Baldur's Gate 3: Major Patch Details Revealed

Baldur's Gate 3's highly anticipated Patch 8 entered closed stress testing on January 28th, encompassing PC and consoles. This substantial update, the final major patch for the game, introduces twelve new subclasses, cross-play functionality across all platforms, and a much-requested photo mode. Let's delve into how this update elevates an already celebrated gaming experience.

Table of Contents

• New Subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3
• Photo Mode
• Cross-Play
• Gameplay, Combat, and Story Improvements

New Subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3

Each of Baldur's Gate 3's twelve classes receives a unique subclass, boasting new spells, dialogue options, and visual effects.

Sorcerer: Shadow Magic

This dark subclass lets you summon a hellhound to attack and restrain enemies, and create a veil of darkness visible only to you. At level 11, teleporting between shadows becomes possible.

Warlock: Pact Blade

Instead of inherent dark magic, this Warlock pacts with a Shadowfell entity. From level 1, you enchant a weapon, adding more enchantments at levels 3 and 5, allowing for up to three strikes per turn.

Cleric: Death Domain

Specializing in necrotic spells that ignore enemy resistances, Death Domain Clerics can resurrect the dead…or cause corpses to explode! Perfect for players who prefer a darker, less healing-focused cleric.

Wizard: Blade Song

Effective in melee combat, Blade Song grants ten turns to accumulate charges through attacks and spells, usable for healing allies or damaging foes.

Druid: Circle of Stars

Shift between constellations, gaining adaptive bonuses to enhance your versatility on the battlefield.

Barbarian: Path of the Giant

Enter a rage, grow in size, and hurl weapons with increased damage and elemental effects (fire or lightning). The weapon returns to your hand after throwing. Expect improved throwing skills and increased carrying capacity.

Fighter: Mystic Archer

Blending magic and archery, Mystic Archers fire enchanted arrows that blind, inflict psychic damage, or banish opponents. This embodies classic elven combat.

Monk: Drunken Master

These Monks rely on alcohol-fueled strength, delivering devastating blows. Enemies hit become vulnerable to subsequent attacks.

Rogue: Swashbuckler

A true pirate archetype (perfect for Astarion fans!), Swashbucklers excel in close combat using dirty tricks like blinding sand, disarming thrusts, and demoralizing taunts.

Bard: College of Glamour

These rock stars of the Forgotten Realms charm enemies and support allies. Their charisma can compel foes to flee, approach, freeze, fall, or drop their weapons.

Ranger: Swarmkeeper

Command swarms of tiny creatures (bees, honey, moths) to debuff enemies. Each swarm type offers unique effects (repelling, stunning, blinding). Swarm type changes only upon leveling up.

Paladin: Oath of the Crown

Lawful and righteous, these Paladins gain powerful abilities to boost allies, draw enemy attention, and absorb damage—a true tank subclass.

Photo Mode

The highly anticipated photo mode arrives with extensive camera settings and advanced post-processing effects for stunning screenshots.

Cross-Play

Cross-platform multiplayer finally unites PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Windows, and Mac players. The closed stress test primarily focused on refining cross-play functionality for a seamless experience.

Gameplay, Combat, and Story Improvements

Patch 8 includes numerous enhancements:

• Successfully detecting items during Perception checks now marks them on the mini-map and logs them in the battle journal.
• Fixed an issue where certain ally abilities weren't properly displayed after dialogue in the High Hall.
• Items (scrolls, potions) in unlocked containers are now usable during conversations.
• Neutral and friendly NPCs no longer become hostile when stepping on surfaces created during combat.
• Resolved a bug causing characters to get stuck climbing stairs occupied by companions.
• Fixed an issue with moving platforms in the Shan Trial, preventing character falls.
• Corrected a glitch where neutral NPCs would initiate combat without provocation.
• Keris will no longer unnecessarily fight Mintara.
• Resolved a 0% loading screen freeze when joining modded multiplayer sessions.
• Improved server performance in the Adamantine Forge.
• Fixed an issue where you could tell Astarion that Gandrel was looking for him, even if Gandrel refused to reveal his target.
• Mintara no longer gets stuck watching Taniel in Act 2.
• Your character will no longer mistakenly believe Shadohurt is dead if she isn't.
• Discovered merchants will now appear on the world map regardless of distance.

Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3 is slated for release in February or early March 2025. Following this update, Larian Studios will concentrate on bug fixes, with no further major updates planned.