Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3: Release Date Set with 12 New Subclasses

Larian Studios has officially announced that the much-awaited Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3 will be released on Tuesday, April 15. After being available in a stress test form for some time, this update is set to roll out to all players next week.

Patch 8 is bringing a wealth of new content to the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Players can look forward to 12 new subclasses, along with exciting additions like a photo mode, cross-play, and split-screen functionality on Xbox Series S. For a detailed breakdown of 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 member of the College of Glamour, Bards gain the ability to heal allies and manipulate enemies. With the Mantle of Inspiration spell, you can grant 5 temporary hit points to your allies, and if an enemy attacks during this spell, they become Charmed. This charm can be leveraged through Mantle of Majesty, allowing you to command charmed enemies to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.

Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choosing the Path of Giants transforms Barbarians into towering figures of strength. The Giant’s Rage passive enhances both size and strength, boosting damage from Throw attacks and increasing carry capacity, eliminating the need for strength-boosting potions.

Cleric - Death Domain
Death Domain Clerics specialize in necrotic damage and necromancy cantrips. The new Toll The Dead cantrip deals 1~8 damage, scaling with pre-existing damage on the target. Additionally, Clerics can now explode nearby corpses to damage enemies.

Druid - Circle of Stars
Druids of the Circle of Stars harness celestial powers through Starry Forms, choosing from the Archer, Chalice, or Dragon. The Archer deals radiant damage with astral arrows, the Chalice restores hit points, and the Dragon enhances constitution rolls and damage output.

Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Paladins sworn to the Oath of the Crown gain abilities to support their allies and disrupt foes. Righteous Clarity aids in battle guidance, while Divine Allegiance absorbs damage and heals party members.

Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers blend magic and archery, featuring new shooting animations and unique skills like banishing foes to the Feywild or inflicting Psychic damage that may cause blindness.

Monk - Drunken Master
Drunken Masters can consume alcohol from their inventory or around the Sword Coast to recover Ki. The Intoxicating Strike not only boosts armor class and hit chance against drunk enemies but also sets them up for Sobering Realisation, which deals physical and Psychic damage.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers can summon different swarms in combat: 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 excel in cunning tactics, capable of blinding enemies with sand, disarming them 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, gaining Superior Darkvision and the ability to Shadow Walk between dim light or darkness. They can also summon a Hound of Ill Omen and use Strength of the Grave to avoid being downed, perfect for Honour Mode runs.

Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks form pacts with Shadowfell entities, manifesting as magical weapons. They can curse enemies, raise spirits from slain foes for ten turns to deal necrotic damage, and heal through soul extraction.

Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards merge swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new spellcasting animations and a Bladesong ability that enhances speed, agility, focus, and Constitution saving throws.

Every IGN 10 of 2023

18 ImagesPatch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, concluding a phenomenal journey for Larian Studios. The game launched to widespread acclaim and significant commercial success in 2023, continuing its strong sales 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, initiating a media blackout to concentrate their efforts.

Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has expressed intentions to continue the Baldur's Gate series. At the Game Developers Conference, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, Dan Ayoub, indicated that with Larian moving on, "a lot of people [are] very interested in Baldur's Gate." Hasbro is formulating future plans and teased upcoming announcements related to the series.

Ayoub hinted at potential new developments but did not confirm whether these would involve a full Baldur's Gate 4 or another form of media crossover, such as with Magic: The Gathering. He expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4 but acknowledged that its creation would take time, emphasizing a measured approach to future endeavors.

To celebrate the release of Patch 8, Larian will host a Twitch livestream featuring senior systems designer Ross Stephens, who will detail the patch's changes and additions.