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

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 stress test form for some time, this update is now ready for all players to enjoy.

Patch 8 brings a wealth of new content to the critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Players can look forward to 12 new subclasses, enhancing the depth and variety of character customization. Additionally, the update introduces a photo mode, cross-play functionality, and split-screen support for Xbox Series S. For a comprehensive look at what's new, be sure to 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 College of Glamour Bard, you wield the power to both heal your allies and control your enemies. With the Mantle of Inspiration, you can grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks while this is active, they become Charmed. Utilize Mantle of Majesty to command these Charmed foes to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.

Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choose the Path of Giants to harness immense strength, making it easier to hurl both friends and foes. With the Giant’s Rage passive, you gain both strength and size, boosting your Throw attack damage and increasing your carry capacity.

Cleric - Death Domain
Embrace the dark arts as a Death Domain Cleric, mastering spells that deal necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips, including Toll The Dead, which rings a bell of doom for 1~8 damage, scaling with prior damage. Exploit nearby corpses with a homebrewed ability to damage enemies.

Druid - Circle of Stars
As a Circle of Stars Druid, harness celestial powers beyond traditional wildshapes. Choose from three Starry Forms—Archer, Chalice, and Dragon—each tailored to different play styles, from dealing radiant damage to healing and enhancing constitution rolls.

Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, the Oath of the Crown Paladin can guide allies with Righteous Clarity, taunt foes strategically, and use Divine Allegiance to absorb damage and restore health to your party.

Fighter - Arcane Archer
Blend magic and archery as an Arcane Archer, using unique skills and new shooting animations. Banish enemies to the Feywild or inflict Psychic damage that can blind them.

Monk - Drunken Master
As a Drunken Master Monk, consume alcohol from your inventory or around the Sword Coast to recover Ki. Use Intoxicating Strike to buff your Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets, and sober them up with Sobering Realisation for physical and Psychic damage.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Command deadly swarms as a Swarmkeeper Ranger. Choose from Cloud of Jellyfish for lightning damage, Flurry of Moths for Psychic damage and potential blindness, or Legion of Bees for piercing damage and knockback, all with teleportation capabilities.

Rogue - Swashbuckler
Embrace the pirate's life as a Swashbuckler Rogue, using actions like Blind with sand, Disarm with a flick of your weapon, and Fancy Footwork to avoid opportunity attacks during melee.

Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
As a Shadow Magic Sorcerer, thrive in darkness with Superior Darkvision and Shadow Walk. Summon the Hound of Ill Omen to harass foes and use Strength of the Grave to avoid being downed, perfect for Honour Mode.

Warlock - Hexblade
Pact with a Shadowfell entity as a Hexblade Warlock, cursing enemies and raising their spirits from corpses to deal necrotic damage and heal yourself.

Wizard - Bladesinging
Blend swordplay and wizardry with the Bladesinging subclass, featuring new spellcasting animations, the Bladesong ability for speed, agility, and focus, and 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, closing an extraordinary chapter for Larian Studios. The game launched to critical acclaim and commercial success in 2023, maintaining strong sales into 2024 and 2025.

In a surprising move, Larian announced their departure from Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons to focus on a new, yet-to-be-revealed project, prompting a media blackout. Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at continuing the series. Speaking to IGN at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, mentioned that with Larian moving on, there is significant interest in Baldur's Gate. While Ayoub did not specify if this interest would lead to a new game or another form of engagement, he expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4, albeit acknowledging that such a project would take time.

Larian will celebrate the release of Patch 8 with a Twitch livestream featuring senior systems designer Ross Stephens, who will detail the new changes and additions.