Larian Studios has officially announced that the much-awaited Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3 will be released on Tuesday, April 15. After undergoing extensive stress testing, this update is now ready to enhance the gaming experience for all players.
Patch 8 introduces a wealth of new content to the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Among the exciting additions are 12 new subclasses, each offering unique abilities and gameplay mechanics. Players can also look forward to a new photo mode, cross-play functionality, and split-screen support for Xbox Series S. For a detailed overview, check out the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 patch notes.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 New Subclasses:
Bard - College of Glamour
As a member of the College of Glamour, Bards can heal allies and manipulate 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 perform various actions, such as fleeing, moving closer, freezing, dropping to the ground, or relinquishing their weapon.
Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choosing the Path of Giants grants Barbarians enhanced strength and size through the Giant’s Rage passive, increasing damage on Throw attacks and boosting carry capacity. No more potion chugging needed for muscle enhancement!
Cleric - Death Domain
Clerics of the Death Domain now have access to spells dealing necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips, including Toll The Dead, which inflicts 1-8 damage, scaling if the target is already injured. Additionally, a new ability allows you to explode nearby corpses, damaging foes.
Druid - Circle of Stars
Druids of the Circle of Stars can tap into celestial power with three Starry Forms: the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Each form enhances different aspects of gameplay, from dealing radiant damage with astral arrows to restoring hit points and boosting constitution rolls.
Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Paladins of the Oath of the Crown can guide their allies with Righteous Clarity, taunt enemies, and protect their party with Divine Allegiance, absorbing damage while restoring health.
Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers combine magic with marksmanship, offering new skills and shooting animations. They can banish foes to the Feywild or inflict Psychic damage, potentially blinding enemies.
Monk - Drunken Master
Drunken Masters can consume alcohol to recover Ki and gain buffs to Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets using Intoxicating Strike. Additionally, Sobering Realisation sobers up drunk enemies while dealing physical and Psychic damage.
Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Rangers with the Swarmkeeper subclass can summon deadly swarms like the Cloud of Jellyfish for lightning damage, Flurry of Moths for Psychic damage and potential blindness, and Legion of Bees for piercing damage and knockback effects. Each swarm also enables teleportation.
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 engagements.
Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness, gaining Superior Darkvision and the ability to Shadow Walk. They can summon a Hound of Ill Omen and use Strength of the Grave to stay in the fight during Honour Mode runs.
Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks forge pacts with Shadowfell entities, wielding magical weapons to curse enemies. They can raise spirits from slain foes to deal necrotic damage and heal themselves.
Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards blend swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new animations, the Bladesong ability for enhanced speed, agility, and focus, and bonuses to Constitution saving throws.
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Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur's Gate 3, concluding an impressive run for Larian Studios. The game launched to widespread acclaim and strong sales in 2023, maintaining its momentum into 2024 and 2025.
In a surprising move, Larian announced its departure from Baldur's Gate 3 and the Dungeons & Dragons universe to focus on a new, undisclosed project, leading to a media blackout.
Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at future plans for the Baldur's Gate series. At the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, expressed interest in continuing the series. "We're kind of working out our plans for the future and what we're going to be doing with that. And actually, in pretty short order, we're going to have some stuff to talk about around that," Ayoub shared with IGN. While he didn't specify whether this would involve a new Baldur's Gate game or another form of content, he confirmed his long-term goal of seeing a Baldur's Gate 4, though he acknowledged it 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.
