DnD level ups explained

A DnD level up is a character's reward for slaying enough monsters or completing a pivotal quest. Each brings new class abilities, spells, or even stat changes, so no two are the same. If you need a refresher on how to level up in DnD, this guide is here to help. We'll look at the official rules first, and then we'll use years of 5e experience to translate this into practical and approachable steps.

This includes examining how the different DnD classes will affect your level up (DnD races occasionally have an impact too, but it's less common). This guide focuses on your adventures beyond first level, though - so if you're just starting out, read our walkthrough of how to make a DnD character first.

How to level up in DnD:

How to level up in DnD

Here's how Wizards of the Coast defines the Dungeons and Dragons level up in its Systems Reference Document:

While going on adventures, your character gains experience, represented by Experience Points (XP). A character who reaches a specified Experience Point total advances in capability. This advancement is called gaining a level. When you gain a level, follow these steps:

1: Choose a Class. Most characters advance in the same class. However, you might decide to gain a level in another class using the rules in the "Multiclassing" section.

2: Adjust Hit Points and Hit Point Dice. Each time you gain a level, you gain an additional Hit Die. Roll that die, add your Constitution modifier to the roll, and add the total (minimum of 1) to your Hit Point maximum. Instead of rolling, you can use the fixed maximum.

3: Record New Class Features. Look at your class features table in "Classes," and note the features you gain at your new level in that class. Make any choices offered by a new feature.

4: Adjust Proficiency Bonus. A character's Proficiency Bonus increases at certain levels, as shown in the Character Advancement table and your class features table in "Classes." When your Proficiency Bonus increases, increase all the numbers on your character sheet that include your Proficiency Bonus.

5: Adjust Ability Modifiers. If you choose a feat that increases one or more of your ability scores, your ability modifier also changes if the new score is an even number. When that happens, adjust all the numbers on your character sheet that use that ability modifier. When your Constitution modifier increases by 1, your Hit Point maximum increases by 1 for each level you have attained.

For example, if a character reaches level 8 and increases their Constitution score from 17 to 18, the Constitution modifier increases to +4. The character's itution modifier increases to +4. The character's Hit Point maximum then increases by 8, in addition to the Hit Points gained for reaching level 8.

This is a broad summary that describes the step-by-step process of leveling up your character. However, there's not quite enough detail here to walk you through the process. Let's examine each stage of the DnD level up in more detail:

Experience points

"While going on adventures, your character gains experience, represented by Experience Points (XP). A character who reaches a specified Experience Point total advances in capability."

Every monster a party encounters has an experience point (XP) value based on its challenge rating, which the characters will receive as a reward for defeating the creature in battle. Combat XP is split equally between the party.

However, there are several instances where this rule may be modified. For example, some DMs may choose not to award XP to absent players. They may also choose to allocate a certain amount of XP to an NPC which made the fight considerably easier. Some DMs may even choose to award uneven amounts of XP depending on which characters contributed the most in combat - though the Dungeon Master's Guide recommends keeping the playing field even by sharing equal XP.

DMs also decide how much XP their players can earn from certain non-combat activities.

DnD level up table

Here's a DnD level up table showing how much XP a character needs to earn to reach a new level:

Milestone leveling

The Systems Reference Document doesn't mention it, but there is an alternative way for DMs to calculate level ups. With this method, known as milestone leveling, DMs may award level ups depending on how many sessions players play, or after important plot points in a DnD campaign. This is recommended if the campaign doesn't have much combat, for example.

Player's don't need to do any extra calculations with milestone leveling; they simply wait for their DM to let them know that they've earned a level up. On the other side of the DM screen, though, more thought should go into the DnD level up process…

DnD level up advice for DMs

With this version of the rules, you have complete control over when your players level up. The bright side is that you don't have to go through the tedious process of tracking XP, but the downside is that you'll need to plan your milestones carefully.

If you're running a campaign from an official DnD book, you might get lucky and find that the level up milestones are defined for you. This is increasingly common in recent first-party adventure books, but older ones might still lay the responsibility on your shoulders.

Here are a few ways that we'd recommend deciding level up milestones:

After a certain number of sessions

If your games are three to four hours long, gradually increase the number of sessions required to level up. For example, the characters reach level two after one session, level three after two sessions, level four after three sessions, and so on…

This tends to result in a campaign that breezes through the lower levels but spends much longer in higher tiers. It'll take you around 45 sessions to reach level 10, but if you want to carry on to level 15, that's another 60 sessions.

