Coming soon, Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the most anticipated games on Steam, which has to meet high expectations. The only thing that surprises some fans is that the level cap is set at 12. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus, an avid Dungeons & Dragons player, explains why this has to be the case.
This is the maximum level in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- You can reach level 12 in Baldur’s Gate 3. Originally, only level 10 was planned.
- Level is tied to the character, so it doesn’t matter which or how many of the 12 available classes you play.
- Compared to other role-playing games, this is quite low. Even the D&D template and the Pathfinder games offer 20 levels or more.
Why was level 12 chosen? In Dungeons & Dragons, you receive new bonuses at different levels. At certain “breaking points,” more happens than at others. Level 12 is one of them.
Here, for the third time, you get the chance to increase your attribute values or choose a talent. This makes your character significantly stronger, depending on how well you planned beforehand.
Another and for most classes more important breaking point is at level 13:
- the practice bonus increases from 4 to 5
- most spell classes learn their first spell at rank 7
- rogues receive an additional die for their sneak attacks
- some archetypes subclasses gain new abilities
Although developer Larian has not officially commented on this, as a D&D player, I know: from level 13 onward, it’s all about becoming really powerful. And even though it may be a bit disappointing: for the game, the limit of 12 is probably sensible.
You don’t need a high level for the most interesting scenes in the game:
You are only heroes, not gods
The probably most important reason for the level cap is the available spells. Larian adheres quite strictly to the requirements of the rulebook, and even rank-7 spells can be absurdly powerful.
Bards, for example, receive the “Dream of the Blue Veil,” which allows the whole group to switch to another reality plane, provided there is a connection to it. Without spoiling: those who know the intro understand that this would be a big problem for the story. Even worse would be spells at rank 9, which become available at level 17. Here, there are things like:
- Word of Death: Kills a target with less than 100 hit points, with no real way for it to defend itself.
- Wish: Does pretty much exactly what the name implies, namely fulfilling a wish. The most powerful spell in the game.
- Powerful Fortress (technically level 8): Creates a castle with walls, turrets, a mansion, rooms for the group, servants, and enough food for a nine-course banquet for 100 people daily. It doesn’t sound “powerful,” but it would be absurd in the game.
- over 400 spells are still unknown
Moreover, you can basically create your own classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 by combining several classes. This is already a popular strategy in D&D, which can lead to characters that are excessively powerful, especially among experts. In short: from level 12 onward, you are no longer legendary heroes, but become demigods.
If done correctly, you can find combinations that are simply unfair. This has happened in pen and paper, where it could only be “patched out” slowly. To avoid “game-breaking” bugs, Larian likely needed to develop further for several more years. However, it is possible that DLCs will raise the level cap further.
Even though I personally would have loved to see how “Wish” works accurately in a video game, such things only really work if you can discuss them with the master and not with fixed code. And level 12 will surely suffice for enough playtime:
