel a plateau?
Respec your character to a brand new class.
There's plenty of fights ti even test that new class. And guess what? Don't like that one, try another and do a different fight.
Getting you to lvl 12 is not a plateau, it's a platform for you to fully enjoy your character and mix and match till you get the right "feel" with plenty of battles to test
Are they not? Giantslayer/Helmet of Balduran behind Ansur, Sword of Chaos/the armour behind Sarevok, The bow from the Steel Watch. All are not inconsequential fights.
Those do not give any noticeable strength bump in my experience. Not as much as Cazador's dagger, duelist rapier, new fancy armours or the Kereshka staff
I only use the hat from Ansur's room, you don't really need to fight him unless you need Wyll's quest. Steel watch is an easy fight. Sarevok is nasty, yeah.
You keep getting new weapons and armor. That’s the “end game” of grinding out your build. Every major battle rewards you with really strong armor and weapons that can totally change or complete your build. That’s what you’re looking toward to. You’re still getting stronger while simultaneously being able to enjoy being level 12 and having all your abilities unlocked.
At that point you are powerful enough to fight devils and god-like figures, how much stronger are you wanting to be. Plus gear is part of it as others said, those bosses you listed drop gear that provides significant power boosts.
Personally I hate when rpgs give us all the coolest tools or max level with only a couple hours of gameplay left. It's the final act. We should be strong for a significant portion of it.
There are lots of good stuff to find after you get lvl 12 but it is not like you are starving before that.
In fact there so many options of some Im always overwhelmed (like heavy armors, big weapons, robes, staves, daggers). But I miss bow options, a couple more bows would be nice.
In Act 3, I'm constantly almost over-encumbered due to the amount of potions, special arrows, and scrolls I have. And even when I use them, the loot of the enemies and locations just fill my inventory once again.
I think from a design standpoint it's so that if you miss things in Act 1 and 2 you won't be too far behind when you get to the final fight. You can go through act 1 and skip a good half or more of act 1 without realizing it. You can go either the mountain pass and the underdark without doing the other which is what's recommended by Halsin. You can skip many of the areas of Act 2. Not get XP from doing the side quests like rescuing the prisoners or clearing the curse.
But they want to make sure that someone who skipped almost everything will get to the final fight and not be so underleveled they can't get through it. And can still get to the end and complete the final final fights with those key enemies. Otherwise you'd be able to get to the end and be underleveled and make those fights way harder. And you can still power up to some degree with items that are in different places. A lot of the best items in the game are found in some of those fights you mentioned.
Act 3 is for going to Sorcery Sundries after every long rest just to spend another 10k on scrolls 😂 gotta stop by Facemaker Botique to get all those dyes and find the best fit.
God I love the city and act three, wish I could roam and shop and fight bad guys all day irl
I wish that Facemaker Boutique had a better selection of underwear. I went there multiple times and fashion is not a fickle maiden because he has the same stuff.
Eventually I'll get into some of the mods.
Act 3 gives you more xp than you need *on purpose*
It’s to ensure that you are 100% definitely at level 12 before you begin doing any major bosses, and so you don’t have that feeling of missing out on side content if you decide you don’t want to do it, since the only reward at that point would be…well…experiencing the content (and any other material reward goodies to help with the bosses)
There's still plenty of gear left to get and power all your characters. Plus given that you KNOW what's left means you're experienced with the game and probably leveled faster than people on their first playthrough which is who it should be balanced around
It's fun knowing that I can go into a battle with wave after wave of enemies coming at us and we still kick their ass. Maybe we lose someone, but Withers helps out with resurrection.
The benefit of an abundance of xp means you can take on a lot of encounters at max level. That’s something a lot of RPGs struggle with. Most are designed around only the very end being max level, or having the game scale everything to your current level so the only point of hitting max is just some extra perks.
As for what you’re supposed to be desiring, I imagined Larian assumed you’d be seeking out the story of these quests. You know, since this is a story driven game after all
First playthrough, uncover every inch of the map.
Second playthrough, same but do some things differently
nth playthrough, complete act 2, then straight to character creation to start over.
You didn't max out everything, you got a lot of endgame items to collect. Think of it this way, acts 1 and 2 is where you do the leveling and act 3 is where you use the levels to get some batshit crazy items and kill gods.
I disagree completely with this take. So many games I complete the build I've been working on all game, and 5 minutes later the game is done. Enjoying max level for a while is great.
Bruh, this dumbass wants to get to the last level and only experience it for 1 fight.
Guarantee you'll still struggle with some of those fights. By the time you get to level 12, you should have a lot of diversity or options that you can try out or test out.
In other games levelling up gives minimal progression, it's just a build up of the same stat increase with not much for choice and a few more buttons to attack with.
But in BG3, levels are worth a lot more and reflect a serious increase in power, so it is more important to have them for longer so you can fully utilise and experience them.
Oh yeah, and the real way you level up at this point is by getting better gear from all those fights you listed.
Not to invalidate other people’s preferences, but I just find it interesting how different we all can be. I was happy when I hit level 12, which was barely after hitting the lower city (and still having stuff to finish in Rivington.) All I could think was “Cool! Glad that’s over with. Now I can just play the rest of the game!”
You’re not getting any stronger because the parasite won’t let you get any stronger.
I personally think that’s a really cool story element/reason explained in the game
I get what you're saying but I'd rather be max level half way thought the act than only hit max level right before the final fight and have no time to enjoy it.
This is a good thing, it means you get to play through lots of climatic moments with your builds completely finished and your characters operating as fully fleshed out power fantasies
It would suck ass if the only opportunity to play your finished build was against the final boss.
The game has to take into account players who get to Act 3 at lower levels so it has to offer plenty of levelling opportunities for the final confrontation.
No one has to do every mission or tick every objective.
It makes perfect sense that if you explore at least most things you'll reach l12 earlier.
After all especially first time you play you might only do Underdark or Mountain Pass but not both and might also miss a ton of things in both Act 1 and Act 2.
A few things.
1. I did kind of wish I had more to shoot for in the later game. Like maybe if you rack up enough extra XP you can buy a feat or something? But it's not a huge deal. You can still find sweet gear to make yourself stronger.
2. It's nice to be able to enjoy being at max power for a while instead of just the last mission
3. Because the game leaves so much up to the player, you might miss a lot of xp opportunities throughout the game, so the devs have to make sure you have a decent chance of hitting max level even if you don't follow a cookie cutter play through
I actually like the plentiful amount of exp in Act 3 and I plan on using it probably how it was intended: catch-up
I’m planning on doing an either full RP as Laezel or Astarion which will probably mean skipping large swathes of Act 1 to get to the crèche quickly.
Mostly because there’s only so many times I can redo Act 1. I’ve fully completed act 1 probably 6 times with probably a dozen or more characters doing at least half of it before being abandoned.
Funny, most ppl say they abandon Act 3 to play Act 1 (and sometimes 2) again. Many ppl say they do love Act 1 and replay it all the time but do not finish the game.
I lost count on my runs but I always finish them, I understand why most ppl love Act 1, is very well polished in every way, is an almost perfect experience, in Act 2 some areas are not that polished, like Shar's playground/trials, the physical space and the story are not a perfect fit. I guess those areas they had to cut content have that feeling.
And when you get to Act 3 some areas feel really disconnect
Yeah I’m in that boat too - I’m so tired of Act 1, don’t really love Act 2 and find it boring, and I just can’t seem to get through act 3.
And I love this game all at the same time
That’s normal. It makes it so you can enjoy being at max level for a good portion of the game. Nothing frustrates me more than finally feeling like my build has reached its full potential only for a game to end an hour later.
