Larian Studios has officially announced that the much-anticipated Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3 will launch on Tuesday, April 15. After undergoing rigorous stress testing, this update is now ready for all players to experience next week.
Patch 8 brings a massive influx of new content to the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Among the highlights are 12 new subclasses, a photo mode, cross-play capabilities, and split-screen functionality for Xbox Series S. For a detailed look at what's coming, 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 harness the power to heal your allies and manipulate your enemies. With Mantle of Inspiration, you can grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks while it's active, they may become Charmed. Leverage this with Mantle of Majesty to command Charmed enemies to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or disarm themselves.
Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choosing the Path of Giants grants you immense strength, enabling you to hurl both friends and foes with ease. Thanks to the Giant’s Rage passive, you'll gain increased size and strength, dealing additional damage with Throw attacks and enjoying a boosted carry capacity.
Cleric - Death Domain
As a Death Domain Cleric, you'll wield dark powers, including spells that deal necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips. One such cantrip, Toll The Dead, inflicts 1-8 damage upon ringing the bell of doom, with increased damage on already injured targets. You can also trigger explosions from nearby corpses to harm enemies.
Druid - Circle of Stars
Circle of Stars Druids harness celestial power, choosing from three Starry Forms - the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Each form offers unique abilities: the Archer deals radiant damage with astral arrows, the Chalice restores hit points, and the Dragon enhances constitution rolls while dealing damage.
Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Oath of the Crown Paladins can bolster their allies and disrupt foes. Use Righteous Clarity to guide your party in battle, taunt enemies with strategic interrupts, and employ Divine Allegiance to absorb damage and restore health to your team.
Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers blend magic with marksmanship, gaining unique skills and new shooting animations. You can banish foes to the Feywild for a turn or deal Psychic damage that may blind enemies if they fail a Wisdom saving throw.
Monk - Drunken Master
As a Drunken Master Monk, you can consume alcohol from your inventory or around the Sword Coast to recover Ki. With Intoxicating Strike, you can share the bottle with enemies, boosting your Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets. Drunk enemies are also vulnerable to Sobering Realisation, dealing physical and Psychic damage.
Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers command deadly swarms in combat. Cloud of Jellyfish deals lightning damage, Flurry of Moths inflicts Psychic damage and may Blind enemies, and Legion of Bees deals piercing damage and may knock enemies back 15 feet. Each swarm also grants teleportation capabilities.
Rogue - Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler Rogues introduce new actions suited for a piratical lifestyle. You can blind enemies with sand, disarm them by flicking your weapon, and use Fancy Footwork to prevent opportunity attacks after meleeing.
Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness, boasting 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 avoid being downed, perfect for Honour Mode runs.
Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks make pacts with Shadowfell entities, gaining magical weapons. Curse your enemies to manipulate their souls, and upon defeating non-elemental, non-construct, non-giant blob, or undead foes, raise their spirit for ten turns to deal necrotic damage and heal your Warlock.
Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards combine swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new spellcasting animations, the Bladesong ability for enhanced speed, agility, and focus, and a bonus to Constitution saving throws.
Every IGN 10 of 2023
18 Images
Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, concluding a remarkable journey for Larian Studios. The game launched to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success in 2023, maintaining strong sales into 2024 and 2025.
Larian surprised the gaming community by announcing their departure from Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons to focus on a new, undisclosed project. Amidst a media blackout, they teased this upcoming endeavor, shifting their focus entirely.
Meanwhile, D&D owner Hasbro is exploring future plans for the series. At the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, shared that with Larian moving on, there's significant interest in Baldur's Gate. Hasbro is considering various options for the franchise's future, hinting at forthcoming announcements.
Ayoub expressed a long-term vision for a potential Baldur's Gate 4 but emphasized a measured approach, indicating that any new developments would take time. He noted that while they are not in a rush, they are starting to explore possibilities and will have more to share soon.
To celebrate the release of Patch 8, Larian will host a Twitch livestream where senior systems designer, Ross Stephens, will detail the new changes and additions.
