Leveling up is part of what makes role-playing games, especially Baldur's Gate 3, so rewarding. Every class benefits from a few extra levels at a fast pace with extra attacks and spellcasters get to use their most powerful spells even more often.
Even after dozens of hours of gaming, some adventurers find themselves mired at low levels in Act 1 and 2. This can become a downward spiral as players have more trouble leveling, and then can't win the big fights which means they can't progress. There are a few easy ways to make the leveling process easier and even more fun in everyone's favorite stand-alone RPG.
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Updated June 28, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: Baldur's Gate 3 remains a consistent favorite among gamers almost a year after its launch and a whole cabinet full of awards. Its enduring popularity has a lot to do with making the leveling process, which can be an arduous grind, into a fun and immersive component of a larger story. Players that are multiclassing characters will need to watch the stats and levels more closely, so other than making the game more efficient these tips and tricks also add to the customization options.
Locations For XP in Act 1
The Following Steps Assume The Protagonist Takes The "Good" Path
- Goblin Camp (Goblins)
- Shattered Sanctum (Goblins)
- Underdark: Beach (Duergar), Grymforge (Duergar), Selunite Outpost (Drow)
Players should seek out fights with lots of easily beatable enemies and save the Boss fights for later levels. There might be some trial and error involved here if the party is exploring an area for the first time, so use that Quicksave button frequently.
Goblin Camp and Shattered Sanctum
It's easy to chain these together, there is an entrance to the Underdark in the Shattered Sanctum. The travel time between these locations is also minimal. Wipe out the Goblins, both in the camp and in the Sanctum, then use the elevator to travel to the Selunite Outpost in the Underdark.
The Underdark
The Duergar have a huge encampment near the Myconid Colony, and there are several easy fights here that yield decent gear and weapons along with allowing a passage to Grymforge. Kill the Druegar and his boat is available for transport.
By attacking these groups, players can get to about level seven or eight in just a few hours. There are a few quests and "bosses" here, but nothing with especially lethal powers. For maximum experience, finish any quests in these regions, such as getting the Mark of the Absolute, before opening fire.
Taking the Goblin's side and attacking the Grove instead will result in just as much XP, should the player want to recruit Minthara or give in to the Dark Urge . The only disadvantage is that it takes longer because it requires traveling back to the Grove more than once.
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The Best Strategy To Level Up Fast
Utilize Companions With Powerful Ranged & Magical Abilities
- Best Companions: Wyll and Gale, with the highest-damage spells and attacks.
- Long Rest frequently in Act 1 to move the story along.
There are so many camp supplies to be looted and so much gold for vendors that these camp supplies will never be a problem. If players picki up everything they find, it will be more difficult to manage encumbrance from so many camp supplies, so players who want to level faster can skip hoarding food.
Switch party members to use Wyll and Gale, using their highest-damage spells to take out enemies as quickly as possible, in some cases before they even know the party is there. For martial classes, Lae'zel is a powerful fighter with some extra movement options who consistently gets high Initiative rolls.
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Complete Easy Quests For Experience
- Act 1 has several "introductory" quests that give a nice boost before the first Long Rest.
Aside from quests that can be done on the spot, several quests can also be done without deviating from the plan. Volo, Liam, and Halsin are in the Goblin camp, so spring them all at the same time and turn in each quest for a massive chunk of experience. Visit the Myconid Colony before taking the fight to the Duergar to get some more quests, which all involve killing lots of Duergar.
While you're still exploring the countryside, The Burning Inn is a quest with a good bit of experience. It doesn't require combat, but it's tricky to get right the first time. Make sure Wyll is in the party to get the maximum effect regarding storyline and character interaction.
Further east from the inn, plenty of hyenas and Gnolls are roaming the hills and caves. The Gnolls around this area can be tough, though, so perhaps make this a special visit right after killing all the easier Goblins.
Visit Abdirak, the Priest of Loviatar, in the room next to Liam at the Goblin Sanctum. Interacting with him results in a lesson that involves his deity and also includes several Performance, Constitution, and Intimidation checks, and therefore some extra XP without the risk of combat.
Quest Name | Start Location | How To Complete |
Rescue Volo | Goblin Camp | Follow Volo and his "owner" into the Shattered Sanctum, and then either bribe the Goblin or pass a Deception or Intimidation check. |
Save Liam | Shattered Sanctum | Liam is tied to a rack in the southeastern corner of the Sanctum. Use Deception or Intimidation to get his captors to leave, then pick the lock. |
Rescue Halsin | Shattered Sanctum | Kill the Goblin leaders and go downstairs to the Worg Pens to find and release Halsin. You can also let him out before finishing off the Goblins. |
Help Sovereign Spaw | Myconid Colony | Take Spaw's quest before heading to the lakeshore. If you take Glut's quest too, he'll join the party and complete two quests instead of one. |
Save Thulla | Myconid Colony | The Deep Gnome Thulla escaped from the Duergar, but she's been poisoned. Cure her with a potion or a spell. |
Rescue The Gnomes | Grymforge | Thulla will send you on another quest to rescue her friends in Grymforge. |
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Other Tips & Tricks
Some Basic Habits For Maximum Leveling
- Save the game between rounds and reload if needed.
- Explore everything, discover new areas, interact with books, bags, and chests.
- Leave behind heavy loot for later.
Discovering new areas means more skill checks. These don't offer as much experience as combat and questing, but it's an investment in future progression when these rolls get tougher. Even picking a simple lock gains a few points, and if all it takes is a few seconds to step into a new area, that's free XP.
