Uncategorized

Baldur’s Gate 3 Releases Massive Patch 8 as ‘Final Major’ Update

Posted by

admin

On April 15, 2025

0 comments

Summary

Larian releases the final major game patch for Baldur’s Gate 3 after months of stress-testing.
Patch 8 introduces crossplay, Photo Mode, and 12 new subclasses for increased replayability.
Specific additions include Steam Trading Card support on PC and split-screen play on Xbox Series S.

After months of testing, Larian has finally released Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Patch 8, bringing about the end of an era for the 2023 RPG. Larian has described Patch 8 as the “final major game patch” for Baldur’s Gate 3 as the studio moves on to other projects.

Larian has been stress-testing Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Patch 8 for a few months now, giving players a glimpse into what they can expect to find in the long-awaited update. Players had to be invited to take part in the stress test, knowing that it wouldn’t be the totally polished experience that players can expect in the full Patch 8 release. After almost two years of updates, the latest update brings to an end Larian’s major support for the game, with the developer confirming that this is the last of the new content coming to the game. It has however confirmed that it will still be doing “minor bug fixing,” although it’s unclear how long this support will last.

Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Nintendo Switch 2 Would Be a Match Made in Heaven

The Nintendo Switch 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 both include features that would make them a surprisingly good combination for modern gamers.

Larian revealed the latest set of Baldur’s Gate 3 patch notes, showing in detail what players can expect from Patch 8. There are several highlight features in this patch. The first is crossplay, allowing gamers to experience Baldur’s Gate 3 across any platform together. Then, there’s Photo Mode, which has already produced many hilarious images from the earlier stress tests. Then, there are the 12 new Baldur’s Gate 3 subclasses that have been added in Patch 8, which should help give the CRPG even more replayability than it already has.

With Patch 8 rolling out across all platforms, there are a few specific additions that have come as a pleasant surprise. On PC, Baldur’s Gate 3 now has Steam Trading Card support, so players can finally craft badges and earn Steam XP on the platform. Split-screen play has finally arrived on the Xbox Series S, a feature that was dropped prior to the launch of Baldur’s Gate 3 as Larian was unable to reach performance parity with other platforms. It’s good to see that the studio has finally managed to get there with this feature just as it prepares to move on from the game.

As Larian officially moves on from Baldur’s Gate 3, many will now wonder what the future holds for the developer. Last year, Larian opened a new studio to assist with two new RPGs, but the timeframe for either in-development title is currently unknown. It will likely be years before gamers are given a taste of what Larian has in store for players, but given the quality of Baldur’s Gate 3, it will hopefully be worth the wait.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 8 Patch Notes

Due to the length of Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8’s patch notes, these are the highlights provided by Larian. For the full Patch 8 notes, click here.

Highlights

Photo Mode
12 brand new subclasses – one for each class, including: Path of the Giant Barbarian, College of Glamour Bard, Death Domain Cleric, Circle of Stars Druid, Arcane Archer Fighter, Way of the Drunken Master Monk, Oath of the Crown Paladin, Swarmkeeper Ranger, Swashbuckler Rogue, Shadow Magic Sorcerer, Hexblade Warlock, and Bladesinging Wizard
Cross-play
Xbox Series S split screen