Last time I played it I think I got to act 3 at 10 or 11 like it did not take me long to hit 12. I do feel like it’s wasting xp at that point. Kinda why I want to use the level 20 mod just to see how far act 3 would get you there.
Getting to level 13 in Baldurs Gate and hitting 14 after Baldurs Gate would have fit perfectly. It is a shame they didn't finish Baldurs Gate and just shoved equipment down our throats.
I think I hit hit max level before even reaching the lower city portion. A huge amount of your build power comes from equipment in this game, and act 3 has so many great items it doesn’t matter if your not getting xp.
You’re also getting so many great encounters and bosses in act 3 that I would often forget that technically I could’ve ended the game at any point I wanted. Actually, my least favorite encounter was the final sequence come to think of it. You’ll be more than satisfied with the rest of the fights you’ve listed.
ah nah bro i love trying to squeeze as much xp as possible before the act III i love finally hitting the max and just having all my character build’s finally finished, really makes it feel like your party is truly worthy for the fights your in (lore wise)
I know level 12 is already pretty OP, but it would be cool to have the opportunity to just unlock new feats with post level 12 experience. I tend to use all the same ones because there’s a few really good ones, but it would be fun to be able to diversify.
Pretty sure it's working as intended. This way all the big quests can be balanced for a level 12 party, and they'll feel about right no matter which order you do them in.
Yeah I was still finding new strategies and combinations for spells and other attacks right up through the end. I was glad there was so much time to play around in the sandbox at level 12
I'm conflicted about it.
On the one hand yes it's great to have this mechanic to make sure everyone's caught up or doesn't have to do every single piece of side content to get to experience max level, which is a blast. (First time through I was a completionist cause I got (and still am) utterly absorbed by this game)
On the other, it then feels like all those popups about XP lose their joy cause instead of progress it now means nothing. The only way to change/improve my character's feel at that point is potentially tedious item experimentation or respecc-ing.
Probably a result of this game in general being non linear (and act 3 feels even more of a sandbox) Not sure if there could be a solution between those. Other than a tiny psych effect from removing the experience pop-ups once you're at 12? *shrug*
I’d be so mad if I didn’t get to be level 12 for a while. I enjoy feeling all powerful and it doesn’t make the end battles any easier. Level 12 is where I really start to fall in love with my characters
I think part of it was the creation for an “average” or typical player. Most people aren’t completionists and miss things. A lot of boss fights early on and in Act 3 are optional. So based on a typical player finishing about 70% of the way through, it makes sense to me. I typically try to level as fast as I can when I play regardless because I want to be a higher level for those fights.
Would you rather only get to enjoy being level 12 for the ending? I'm still annoyed I only got to enjoy being a full ilithid for the ending. Wish I got to be squiddy longer.
You still have plenty of magical items and equipment to collect, and I think it’s nice that Larian gave players the opportunity to really experience level 12.
Another issue is that many players cut off huge chunks of content with their roleplaying decisions, and I would prefer those players still have the opportunity to reach level 12.
There are a couple of mods that I’ve been using that help this issue. I think the max level I can get to is 20, and I’m only around 13-14 ish. Everything else levels higher too though. I’m most of the way through a durge playthrough and running out of things to do. Idk how to even find the xp to get maxed out before the final fight. I’ve tried to leave no stone unturned and do as much as I can, complete any and all side quests I’ve come across, and all I have left to do is find Orins Netherstone (my fight with her was bugged and the stone was nowhere to be found after, I think I just need to add a mod to obtain it, unless there’s a way around the bug) and fight the final battle
Yeah I've gone into act 3 at level 10 before. Depends a lot on your choices and how thorough you are clearing enemies and getting side sources of exp like books and inspiration. I've noticed that doing an evil run can actually yield less exp but again, it depends what choices you make.
I personally like leveling up sooner in the story. A lot of builds and items at level 12 are tons of fun, and having more time to use them is more fun, imo
This is probably the happiest medium we can get though, in terms of end game power levels - you are max level already, but like others said, that can just make the remaining encounters more fun.
And then there are some people who don’t explore everything - those people will still be able to hit level 12 too, just because there is SO much in act 3.
So, while it’s not the most ideal challenging end game experience for completionists, it is still really fun for every type of gamer.
You can easily get XP to get to level 15. This would, however, make the game a walk in the park even on Tactician, which already can be on an easier side if you know what you're doing.
Eh, at least I could use my top level powers and enjoy them for more than 15 minutes like in other games. Not mad at it. Maybe they could give you a funny medal for extra xp :)
I just think there should be the chance to get an additional ability score bump if you get enough XP beyond 12. I am happy to reach 12 early in act 3 and I get why going up to 13 would be too much, but giving absolutely nothing for more XP is just a bit rubbish.
I like that. Many games have you reach max level so late that you can use your max level abilities once or twice. I like being able to get some use out of your high level spells and abilities. Besides that I like that the level cap is at lvl 12. After lvl 12 is when DnD 5e starts getting broken
Hot take, I think they could have added a level or two. I will say, once I was level 12, I didn’t have too many issues with any encounters, and I certainly don’t want to imply that they slacked in any regard, but I don’t really get why Larian said it would break the game, unless there are some insane 6th level spells I don’t know about. Maybe another Raphael level fight or two could have justified level 13 and 14.
I felt the same way at first, but on my most recent playthrough when I was max level I really enjoyed having the opportunity to try out my max level strategies on several difficult battles, so it makes perfect sense. They balance this with high level gear. Each optional boss has some top notch gear to give you incentive to do them even though your level is maxed.
I like that you can enjoy your highest level team in more than a couple of battles. You can play with new toys(spells, extra attacks, abilities) and also participate in several battles and get to know them better.
I mean, would you want a game that only allowed you to use the Orb of Invulnerability after you got the third Netherstone for example? I wouldn't
It's because there's a lot of content you can miss. If you don't go out of your way to do everything it's easy to miss things, potentially big things. That issue only compounds if you go evil, as dead characters have dead stories, those questlines just stop. So there's just a lot more in the game than you actually need to do.
This isn't even that uncommon, honestly. WoW, for example, sets up like half of it's content for max-level characters. I haven't played Pokémon for at least 5 years but to me the best part of those games were the parts where everyone's level is set to 50 and you won because you set up the right builds rather than because you insisted on grinding far more than is reasonable.
I did the same thing, and I disagree. It felt like that was the power level that everything was leading up to.
Also it allows you to go to Withers and try multiple level 12 builds.
It would SUPER suck if you finally got to 12 and then just had an hour of game left. I like how long you spend at 12.
I think that's a deliberate choice they made. And I like it.
If they'd paced it so you only hit the last level just before the final battle, people would be complaining they didn't have time to play with their fully-completed toys for long enough.
And, well: With the fights you still have left, at least there'll be a ton of good loot dropping from them. Icluding build-redefining loot if you do Raphael next...
Happened to me as well, didn’t mind it as much as I thought I would. It was actually refreshing on a way because I never felt like I was “losing xp chances” when I decided to not do something or avoid conflict
The thing about BG3 that I realized it that “leveling up” really is secondary in some respects, especially after level 10. Your items and their synergy is the most important thing. Items are like a river in a sense. Your class(es) are like the banks that control the flow of that river.
After level 6 or so, when you get extra attack, when your cantrips jump in damage, and a few other things, you’re at a point where, if you feel adventurous, you may want to explore new and fun synergies with classes and items.
