"Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 Release Date Announced with 12 New Subclasses"

Larian Studios has officially announced that the much-anticipated Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released on Tuesday, April 15. After being available in a stress test form for some time, this update is now ready for all players to enjoy next week.

Patch 8 introduces a significant amount of new content to the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Players can look forward to 12 new subclasses, a photo mode, cross-play functionality, and split-screen support on Xbox Series S. For a comprehensive look at what's new, check out the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 patch notes.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 New Subclasses

Bard - College of Glamour
As a member of the College of Glamour, Bards can wield the power to both heal allies and command enemies. The Mantle of Inspiration spell grants allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks during its duration, they become Charmed. Leverage Mantle of Majesty to control Charmed enemies, making them flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.

Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choosing the Path of Giants enhances your Barbarian's strength and size through the Giant’s Rage passive, allowing for increased damage with Throw attacks and a higher carry capacity.

Cleric - Death Domain
Clerics of the Death Domain gain access to spells specializing in necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips, including Toll The Dead, which deals 1~8 damage, scaling with prior damage to the target. Additionally, a new ability enables the cleric to cause nearby corpses to explode, damaging foes.

Druid - Circle of Stars
Druids in the Circle of Stars harness celestial power through three Starry Forms: the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Each form offers unique abilities, from dealing radiant damage with astral arrows to healing allies and boosting constitution rolls.

Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Paladins sworn to the Oath of the Crown can guide allies with Righteous Clarity, disrupt enemies, and use Divine Allegiance to absorb damage while restoring health to their party.

Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers blend magic with marksmanship, featuring new shooting animations and abilities like banishing foes to the Feywild or inflicting Psychic damage that may blind enemies.

Monk - Drunken Master
Drunken Masters can consume alcohol to recover Ki, gaining buffs to Armor Class and hit chance against drunk targets with Intoxicating Strike. Additionally, Sobering Realisation sobers up drunk targets while dealing physical and Psychic damage.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers can summon 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 can Blind enemies with sand, Disarm them with a weapon flick, and use Fancy Footwork to prevent opportunity attacks after meleeing.

Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness with Superior Darkvision, Shadow Walk between dim light or darkness, summon the Hound of Ill Omen, and use Strength of the Grave to avoid being downed.

Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks form a pact with a Shadowfell entity, cursing enemies and raising their spirits as summons that deal necrotic damage and heal the Warlock.

Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards combine swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new animations, a Bladesong ability for enhanced speed, agility, and focus, and a bonus to Constitution saving throws.

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Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, closing a chapter for Larian Studios after the game's launch to critical acclaim and commercial success in 2023. The game has continued to sell well into 2024 and 2025.

Larian has announced their intention to move on from Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons to focus on a new, undisclosed project, causing a stir in the gaming community. Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at continuing the series. During a recent interview at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, mentioned that with Larian stepping away, "a lot of people [are] very interested in Baldur's Gate."

"We're kind of working out our plans for the future and what we're going to be doing with that. And actually, in pretty short order, we're going to have some stuff to talk about around that," Ayoub added, though he did not specify whether this would involve a new Baldur's Gate game or a crossover with another franchise. He expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4 but acknowledged that such a project would take time.

"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," Ayoub noted. "I mean, we're not in a hurry. Right? That's the thing, we're going to take a very measured approach... We've got a lot of plans, a lot of different ways to go about it. We're starting to think about, okay, yeah, we're ready to start dipping toes a little bit and talking about a few things. And I think, in really short order, like I said, again, not to over-tease that point, 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 discuss the update's changes and additions.