Is it possible to reach Level 8 in Act I without cheats/exploits?

[Lampros]

I wanted a smooth Honour run, so I tried farming as much XP as I can. I believe I missed nothing except 1) hitting the secret room behind the Grove jail before the Tieflings left (the enemies aren't present if you go after the Tieflings leave), and 2) hiring, instead of killing, the Ogres. So maybe 350 XP missed overall. But as you can see in the screenshot I am still only 2/3 way to level 8. I guess I can go genocidal and wipe out both the Grove (after I wipe out the Goblin Camp) and the Myconid Colony. But I am not sure that will be enough for me to acquire the missing 3k or so XP to hit level 8 - and without the guarantee, I did not want to take a chance, given how counter-productive that path may be in the long-run. So what's the closest has anyone reached level 8 legitimately in Act I?

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3128805373

[haasi]

save game, kill everything and find out?

[brendan_in_china]

Scraped in at level 7, end of Act 1. I didn't kill all the githyanki, none of the zhents nor myconids. Grove was left intact. Bungled the nautiloid early on,

You might be able to get level 8, but you'd have to eke absolutely everything.

I did finish it with 25k gold, big thieving set-up and runs.

[daveyfunk]

Highest I've got is level 7 and then a massive gap to reach level 8

[Aerohank]

Probably not. I was just over lvl7 in act 1 by doing most of the quests. I doubt the ones I missed would have bumped me up to 8.

[Riitoken]

BG3 does not simulate wandering monsters. Thus, there is a finite amount of XP in Act1.

I'd love to know the answer to your question.

[Delivor]

Probably no even if killing everything.

[Hellsteeth30]

Nope, you'll maybe get halfway to 8 clearing everything. There's little in the way of xp piñatas in act 1.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by haasi:

save game, kill everything and find out?

Honour mode.

Originally posted by brendan_in_china:

Scraped in at level 7, end of Act 1. I didn't kill all the githyanki, none of the zhents nor myconids. Grove was left intact. Bungled the nautiloid early on,

You might be able to get level 8, but you'd have to eke absolutely everything.

I did finish it with 25k gold, big thieving set-up and runs.

Yeah, I think level 8 may be barely possible, but it'd be very close with killing everything at both the Grove and the Myconid colony. As I said, I left both places intact and also missed about 400 XP by not hitting the secret Goblin hiding place in the Grove and leaving the three Ogres alive.

Did you actually need 25k gold?! ;) I farmed 16k - though I can farm more. How long did that 1st Act take you?

Originally posted by Aerohank:

Probably not. I was just over lvl7 in act 1 by doing most of the quests. I doubt the ones I missed would have bumped me up to 8.

Did you exterminate both the Grove and the Myconid Colony? I suspect there would be quite a bit of XP there.

Originally posted by Riitoken:

BG3 does not simulate wandering monsters. Thus, there is a finite amount of XP in Act1.

I'd love to know the answer to your question.

I was so desperate to get to level 8, because that's when my MC supposedly come "online"! ;(

Originally posted by Hellsteeth30:

Nope, you'll maybe get halfway to 8 clearing everything. There's little in the way of xp piñatas in act 1.

As I wrote in the first post, I got to 2/3 way to level 8 while leaving both the Grove and the Myconid Colony alive - as well as missing a few XP spots (only about 400).

[Kafik]

Lmfao you don't need to be incredibly over leveled for honour mode, just pay attention to what you're doing and use all your spells and abilities to their potentional. I hit level 9 right after freeing Nightsong then very easily took Moonrise, killed Ketheric and Myrkul. Much more easily than I beat them all last time. I have a sorceror, paladin, wizard and light cleric in the party.

[surreptitious]

I have tried to max it out ..
Ill try again this time ..
Best I have done is attacking the grove with Minthara
Then killing all of minthara's forces .. including the 2 spiders and the Ogre
Then killing all the Tieflings ...
Minthara is only survivor.....

I have had the only living thing in act 1 was the Zent Vendor
and the Goblin camp vendor that arrives after the Grove fight ...

NOTHING was alive .... don't think i hit 8

[RamboRusina]

When game was released with triple exp exploit probably pretty easily(peaceful solution, non-lethal and finally killing enemies while saving/loading game between all those). I dunno if it's still in the game.

[parent child bowl]

It isn't possible without exploiting.

[Mojo]

I have tried as well and get about the same as you. I wipe everything but the Grove and Colony. I wipe Everything in Mountain pass.

[jayman760]

I got to level 7 before doing the hag by wiping out the Creche. I think it is more important to reach level 10 before leaving Act 2 due to a certain encounter.

[Lampros]

Originally posted by Kfuk:

Lmfao you don't need to be incredibly over leveled for honour mode, just pay attention to what you're doing and use all your spells and abilities to their potentional. I hit level 9 right after freeing Nightsong then very easily took Moonrise, killed Ketheric and Myrkul. Much more easily than I beat them all last time. I have a sorceror, paladin, wizard and light cleric in the party.

I haven't even gone Tactician beyond middle of Act II. So I wanted to be careful and not to over-reach. And because I know I lack skills and meta knowledge, I have to win by over-leveling.

Originally posted by surreptitious:

I have tried to max it out ..
Ill try again this time ..
Best I have done is attacking the grove with Minthara
Then killing all of minthara's forces .. including the 2 spiders and the Ogre
Then killing all the Tieflings ...
Minthara is only survivor.....

I have had the only living thing in act 1 was the Zent Vendor
and the Goblin camp vendor that arrives after the Grove fight ...

NOTHING was alive .... don't think i hit 8

Myconid Colony?

I was less than 3k XP away with leaving both the Grove and the Myconid Colony alive.

Originally posted by RamboRusina:

When game was released with triple exp exploit probably pretty easily(peaceful solution, non-lethal and finally killing enemies while saving/loading game between all those). I dunno if it's still in the game.

Long patched out, I am afraid! ;)

Originally posted by jayman760:

I got to level 7 before doing the hag by wiping out the Creche. I think it is more important to reach level 10 before leaving Act 2 due to a certain encounter.

Which encounter, may I ask? I've only been up to middle of Act II in my Tactician playthrough. Also, how easy is it to reach level 10 before Act III then?