Larian Studios has officially announced that the eagerly awaited Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3 will be released on Tuesday, April 15. This update, which has been in stress testing for some time, is now ready for all players to enjoy.
Patch 8 introduces a wealth of new content to the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, including an impressive lineup of 12 new subclasses. Players can also look forward to exciting features such as photo mode, cross-play, and split-screen functionality on Xbox Series S. For a detailed breakdown of what to expect, be sure to check out the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 patch notes.
Here's a closer look at the new subclasses that will be available with Patch 8:
Bard - College of Glamour
As a College of Glamour Bard, you gain the ability to heal allies and control enemies. Use Mantle of Inspiration to grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks during this effect, they become Charmed. With Mantle of Majesty, you can command these charmed enemies to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.
Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choose the Path of Giants to harness giant strength, making it easier to hurl both friends and foes. The Giant’s Rage passive not only boosts your strength and size but also enhances your Throw attack damage and increases your carry capacity.
Cleric - Death Domain
As a Death Domain Cleric, you'll wield spells focused on necrotic damage and gain three new necromancy cantrips, including Toll The Dead, which inflicts 1-8 damage that scales with prior damage to the target. You can also detonate nearby corpses to deal additional damage to enemies.
Druid - Circle of Stars
Circle of Stars Druids draw power from the stars, adopting one of three Starry Forms—Archer, Chalice, and Dragon—each enhancing different aspects of play. The Archer deals radiant damage, the Chalice heals, and the Dragon boosts constitution rolls.
Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Oath of the Crown Paladins can aid allies and disrupt foes with Righteous Clarity and Divine Allegiance, the latter absorbing damage for your party while restoring their health.
Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers combine magic with marksmanship, using skills like banishing foes to the Feywild or inflicting Psychic damage that may blind enemies.
Monk - Drunken Master
As a Drunken Master, consume alcohol to recover Ki, and use Intoxicating Strike to boost your Armour Class and hit chance against drunk enemies. Sobering Realisation sobers up foes while dealing physical and Psychic damage.
Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers can summon three types of deadly swarms: Cloud of Jellyfish for lightning damage, Flurry of Moths for Psychic damage and potential blindness, and Legion of Bees for piercing damage and knockback. Each swarm also offers teleportation capabilities.
Rogue - Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler Rogues can engage in dirty tactics like blinding enemies with sand, disarming them with a flick of their weapon, and using Fancy Footwork to avoid opportunity attacks after melee strikes.
Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness with Superior Darkvision and Shadow Walk. Summon the Hound of Ill Omen to harass foes, and use Strength of the Grave to stay in the fight longer.
Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks form a pact with a Shadowfell entity, wielding cursed weapons. Slay non-elemental, non-construct, non-giant blob, and non-undead enemies to raise their spirits for 10 turns, dealing necrotic damage and healing your Warlock.
Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards blend swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new animations, a Bladesong ability for speed, agility, and focus, and enhanced Constitution saving throws.
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Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur's Gate 3, concluding an extraordinary journey for Larian Studios. The game launched to widespread acclaim and significant commercial success in 2023, continuing to perform well into 2024 and 2025.
In a surprising move, Larian announced plans to move away from Baldur's Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons to focus on a new, undisclosed project, leading to a media blackout to concentrate on this mysterious endeavor.
Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at continuing the Baldur's Gate series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, revealed that with Larian stepping away, there is significant interest in Baldur's Gate. Hasbro is currently formulating plans for the franchise's future, with announcements expected soon.
Ayoub remained vague about whether these plans involve a new Baldur's Gate game or a different project, such as a crossover similar to the Magic: The Gathering collaboration. He expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4 but acknowledged that such a project would require time and a careful approach.
Larian Studios will celebrate the release of Patch 8 with a Twitch livestream featuring senior systems designer Ross Stephens, who will discuss the update's changes and additions in detail.
