How to level up fast in Baldur's Gate 3: Best ways to get XP

Finding out how to level up fast in Baldur's Gate 3 can make combat encounters much easier for you thanks to the new abilities and spells you earn when gaining levels - and we've got all of the best ways to get XP throughout Faerûn.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a traditional RPG based on Dungeons & Dragons, so you and your companions will be levelling up over the course of your adventure, giving you new stuff to play with during combat and exploration. 

Most of the classes in the game take a few levels to really come into their own, so you'll want to know how to level fast and get to that critical point where you can start experimenting in combat. Read on for our full explanation of how to level up fast in Baldur's Gate 3.

• For more Baldur's Gate 3 tips, check out our guide here to learn how to speak to the dead in Baldur's Gate 3

How to gain experience fast in Baldur's Gate 3

Click to enlarge

You gain experience in Baldur's Gate 3 from just about everything you can do: Completing quests, defeating enemies, getting Inspirational Events, and exploring the world.

As you might imagine, completing quests and winning battles will award you with a decent pile of experience for your party, and is where the majority of your experience will come from.

That said, exploration will also net you a decent chunk of experience. Entering new areas, discovering secrets, and looting chests will each grant a small amount of experience. Essentially, your best strategy for gaining experience and levelling up is just to play the game as much as possible.

Don't skip fights, explore everywhere you go, take it slow and take everything in. So long as you are not breezing through the game as quickly as possible, you should gain plenty of experience as you go.

• If you want to try something different, check out how to change class in Baldur's Gate 3

How to level up in Baldur's Gate 3

Click to enlarge

Levelling up in Baldur's Gate 3 works like most video game RPGs, rather than happening at set points like in the tabletop game. Simply put, you gain experience until you have enough to reach a new level.

Once this happens, you will notice a white arrow in the top left corner of your character's portrait.

• Click on the portrait to bring up the level-up screen. If you're using a controller, highlight the portrait and press 'R1'
  • This will then show you everything that has changed with the new level, such as higher hit points, new abilities or spells that are unlocked, and anything else that is now available to your character
• Hit 'Accept' in the bottom left of the screen to level up your character and gain all of the bonuses listed

Bear in mind that there are not a lot of levels in Baldur's Gate 3 for you to power through, with the maximum level a character can reach being 12. This may seem low by many video games' standards, but this is pretty high in D&D terms.

As such, don't expect to grind through dozens of levels in the early game to give yourself an advantage, as the game simply isn't built like that.

That is it for our Baldur's Gate 3 levelling guide. For more, head to our Baldur's Gate 3 homepage, or check out how to disarm traps in Baldur's Gate 3.