Larian Studios has officially announced that the much-anticipated Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3 will launch on Tuesday, April 15. After being available in a stress test form for some time, this update is now ready to enhance the game for all players next week.

Patch 8 brings an array of exciting 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 overview, be sure to check out the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 patch notes.

Bard - College of Glamour
As a College of Glamour Bard, you'll harness the power to both 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'll be Charmed. Leverage Mantle of Majesty to command these charmed enemies to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.

Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choose the Path of Giants for your Barbarian and gain immense strength. The Giant’s Rage passive not only increases your size but also enhances your strength, allowing you to deal extra damage with Throw attacks. Plus, enjoy an increased carry capacity, leaving your pockets unburdened.

Cleric - Death Domain
Embrace the Death Domain as a Cleric and unlock dark abilities, including spells that deal necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips. Cast Toll The Dead to inflict 1~8 damage with a scaling effect on already damaged targets. Additionally, you can now cause nearby corpses to explode, damaging enemies around them.

Druid - Circle of Stars
Circle of Stars Druids tap into celestial power, choosing from three Starry Forms: the Archer for radiant damage, the Chalice for healing, and the Dragon for strategic constitution boosts. These forms not only enhance your aesthetic but also provide powerful tactical options.

Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Oath of the Crown Paladins can aid allies and disrupt foes with Righteous Clarity, taunt enemies strategically, and protect your party with Divine Allegiance, absorbing damage and restoring health.

Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers blend magic and archery, featuring new shooting animations and abilities to banish foes to the Feywild or inflict Psychic damage, potentially blinding enemies.

Monk - Drunken Master
As a Drunken Master Monk, consume alcohol from your inventory or the environment to recover Ki. Use Intoxicating Strike to buff your Armor Class and hit chance against intoxicated targets, and employ Sobering Realisation to deal physical and Psychic damage to sobering enemies.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers command 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 grants teleportation abilities.

Rogue - Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler Rogues embrace a pirate's life with actions like blinding enemies with sand, disarming foes with a flick of their weapon, and using Fancy Footwork to avoid opportunity attacks during melee.

Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness, equipped with Superior Darkvision and the ability to Shadow Walk between dim light or darkness areas. Summon the Hound of Ill Omen to harass foes and use Strength of the Grave to prevent being downed, perfect for Honour Mode.

Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks forge a pact with a Shadowfell entity, manifesting in magical weapons. Curse enemies to command their souls, raise spirits from slain foes to deal necrotic damage and heal yourself.

Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards combine swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new animations, the Bladesong ability for enhanced speed, agility, and focus, and a bonus to Constitution saving throws.

Every IGN 10 of 2023

18 ImagesPatch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, closing an impressive chapter for Larian Studios. Since its launch in 2023, the game has received critical acclaim and achieved significant commercial success, continuing to sell well into 2024 and 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. This shift follows a period of teasing and media blackout to concentrate on their mystery endeavor.

Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at continuing the Baldur's Gate series. In a recent interview with IGN at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, expressed interest in the franchise's future. He noted, "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 did not specify whether these plans involve a new Baldur's Gate game or a crossover similar to the previous collaboration with Magic: The Gathering. He did, however, express a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4, acknowledging the time it would take to develop such a title.

"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," he said. "I mean, we're not in a hurry. Right? That's the thing, 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 where senior systems designer Ross Stephens will detail the changes and additions.