Larian Studios has officially announced that the much-anticipated Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3 will launch on Tuesday, April 15. This update, which has been rigorously tested in stress form, is now ready for all players to enjoy next week.
Patch 8 brings a wealth of new content to the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Players can look forward to 12 new subclasses, a photo mode, cross-play functionality, and split-screen support on Xbox Series S. For a detailed overview of the update, be sure to check out the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 patch notes.
New Subclasses in Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8
Bard - College of Glamour
As a College of Glamour Bard, you'll wield the power to heal allies and control enemies. Use Mantle of Inspiration to grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks while it's active, they'll become Charmed. With Mantle of Majesty, you can command these Charmed enemies to flee, move closer, freeze, drop to the ground, or disarm.
Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choosing the Path of Giants grants you immense strength, enabling you to throw both friends and foes with ease. The Giant’s Rage passive increases your size and strength, enhancing your Throw attack damage and boosting your carrying capacity.
Cleric - Death Domain
Clerics of the Death Domain can harness necrotic damage through new spells and three necromancy cantrips. Toll The Dead inflicts 1-8 damage, scaling up for already injured targets. Additionally, you can now explode nearby corpses to damage enemies.
Druid - Circle of Stars
Druids of the Circle of Stars draw power from the constellations, adopting one of three Starry Forms: the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Each form caters to different play styles, from dealing radiant damage to healing or enhancing constitution rolls.
Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Paladins of the Oath of the Crown can guide allies in battle with Righteous Clarity, taunt foes, and protect their party with Divine Allegiance, absorbing damage and restoring health.
Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers blend magic with marksmanship, using unique skills and new shooting animations. You can banish foes to the Feywild or inflict Psychic damage, potentially blinding enemies.
Monk - Drunken Master
Drunken Masters can drink alcohol from their inventory or around the Sword Coast to recover Ki. Using Intoxicating Strike, you can buff your Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets, while Sobering Realisation deals physical and Psychic damage to sober them up.
Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers command three deadly swarms: Cloud of Jellyfish (lightning damage), Flurry of Moths (Psychic damage), and Legion of Bees (piercing damage). Each swarm also offers teleportation capabilities.
Rogue - Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler Rogues can blind enemies with sand, disarm them with a flick of their weapon, and use Fancy Footwork to prevent opportunity attacks after melee attacks.
Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness, with Superior Darkvision and the ability to Shadow Walk. Summon the Hound of Ill Omen to harass foes and use Strength of the Grave to avoid being downed, perfect for Honour Mode runs.
Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks make pacts with Shadowfell entities, manifesting magical weapons. Curse enemies and raise their spirits from corpses to deal necrotic damage and heal the Warlock.
Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards merge swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new animations, the Bladesong ability for speed, agility, and focus, and a bonus to Constitution saving throws.
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Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur's Gate 3, concluding a successful run for Larian Studios. The game, which launched to critical acclaim and commercial success in 2023, has continued to perform well into 2025.
Larian has surprised the gaming community by announcing their departure from Baldur's Gate 3 and the Dungeons & Dragons universe to focus on a new, undisclosed project. A media blackout has been enforced to concentrate on this mystery game.
Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at future plans for the Baldur's Gate series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, revealed that with Larian moving on, there is significant interest in the franchise. While no specific details were shared, Ayoub expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4, though he acknowledged that its development would take time.
"We're not in a hurry," Ayoub stated. "We're going to take a very measured approach... We've got a lot of plans, a lot of different ways to go about it. We're starting to think about, okay, yeah, we're ready to start dipping toes a little bit and talking about a few things. And I think, in really short order, like I said, again, not to over-tease that point, we're going to have some other things to talk about around that."
To celebrate the release of Patch 8, Larian will host a Twitch livestream featuring senior systems designer Ross Stephens, who will detail the update's changes and additions.
