Re: ME1 max level still bugged?

I thought it was clear at this point. It is not possible to reach level 30 in a single playthrough. You will have to do NG+.

You have to be seriously thorough to even get to 29 in your first playthrough, but that one's at least doable. The jump between 29 and 30 is so big, you'll be playing for a reasonable amount of time. It's like 60k XP or something. You will be hitting 30 somewhere around the mid-point of NG+.

People were promoting it as possible in previews for the game, but they clearly didn't do their homework. Save yourself the trouble and do a NG+.