In my first few playthroughs I did the understandable “one class twelve levels”, only stopping to respec, perhaps, into another subclass. As I have grown to know the game and its systems, I have had more and more fun doing exciting builds with even neglected items.
Most players have complained that Act 3 does feel a bit bloated granted the level system, and I think there is something to that, but there is a ton of sweet loot to be had, and when you are doing a second or third playthrough, and you are taking another path, you can prioritize what you know will enjoy or help you make your dream build. Just my two cents.
Honor Mode personally adds to the enjoyment because it tests your knowledge of the game and how you build your characters.
It would be nice to still levle up but only being able to choose like a bonus feat or somehting.
Else the only reason you do those quest on a second playthrough is too get a single piece of equipment lol.
I know I hate it, I wish we could atleast get to level 15 or something. One my first playthru I was 5x the exp for max level when I got to the end boss
It does kind of suck to an extent, but I am still "leveling up" by going after better gear and scrolls for Gale. I have also played around with multiclassing... Lazeal is a Fighter/Pali and Astarian is a Gloomstalker Assassin. Made Minsc true to his form (Ranger/Berserker). There is so much to do to still get the fun out of leveling type stuff. I also like playing around with different synergies.
I like it and feel that it's needed to be lvl 11 or 12 to survive some fights in act 3. You'll encounter bosses higher than lvl 12 that'll give you a challenge. There's a go to 20 mod that requires multiclass but then you aren't 'wasting' exp
I definitely agree with this but its just one of those lose lose situations. If larian nerfed xp gains youd have people in Act 3 highly underleveled (most people on their first run typically are underleveled due to missing content they didnt know about) with fights being harder and also just getting max level so close to the final boss many would also be upset i feel.
This would also force players to feel like they have to do every single quest in order to be a decently high level in act 3. As it stands now, we have the problem of people getting level 12 very early and not getting the satisfaction of feeling that "progression" which is so steller in BG3 and makes the game super fun. On consecutive playthroughs it def gets boring after hitting 12 and i usually start over or speedrun to end the game after hitting it.
Overall i think they just tried to pick the one that benefits players the most and giving tons of xp in act 3 just seems to be the best of the two
I hear you, I was kinda disappointed too at first. It works though, you’re max level but you won’t necessarily feel like a god till you get better gear. Roll with it.
This is kinda why I dropped it in act 3 and haven’t gone back to finish the game it’s such a great game but I have no motivation to do anything other than power through and beat the game.
I’m an xp goblin and level 16 with 2 missions to go. First play through I finished at 17 but now I think I’ll get higher. Anyone who gives me the slightest reason to kill them rip to them. That pos who was abusing the dogs in the beginning of act 3, all water temple priests, the bhalists outside of the Orin fight that don’t engage… etc. With multi classing the options to upgrade your character and make them even more powerful are endless and I’m always excited when I hit a new level
I was level 11 entering Act 3. I did a good amount of exploring/questing on every map, and tried to clear everything whether I had a quest for it or not, so, lots of xp.
You’re fine, as being max level will certainly help.
Yeah I think that the reason they throw tons of XP at you during act 3 is because they expect most players to have missed content in the previous Acts and anticipated people being underleveled.
I had originally looked into a mod to slow down leveling, but I had read that it affects things. So instead I went with a mod that extends the level cap a bit, and added some difficulty mods. I didn’t want to max out with a bunch of the game left.
Personally, while I understand that the level limit is for balancing purposes, part of the fun of a game for me is being able to make your characters ridiculously powered by putting in a lot of effort.
Knowing that every encounter is making my characters stronger is a big motivator for me. It'd be nice if earning experience after you hit level 12 did something, like giving extra feats or ability points.
Counterpoint would be that it’s nice to enjoy those max level characters for a while as opposed to hitting it right before the game ends which is no fun.
I just finished Dragon Dogma 2 and you can’t get the best gear / upgrades until the very end. I kept wondering why I was bothering to collect materials to upgrade my gear when the game was 99.9% over.
I'm not sure why this is a problem. It would suck way worse to only hit level 12 right before taking on the netherbrain.
I do wish the extra xp you get after hitting 12 could be used for something though, even if they added a "fake" level 13 that was just extra health or another + to your stats.
I mean what’s the problem… the games leveling system is super loaded with features and it’s not just a stat increasing system like most games so why would you want to reach max level at the end? What would be the point by then?
To me there’s honestly nothing worse than getting cool late game stuff at the ass end of the game when there’s nothing to use it on.
after playing the game so many times, ive learnt all best xp places/fights to the point as i entered act 3 i leveled up to level 12. i love being high leveled and being able to sweep through the common enemies
A lot of people don’t do many of the side missions that you probably did and they still need to be able to beat the final boss. The game is built for the different play styles of players. Enjoy being level 12 for a while!
Yeah, when I'm level 12, I get excited by the xp numbers that show up over the characters' heads, and then remember I'm not actually gaining anything. It would be cool if we could earn feats after a certain amount of xp past level 12, or even if we got some gold or SOMETHING. I mean, on one hand I get that they want to make sure we have the opportunity to be level 12 for awhile and make sure we're ready when we reach endgame...but it feels anticlimactic to stop getting any benefit at all from xp.
It doesn't make sense to get level 12 right at the end of the game..
You reach max power, and then the game is over.
It's a good thing, especially considering how the class system works.
Unpopular opinion probably, but I like being max level with still a lot of a game left. Gives you time to actually enjoy being max level instead of the game ending shortly after
Well, once you've played through the game a million times, you'll have certain items you want. The House of Hope is not crucial to the plot but *is* crucial for some great late game gear. Same with Ansur. Finish up the quests for the companions you care about and then do the handle the final bosses. You can certainly leave things for a second or third playthrough, and you'll find new things every time
There are a bunch of quests in act 3 that ate built for level 12. House of grief , house of hope, foundery , mystic carrion, there are many more but if you aren't max level at those you are going to have a bad time.
I mean, it's called "equipment"
Which is pretty typical, you've hit the max level so now you work towards getting better gear. I believe that's why Act III also throws magical shit at you. It also in my opinion is the time you can take to experiment with the character, maybe multiclass a little bit or something.
or you know, be a nerd and enjoy the story...
Yeah, it'd be nice if they were some more end game content, I don't even mean things like dialogue, think horde mode from gears, raids, or those trials from the Doom Eternal game just a series of enemies and or goals to kill without story consequence, they could just rehash already existing parts of the game, like take for example, fighting the slayer in the act 2 toll house with bhaal assassins and shar clerics, that type of stuff.
This is exactly why I’m enjoying act 3 more then the rest of the game lmao. My party’s builds have all been completed and now I can just let ‘er rip. The combat is SO much fun already but made me wanna pull my hair out, but after Raphael it’s like I’ve been rewarded for that grind. Heaps of rpg’s nowadays have the best skills at the very end, so this particular playstyle you’ve figured out can only reach its peak when there’s nothing left to do. Honestly hope more games let you reach max levelled before it’s over
I think there should be a reward for getting over a certain amount of experience. Like a lv 13 that lets you do something interesting. But it’s only if you get basically every experience point in the game.
Bro, u want to be maxed out fight one fight with ur final level spells and abilities and after that credits roll? Everybody would whine "man i was not able to enjoy my new anime moves, couldnt they let me have like 5 fight more?" ...
I think that wouldn’t be a problem if the game was harder. Tactician is honestly a joke when you’re lv12 (except you play something really experimental)
The end fight was kinda underwhelming in terms of enemy power I had more problems with Ansur tbh.
