D and D 5e XP to Next Level

Experience Points (XP) per Level in D&D 5e

In Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, the XP table spells out how much experience a character needs to hit each level. A few of the marks worth knowing: level 2 sits at 300 XP and level 3 at 900. From there the climb steepens, with level 4 at 2 700 and level 5 at 6 500. By level 10 you are looking at 64 000, and the table tops out at level 20 with 355 000 XP.

Every combat encounter carries an XP budget rated as Easy, Medium, Hard, or Deadly, which you work out from the table on Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) page 82. If tracking numbers feels like a chore, there is milestone leveling instead, where the DM hands out levels at story beats and skips the XP math entirely. Plenty of narrative-heavy campaigns run that way.

Applications

For Dungeon Masters, this is handy when you are pacing an adventure, sizing encounters against the party's total XP budget, or weighing whether to run XP or milestones. Players get something out of it too: a rough count of how many sessions stand between them and the next level, which makes it easier to plan an upcoming feat or subclass feature.

FAQ

Should I divide XP equally among the party? Yes. Take the total XP from the encounter and split it by the number of active characters. Everyone gets the same share, no matter who landed the killing blow.

Does XP from quests count? It can. Combat is not the only way to earn it; a DM is free to reward finished objectives, good roleplay at the table, exploration, or a solved puzzle. The DMG lists suggested values to anchor each challenge.

What if the party is at different levels? Each character advances on their own XP total. If the gap starts to bother you, the DM can nudge the awards to pull the group closer together, or switch to milestone leveling so everyone moves up at once.