Summary

• Baldur's Gate 3 has a level cap of 12, DnD already has a workaround, where the maximum level could be extended to 20.
• The BG3 level cap for a single class could be kept at 12, but the character level extended to 20, avoiding the issue of high-level spells needing to be implemented.
• Multiclassing in Baldur's Gate 3 allows players to gain spell slots as if they were single-classed, providing an answer to concerns about high-level gameplay.

For the many fans who have completed caps characters at level 12, while actual 5e DnD extends to level 20. Players who stick mostly with the main questline may finish the game around level nine or 10, but many players hit the level cap early into the game’s third act. New equipment can still increase characters’ power, but gaining experience points is no longer relevant.

The tabletop DnD 5e rules are far simpler than many prior editions, but surveys from Wizards of the Coast still show most groups stay within the first 10 levels of play. This is largely unnecessary, as a skilled DM can ensure godlike high-level DnD characters stay grounded in the world and present them with appropriate challenges. The spells available to high level, single-classed spellcasters are not particularly overpowered or complex, relative to some earlier editions of the game. Rather, the real problem with such spells is their ambiguity. While low-level magic tends to feature clear rules, many high-level spells use broad language, leaving their interpretation up to DM judgment.

Baldur's Gate 3 Can Raise The Level Cap With D&D Multiclassing

Last year, Larian specifically addressed why it chose Baldur’s Gate 3’s twelfth-level cap, and why it is not working on a DLC expansion at present. In an interview with PC Gamer, Larian’s founder noted the rationale for the 12 limit, providing some reasons that were valid, and others that were dubious. Concerns about the types of challenges that are appropriate for high level DnD characters are certainly understandable. Viewing the difference between the original Baldur’s Gate 2 and its epic Throne of Bhaal expansion highlights this clearly. Larian's concerns about implementing high level spells and class abilities are less justified, however, since 5e DnD already provides a solution.

Like many of its DnD elements, Baldur’s Gate 3 does not handle multiclassing according to the rules of the tabletop game, as it removes ability score requirements, but it does allow characters to take levels in up to three different classes. Players who experiment with class respecs in Baldur’s Gate 3 likely multiclass frequently, especially at the game’s earliest levels. The 5e DnD multiclass rules for spellcasting are correctly implemented in Baldur’s Gate 3, however, and these provide an obvious answer to some of Larian’s concerns about high-level play. Multiclassed so-called pure spellcaster classes, like cleric and wizard, continue to gain spell slots as if they were single-classed.

Multiclass spellcaster combinations that use the same casting stat, like bard and sorcerer or cleric and druid, have more inherent synergy.

This means a split like nine cleric levels and three druid levels would still gain access to level six spell slots, just like a twelfth-level cleric or druid. Unlike a single-classed spellcaster, they would not learn high-level spells, so those higher-level spell slots are solely used to “upcast” lower-level spells. Thus, Larian can simply keep the class level cap at 12, and extend the overall character level to 20, and there is no need for any new spells to be programmed into the game. As long as spellcasters cannot attain level 13 or higher in a single class, there is no way for them to access seventh-level or higher spells.

Multiclass Baldur's Gate 3 Characters Can Be Just As Powerful

A class level cap of 12 also means no additional class features need to be added to the Baldur’s Gate 3 engine. This approach to extending the level cap weakens spellcasters more than martial characters, since builds like a Baldur’s Gate 3 fighter and barbarian multiclass melee character, or a rogue and fighter ranged build, can be more advantageous than single-classed warriors. Not every player experiments with respecs or multiclassing, but making it a requirement for high-level play encourages players to find clever synergies and interesting combos. It also sidesteps one of Larian’s stated concerns about extended the level cap, while staying true to 5e DnD rules.

A level-20 expansion is obviously a major undertaking, and creating an appropriate story and balanced encounters remains a challenge. Baldur’s Gate veterans may recall many difficulty spikes in Throne of Bhaal, along with some encounters that were nearly unwinnable without using extremely specialized builds or abusing the game engine. There are still good reasons Larian may be hesitant to create a level-20 DLC expansion for Baldur’s Gate 3, but thanks to 5e Dungeons & Dragons' multiclassing rules, level seven through nine spells do not have to be a hindrance to such an endeavor.

Source: PC Gamer, Dungeons & Dragons/YouTube,