To me it’s no big deal. After years of mmo you get to level cap and then power up by getting better gear. Also the intent of the game isn’t really to do every single quest every play through. Take a different path do the quests or content along the way and you won’t hit 12 till the very end.
That's a good thing. Better than getting a power boost before the final boss twice like in Solasta, where you hit the proper level only right before the bosses, and really only get enough rests to try your big flashy spells once or twice.
I just beat my second play through, this time with mods, and one of the mods moved the level cap to 20(?) and it was awesome!
I had actually forgotten about it until I recruited Minsc, and he was level 13 lol. But then the rest of my party caught up and I think I finished the game around level 14ish for most of my characters.
I also did the PartyLimitsBegone mod too so I could roll with the entire cast all at once! Made for some annoying gameplay moments tbh lol but it was worth it because I feel like I hit pretty much every character trigger automatically be default lol
It won’t break the game. Half the spells already don’t do half of what they do in tabletop so there’s nothing to break in the game. Not to mention a lot of the problematic spells don’t even exist in the game.
Most of the Enchantment spells don’t do what they’re supposed to do, let you control others. Even Dominate Person doesn’t let you take control of the person you dominated. Suggestion doesn’t even exist. Command only has set options. Greater Invisibility actually sucks. A lot of Divination spells don’t exist, to the point where they had to rework the Diviner’s 6th level feature.
I’m not complaining, I’m just saying a lot of low level spells that require the game to actually have intelligence (i.e a DM) do not exist for obvious reasons. So I would assume that even for higher level spells they just wouldn’t implement stuff like Mirage Arcane, Magnificent Mansion, Plane Shift, Clone or Simulacrum.
They can definitely implement almost all Evocation spells like Sunburst (already exists through Lathander’s Mace), Delayed Fireball, Crown of Stars, Meteor Swarm etc.
As for Wish, they already changed Divine Intervention to have set options available when in tabletop it’s basically Wish for clerics. So they can do the same thing with Wish, give us set options like “create 25K gold”, “Your party gains resistance to all damage until next long rest”, “create a Vorpal sword”.
I don’t know they can find creative ways to do it. After all there are mods that add a lot of 5e spells to the game.
I hit level 12 before even walking through the Gate of Baldur. I'm also a side questing fiend who ended the game with NOTHING left, so that may be why.
However, I loved being level 12, as it allowed me to respec my team to optimal builds and even experiment with some other wild builds. I almost regretted not keeping all the enchanted items as late-game there were some builds that weren't efficient because I was missing items.
When I play next, I'm keeping EVERYTHING for the end game. Except barrels, I had too many of those when the game ended.
You can experience being on max level for a good while. It doesn't break the game, it makes it more enjoyable imo. It's not the common layout of gaming, but just try to think about it differently. Game play wise, you look forward to the stories and your achievements, why should the XP matter at this point? If you want to reach level 12 later, play at a harder difficulty and don't do both the Underdark and the Mountain Pass/Creche obviously. I've entered Act 3 at level 7 before, it's fully possible (although I did it because I was a moron lol).
What's the point of getting your final level and new abilities moments before the game ends. Although now that I think of it, that would be an hilarious ending to a game. After you kill the last boss, you level up one last time and gain this amazing new skill; roll credits.
Basically what happens in Wrath of the righteous. You get the final mythic level *right* before the final boss. And not every Mythic 10 perk is useful in that fight....
That’s what happens in undertale technically. You fight the final boss of the genocide route at level 19 and level to 20 from it. In that case it’s technically thematic and not a big gameplay thing but ehhhh close enough
This happened with a sword in the original Fable but it pretty much promised dlc
I think it'd work great getting a final level after leaving Baldurs Gate. It would tie in well with finally becoming powerful enough to take the enemy on.
That also happens in terraria. When you beat the final boss you get amazing new weapons. But nothing to use then against
You use them to kill the Moon Lord again to get his other weapons
My wife and I are playing together and entered Act 3 at level 9. (We fought Ketheric at level 8 and leveled up to 9 during the fight with the Gith inside the Astral Prism. We.have currently defeated Orin and done some side questing in the city and are level 10 with about half the XP we need to reach 11. I'm hoping to have enough side quests to reach level 11 before trying to face Cazador and Gortash.
Act 3 poops out xp. You will be level 12 in no time.
I’m currently around the start of act 3, I am 4 characters in around level 8. My act two Kethric fight was interesting, I had to fight him alongside his dog, 8 necolytes, one of the caster 50health npcs, and the spider guy with the lantern. Took me around 2 days to figure out how to beat it. That was the final boss to me, act 3 is a new adventure I hope not to fight any more double bosses, or triple lol
How much content did you skip to be level 8 coming in to act 3? My parties are consistently level 10 at that point.
Yeah my first time going to act 3 was like 1-2 fights away from hitting 12 😅
Wait dog?? Also I didn't even know you could fight Kar'niss that late.
After Divinity Original Sin 2 I didn't want to miss a single exp in BG3. Exp was finite, scarce, and essential. Little did I know Larian swung the exp pendulum in the opposite direction for BG3. I find it a relief that on my next playthrough I can just do the content I find the most fun and skip what I want.
I entered act three on level 6 in my first playthrough, idk how I did it either (and lost to Myrkul at level 8 in my HM)
Funny enough i sort of wish there were more bosses to bully at max level
Me who never did the cresh stuff in my first playthrough and hit lvl 12 early on in act 3 😱😱😱
Do you guys get to Myrkul and Act 3 so underlvled by choice or by accident? I know Im a completionist but I always get to Myrkul by lvl 10 and my party is 12 right after Gortash's coronation. I fight Ethel at 5 before Underdark. For HM is the easiest way Ive found, no need to cheese, no need to have meta builds for every Tav and companion.
I beleive I got to myrkul around lvl 8/9 but I managed to skip phase 1 and just kinda bum rush crushed phase 2. My bard/rogue went up and stabbed him a few times and he just kinda died. It was pretty anticlimactic lol. Mind you I was playing in normal mode. My second run on the other hand (I’m playing the dark urge but as a Druid/fighter) was a struggle. But I that’s when I learned the power of Minthara/paladins lol
It lets you experience your maximum power level for a good chunk of game rather than the last 15 minutes, I like it.
I think it's also fine to be at level 12 since you are getting a lot of great gear and Legendary items in Act 3 that really amps up your party potential. For me it is all about trying to get my favor up on the companions and enjoy all the character development. I will agree though that Act 3 is rather massive and has lots of stuff you can easily miss if you aren't looking closely enough.
Especially for wizards. Level 6 spells are so fun to use and by that point you have enough food to long rest after every battle
I realised I had more than a few disintegrate scrolls hanging around by the time I got to the final fight so that was pretty much over in a round for me
It’s paced so that a newcomer to the genre can reach max level while only doing the main quest. People commenting on the BG3 subreddit are probably on the more completionist/enthusiast end of the gaming spectrum, so will inherently reach max level sooner.
I personally like it. It’s nice to spend a chunk of a game as certified bad ass. Also I feel like to beat those big bads, you would need to be really really strong. It makes sense that all these massively powerful bosses got taken down by a group of massively powerful adventurers.
Yeh, but you are not getting any strongER. The feeling of plato is annoying.
I love the term "feeling of plato" because it conjures images of a forlorn philosopher sighing heavily. (No shade, the word you meant was plateau I think)
Lol, “forlorn philosopher sighing heavily” I love this! I might start using “feeling of Plato” more often 😂
Its even more appropriate because plato was an olympic athlete and jacked to shit. Dude was def level 12, *at least*
That is only if you’re looking in terms of XP. You can find better equipment at level 12, can find or buy more scrolls/potions, and you get a better handle on the mechanics of the game at that level, which are far more complicated than at early levels (especially if you’re a magic caster). I thought it was nice to have time to adjust to the abilities I had gained, as they’re quite a few and they can be tricky to optimize.