After they further their goals in the story

As the DM, you should have a good idea of the key story beats of your campaign. In a linear story, the order and pacing of these milestones should come fairly naturally. Space out your level ups in a way that service the needs of your narrative.

In a sandbox game, where players could encounter story beats in any order, it can help to define major and minor milestones that contribute to a level up. You know which boss fights and dungeons will be most punishing, and you know which key items or characters the party should interact with to further the narrative - these are your major events that could justify a level up all by themselves. You can also probably also judge which small side quests could, if combined with others, add up to one whole level up.

Instead of cooking up your own systems for this, it can be really helpful to seek out ready made solutions from other great tabletop RPGs and simply port those into your DM planning. The video above, by TTRPG YouTuber and friend of the site Dicey Encounters, recommends the Beats system, from Rowan, Rook, and Decard's Spire and Heart games, as a great option. 

Multiclassing

1: Choose a Class. Most characters advance in the same class. However, you might decide to gain a level in another class using the rules in the "Multiclassing" section.

If you're only planning to play a single class, you can skip this stage of the DnD level up entirely. However, if you want to mix a little Fighter in with your Ranger build, there are a few key things you should know. Essentially, every time you level up in D&D, you have two choices:

• You can go up one level in the class you started as
• OR you can go up one level in another class, gaining abilities from the new class, in addition to the ones you'd already unlocked in your original class.

There's actually no formal limit on how many classes your character can belong to at once! But there is one big restriction: before you can gain the 1st level of a new class, you need to have the basic character stats required for both classes.

That means having a score of at least 13 in both classes' primary ability scores. So, for example, if you're a Ranger multiclassing into Fighter, you'll need a 13 in Wisdom for your Ranger and a 13 in either Strength or Dexterity for your Fighter.

When you level up, you only gain the perks of one of your chosen classes. That means that you'll gain the hit points and hit dice of your new class, plus a tweaked version of your usual spell slots and prepared spells. For example, a level-three Ranger that takes one level in Fighter will now be a Ranger 3/Fighter 1 build, and they'll take the level-one features of the Fighter on that particular level up.

There are also a few rules wrinkles to be aware of, depending on which classes you're messing with, because not every feature crosses the bridge when you multiclass. You can only use one class' armor class calculation at a time, and if those two classes share a class ability with the same name, you can't benefit from both. If a Ranger and a Fighter both gain Extra Attack, for example, those don't stack.

For a complete explanation and gameplay tips around multiclass characters, read our full guide to DnD multiclassing.

Should I multiclass on my next D&D level up?

You should multiclass only if you have a pretty clear plan of how far you're going to go into your new class(es), what abilities you're doing it for, and how they'll fit into your overall character build over the course of your campaign.

You need to think ahead, and be mindful of what you're giving up from your build, not just what you're adding to it. Taking a little 'dip' into another class, to add all those tasty extra tactical arrows to your character's quiver, is always tempting. But remember that every level gained in your second, third, or (Helm forbid) fourth class is one missed from your original one.

Depending on the length of your campaign, you might be locking yourself out of ever getting to the same high character levels your fellow adventurers will reach towards the end, and enjoying the mega-powerful endgame abilities that come with that. Just taking a one or two level 'dip' into another class won't hold back your main progression quite so much - but it also means you won't have unlocked some of the key abilities in your new class either, leaving you neither here nor there.

Hit dice and hit points

2: Adjust Hit Points and Hit Point Dice. Each time you gain a level, you gain an additional Hit Die. Roll that die, add your Constitution modifier to the roll, and add the total (minimum of 1) to your Hit Point maximum. Instead of rolling, you can use the fixed v maximum. Instead of rolling, you can use the fixed value shown in the Fixed Hit Points by Class table.

Each time you gain a level, your hit points increase. The amount they increase is determined in one of two ways:

• Gain a fixed, average amount that's determined by your class.
• Roll your Hit Die, add your Constitution modifier, and add that final sum to your hit point maximum.

You always gain at least one hit point per level, even if you have a negative Constitution modifier and roll very poorly. If at any point your Constitution modifier increases, your hit point maximum increases too - by one point for each level you've gained.

New class features

3: Record New Class Features. Look at your class features table in "Classes," and note the features you gain at your new level in that class. Make any choices offered by a new feature.

