Baldur’s Gate 3’s developer Larian Studios is gearing up to release Patch 8 for 2023’s definitive Game of the Year, and the free update sounds so incredible it’s a wonder they’re not charging for it.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. As far as major updates are concerned, it sounds a lot like Patch 8 is going to be Baldur’s Gate 3’s last big release. Considering what they’re adding in the final patch, I can hardly blame them though.
As detailed in the press release on the official Baldur’s Gate 3 site, Patch 8 will be adding three major mechanics to the game: cross-play, photo mode and (perhaps most excitingly) subclasses.
Cross-play is the most straightforward to start with, as Larian Studios has promised that players will be able to meet up and play with anyone, using any console, once it goes live. That includes PS5, PC, Xbox and even Mac.
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Take a look at the game in action below.
On the other hand, photo mode looks so in-depth that I’m no longer surprised it wasn’t in the game at launch. You can get your team to do all manner of silly poses, you can mess around with field of views, exposure and depth of field settings, and there’s even a whole bunch of post-processing effects to mess around with.
Now, the big one; every existing class in the game is also getting a brand new “subclass”. For those unaware of what a subclass is in the context of Dungeons and Dragons, just think of it as an alternate version of a pre-existing class.
The 12 subclasses they’re adding in the new update are: Bard - College of Glamour, Barbarian - Path of Giants, Cleric - Death Domain, Druid - Circle of Stars, Paladin - Oath of the Crown, Fighter - Arcane Archer, Monk - Drunken Master, Ranger - Swarmkeeper, Rogue - Swashbuckler, Sorcerer - Shadow Magic, Warlock - Hexblade and Wizard - Bladesinging.
I highly suggest giving the press release on Larian’s site a look through if you want the full breakdown on your class of choice, because there is a LOT of new stuff they’re adding. Personally I think the Sorcerer’s Shadow Magic subclass is the coolest, but that’s mostly just because you get a cool demon dog.
No exact date on the release of Patch 8 as of now, but Larian have stated that it will drop sometime in 2025.
Personally, I can’t wait until it drops, so I can get 90% of the way through the game for the ninth time and then start it all over again.
Topics: Baldur's Gate 3, Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X