So I imported a BG1 character-file to BG2 after playing through BG1 3 times with the same character (I liked the tomes a lot :)) which was succesfully done. However, when I started the game after that I heard the level up sound. After I got control of my character, I saw that my character now has 392413 XP instead of 89k (due to the BG1 cap), I didn't even use a mod to uncap it in BG1. Is this a common bug with Easytutu? I can't remember I ever had this issue in the Vanilla game before I even knew about EasyTuTu.

Note that my BG2 installation (both BG-games+ToB are retail bought, I don't own TotSC) is unmodded, but I did have some mods for BG1, just no experience cap remover.

Finally, is this issue avoidable when importing a character from BG1 or do I need to use the ShadowKeeper tool for this?

Thanks in advance.

Edit your character file, rather than your saved game, and take away any XP that you don't want before importing. You can make it a separate file if you like.

Alternatively, just enable cheat mode and use the console to set the character's XP to the appropriate value; no external program needed. Just make sure you do this *before* you level up past your desired level, as taking away levels is not as easy as taking away XP.

This cannot be done. The engine sets the character's level based on XP at load time -- if your fighter is level 1 with 89,000 XP, the engine will set the level to 7 when loaded. The player does not choose 'per level' stats, only total stats.

Couldn't you just set your XP before you export the character (or the character gets auto-exported)?

Not negatively in-game, no. The console command to 'SetCurrentXP' only applies positively. A level 12 character can not be XP'd back to level 7, since that would necessitate knowing where all other stats and states were for every prior level... the engine just can't do it.

Except that you don't *need* to level up when you're given the option. You can be a level 1 character with 89,000 XP, or (in BG2) a level 7 character with 8 million XP.

Also, there's nothing in the engine that disallows having a level 12 character with only enough XP to be level 7. Level and XP don't have to correspond. (In the Wizardry series, I've seen some interesting (and sometimes exploitable) cases of this.)

(Also, I don't remember not being able to decrease XP with cheats.)

What you are getting at is cheating. Of course you can export a level 12 character whose XP is only 89,000, but all the other stats will be way above what they should be. Doing what you are suggesting is no better than using ShadowKeeper to put all stats to what you want. This is why I proposed editing the character file. Remember, no matter how much XP you have, the second you press 'Level Up' the engine takes over.

That doesn't happen until you actually press the "Level Up" button, however. If you never press it, your level will never increase.
Also, leveling up doesn't increase your stats in this game anyway; all you get are things like HP, THAC0, and spells. A level 40 character will have no more Strength than she did at level 1. (This is unlike games like Wizardry and Bard's Tale, or Dragon Quest and (most) Final Fantasy.)

What's your point? Why would somebody not press 'Level Up'?

I can think of a few reasons.
1. The player isn't aware that you have to go into the menu and press the "Level Up" button to level up. (I don't remember if either game explicitly mentions this, and even if it did, it's easy to miss. What they should have done is, in the tutorial, actually have somebody get enough experience to level up, then tell you how to actually gain that level.)
2. The character will get something that requires a choice (like a weapon proficiency or Sorcerer spells) when leveling up, but the player does not know what to choose.
3. The character has already reached the level for dual-classing, but doesn't actually want to do so just yet.
4. The player happens to be playing some mod that removes the XP cap (apparently TuTu and Trilogy do this in their BG1 forms) and doesn't want to level up past the level those games are balanced for
5. The player is intentionally handicapping herself for a challenge. (An interesting challenge might be to beat either game without leveling up at all; try to beat the game with everyone at their starting levels.)

Stop scraping the barrel. Not a single valid reason there, nor a valid point.

How are my reasons not valid?

I can actually think of another reason:

6. The player is trying to avoid stronger enemies appearing (as a result of level scaling, though I'm pretty sure it's not nearly as pronounced as in Wizardry 8).

Because they're completely made up by you.

Actually, I believe I did read an account of somebody playing Baldur's Gate 2 without leveling up at all during the entire game (and I am talking about a "casual" playthrough, not a speedrun that skips major portions of the game).

I have actually encountered something similar to #2 in other games; sometimes I tend to hoard skill points instead of spending them because I can't decide where I want them.

As for #1, it can happen to new players, who do not realize that you need to manually level up after the game says "Level Up". In fact, in the majority of RPGs, when you get enough experience to level up, the level up is automatic. (This is true, for example, in every Final Fantasy game (to my knowledge) except FF10, as well as every Dragon Quest game, as well as Wizardry 6 and 7, and even SSI AD&D games (excluding the Gold Box games.) Therefore, a new player who is used to RPGs with automatic leveling might not realize that you need to level up manually in this game, and the player might not think to check the character sheet (and hence might not see that "LEVEL UP" button).