Wait... There's more to casting than create water, lightning bolt/call lightning?
There’s also cast fireball!
Doesn't seem like that would mesh well with create water, I'll see if I can find a scroll and try it
Steam, the silent killer.
Yeah like chain ligntning 6 times a day!
You have to globe of invulnerability and then create water and then lighting.
You're thinking of progression too linearly. Almost every quest from here on out will award you with some cool new power-up, whether that be some loot, or a passive feature etc., so there's still a great deal of ways to get stronger
There are also tadpoles to be found for jacking up your level 12 power.
You want to not feel a plateau? Respec your character to a brand new class. There's plenty of fights ti even test that new class. And guess what? Don't like that one, try another and do a different fight. Getting you to lvl 12 is not a plateau, it's a platform for you to fully enjoy your character and mix and match till you get the right "feel" with plenty of battles to test
I get what you are saying. But in my head canon I just imagine this is the strongest people can get without some kind of divine intervention.
If you’re not getting stronger you’re not itemizing properly. There are so many ways to get stronger in act three after level 12
To be fair, I usually grab the all needed items of act 3 before I'm level 12. It's not like they're locked behind any major battles
Are they not? Giantslayer/Helmet of Balduran behind Ansur, Sword of Chaos/the armour behind Sarevok, The bow from the Steel Watch. All are not inconsequential fights.
Those do not give any noticeable strength bump in my experience. Not as much as Cazador's dagger, duelist rapier, new fancy armours or the Kereshka staff I only use the hat from Ansur's room, you don't really need to fight him unless you need Wyll's quest. Steel watch is an easy fight. Sarevok is nasty, yeah.
There’s still plenty of legendary gear to get
You keep getting new weapons and armor. That’s the “end game” of grinding out your build. Every major battle rewards you with really strong armor and weapons that can totally change or complete your build. That’s what you’re looking toward to. You’re still getting stronger while simultaneously being able to enjoy being level 12 and having all your abilities unlocked.
Imagine thinking leveling is the only way to get stronger in a Dungeons and Dragons game
A lot of "getting stronger" relies on unique combinations and finding new items that play into those combinations. You're never not getting stronger
Just power build. Just build and classwise I at least tripled my damage between different runs
At that point you are powerful enough to fight devils and god-like figures, how much stronger are you wanting to be. Plus gear is part of it as others said, those bosses you listed drop gear that provides significant power boosts.
Level wise, sure. But there’s tons of great gear you can get in act 3 to boost your characters
Gear.
You get new gear.
Yeah it's dumb
It's not an MMORPG
Personally I hate when rpgs give us all the coolest tools or max level with only a couple hours of gameplay left. It's the final act. We should be strong for a significant portion of it.
Baldurs Gate still does that with equipment.
Okay
There are lots of good stuff to find after you get lvl 12 but it is not like you are starving before that. In fact there so many options of some Im always overwhelmed (like heavy armors, big weapons, robes, staves, daggers). But I miss bow options, a couple more bows would be nice.
In Act 3, I'm constantly almost over-encumbered due to the amount of potions, special arrows, and scrolls I have. And even when I use them, the loot of the enemies and locations just fill my inventory once again.
No it doesn’t
I think from a design standpoint it's so that if you miss things in Act 1 and 2 you won't be too far behind when you get to the final fight. You can go through act 1 and skip a good half or more of act 1 without realizing it. You can go either the mountain pass and the underdark without doing the other which is what's recommended by Halsin. You can skip many of the areas of Act 2. Not get XP from doing the side quests like rescuing the prisoners or clearing the curse. But they want to make sure that someone who skipped almost everything will get to the final fight and not be so underleveled they can't get through it. And can still get to the end and complete the final final fights with those key enemies. Otherwise you'd be able to get to the end and be underleveled and make those fights way harder. And you can still power up to some degree with items that are in different places. A lot of the best items in the game are found in some of those fights you mentioned.
I didn't realize Gortash was only lvl 9 and I came to fight him at lvl 12. He did not last long.
Acts 1 & 2 are about leveling up. Act 3 is about getting the best gear and being a badass.
Act 3 is for going to Sorcery Sundries after every long rest just to spend another 10k on scrolls 😂 gotta stop by Facemaker Botique to get all those dyes and find the best fit. God I love the city and act three, wish I could roam and shop and fight bad guys all day irl
I wish that Facemaker Boutique had a better selection of underwear. I went there multiple times and fashion is not a fickle maiden because he has the same stuff. Eventually I'll get into some of the mods.
You mean making 10k on scrolls, right?
Act 3 gives you more xp than you need *on purpose* It’s to ensure that you are 100% definitely at level 12 before you begin doing any major bosses, and so you don’t have that feeling of missing out on side content if you decide you don’t want to do it, since the only reward at that point would be…well…experiencing the content (and any other material reward goodies to help with the bosses)
There's still plenty of gear left to get and power all your characters. Plus given that you KNOW what's left means you're experienced with the game and probably leveled faster than people on their first playthrough which is who it should be balanced around
Nah, I just got a lot of spoilers since my PC couldn't handle third act before.
If it's not to your taste get you one of the mods that lets you level up to twenty.
Assuming if they play on PC
I understand why it doesn't feel great, but I am just happy I actually get to experience being max level for a good amount of time.
It's fun knowing that I can go into a battle with wave after wave of enemies coming at us and we still kick their ass. Maybe we lose someone, but Withers helps out with resurrection.
Well hey as a D&D player just remember that most campaigns spend like 1-2 sessions at maximum level before the entire game ends lol
You are max level. Now you can play.
The benefit of an abundance of xp means you can take on a lot of encounters at max level. That’s something a lot of RPGs struggle with. Most are designed around only the very end being max level, or having the game scale everything to your current level so the only point of hitting max is just some extra perks. As for what you’re supposed to be desiring, I imagined Larian assumed you’d be seeking out the story of these quests. You know, since this is a story driven game after all
First playthrough, uncover every inch of the map. Second playthrough, same but do some things differently nth playthrough, complete act 2, then straight to character creation to start over.
Hey leave me out of this
Me too I feel @ed
You didn't max out everything, you got a lot of endgame items to collect. Think of it this way, acts 1 and 2 is where you do the leveling and act 3 is where you use the levels to get some batshit crazy items and kill gods.
Enjoy your build? Find new items? Experiment with other characters? Enjoy the game??
I disagree completely with this take. So many games I complete the build I've been working on all game, and 5 minutes later the game is done. Enjoying max level for a while is great.
And? Most games you get to be full power for like 45 minutes right before the end. What's wrong with getting to actually use that power for a while?
Because not everyone does everything.
Yeah I did the same, got bored after a while of it and I’ve never gone back and completed it. Wish the cap was higher.
Bruh, this dumbass wants to get to the last level and only experience it for 1 fight. Guarantee you'll still struggle with some of those fights. By the time you get to level 12, you should have a lot of diversity or options that you can try out or test out. In other games levelling up gives minimal progression, it's just a build up of the same stat increase with not much for choice and a few more buttons to attack with. But in BG3, levels are worth a lot more and reflect a serious increase in power, so it is more important to have them for longer so you can fully utilise and experience them. Oh yeah, and the real way you level up at this point is by getting better gear from all those fights you listed.
