How does subclass work

[AltesBlank]

I know max level is 12 but idk how subclasses work.
Do i need to share the levels between the main and subclass or can both be lvl 12
And is subclass the same as main class or is the subclass missing stuff from the main class`?
Also is there a drawback for going subclass?

[Marcos_DS]

Subclass part of the main class, not separate like prestige classes were in 3.5.

Example: as a Bard, you automatically get to choose at lvl 3 which sublass of bard you want to be: College of Lore, College of Valor or College of Swords. This is locked in for the rest of your bard carreer. Think of subclass more as a specialisation rather than something separate.

However its possible to multiclass, so you might be a Bard AND a Warlock (and distribute your level ups between those classes however you like, up to a total of 12. E.g. Warlock 2 / Bard 10).
Both warlock and Bard have gain a subclass (warlocks get to choose at lvl 1 which patron=subclass they have, and Bards choose at lvl 3).

[AltesBlank]

Then i ment multiclass, thanks for the help, i always hear in videos about going, druid with barbar and so on, but never how it works or what the drawback is

[BigAlzBub]

There is a max level of 12 (in this game), so if you had 2 levels of Barbarian and 10 levels of circle of the moon druid, then you would never get the top level of spells (6th), and you wouldn't be able to wildshape into an elemental until you hit the level cap (normally you would be able to do this at 10th level). You would also miss out on stat upgrades and/or feats, unless you multiclass in such a way that your levels in each class are exactly divisible by four, as you get stat bonuses/feats every four levels (although a couple of classes get extra). That said while feats and attribute increases are nice, lots of classes are front loaded (ie you get a lot of their powers in the first few levels) so sometimes it can be work sacrificing stats or high level spells for the powers that you get.