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 in stress test form for some time, is now ready for all players to enjoy next week.
Patch 8 introduces a vast array of new content to the record-breaking Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Players can look forward to 12 new subclasses, a photo mode, cross-play functionality, and Xbox Series S split-screen support. For a detailed breakdown of all the changes, be sure to 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 College of Glamour Bard, you'll wield the power to heal your allies and control your enemies. With Mantle of Inspiration, you can grant your allies 5 temporary hit points. If an enemy attacks while this spell is active, they become Charmed, allowing you to manipulate them with Mantle of Majesty. Command them to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or disarm themselves, leveraging their charmed state to your advantage.
Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choosing the Path of Giants imbues you with immense strength, enabling you to throw both friends and foes with ease. The Giant’s Rage passive boosts your size and strength, enhancing your Throw attacks and increasing your carrying capacity, eliminating the need for strength-boosting potions.
Cleric - Death Domain
As a Death Domain Cleric, you'll master spells that deal necrotic damage and gain three new necromancy cantrips. Toll The Dead allows you to ring the bell of doom, dealing 1~8 damage, which scales if the target is already wounded. Additionally, you can now explode nearby corpses, damaging enemies in a new homebrewed ability.
Druid - Circle of Stars
Circle of Stars Druids draw power from the cosmos, accessing three Starry Forms: the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Each form caters to a unique playstyle—the Archer unleashes radiant damage with astral arrows, the Chalice heals nearby allies, and the Dragon boosts your constitution rolls while dealing damage, enhancing your role as a healer, fighter, or strategist.
Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Oath of the Crown Paladins can guide their allies in battle with Righteous Clarity, taunt enemies, and protect their party with Divine Allegiance, absorbing damage and restoring health to keep the team strong.
Fighter - Arcane Archer
The Arcane Archer combines magic and archery, offering unique skills and new shooting animations. You can banish foes to the Feywild for a turn or deal Psychic damage, potentially blinding enemies until their next turn.
Monk - Drunken Master
As a Drunken Master Monk, you can consume alcohol from your inventory or the Sword Coast to restore Ki. With Intoxicating Strike, you can share a drink with your enemies, boosting your Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets. Sobering Realisation sobers up drunk enemies, inflicting physical and Psychic damage.
Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers command three types of swarms in combat: Cloud of Jellyfish deals lightning damage, Flurry of Moths causes Psychic damage and can blind enemies, and Legion of Bees deals piercing damage, potentially knocking enemies back 15 feet. Each swarm also grants teleportation capabilities.
Rogue - Swashbuckler
The Swashbuckler Rogue introduces actions suited for a pirate's life. Use sand to Blind enemies, flick your weapon to Disarm them, or leverage Fancy Footwork to avoid opportunity attacks during melee.
Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness, gaining Superior Darkvision and the ability to Shadow Walk between dim light or darkness. Summon the Hound of Ill Omen to harass foes and use Strength of the Grave to stay standing, perfect for Honour Mode challenges.
Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks pact with Shadowfell entities, wielding magical weapons. Curse enemies to command their souls, raise fallen foes as spirits for ten turns to deal necrotic damage, and heal yourself by draining their souls.
Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards blend swordplay with magic, featuring new spellcasting animations and the Bladesong ability, which boosts speed, agility, focus, and Constitution saving throws.
Every IGN 10 of 2023
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Patch 8 marks the final major update for *Baldur's Gate 3*, concluding a remarkable journey for Larian Studios. Launched in 2023, the game received critical acclaim and achieved massive commercial success, continuing to sell strongly into 2025.
Larian Studios 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. This decision follows various teases of the new game before a media blackout was enforced.
Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at continuing the series. At the recent Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, revealed that with Larian moving on, there's significant interest in *Baldur's Gate*. While specific plans remain under wraps, Ayoub mentioned that announcements about the future of the franchise are forthcoming. He expressed a desire for a *Baldur's Gate 4* but acknowledged that such a project would take time.
"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," Ayoub noted. "We're not in a hurry. We're going to take a very measured approach... 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, we're going to have some other things to talk about around that."
To celebrate the release of Patch 8, Larian Studios will host a Twitch livestream featuring senior systems designer Ross Stephens, who will detail the changes and additions brought by the update.
