Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3: 12 New Subclasses Release Date Announced

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

Patch 8 brings a wealth of new content to the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Among the highlights are 12 new subclasses, a photo mode, cross-play functionality, and split-screen support for Xbox Series S. For detailed information, be sure to check out the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 patch notes.

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

Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choosing the Path of Giants enhances your Barbarian with giant strength, enabling you to throw both friends and foes effortlessly. With the Giant’s Rage passive, you'll gain increased strength and size, boosting your Throw attack damage. Additionally, you'll benefit from an increased carry capacity, making inventory management a breeze.

Cleric - Death Domain
As a Death Domain Cleric, you'll gain access to spells specializing in necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips. Toll The Dead is a cantrip that deals 1-8 damage when you ring the bell of doom, scaling higher if the target is already injured. Plus, you can now explode nearby corpses to damage enemies, adding a dark twist to your arsenal.

Druid - Circle of Stars
Circle of Stars Druids draw power from the cosmos, offering more than traditional wildshapes. Choose from three Starry Forms—Archer, Chalice, and Dragon—each tailored to different strategies. The Archer unleashes radiant damage via astral arrows, the Chalice restores hit points to you and nearby allies, while the Dragon enhances your constitution rolls and adds damage, blending celestial aesthetics with powerful gameplay options.

Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Paladins of the Oath of the Crown gain abilities to support allies and disrupt foes. Use Righteous Clarity to guide your companions in battle, taunt enemies with strategic interrupts, and leverage Divine Allegiance to absorb damage while healing your party, ensuring they remain strong.

Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers combine magic and marksmanship, introducing unique skills alongside new shooting animations. Banish foes to the Feywild for a turn or inflict Psychic damage, causing enemies to make a Wisdom saving throw or be blinded until their next turn.

Monk - Drunken Master
The Drunken Master Monk can drink alcohol from your inventory or around the Sword Coast to recover Ki. Use Intoxicating Strike to share a bottle with enemies, boosting your Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets. Drunk enemies are also vulnerable to Sobering Realisation, which deals both physical and Psychic damage.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers can summon three deadly swarms in combat: Cloud of Jellyfish for extra lightning damage, Flurry of Moths for Psychic damage and potential blindness, and Legion of Bees for piercing damage that may knock enemies back. Each swarm also grants teleportation capabilities, enhancing your mobility.

Rogue - Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler Rogues add a piratical flair with actions like tossing sand to Blind enemies, flicking a weapon to Disarm them, and using Fancy Footwork to avoid opportunity attacks during melee engagements, ensuring tactical advantage.

Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive 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 prevent being downed, perfect for challenging Honour Mode runs.

Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks form pacts with Shadowfell entities, manifesting magical weapons. Curse enemies to manipulate their souls, raise spirits from non-elemental, non-construct, non-giant blob, or undead corpses for ten turns. These summoned spirits deal necrotic damage and heal your Warlock by siphoning enemy souls.

Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards blend swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new animations for casting with weapons. The Bladesong ability grants supernatural speed, agility, and focus, along with a bonus to Constitution saving throws.

Every IGN 10 of 2023

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Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, concluding a remarkable journey for Larian Studios. Launched to critical acclaim and commercial success in 2023, the game has continued to perform strongly into 2024 and 2025.

Larian has surprised fans by announcing its departure from Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons to focus on a new, undisclosed project, maintaining a media blackout to concentrate on development.

Meanwhile, D&D owner Hasbro has hinted at continuing the series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, Dan Ayoub, mentioned that with Larian moving on, there's significant interest in Baldur's Gate. Hasbro is formulating plans for the future, teasing announcements in the near term. Ayoub expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4 but emphasized a measured approach, suggesting that fans may see various developments before a full sequel.

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