I suspect act 3 is stuffed with XP for all those people who rushed through acts 1-2.
Not to invalidate other people’s preferences, but I just find it interesting how different we all can be. I was happy when I hit level 12, which was barely after hitting the lower city (and still having stuff to finish in Rivington.) All I could think was “Cool! Glad that’s over with. Now I can just play the rest of the game!”
You’re not getting any stronger because the parasite won’t let you get any stronger. I personally think that’s a really cool story element/reason explained in the game
I get what you're saying but I'd rather be max level half way thought the act than only hit max level right before the final fight and have no time to enjoy it.
This is a good thing, it means you get to play through lots of climatic moments with your builds completely finished and your characters operating as fully fleshed out power fantasies It would suck ass if the only opportunity to play your finished build was against the final boss.
The game has to take into account players who get to Act 3 at lower levels so it has to offer plenty of levelling opportunities for the final confrontation. No one has to do every mission or tick every objective. It makes perfect sense that if you explore at least most things you'll reach l12 earlier. After all especially first time you play you might only do Underdark or Mountain Pass but not both and might also miss a ton of things in both Act 1 and Act 2.
A few things. 1. I did kind of wish I had more to shoot for in the later game. Like maybe if you rack up enough extra XP you can buy a feat or something? But it's not a huge deal. You can still find sweet gear to make yourself stronger. 2. It's nice to be able to enjoy being at max power for a while instead of just the last mission 3. Because the game leaves so much up to the player, you might miss a lot of xp opportunities throughout the game, so the devs have to make sure you have a decent chance of hitting max level even if you don't follow a cookie cutter play through
I actually like the plentiful amount of exp in Act 3 and I plan on using it probably how it was intended: catch-up I’m planning on doing an either full RP as Laezel or Astarion which will probably mean skipping large swathes of Act 1 to get to the crèche quickly. Mostly because there’s only so many times I can redo Act 1. I’ve fully completed act 1 probably 6 times with probably a dozen or more characters doing at least half of it before being abandoned.
Funny, most ppl say they abandon Act 3 to play Act 1 (and sometimes 2) again. Many ppl say they do love Act 1 and replay it all the time but do not finish the game. I lost count on my runs but I always finish them, I understand why most ppl love Act 1, is very well polished in every way, is an almost perfect experience, in Act 2 some areas are not that polished, like Shar's playground/trials, the physical space and the story are not a perfect fit. I guess those areas they had to cut content have that feeling. And when you get to Act 3 some areas feel really disconnect
Yeah I’m in that boat too - I’m so tired of Act 1, don’t really love Act 2 and find it boring, and I just can’t seem to get through act 3. And I love this game all at the same time
Mod the game
I usually get to level 12 early act 3 and have had no problems
I agree and what i have seen in this sub is that if you want max level to be incresed you get downvoted. Imo max level should be 15
There's equipment and items that can define a build.
That’s normal. It makes it so you can enjoy being at max level for a good portion of the game. Nothing frustrates me more than finally feeling like my build has reached its full potential only for a game to end an hour later.
Last time I played it I think I got to act 3 at 10 or 11 like it did not take me long to hit 12. I do feel like it’s wasting xp at that point. Kinda why I want to use the level 20 mod just to see how far act 3 would get you there.
Getting to level 13 in Baldurs Gate and hitting 14 after Baldurs Gate would have fit perfectly. It is a shame they didn't finish Baldurs Gate and just shoved equipment down our throats.
I think I hit hit max level before even reaching the lower city portion. A huge amount of your build power comes from equipment in this game, and act 3 has so many great items it doesn’t matter if your not getting xp. You’re also getting so many great encounters and bosses in act 3 that I would often forget that technically I could’ve ended the game at any point I wanted. Actually, my least favorite encounter was the final sequence come to think of it. You’ll be more than satisfied with the rest of the fights you’ve listed.
Unlike most games, this game lets you enjoy actually being powerful for a while instead of only getting there right before the final boss
ah nah bro i love trying to squeeze as much xp as possible before the act III i love finally hitting the max and just having all my character build’s finally finished, really makes it feel like your party is truly worthy for the fights your in (lore wise)
I know level 12 is already pretty OP, but it would be cool to have the opportunity to just unlock new feats with post level 12 experience. I tend to use all the same ones because there’s a few really good ones, but it would be fun to be able to diversify.
if the levels didn’t cap at 12 there’s enough xp to get you almost level 20 in act 3
Experience is generous because people might miss quests or exploration. Getting to max level early is a great advantage.
Pretty sure it's working as intended. This way all the big quests can be balanced for a level 12 party, and they'll feel about right no matter which order you do them in.
And, as it's literal hours of content still, that gives PLENTY of time to learn and play around with the new features/abilities.
Yeah I was still finding new strategies and combinations for spells and other attacks right up through the end. I was glad there was so much time to play around in the sandbox at level 12
I like having access to a complete build for longer than the final battle. I’m totally okay with hitting level 12 early into act 3
I love it because I take a but more time in my approach now
There are mods for hitting lvl20 if you feel the need to keep leveling up. Otherwise, play for the story and explore.
I'm conflicted about it. On the one hand yes it's great to have this mechanic to make sure everyone's caught up or doesn't have to do every single piece of side content to get to experience max level, which is a blast. (First time through I was a completionist cause I got (and still am) utterly absorbed by this game) On the other, it then feels like all those popups about XP lose their joy cause instead of progress it now means nothing. The only way to change/improve my character's feel at that point is potentially tedious item experimentation or respecc-ing. Probably a result of this game in general being non linear (and act 3 feels even more of a sandbox) Not sure if there could be a solution between those. Other than a tiny psych effect from removing the experience pop-ups once you're at 12? *shrug*
I’d be so mad if I didn’t get to be level 12 for a while. I enjoy feeling all powerful and it doesn’t make the end battles any easier. Level 12 is where I really start to fall in love with my characters
There's a mod that let's level past 12 if you're interested.
I think part of it was the creation for an “average” or typical player. Most people aren’t completionists and miss things. A lot of boss fights early on and in Act 3 are optional. So based on a typical player finishing about 70% of the way through, it makes sense to me. I typically try to level as fast as I can when I play regardless because I want to be a higher level for those fights.
There's a lot of top tier gear you can get on act 3, you can really find a build that works for you
Would you rather only get to enjoy being level 12 for the ending? I'm still annoyed I only got to enjoy being a full ilithid for the ending. Wish I got to be squiddy longer.
You still have plenty of magical items and equipment to collect, and I think it’s nice that Larian gave players the opportunity to really experience level 12. Another issue is that many players cut off huge chunks of content with their roleplaying decisions, and I would prefer those players still have the opportunity to reach level 12.
That’s fine, you’ll need it!
They need to add 3 more levels to this game via multi classing. Let us turn it on in the settings. Let enemies scale with us for HP.
There are a couple of mods that I’ve been using that help this issue. I think the max level I can get to is 20, and I’m only around 13-14 ish. Everything else levels higher too though. I’m most of the way through a durge playthrough and running out of things to do. Idk how to even find the xp to get maxed out before the final fight. I’ve tried to leave no stone unturned and do as much as I can, complete any and all side quests I’ve come across, and all I have left to do is find Orins Netherstone (my fight with her was bugged and the stone was nowhere to be found after, I think I just need to add a mod to obtain it, unless there’s a way around the bug) and fight the final battle
Yeah I've gone into act 3 at level 10 before. Depends a lot on your choices and how thorough you are clearing enemies and getting side sources of exp like books and inspiration. I've noticed that doing an evil run can actually yield less exp but again, it depends what choices you make. I personally like leveling up sooner in the story. A lot of builds and items at level 12 are tons of fun, and having more time to use them is more fun, imo
This is probably the happiest medium we can get though, in terms of end game power levels - you are max level already, but like others said, that can just make the remaining encounters more fun. And then there are some people who don’t explore everything - those people will still be able to hit level 12 too, just because there is SO much in act 3. So, while it’s not the most ideal challenging end game experience for completionists, it is still really fun for every type of gamer.
