Infinite fighter level up?

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 8:02 am

When I played Baldur's Gate I for the second time, with Tales of the Sword Coast installed I noticed something strange. I was a fighter at max level (161,000 XP). However, when I loaded a savegame and hit the spacebar before the game itself had properly loaded (i.e. when you already see the game cursor, but you still have the loading screen in the background) and I checked my stats, the levelup button was available! I used it, saved the game and followed the same procedure. Sure enough, I could level up again. Keep in mind however, this will just get you a bit more HP each time according to your constitution; only for those of you who are persistent enough to keep reloading and saving. Haven't tried it on the other character classes either.

Wolf_pd · Post by **Wolf_pd** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 10:54 am

Sounds like a bit of a bug? Anyway, have you tried it with different save games, or is it just with this one save game?

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Thu Feb 07, 2002 1:07 am

I figure it works on all save games, as long as your fighter is maxed out and you hit the space bar befòre the game has properly loaded. It only works with Tales of the Sword Coast installed (because when your fighter is at 161,000 XP, he's relatively close to his next level - pausing before the game has properly loaded appears to give you enough extra XP to reach next level). Furthermore, I haven't tried it on my new pc yet (I played BG I on a Win95 O.S.). Perhaps I should also mention that when you unpause after leveling up, your fighter returns to his last level but wìth the extra HP. This allows you to repeat the procedure seemingly endlessly.

Silvanerian · Post by **Silvanerian** » Thu Feb 07, 2002 3:58 am

It sounds very strange indeed...do post your experiences with the new game on your new pc.

-Sylvanerian

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Mon Feb 18, 2002 4:44 am

Originally posted by UncleScratchy
Installing ToTSC raises the exp cap. Characters keep getting exp. points but they don't show up as a result of the cap in the basic game. Once the cap is raised the points you accumulated in earlier play suddenly register giving you the level up. I think this is what you may have experienced.

So, if I get this straight, when you hit pause just before properly loading, the exp cap (161,000xp) is temporarily removed and when you unpause, the exp cap is applied again? That would make sense.

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Mon Feb 25, 2002 5:17 am

Just tried it yesterday with BG I - TotSC on my new pc. This gimmick works under XP as well. (Load times are faster, though, so I have to time the moment I hit the spacebar better).

Wolf_pd · Post by **Wolf_pd** » Mon Feb 25, 2002 6:38 am

One thing, could it be possible with an game (BG1 only for instance) and an other kind of class (mage) that it also levels up. I am not sure, but I thought mage only need 1000 to level up in BG1 to a next level.

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Mon Feb 25, 2002 6:47 am

When I install BG I, I always install TotSC as well. Perhaps somebody else can try whether it works for BG I alone as well? At the moment, I'm playing a Thief and planning to dual him at level 7 to a Cleric (a Cleric reaches maximum level at 110,000 xp in ToSC). My Cleric should be able to get 121,000 xp total. Perhaps the level up button will also be available then when loading a saved game? I'll keep you all posted (though my Thief is just level 4, so I've still got a long way to go).

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Tue Mar 12, 2002 2:46 am

Originally posted by Wolf_pd
One thing, could it be possible with an game (BG1 only for instance) and an other kind of class (mage) that it also levels up. I am not sure, but I thought mage only need 1000 to level up in BG1 to a next level.

After starting this thread, I read something in the forum about the game just applying some sort of restriction on your max level, though you just keep gaining experience points, just like UncleScratchy said. If the same kind of restriction is applied in Baldur's Gate I, this "trick" should work in BGI as well AND for àll classes. The trouble is that you don't know how much experience points you still need to reach next level, so you should constantly check your Character Record screen to see whether the level up button is available. I believe Mages reach their next level at 90,000 XP (BGI XP cap=89,000), so you're right about them only needing 1,000 more to reach next level.

Wolf_pd · Post by **Wolf_pd** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 6:05 am

Yep, 90000xp it is, but as you said, it worked only when loading and having it paused. I don't have BG1 right now, or I would have tried it. By the way, when I think of it, does this mean you would get new spells, new abilities and such? If it works with the mage of course.

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 6:09 am

Haven't tried that yet, but even if you did gain some extra spells, unpausing would mean re-applying the in-built max level restriction and loosing them again. You only get to keep those extra HP, I'm afraid.

Wolf_pd · Post by **Wolf_pd** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 6:16 am

And what about proficiencypoints?

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Wed Mar 13, 2002 6:29 am

If you look at Sabre's table of proficiencies (there's a thread about them in the Shadows of Amn forum, I believe), you'll see that a fighter normally gets an additional proficiency point to spend at level 9 (starts with 4, and gains an extra proficiency point every 3 levels), but sadly, I think my fighter doesn't even get to spend that proficiency point when I use the pause - levelup technique. Still, there seems to be no limit to the maximum amount of HP (I stopped testing it at 210 or so). Could be a real lifesaver for a low HP class like mages.

Wolf_pd · Post by **Wolf_pd** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 10:01 am

Lifesaver yes, still it takes away the difficulty of playing mage then. But on the other hand, playing it into BG2 is an advantage then, coz i find BG2 to give my characters much lower HP.

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 10:09 am

It doesn't really have to take the difficulty away: you decide how far you want to take it (besides how long can you keep up load - level up - save - load - level up - save - etc.?). You should look at it like this: you can make up for some of those HP you missed, because there's no max level up feature in BGI, like there is in BGII.

Wolf_pd · Post by **Wolf_pd** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 10:15 am

Well, knowing my roommate who spend some three nights (this is from 6 in evening till 5 in morning three times) you can take it very far, but I think 'normal' people (that doesn't apply to me) will only get the 'lost' HP back. Well, I will.

Wolf_pd · Post by **Wolf_pd** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 10:16 am

Uhh, forgot to add that that was on making a 'perfect' kill on Gaxx, not on the unlimited level-up/HP-gathering, but he can be kinda obsessive...

Eerhardt · Post by **Eerhardt** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 3:21 am

Originally posted by Wolf_pd
Lifesaver yes, still it takes away the difficulty of playing mage then. But on the other hand, playing it into BG2 is an advantage then, coz i find BG2 to give my characters much lower HP.

And what's to say about Multi-Classed characters (especially the ones combining 3 different classes)? I find that they lose out on a lot of HP. (e.g. I used this method to give Jaheira more HP)

Wolf_pd · Post by **Wolf_pd** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 3:31 am

As I said before (probably not in this post), I guess this is a way of the game to make sure you stick to the games and to provide a bonus for continuity, just like with the extra stats.

Bloodstalker · Post by **Bloodstalker** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 1:36 pm

And to think, I used to kill he wizard who asked me to bring him his scroll repeatedly and level up that way. What I did was position my pc at the bottom of the steps, shoot the mage with an arrow, and run upstairs before his spell got off. Keep doing this and eventually he runs out of spells, you can kill him for XP, export your PC, start a new game and import that caharcter and do over. I got up to level 3 by the time I left Candlekeep......ok, so I was REALLY bored.