"Latest Major Patch Details for Baldur's Gate 3 Revealed"

On January 28, the closed stress test for Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3 commenced on both PC and consoles. This monumental update, marking the final major patch for the game, introduces 12 new subclasses, cross-play functionality across all platforms, and a sophisticated photo mode. Here’s how this update elevates one of the most acclaimed games of recent times.

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New Subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer: Shadow Magic Warlock: Pact Blade Cleric: Death Domain Wizard: Blade Song Druid: Circle of Stars Barbarian: Path of the Giant Fighter: Mystic Archer Monk: Drunken Master Rogue: Swashbuckler Bard: College of Glamour Ranger: Swarmkeeper Paladin: Oath of the Crown Photo Mode Cross-Play Gameplay, Combat, and Story Improvements 0 0 Comment on this New Subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3

Each of the twelve classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 will now boast a distinctive subclass, each enriched with new spells, unique dialogues, and striking visual effects.

Sorcerer: Shadow Magic

Embrace the dark with the Shadow Magic subclass, which empowers sorcerers to summon a hellhound to immobilize foes and shroud themselves in a veil of impenetrable darkness. At level 11, they can masterfully teleport between shadows.

Warlock: Pact Blade

Warlocks can now forge a pact with a Shadowfell entity, enchanting a weapon from level 1. By level 3, they can enchant another, and at level 5, they can unleash three strikes per turn—a feature that could be seen as either a thrilling advantage or a potential bug.

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Cleric: Death Domain

Clerics in the Death Domain harness necrotic spells that ignore enemy resistances, enabling them to resurrect the dead or cause corpses to explode. This subclass is perfect for players who prefer a darker twist on traditional religious roles.

Wizard: Blade Song

Wizards adopting the Blade Song can excel in melee combat, gaining ten turns to accumulate charges through attacks and spells. These charges can then be used to heal allies or inflict damage on enemies.

Druid: Circle of Stars

Druids in the Circle of Stars can shift between different constellations, each granting unique bonuses that enhance their adaptability on the battlefield.

Barbarian: Path of the Giant

Barbarians can now enter a rage that increases their size and allows them to throw weapons with added fire or lightning effects. After throwing, the weapon magically returns to their hand, complemented by improved throwing skills and increased carrying capacity.

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Fighter: Mystic Archer

Mystic Archers blend magic with archery, firing enchanted arrows that can blind, cause psychic damage, or banish enemies to other dimensions, embodying the essence of elven combat.

Monk: Drunken Master

Monks in the Drunken Master subclass draw strength from alcohol, delivering powerful physical attacks that leave enemies more vulnerable to follow-up strikes.

Rogue: Swashbuckler

Swashbucklers are the quintessential pirates, excelling in close combat with tactics like throwing sand to blind, quick thrusts to disarm, and taunts to demoralize opponents.

Bard: College of Glamour

Bards of the College of Glamour are the rock stars of the Forgotten Realms, using their charisma to enchant enemies into fleeing, approaching, freezing, falling, or dropping their weapons.

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Ranger: Swarmkeeper

Swarmkeepers control hordes of tiny creatures that debuff enemies. They can choose from bee swarms to repel foes, honey swarms to stun with shock, or moth swarms to blind opponents. Switching swarm types is only possible upon leveling up.

Paladin: Oath of the Crown

Paladins under the Oath of the Crown are the epitome of lawfulness and righteousness, with abilities that bolster allies, draw enemy attention, and absorb damage, making them invaluable in team-based play.

Photo Mode

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The much-anticipated photo mode arrives with Patch 8, offering extensive camera settings and advanced post-processing effects for stunning screenshots.

Cross-Play

Cross-platform multiplayer is now a reality across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Windows, and Mac. The closed stress test primarily focuses on refining this feature, ensuring a seamless experience by eliminating bugs and integrating it smoothly.

Gameplay, Combat, and Story Improvements

Patch 8 brings a wealth of enhancements:

• Successfully detected items during Perception checks are now marked on the mini-map and logged in the battle journal.
• Fixed an issue where certain ally abilities were not properly displayed after dialogue in the High Hall.
• Items like scrolls and potions in unlocked containers can now be used during conversations.
• Neutral and friendly NPCs no longer become hostile when stepping on combat-created surfaces.
• Resolved a bug causing characters to get stuck climbing stairs occupied by companions.
• Fixed an issue with moving platforms in the Shan Trial location, preventing characters from falling to their deaths.
• Corrected a glitch where neutral NPCs would initiate combat without cause.
• Keris will stop engaging in unnecessary fights with Mintara.
• Resolved a loading screen freeze at 0% when joining modded multiplayer sessions.
• Improved server performance in the Adamantine Forge.
• Fixed an issue where you could tell Astarion that Gandrel was looking for him, even if Gandrel refused to reveal his target.
• Mintara no longer gets stuck while watching over Taniel in Act 2.
• Your character will no longer mistakenly believe Shadohurt is dead if she isn’t.
• Discovered merchants now appear on the world map, regardless of distance.

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Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3 is slated for release in February or early March 2025. Post-release, Larian Studios will shift focus to bug fixes, with no further major updates planned.