Gameplay

Fixed containers inside inventories not scattering their contents when they get destroyed, which could potentially lead to key quest items getting lost for good.
Fixed an issue where picking up items from the ground in multiplayer could then block movement via the controller stick.
Fixed the Wild Shape: Panther’s Prowl action and Prowling condition not working correctly.
When you succeed a Perception check, the spotted item will now ping on the minimap and be listed in the combat log.
Fixed an issue where the special abilities of some of your allies weren’t properly provided at the end of the dialogue with them at High Hall.
Scrolls and potions inside unlocked containers in your party inventory can now be used when rolling in dialogues.
Neutral and friendly NPCs will no longer become hostile when, outside of combat, they walk into surfaces created during combat that trigger passives (like electrified surfaces triggering Thunderbolt Strike). Take it easy, lads.
Fixed Freecast being reset when any condition is applied.
Fixed characters getting stuck when pathfinding via a ladder that’s already in use by another companion.
Fixed a bug with the moving platform in the Gauntlet of Shar that would sometimes leave you behind, causing you to plummet to your death.
The Self-Same Trial in the Gauntlet of Shar will now offer a proper challenge to those using modded classes.
Fixed an error when joining a game via a friend invite on Xbox.
Fixed War Magic being active before Extra Attack, forcing the player to use a bonus action before getting access to other Extra Attacks.
Eldritch Knights now properly use free Extra Attacks before their War Magic attack.
Fixed Valiant Damage not triggering properly.
Fixed an issue with Shadow Blade spells and the Knife of the Undermountain King dagger not granting Advantage against an obscured target.
Fixed a bug where moving the controller sticks in specific directions wouldn’t register any input.
Fixed Jhannyl’s Gloves not correctly triggering the Defy Villainy passive that casts Lesser Restoration.
Updated Elemental Weapon to allow all damage types at all spell levels and include upcast benefits at Levels 5 and 6.
Examining in-world surfaces with the ‘Pin Tooltip’ keybind now correctly displays the tooltip.
Fixed a bug causing keyboard input to block if you spam the Level Up button and the Esc key.
Fixed a potential blocker causing mouse input to get disabled when clicking an enemy’s portrait as they die.
Fixed a blocker when a follower or summon used the Scrying Eyes in the Iron Throne.
Fixed a blocker when you tried to use any item while your character was Knocked Down.
Fixed the game freezing when dragging items while trading or bartering.
Fixed a multiplayer issue where the host would get a black screen for 15 seconds when transitioning to a crime dialogue.
Fixed an Honour Mode issue at High Hall where all party members would die when reaching the top of the stem if anyone in the party was being dominated by an enemy, causing a Game Over.
Fixed the skiff at the Morphic Pool sometimes appearing in the wrong spot or floating in the air.
Fixed body type 1 duergar incorrectly receiving halfling stats instead of dwarf stats.
Fixed Gimblebock getting stuck if his attack triggered a Reaction.
Fixed characters not being able to pick up any items if an invalid pickup request was, somehow, stored in the savegame.
Fixed a bug causing non-Dark-Urge avatars to say Dark Urge lines. You’re not all obliged to be wretched things with headaches.
Fixed a bug where difficulty and game settings wouldn’t save properly when adjusted after experiencing a Game Over in Honour Mode.

Combat

Fixed an issue causing neutral NPCs to trigger combat for seemingly no reason.
Cerys will stop getting involved in combats with Minthara from across the region. An eager beaver no longer.
Fixed a bug causing damage riders to be added multiple times in Honour Mode.
Fixed Sneak Attack not activating for actions that spawn additional projectiles, like Curving Shot.

Modding

Fixed an issue causing you to get stuck at a 0% loading screen when attempting to join a multiplayer session that uses mods.
The Mod Verification window will now trigger regardless of where the request to connect to a multiplayer game is coming from.
Replaced the third-party mod warning with clearer messaging.
Fixed a mod issue preventing some modded classes and subclasses from levelling up.
Fixed a bug causing the Mod Verification window to appear empty and preventing you from closing it if you get a warning about insufficient storage before it opens.
You can now navigate between the left and right columns of the Installed tab in the Mod Manager with a controller.
Improved Character Creation functionality for modded games.
The Mod Verification window will now also appear on PC for console-related mod issues to account for cross-play.

Performance and Options

The Steam Deck’s default FSR setting is now FSR 2.2 on ‘Quality’.
Fixed the ruleset selector not appearing on the ‘Alter Custom Mode’ screen when accessing the ruleset settings via the multiplayer lobby.
Improved server performance in the Adamantine Forge

Scripting and Flow

With 12 new subclasses arriving in Patch 8, we’ve rechecked some achievements, including ensuring the armed version of Stunning Strike no longer counts as an unarmed attack for the Fists of Fury achievement, and its unarmed variant now does.
Monks’ Unarmed Strike bonus action now also correctly counts toward the Action Surge achievement.
Fixed an issue where you could tell Astarion that Gandrel has been looking for him even if Gandrel refused to tell you the name of his prey.
Fixed a savegame issue where you wouldn’t get the appropriate amount of Umbral Gems for the Gauntlet of Shar.
Halsin will now show up to your camp in Act II as long as you saved him, even if you happened to skip the celebration with the tieflings at camp.
Minthara now comments on reveal.
Reminded Minthara that ‘knocked out’ does not mean ‘dead’, so she’ll more reliably appear in Moonrise Towers.
You can no longer teleport out of Moonrise while controlling Minthara unless you tell her to stay put.
Minthara is now willing to talk to you after you tell her to wait in the torture chamber.
Minthara no longer gets stuck babysitting Thaniel in Act II.
Fixed an issue where you could talk about Art Cullagh as though he’s alive even if he isn’t.
Your character will no longer think Shadowheart is dead if she isn’t when talking to
Characters who were in a relationship with Gale when he will now receive a tonally appropriate (read: lovey-dovey) letter that was missing.
Fixed a dialogue issue preventing Avatar Gale from talking about the orb to Lae’zel after consuming a magic item.
You should no longer be able to ask Shadowheart about her Shar worship after recruiting her at the Goblin Camp if you don’t know about her faith.
Shadowheart’s wound flare during the Arabella scene in the Emerald Grove will not be considered to have triggered when Shadowheart wasn’t present in the dialogue.
Fixed various Background Goals that weren’t triggering.

