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 available in a stress test form for some time, is now ready for all players to enjoy next week.
Patch 8 brings a significant amount 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 Xbox Series S split-screen capabilities. For a detailed list of 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 can wield the power to heal allies and command foes. Use Mantle of Inspiration to grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks while this is active, they'll be Charmed. With Mantle of Majesty, you can manipulate these Charmed enemies to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.
Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choosing the Path of Giants, your character gains immense strength, making it easier to hurl both friends and foes. The Giant’s Rage passive boosts your size and strength, enhancing your Throw attack damage and increasing your carry capacity.
Cleric - Death Domain
As a Death Domain Cleric, you'll master dark arts, dealing necrotic damage through new spells and three necromancy cantrips. Toll The Dead inflicts 1-8 damage, scaling with prior damage on the target. You can also cause nearby corpses to explode, damaging enemies.
Druid - Circle of Stars
Circle of Stars Druids harness celestial power, transforming into one of three Starry Forms—Archer, Chalice, or Dragon—each suited to different strategies. The Archer deals radiant damage, the Chalice restores hitpoints, and the Dragon enhances constitution rolls, providing versatile combat options.
Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Oath of the Crown Paladins can guide allies with Righteous Clarity, taunt enemies, and absorb damage with Divine Allegiance while restoring health to the party.
Fighter - Arcane Archer
The Arcane Archer blends magic and marksmanship, offering 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 inventory or the environment to recover Ki. Using Intoxicating Strike, you can buff your Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets, who are also vulnerable to Sobering Realisation, dealing physical and Psychic damage.
Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers can summon three types of 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 use new actions like throwing sand to Blind enemies, disarming them with a weapon flick, or utilizing Fancy Footwork to avoid opportunity attacks during melee.
Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness with Superior Darkvision and Shadow Walk abilities. Summon the Hound of Ill Omen to harass foes and use Strength of the Grave to avoid being downed, perfect for Honour Mode.
Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks forge pacts with Shadowfell entities, gaining magical weapons. Curse enemies and raise their spirits as summons to deal necrotic damage and heal yourself by consuming their souls.
Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards combine swordplay and spellcasting with new animations. The Bladesong ability boosts speed, agility, and focus, enhancing 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 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, entering a media blackout to concentrate on development.
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, indicated that with Larian moving on, there is significant interest in the franchise. While no concrete details were shared about potential new projects, Ayoub expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4 but emphasized a measured approach to its development.
To celebrate the release of Patch 8, Larian will host a Twitch livestream featuring senior systems designer Ross Stephens, who will discuss the updates and new additions in detail.
