Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3: 12 New Subclasses Released

Larian Studios has exciting news for fans of Baldur's Gate 3: the much-anticipated Patch 8 is set to launch on Tuesday, April 15. After undergoing a thorough stress test, the update is now ready for all players to enjoy next week.

Patch 8 brings a wealth of new content to this record-breaking Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Players can look forward to 12 new subclasses, a photo mode, cross-play functionality, and split-screen support for 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.

Here's a closer look at the new subclasses introduced in Patch 8:

Bard - College of Glamour
As a College of Glamour Bard, you'll harness the power to heal allies and control enemies. Use Mantle of Inspiration to grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks while this is active, they'll become Charmed. With Mantle of Majesty, you can command these charmed foes to flee, move closer, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.

Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choose the Path of Giants, and you'll gain immense strength, making it easier to hurl both friends and foes. With the Giant's Rage passive, your size and strength increase, boosting your Throw attack damage and carry capacity.

Cleric - Death Domain
As a Death Domain Cleric, you'll unlock new spells dealing necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips, including Toll The Dead, which inflicts 1-8 damage, scaling if the target is already hurt. You'll also gain the ability to explode nearby corpses, damaging enemies.

Druid - Circle of Stars
Circle of Stars Druids draw power from the stars, beyond traditional wildshapes. Choose from three Starry Forms - the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon - each offering unique combat styles. The Archer uses astral arrows for radiant damage, 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 aid allies and disrupt foes. Use Righteous Clarity to guide companions, taunt enemies with strategic interrupts, and protect your party with Divine Allegiance, absorbing damage and restoring health.

Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers blend magic and marksmanship, offering new skills and animations. Banish foes to the Feywild for a turn or unleash Psychic damage, potentially blinding enemies until their next turn.

Monk - Drunken Master
As a Drunken Master, you can consume alcohol from your inventory or around the Sword Coast to recover Ki. Use Intoxicating Strike to buff your Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets, and employ Sobering Realisation to deal physical and Psychic damage to sober them up.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers can summon three deadly 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 embrace a piratical life with new actions. Use sand to Blind enemies, flick your weapon to Disarm them, or employ Fancy Footwork to prevent opportunity attacks during melee.

Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers excel in darkness, gaining 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 forge a pact with a Shadowfell entity, manifesting magical weapons. Curse enemies and raise their spirits from corpses for ten turns, dealing necrotic damage and healing your Warlock by consuming a portion of the enemy's soul.

Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards merge swordplay with magic, featuring new spellcasting animations. The Bladesong ability 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 remarkable period for Larian Studios. The game, which launched to critical acclaim and commercial success in 2023, has maintained strong sales into 2024 and 2025.

Larian has surprised the gaming community by announcing its departure from Baldur's Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons to focus on a new, yet-to-be-revealed project, leading to a media blackout.

Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at plans to continue the Baldur's Gate series. In a recent interview at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, expressed interest in the franchise's future. "With Larian moving on, we have a lot of people very interested in Baldur's Gate," Ayoub said. He teased upcoming announcements but remained coy about whether these would involve a new Baldur's Gate game or a crossover similar to past collaborations with Magic: The Gathering. Ayoub expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4 but acknowledged that its development would take time.

"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," he noted. "We're not in a hurry. We're going to take a very measured approach... We're starting to think about dipping our toes a little bit and talking about a few things. And I think, in really short order, we're going to have some other things to talk about around that."

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