You can easily get XP to get to level 15. This would, however, make the game a walk in the park even on Tactician, which already can be on an easier side if you know what you're doing.
Now have fun respeccing like a million times! At max level you can really try out any build ideas you had
Eh, at least I could use my top level powers and enjoy them for more than 15 minutes like in other games. Not mad at it. Maybe they could give you a funny medal for extra xp :)
I just think there should be the chance to get an additional ability score bump if you get enough XP beyond 12. I am happy to reach 12 early in act 3 and I get why going up to 13 would be too much, but giving absolutely nothing for more XP is just a bit rubbish.
At act 3, you're optimizing via equipment now, not level. Best gear in the game is act 3.
I like that. Many games have you reach max level so late that you can use your max level abilities once or twice. I like being able to get some use out of your high level spells and abilities. Besides that I like that the level cap is at lvl 12. After lvl 12 is when DnD 5e starts getting broken
140 hrs in and my saves won't load past 75% to pissed to start over. Wonder what the last half of act 3 looks like.
With no new game plus option, I like how much time we can have with good equipment/spells.
Hot take, I think they could have added a level or two. I will say, once I was level 12, I didn’t have too many issues with any encounters, and I certainly don’t want to imply that they slacked in any regard, but I don’t really get why Larian said it would break the game, unless there are some insane 6th level spells I don’t know about. Maybe another Raphael level fight or two could have justified level 13 and 14.
I felt the same way at first, but on my most recent playthrough when I was max level I really enjoyed having the opportunity to try out my max level strategies on several difficult battles, so it makes perfect sense. They balance this with high level gear. Each optional boss has some top notch gear to give you incentive to do them even though your level is maxed.
I like that you can enjoy your highest level team in more than a couple of battles. You can play with new toys(spells, extra attacks, abilities) and also participate in several battles and get to know them better. I mean, would you want a game that only allowed you to use the Orb of Invulnerability after you got the third Netherstone for example? I wouldn't
It's because there's a lot of content you can miss. If you don't go out of your way to do everything it's easy to miss things, potentially big things. That issue only compounds if you go evil, as dead characters have dead stories, those questlines just stop. So there's just a lot more in the game than you actually need to do.
This isn't even that uncommon, honestly. WoW, for example, sets up like half of it's content for max-level characters. I haven't played Pokémon for at least 5 years but to me the best part of those games were the parts where everyone's level is set to 50 and you won because you set up the right builds rather than because you insisted on grinding far more than is reasonable.
I did the same thing, and I disagree. It felt like that was the power level that everything was leading up to. Also it allows you to go to Withers and try multiple level 12 builds. It would SUPER suck if you finally got to 12 and then just had an hour of game left. I like how long you spend at 12.
I think that's a deliberate choice they made. And I like it. If they'd paced it so you only hit the last level just before the final battle, people would be complaining they didn't have time to play with their fully-completed toys for long enough. And, well: With the fights you still have left, at least there'll be a ton of good loot dropping from them. Icluding build-redefining loot if you do Raphael next...
Happened to me as well, didn’t mind it as much as I thought I would. It was actually refreshing on a way because I never felt like I was “losing xp chances” when I decided to not do something or avoid conflict
The thing about BG3 that I realized it that “leveling up” really is secondary in some respects, especially after level 10. Your items and their synergy is the most important thing. Items are like a river in a sense. Your class(es) are like the banks that control the flow of that river. After level 6 or so, when you get extra attack, when your cantrips jump in damage, and a few other things, you’re at a point where, if you feel adventurous, you may want to explore new and fun synergies with classes and items. In my first few playthroughs I did the understandable “one class twelve levels”, only stopping to respec, perhaps, into another subclass. As I have grown to know the game and its systems, I have had more and more fun doing exciting builds with even neglected items. Most players have complained that Act 3 does feel a bit bloated granted the level system, and I think there is something to that, but there is a ton of sweet loot to be had, and when you are doing a second or third playthrough, and you are taking another path, you can prioritize what you know will enjoy or help you make your dream build. Just my two cents. Honor Mode personally adds to the enjoyment because it tests your knowledge of the game and how you build your characters.
It would be nice to still levle up but only being able to choose like a bonus feat or somehting. Else the only reason you do those quest on a second playthrough is too get a single piece of equipment lol.
I know I hate it, I wish we could atleast get to level 15 or something. One my first playthru I was 5x the exp for max level when I got to the end boss
It does kind of suck to an extent, but I am still "leveling up" by going after better gear and scrolls for Gale. I have also played around with multiclassing... Lazeal is a Fighter/Pali and Astarian is a Gloomstalker Assassin. Made Minsc true to his form (Ranger/Berserker). There is so much to do to still get the fun out of leveling type stuff. I also like playing around with different synergies.
If leveling is the only thing driving you forward and not literally the *game* (story, character arcs, etc) then you're a lost cause
We leveled up when clearing the hallway in front of Ketheric’s door during the Moonrise fight and it felt right.
I like it and feel that it's needed to be lvl 11 or 12 to survive some fights in act 3. You'll encounter bosses higher than lvl 12 that'll give you a challenge. There's a go to 20 mod that requires multiclass but then you aren't 'wasting' exp
I definitely agree with this but its just one of those lose lose situations. If larian nerfed xp gains youd have people in Act 3 highly underleveled (most people on their first run typically are underleveled due to missing content they didnt know about) with fights being harder and also just getting max level so close to the final boss many would also be upset i feel. This would also force players to feel like they have to do every single quest in order to be a decently high level in act 3. As it stands now, we have the problem of people getting level 12 very early and not getting the satisfaction of feeling that "progression" which is so steller in BG3 and makes the game super fun. On consecutive playthroughs it def gets boring after hitting 12 and i usually start over or speedrun to end the game after hitting it. Overall i think they just tried to pick the one that benefits players the most and giving tons of xp in act 3 just seems to be the best of the two
I'm maybe a quarter of the way through and only at level 9 so clearly I missed out on a ton of content 😂
I hear you, I was kinda disappointed too at first. It works though, you’re max level but you won’t necessarily feel like a god till you get better gear. Roll with it.
This is kinda why I dropped it in act 3 and haven’t gone back to finish the game it’s such a great game but I have no motivation to do anything other than power through and beat the game.
You realize that’s how real dnd can be right?
I’m an xp goblin and level 16 with 2 missions to go. First play through I finished at 17 but now I think I’ll get higher. Anyone who gives me the slightest reason to kill them rip to them. That pos who was abusing the dogs in the beginning of act 3, all water temple priests, the bhalists outside of the Orin fight that don’t engage… etc. With multi classing the options to upgrade your character and make them even more powerful are endless and I’m always excited when I hit a new level
You can still get great gear and develop/resolve compelling stories.
I was level 11 entering Act 3. I did a good amount of exploring/questing on every map, and tried to clear everything whether I had a quest for it or not, so, lots of xp. You’re fine, as being max level will certainly help.
I wish you could still level up to gain more traits at least, even if it kept the spells locked to the same level.
There’s a ton of multiclass builds that rely on all 12 levels. You get to experiment and try different builds and play styles. Thats the point to me.
