Just like a wide variety of video games, The Witcher 3 has a leveling system that keeps players from getting every ability all at once. Also like most video games, The Witcher 3 has a level cap. However, not every player will reach it.
Each quest in the game comes with a recommended level, and in the base game this recommended level caps out at 30. Even within the Blood and Wine expansion the max recommended level is 49, and the game's maximum possible level is much higher. And since enemies give less experience the higher Geralt's level goes, the only real way to reach this cap is in a New Game +.
So What Is the Cap?
When playing the base game on its own or with the Hearts of Stone expansion, Geralt's max level is 70. However, the large Blood and Wine expansion increases this cap up to level 100. This is an extremely generous cap because players will most likely end the game with a level of around 50. Even a player who completes every side quest and optional objective most likely won't reach a level above 55.
For most players, 50 levels will be plenty. By this point, Geralt will have enough ability points to max out the player's preferred character build and even invest in some of the special mutations added in Blood and Wine. And since by this point every main quest is complete and every enemy is weak, the only way to continue leveling is by starting a New Game +.
Why Play New Game +?
New Game + is technically a DLC for The Witcher 3, but it's a free DLC that came out just three months after the game's initial release. By choosing this mode, players can pick a game save made after completing the story and carry over:
- Geralt's level, including all abilities and mutations.
- All weapons and armor, including everything in Geralt's stash.
- Geralt's cash in crowns.
- All potions, decoctions, oils, and bombs.
However, players will lose all their recipes and diagrams, all crafting and alchemy materials, all runes and glyphs, all books and quest items, all trophies, all exploration points, and every entry in the Bestiary and Character sections. In addition, enemies will scale as if Geralt's starting level was 1, and unlike Geralt their levels can go over 70 (or 100). Finally, Geralt will be able to find "Legendary" witcher armor diagrams instead of the regular set.
So while the level cap is real, it only matters to players who take advantage of New Game +. Players on their first run through the game are extremely unlikely to see their progression grind to a halt, so it's not something to worry about.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.