Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Help Tips & Tricks Level 5 for Act 2?

Just curious as everything I've read says to be level 5 before leaving the first map, but I was low level 4 after visiting everywhere on the map and finishing every quest I could.

Is this normal? I literally ended up having to kill the ENTIRE goblin village (above ground and underground ) just to get ALMOST to level 5 (I leveled up right after entering mountain pass). And now I have no merchant anywhere lol (circled back to underdark for more exp, not sure how long I have to wait after finishing underdark until next merchant?).

Only thing I think I could have done wrong was the sanctuary. After killing the shaman chick that was gonna seal the place in, then going to camp, when I came back I was sealed out of the sanctuary and was placed at one of the fast travel places. (That's how I lost my first merchant lol).

Worried that I'm behind on leveling, given some people saying the were level 7 by act 2? How do I fix it?

level 7 is normal doing all the quests, level 5 is balenced and level 4 is low yes imo you must have missed a LOT to only be level 4 when you goto the shadowlands

Why did I get booted from the sanctuary after killing the shaman chick? It said the guy I needed to turn the quest in to was too far away right after I killed her, and the sanctuary booted me?

Level 4 means, you missed a lot. And if you could simply use the names of places and NPCs in the games, instead of making something up, you could actually get an answer to your second question

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!

Level 6 or 7 should be easy

Have you done the:

Owlbear, Goblins under the sanctuary ect?
Hag Quest and freed the girl?
Done the frog?
Vampire Hunter?
Cleared the Blighted Village, got the book, gone down the well, freed woot(?) etc.?
Waukeen's Rest quests?
False Paladins quests?
The Gnolls?
The Githyanki Patrol?
Rescued Halsin(?)?
All the many, many Underdark Quests and all the Grymforge ones?

Edit

And the Rosymorn Monastery?

That is act 2, isn't it?

Nope, act 2 is the Shadowfell which starts after you meet Elminster, the doddering old man

Rosymorn Monastery is the equivlent to teh underdark's Grymforge.

@Jerkica (OP)

Getting to level 6 should be doable if you've done all of the quests on an evil playthrough and level 7 if you did them all on a good playthrough. That includes the Underdark and Grymforge, the Hag, Zhentarim hideout etc. Fighting will get you more xp in many cases than talking as well.

If you head into the Monastery in Act 2 and are level 5 the Githyanki will be very tough, especially the Inquisitor. It's ideal to be at 'least' 6 in that fight.

Caveat: Everything I say above is based on a Tactician playthrough. At lower difficulties, 5 might be much more viable.

I bumbled my way into genociding Druid Grove and Goblinville both, did everything in the Mountain Pass/Monastery, ignored the Auntie Ethel arc and Vampire Hunter, and am yet to do anythiong in the Grymforge, and I'm 2/3rds through lvl 6.

The "Wilderness" - regardless of Evul! or Good! playthrough - and "Underdark" alone should get one to the brink of lvl 6. In the Monastery you get 1k or more points simply for walking around and discovering new areas.

Just replying here in case it's useful for anyone else. I figured out the problem, requiring me to roll a new toon.

Evidently, if you go straight to killing the main shaman in the sanctuary after only briefly getting the quest to do so, and you haven't learned the secrets, then after you kill her the other shamans like immediately complete the ceremony, killing all the refugees, and locking you out completely from the sanctuary. As a result, I lost access to all the quests and areas in the sanctuary, which meant that after exploring every square inch of the map and killing everything that moves, I was just shy of Level 5.

On my reroll last night, I fixed that mistake, and now am level 3 without having touched the remaining areas on the map. Meaning I'll have no problems reaching level 5 before mountain pass. Hopefully this is helpful to someone, as simply pointing out the list of available quests wasn't particularly helpful to me in this case

The Secret to Not Get the Grove Closed is Khaga, Finde Her secret, Confront Her, Kill her is the better option
before that the Thieflings are Safe.. in my game i even Save and Slay halsin just after he gaving me the direction for act 2 and never look back
it Just Works..hauhauha
i Beleave that if yu Take her Down yu can even go to Rosymon without Bad Things Happens i just never Tested i always liked more to go there from act 2 yu are stronger then is just a walk in slay all gith and out..
But the Problem is Khaga
Take her out with her quest and DONE>>
if yu dont know how to get the Quest pretty easy is inside her Chest in the Roon Next to Nettie ( Lockpick and read the Book or Letter)
yu can basicly do whenever yu want with those Ass Druids.. sorry but i never wanted to save then.. epecially if yu get arabella dead in your game..
Trust me they dont deserve to be saved not even Once. RS
Fun fact after the Party i went there and slay all of then before moving to act 2.. lol

But to give yu a Advice yu should at least almost lvl 6 until get to act 2 will be better for yu.. trust me
and its pretty easy to get there.. just explore the entire act 1 Map, then underdark 1 and 2
yu will almost lvl 6 or lvl 6 by the time yu get to Iron Forge if yu Kill and Explore evrything.

Another Big Advice Most of the COOOLEST quests in the Game yu happens to have to find then its not like witcher when yu can have a bunch of markers showing how yu play..
this game really want yu to Explore for real like in the Old Times so.. if yu are lvl 4 yet and think yu saw and did evrything..
i bet yu actually left a LOOOOT behind without even realize that..
in my first 2 games i made this mistake and pay a heavy price at act 2 and 3 was like reach a brick wall with my head.
in the First 2 Battles from act 2 yu will see the difference if yu are lvl 4 or 6 .. will be a LOOOOT easyer if yu are lvl 5,6
and Its not a Easy battle for sure.. prepare yourself for some guys wipe the floor with your party