D&D 5E Does progression rate slow down?

[S'mon]

21 online sessions (avg ca 2.5-3 hrs each) into my first big 5e campaign, and I'm a bit gobsmacked at the rate of progression. Even with individual XP and the slowness of chatroom play (which about doubles playtime to level) the two most active PCs are now 6th level, with a third at 5th. It has slowed down a bit since the first couple levels (I think the first pc to reach 5th did it around session 14), but not nearly as much as I expected. And looking at the xp chart it looks that the increase in xp to level is about to ease off a lot too.
So that made me wonder, does advancement stay fast even through levels 6-10? And I can see it likely must speed up a lot at 11+ too, which worries me a bit - I'd be looking at Dominion style play in my sandbox then, not sure I want that being levelled out of fast. Also, how is the high level power progression? I heard it's a lot flatter than other editions - does that mean the pcs could keep on doing much the same stuff 11th-16th?

 

[Corpsetaker]

21 online sessions (avg ca 2.5-3 hrs each) into my first big 5e campaign, and I'm a bit gobsmacked at the rate of progression. Even with individual XP and the slowness of chatroom play (which about doubles playtime to level) the two most active PCs are now 6th level, with a third at 5th. It has slowed down a bit since the first couple levels (I think the first pc to reach 5th did it around session 14), but not nearly as much as I expected. And looking at the xp chart it looks that the increase in xp to level is about to ease off a lot too.
So that made me wonder, does advancement stay fast even through levels 6-10? And I can see it likely must speed up a lot at 11+ too, which worries me a bit - I'd be looking at Dominion style play in my sandbox then, not sure I want that being levelled out of fast. Also, how is the high level power progression? I heard it's a lot flatter than other editions - does that mean the pcs could keep on doing much the same stuff 11th-16th?

How about ask your DM to either hand out less XP or raise the amount for the next level?

Your DM has full control over level progression.

 

[Jester David]

Progression slows after 3rd level and then picks up after 10th level. If you're at 5-6 then, no, you're as slow as it gets.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

The rate of advancement is going to depend on a lot of variables. If all you're doing is facing equal-level encounters, then it slows down a little from 6-10 and then speeds up from 11-15, but there's also the possibility that you'll fight things that are much weaker than you - potentially draining your resources, but without giving as much experience out of it. (Logically, as you approach higher levels, more of the world will contain things that are weaker than you.) That ties into Bounded Accuracy, which keeps low-level enemies more relevant against high-level PCs.

The developers have stated that the intent is for a group to go from level 1 to level 20 in about a year of weekly play (about 50 sessions, at 4 hours each - so 200 hours over all). According to the surveys, many players expressed interest in reaching high-levels during a typical campaign, but few were willing to spend more than a year on a single campaign. Math ensued, and they aimed the progression rate at one level per two or three sessions.

 

[S'mon]

How about ask your DM to either hand out less XP or raise the amount for the next level?

Your DM has full control over level progression.

I'm the GM, I am asking about the default progression rate. I'd like to know if I will need to eg introduce a 0.5 divider for xp at 11th level.

 

[S'mon]

The developers have stated that the intent is for a group to go from level 1 to level 20 in about a year of weekly play (about 50 sessions, at 4 hours each - so 200 hours over all). According to the surveys, many players expressed interest in reaching high-levels during a typical campaign, but few were willing to spend more than a year on a single campaign. Math ensued, and they aimed the progression rate at one level per two or three sessions.

One thing I'm having to get my head around is that it looks like in 5e levels 11-20 may be balanced, fun,
and playable (not my experience with 3e & PF). So where in 3e I'd run a 1-10 campaign, I should
think of that as equivalent to 5e 1-20? That puts a different complexion on it because a year to reach
10th level is pretty much the AD&D planned rate per Gygax, so 5e might really be the same, just with 2 5e levels = one 1e level...

 

[practicalm]

My group started slowing down after 6th and getting to each level feels like a milestone now. Highest character is 8th but players don't make every session so the levels are from low-6th to mid-8th level and level progression feels good. Players look forward to leveling and trying out their new powers.

 

[DaveDash]

My group is level 16 now, and it really sped up around level 11.

At first I hated it, it felt like my players were racing through the levels too fast. Now I am used to it though, and I see the merit of it. You can actually reach the higher levels now.

I worked it out, it's basically designed to get you from level 1-20 in a year (based on average play times and such).

 

[Ashrym]

My group is level 16 now, and it really sped up around level 11.

At first I hated it, it felt like my players were racing through the levels too fast. Now I am used to it though, and I see the merit of it. You can actually reach the higher levels now.

I worked it out, it's basically designed to get you from level 1-20 in a year (based on average play times and such).

The speed up at 11th level was intentional. IIRC it had something to do with driving the campaign to run longer based on campaigns ending at that level range. I could be remembering incorrectly, however.

The XP was very deliberate based on feedback and easy enough to change. I am a fan of the DM deciding level increases based on campaign and story progression as an alternative.

 

[Henry]

Think about it this way - if this were a face to face tabletop game, you'd be 21 weeks in, assuming like most people a game once per week to two weeks, so 5 months in. In progression ever since 3rd edition D&D, making level 6 about half a year in is about standard progression. Back on 2000, the XP tables were refigured for a campaign to run 1st to 20th in about 2 years, as I recall, so even if it slows down after now, you're on a track that will finish in about 2 years' time.

Honestly, I'm on a pathfinder game now that runs twice a month, and just over one year in, we're solidly at 8th level, so it's not that far out from other D&D iterations.