Talk about going out with a bang. After rolling out a regular string of patches and fixes, developer Larian Studios has announced its last major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, alongside a release window.
Patch 8, due out in 2025, is set to introduce cross-play, 12 new subclasses, and a photo mode to the hugely popular role-playing title. Per the official blog post, it will be the game’s swansong as the team bids farewell to the Dungeons & Dragons universe and works towards developing new projects.
It’s not the end of the road for fans, however. Moving forward, modders can look forward to continued support through “big updates to come”, including more functionality to “let you tell your own stories”. Considering the 70-million-and-counting downloads for the official mod tools, which launched in September, this certainly comes as great news for the community.
As part of the forthcoming update, every Baldur’s Gate 3 class will receive one new subclass that can be levelled up. The College of Glamour option, for instance, grants bards “the power to heal friends and command enemies in equal measure”, while Death Domain unlocks dark new tricks for clerics, “from spells that specialise in necrotic damage to three new necromancy cantrips.”
The full list of subclasses and their corresponding starter classes is as follows:
- College of Glamour (Bard)
- Path of Giants (Barbarian)
- Death Domain (Cleric)
- Circle of Stars (Druid)
- Oath of the Crown (Paladin)
- Arcane Archer (Fighter)
- Drunken Master (Monk)
- Swarmkeeper (Ranger)
- Swashbuckler (Rogue)
- Shadow Magic (Sorcerer)
- Hexblade (Warlock)
- Bladesinging (Wizard)
New abilities, animations, VFX, summons and cantrips, as well as unique voice dialogue lines for the Oathbreaker Knight will also be added, alongside “a touch of homebrewing” on certain actions.
There’s no firm release date for Patch 8, but it’s coming sometime in 2025. A stress test is tentatively planned for early January, with participation details still being ironed out.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