Animation

Added dance animations for some creatures that didn’t have it, like ettercaps, kobolds, and harpies.

Art

Fixed an issue causing the Flaming Fist armour to clip and generally freak out a bit.
Fixed some clipping and textural issues with the Barbarian starting armour when worn by body type 1 gnomes.
Fixed the Cleric starting armour bouncing around a little too much when worn by body type 1 characters.

UI

Discovered and available (non-hostile, alive, etc.) traders are now shown on the world map regardless of how far away you are from them.
Fixed button or keyboard shortcut inputs in the UI sometimes not working.
Fixed some Reaction tooltips like Divine Allegiance not showing some values correctly in the description.
Fixed a bug causing the UI to lock up when rapidly switching between keyboard and mouse input and controller input.
Fixed a bug where opening the Main Menu on controller wouldn’t automatically select the ‘Resume’ option at the top of the menu.
Fixed a bug where you’d have to deselect your current passive when respeccing a character before selecting a new one. Now, you can just click the new one.
Mentioned the damage that Corrosive Spit deals in its condition tooltip.
Updated the names of the condition tooltips for the Dilophosaurus wild shape’s Corrosive Spray spell, adding ‘Dissolving’ and ‘Dissolved’ for clarity.
The Tides of Chaos passive tooltip now correctly states that it only works for ability checks.
Updated the Lifedrinker tooltip to match functionality; it does not require Pact of the Blade.
Rephrased the Hexblade’s Curse tooltip to prevent the technical text ‘+ProficiencyBonus’ from appearing in Character Creation and Level Up.
The Acolyte of Nature passive tooltip now shows up in the Character Sheet as
Fixed the controller UI not accurately showing when you’re logged into your Larian Account, which could cause cross-play connection issues.
Fixed the multiplayer session manager panel not populating properly for players that connected while the panel was open.
Fixed a bug where if a user tried to join your session while you were filling out a user report, cancelling the request would close the report window in the background instead of cancelling the request.
Fixed the body type slider sometimes skipping through a choice on controller.
Fixed the ‘No savegames available.’ message showing up in the background while the game is loading the list of saved games on controller.
Updated the credits to include developers who have worked on the game since release, playtesters, moderators, and Baldur’s Gate 3 Toolkit testers. Also updated the order of the voice actor credits to prioritise larger roles at the top.
Fixed a bug causing an empty text-input panel to pop up and block gameplay.
Fixed an ‘%%% Empty’ passive feature appearing for rogues during Character Creation.
Fixed a 1-frame glitch where swapping between two party members’ Inventories would briefly show the first character’s equipment in the inventory of the second character.
Fixed the tooltips for the combat log not consistently appearing on controller even if you have the tooltips toggled on.
Fixed a bug preventing you from pasting special characters into the password form when logging into your Larian Account.
The filters in the multiplayer lobby now filter properly.
Fixed the generic icon for some passive features missing from their tooltips in the Character Sheet.
Fixed visual issues with the white translucent VFX that appears over portraits in the Party Line, caused when dragging one character’s portrait over another’s.
Fixed the character tooltips that appear beside character portraits on the Party Line not showing up correctly on hover.
Fixed a tooltip bug while trading where hovering over any equipped item would display a faulty tooltip, but trying a second time would magically fix it. The tooltips now populate correctly the first time around.
Fixed a bug causing the sliders in the Gameplay options to autoscroll continuously when the left stick is flicked to the left or right.
Fixed an issue causing the game to freeze for a second when switching between two characters with the Character Sheet open.
Fixed a bug on controller preventing you from scrolling through the spells in the Replace Spell UI when levelling up.
Fixed the footwear slot in the Character Sheet deciding to just not show up.
Fixed the ‘Venture Forth’ text shaking during Character Creation while the button is held down on controller.

Sound

Added a new spot where the easter egg song plays. Happy hunting!
Restored some of the original music from the scene with before its rework.

Cinematics

Shadowheart has agreed to stop repeatedly changing her hair colour during certain intimate moments.
Tidied up and improved some cinematic animations for characters of different heights if you kiss during the evil ending.
Fixed the VO getting cut off prematurely for githyanki and drow characters entering the Shadow-Cursed Lands for the first time.

Writing

Fixed a duplicated dialogue option and the wrong version of another dialogue option appearing in Minthara’s main party dialogue.

Multiplayer

Fixed a crash on the client’s end when a local host attempts to start split screen.
Fixed a bug preventing you from logging back into your Larian Account after losing internet connection.
Fixed a bug preventing a host from inviting a client whose game is suspended to the multiplayer lobby. The client would instead get a persistent ‘Please wait…’ message.
Fixed an issue causing random session time-outs and disconnects for multiplayer clients.
Fixed a loop on PS5 that would keep taking you back to the PlayStation Plus upgrade screen if you try to join a lobby without permissions.