Each of the classes will gain unique features as they level up. Here's a quick overview of the core class features that are affected by DnD level ups:

Barbarian

Full class guide: Barbarian 5e

• Rage - The number of Rages you can perform, plus the bonus damage they deal, increases when you reach certain levels.
• Brutal Critical - This ninth-level feature improves at levels 13 and 17.

Bard

Full class guide: Bard 5e

• Spellcasting - The DnD spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.
• Bardic Inspiration - The die you roll for this feature changes at levels five, ten, and 15.

Cleric

Full class guide: Cleric 5e

• Spellcasting - The spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.
• Channel Divinity - At levels six and 18, you can use Channel Divinity more often between DnD long rests.

Druid

Full class guide: Druid 5e

• Spellcasting - The spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.
• Wild Shape 5e - At levels two, four, and eight, you can transform into more powerful creatures.

Fighter

Full class guide: Fighter 5e

• Action Surge - Can be used twice per short or long rest once you reach level 17.
• Extra Attack - Improves to give you more attacks at levels 11 and 20.
• Indomitable - You gain more uses of this feature at levels 13 and 17.

Monk

Full class guide: Monk 5e

• Martial arts -Your damage die increases at various levels.
• Focus points - As your power grows, you gain more ki points to spend.
• Unarmored movement - Your speed regularly increases as you level up, and you can move along unusual surfaces once you hit level nine.

Paladin

Full class guide: Paladin 5e

• Spellcasting - The spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.
• Channel Divinity - The resource that fuels your subclass features increases from two to three uses at level 11.
• Aura Improvements - The range of your auras improves at level 18.

Ranger

Full class guide: Ranger 5e

• Spellcasting - The spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.
• Favored Enemy - You gain more uses of your signature feature at levels five, nine, 13, and 17.

Rogue

Full class guide: Rogue 5e

• Sneak Attack - The damage this feature deals regularly increases as you level up.

Sorcerer

Full class guide: Sorcerer 5e

• Spellcasting - The spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.
• Sorcery Points - You regularly gain more Sorcery Points with level ups.
• Metamagic - You'll gain more Metamagic options at levels ten and 17.

Warlock

Full class guide: Warlock 5e

• Spellcasting - The spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.
• Eldritch Invocations 5e - Several level ups let you gain new Eldritch Invocations, and you can swap your Invocations every time you gain a Warlock level.
• Mystic Arcanum - At various levels, you'll gain more Warlock spells to cast with this feature.

Wizard

Full class guide: Wizard 5e

• Spellcasting - The spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.

Artificer

Full class guide: Artificer 5e

• Spellcasting - The spells you know, how many spell slots you have, and the level of spells you can cast are all affected by level ups.
• Infusions - You learn more infusions and can infuse more items as you gain levels.

Many DnD subclasses will also include features that change as you level up. For example, the Arcane Trickster 5e gives your Rogue character access to spellcasting.

Proficiency bonus

4: Adjust Proficiency Bonus. A character's Proficiency Bonus increases at certain levels, as shown in the Character Advancement table and your class features table in "Classes." When your Proficiency Bonus increases, increase all the numbers on your character sheet that include your Proficiency Bonus.

Your proficiency bonus is a modifier that you will add to rolls when using a skill, weapon, or item with which your character is proficient. It doesn't always increase when you level up, but it has a big impact when it does. Your proficiency bonus increases at levels five, nine, 13, and 17.

Here's a complete table of leveling up proficiency bonuses:

Ability modifiers

5: Adjust Ability Modifiers. If you choose a feat that increases one or more of your ability scores, your ability modifier also changes if the new score is an even number. When that happens, adjust all the numbers on your character sheet that use that ability modifier. When your Constitution modifier increases by 1, your Hit Point maximum increases by 1 for each level you have attained.

As you increase in level, your ability scores will increase. For a more in-depth look at what each ability is used for, we have a DnD stats guide to give you a comprehensive introduction to each ability and the skills that depend on it.

You typically unlock an ability score increase at levels four, eight, 12, and 16. Some classes, like Rogue and Fighter, grant ability score increases at different levels. When improving your ability scores, you can choose to increase one ability by two points or two abilities by one point each - though no ability score can go over 20.

Alternatively, you could choose to take one of the DnD feats instead (check out our guide for more details on what that entails).

As your ability scores increase, the modifiers they apply to ability checks and attacks will also change:

For more character tutorials, here's a guide to DnD 2024 backgrounds. We can also walk you through the process of filling out a DnD character sheet.

This guide directly presents rules text for DnD level ups, published by Wizards of the Coast under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.