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Baldur's Gate 3 patch 8: All the new Subclasses and other changes explained
Patch 8 is one of Baldur's Gate 3's biggest updates, and also might be its last - here's what you need to know.
Larian Studios
- Alex Raisbeck
Published: Tuesday, 15 April 2025 at 2:55 pm
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Baldur's Gate 3 has become infamous for its humongous patch notes, and patch 8 is certainly not bucking that trend.
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According to a tweet from Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, the patch notes for this update are a whopping 48 pages long.
So, if you're excited to see the huge amount of content Larian has been cooking up, read on!
When does Baldur's Gate 3 patch 8 release?
Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3 is scheduled to release on 15th April 2025.
Larian does not have a set time for when patch notes release, though you can expect them to drop during European working hours.
We expect that the patch will probably release at some point between 11am and 5pm UTC.
What's included in Baldur's Gate 3 patch 8?
Like we said, patch 8 is a massive one, so we'll only go over the biggest additions to the game. That being said, there's still a huge amount to cover, so buckle up.
New Subclasses
The highlight of the patch is certainly the addition of 12 new Subclasses, giving players even more customisation options when making their builds.
Here are all of the new Subclasses being added in patch 8:
- Arcane Archer Fighter – You are capable of weaving magic into your attacks, giving your archery a supernatural quality – and your foes something to fear.
- Bladesinging Wizard – A mastery of wizardry and swordplay, you combine the elegant manoeuvres of a warrior with the devastating magics of a mage.
- Circle of the Stars Druid – You are guided by the infinite mysteries of the cosmos. It is through your understanding of the stars that your druidic magic gains its potency.
- College of Glamour Bard – You mastered your craft under the tutelage of fey creatures, whose captivating magic swirls within you, ready to be released.
- Death Domain Cleric – You nourish your faith on the forces that create the dead and give rise to the undead.
- Giant Barbarian – You walk the path of giants, invoking their elemental might and size by drawing strength from the same primal forces as them.
- Hexblade Warlock – You have made your pact with a mysterious entity from the Shadowfell – a force that manifests in sentient magic weapons carved from the stuff of shadow.
- Oath of the Crown Paladin – You have sworn yourself to the ideals of civilisation, serving the laws that hold society together and preserving the order they command.
- Shadow Magic Sorcerer – You siphon your powers from the Shadowfell itself, the light in your soul snuffed out by an unsettling darkness.
- Swarmkeeper Ranger – You have forged a deep connection with your natural surroundings and formed a magical bond with a swarm of nature spirits. This swarm serves as a helpful companion and a potent force in battle.
- Swashbuckler Rogue – You live and breathe the art of the blade, excelling in single combat thanks to your quick feet and wits.
- Way of the Drunken Master Monk – With the unpredictable lurches of a tippler, you hiccup your way through battle, frustrating foes with carefully executed movements concealed beneath a façade of incompetence.
New Spells
In addition to those 12 new Subclasses, there are also five new Spells being introduced:
- Booming Blade – Strike with your weapon, afflicting your foe with a resonance that hurts them for 1d8 Thunder when they move.
- Bursting Sinew – Explode a corpse, causing it to impale those around it.
- Shadow Blade – Weave a shadowy shortsword in your hand that deals 2d8 Psychic damage.
- Staggering Smite – Possibly Stagger your target. It can't take reactions and is more likely to miss.
- Toll the Dead – Ring the bell of impending doom. If the target is at full health, you deal 1d8 Necrotic damage instead.
Photo Mode
At long last, the Photo Mode that players have been begging for since the game was in early access is finally being added to the game.
Players will be able to adjust a variety of settings such as field of view, exposure and depth of field to capture their adventurers in all their glory.
There's plenty of customisation too – players will be able to toggle which characters appear, alter poses and facial expressions, and even cover your pics with your choice of over 300 stickers.
Cross-platform support
If you've been wanting to do a run with a friend on another platform, then your time has finally come.
Up until now, Baldur's Gate 3 multiplayer has only been available between players on the same platform.
That's all changing, and from patch 8 onwards, players will be able to join up with each other across PC, Mac and console.
Bug fixes
Naturally, patch 8 also includes a sea of bug fixes, many of which are explained in Larian's own classically funny way.
These will cover everything from visual tweaks and UI improvements to NPC AI upgrades and bug patches.
There are simply far too many small tweaks for us to cover here, so if you're interested, you're better off just heading to the Baldur's Gate 3 website to check them out for yourself.
Will there be another Baldur's Gate 3 patch?
While there may be small fixes to the game in the future, Larian has confirmed that patch 8 will be the final major content update for Baldur's Gate 3.
Simply put, the studio is finished with the game and is moving on to new – as yet unannounced – projects.
DLC for the game had originally been planned but was later cancelled.
In an interview with IGN, Larian CEO Swen Vincke confirmed that the studio didn't feel passionate about the project and would rather move on to something completely new and unrelated to BG3 and D&D.
So, that's it for Baldur's Gate 3! After nearly eight years of working on the game, including nearly three years of post-launch support, we now have the final, definitive version of BG3.
Luckily, the team will be enhancing mod support, making it easier for fans to create their own content long into the future, so look forward to that!
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Authors
Alex RaisbeckGaming writer
Alex Raisbeck is a Gaming Writer at Radio Times, covering everything from AAA giants to indie gems. Alex has written for VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, PCGamesN and more.
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