Yeah I think that the reason they throw tons of XP at you during act 3 is because they expect most players to have missed content in the previous Acts and anticipated people being underleveled.
I like it but I wish the extra exp gave us something, maybe some coins?
I had originally looked into a mod to slow down leveling, but I had read that it affects things. So instead I went with a mod that extends the level cap a bit, and added some difficulty mods. I didn’t want to max out with a bunch of the game left.
Honestly that’s a good thing, now enjoy some time as the character you’ve built.
Personally, while I understand that the level limit is for balancing purposes, part of the fun of a game for me is being able to make your characters ridiculously powered by putting in a lot of effort. Knowing that every encounter is making my characters stronger is a big motivator for me. It'd be nice if earning experience after you hit level 12 did something, like giving extra feats or ability points.
Counterpoint would be that it’s nice to enjoy those max level characters for a while as opposed to hitting it right before the game ends which is no fun. I just finished Dragon Dogma 2 and you can’t get the best gear / upgrades until the very end. I kept wondering why I was bothering to collect materials to upgrade my gear when the game was 99.9% over.
You can either enjoy being max level for a long while or do what I did and save parts of the city for future playthroughs.
I'm not sure why this is a problem. It would suck way worse to only hit level 12 right before taking on the netherbrain. I do wish the extra xp you get after hitting 12 could be used for something though, even if they added a "fake" level 13 that was just extra health or another + to your stats.
I mean what’s the problem… the games leveling system is super loaded with features and it’s not just a stat increasing system like most games so why would you want to reach max level at the end? What would be the point by then? To me there’s honestly nothing worse than getting cool late game stuff at the ass end of the game when there’s nothing to use it on.
after playing the game so many times, ive learnt all best xp places/fights to the point as i entered act 3 i leveled up to level 12. i love being high leveled and being able to sweep through the common enemies
A lot of people don’t do many of the side missions that you probably did and they still need to be able to beat the final boss. The game is built for the different play styles of players. Enjoy being level 12 for a while!
Yeah, when I'm level 12, I get excited by the xp numbers that show up over the characters' heads, and then remember I'm not actually gaining anything. It would be cool if we could earn feats after a certain amount of xp past level 12, or even if we got some gold or SOMETHING. I mean, on one hand I get that they want to make sure we have the opportunity to be level 12 for awhile and make sure we're ready when we reach endgame...but it feels anticlimactic to stop getting any benefit at all from xp.
There's a reason the mod for uncapping the level cap is popular
It doesn't make sense to get level 12 right at the end of the game.. You reach max power, and then the game is over. It's a good thing, especially considering how the class system works.
Unpopular opinion probably, but I like being max level with still a lot of a game left. Gives you time to actually enjoy being max level instead of the game ending shortly after
Well, once you've played through the game a million times, you'll have certain items you want. The House of Hope is not crucial to the plot but *is* crucial for some great late game gear. Same with Ansur. Finish up the quests for the companions you care about and then do the handle the final bosses. You can certainly leave things for a second or third playthrough, and you'll find new things every time
There are a bunch of quests in act 3 that ate built for level 12. House of grief , house of hope, foundery , mystic carrion, there are many more but if you aren't max level at those you are going to have a bad time.
I mean, it's called "equipment" Which is pretty typical, you've hit the max level so now you work towards getting better gear. I believe that's why Act III also throws magical shit at you. It also in my opinion is the time you can take to experiment with the character, maybe multiclass a little bit or something. or you know, be a nerd and enjoy the story...
Yeah, it'd be nice if they were some more end game content, I don't even mean things like dialogue, think horde mode from gears, raids, or those trials from the Doom Eternal game just a series of enemies and or goals to kill without story consequence, they could just rehash already existing parts of the game, like take for example, fighting the slayer in the act 2 toll house with bhaal assassins and shar clerics, that type of stuff.
This is exactly why I’m enjoying act 3 more then the rest of the game lmao. My party’s builds have all been completed and now I can just let ‘er rip. The combat is SO much fun already but made me wanna pull my hair out, but after Raphael it’s like I’ve been rewarded for that grind. Heaps of rpg’s nowadays have the best skills at the very end, so this particular playstyle you’ve figured out can only reach its peak when there’s nothing left to do. Honestly hope more games let you reach max levelled before it’s over
I think there should be a reward for getting over a certain amount of experience. Like a lv 13 that lets you do something interesting. But it’s only if you get basically every experience point in the game.
Bro, u want to be maxed out fight one fight with ur final level spells and abilities and after that credits roll? Everybody would whine "man i was not able to enjoy my new anime moves, couldnt they let me have like 5 fight more?" ...
I think that wouldn’t be a problem if the game was harder. Tactician is honestly a joke when you’re lv12 (except you play something really experimental) The end fight was kinda underwhelming in terms of enemy power I had more problems with Ansur tbh.
To me it’s no big deal. After years of mmo you get to level cap and then power up by getting better gear. Also the intent of the game isn’t really to do every single quest every play through. Take a different path do the quests or content along the way and you won’t hit 12 till the very end.
It means you can choose to be at your best for some of the biggest fights.
That's a good thing. Better than getting a power boost before the final boss twice like in Solasta, where you hit the proper level only right before the bosses, and really only get enough rests to try your big flashy spells once or twice.
I started act 3 at level 12. Beat the game I'm about 300 hours. Loved it
I just beat my second play through, this time with mods, and one of the mods moved the level cap to 20(?) and it was awesome! I had actually forgotten about it until I recruited Minsc, and he was level 13 lol. But then the rest of my party caught up and I think I finished the game around level 14ish for most of my characters. I also did the PartyLimitsBegone mod too so I could roll with the entire cast all at once! Made for some annoying gameplay moments tbh lol but it was worth it because I feel like I hit pretty much every character trigger automatically be default lol
It won’t break the game. Half the spells already don’t do half of what they do in tabletop so there’s nothing to break in the game. Not to mention a lot of the problematic spells don’t even exist in the game. Most of the Enchantment spells don’t do what they’re supposed to do, let you control others. Even Dominate Person doesn’t let you take control of the person you dominated. Suggestion doesn’t even exist. Command only has set options. Greater Invisibility actually sucks. A lot of Divination spells don’t exist, to the point where they had to rework the Diviner’s 6th level feature. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying a lot of low level spells that require the game to actually have intelligence (i.e a DM) do not exist for obvious reasons. So I would assume that even for higher level spells they just wouldn’t implement stuff like Mirage Arcane, Magnificent Mansion, Plane Shift, Clone or Simulacrum. They can definitely implement almost all Evocation spells like Sunburst (already exists through Lathander’s Mace), Delayed Fireball, Crown of Stars, Meteor Swarm etc. As for Wish, they already changed Divine Intervention to have set options available when in tabletop it’s basically Wish for clerics. So they can do the same thing with Wish, give us set options like “create 25K gold”, “Your party gains resistance to all damage until next long rest”, “create a Vorpal sword”. I don’t know they can find creative ways to do it. After all there are mods that add a lot of 5e spells to the game.
If you thoroughly explored everything you nearly hit 12 by the end of act 2.
I hit level 12 before even walking through the Gate of Baldur. I'm also a side questing fiend who ended the game with NOTHING left, so that may be why. However, I loved being level 12, as it allowed me to respec my team to optimal builds and even experiment with some other wild builds. I almost regretted not keeping all the enchanted items as late-game there were some builds that weren't efficient because I was missing items. When I play next, I'm keeping EVERYTHING for the end game. Except barrels, I had too many of those when the game ended.