After an unplanned early release on PlayStation 5 yesterday, the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available for stress testing on all platforms.
To get in on Patch 8 early, players must sign up on the website (Xbox users need an app) and hope you’re lucky enough to be chosen in one of several waves of invites Larian Studios will be sending throughout the testing period. Or you might have it already installed on your PS5 through an unintentional update that could brick your saves. Larian recommends reverting back to Patch 7 by uninstalling and reinstalling your game.
Patch 8 is a big one, bringing cross-play multiplayer between all platforms, a detailed photo mode, 12 new subclasses, and split-screen co-op for Xbox Series S players.
Cross-play looks relatively simple to setup in Larian’s video tutorial. After enabling it in the options, players can create a lobby and invite others via their Larian Network account names. Joining games is easy too, and the game will prompt you with what mods to download should the host of that lobby require them. However, Larian warns PC players hoping to play with console friends that they will need to limit themselves to 100 mods that work on all platforms.
The new subclasses give you an excuse to start up another playthrough too. Here’s a list of every new subclass and their corresponding starter class:
- College of Glamour (Bard)
- Path of Giants (Barbarian)
- Death Domain (Cleric)
- Circle of Stars (Druid)
- Oath of the Crown (Paladin)
- Arcane Archer (Fighter)
- Drunken Master (Monk)
- Swarmkeeper (Ranger)
- Swashbuckler (Rogue)
- Shadow Magic (Sorcerer)
- Hexblade (Warlock)
- Bladesinging (Wizard)
The full patch notes are available on the game’s Steam page.
Larian hasn’t put a date on when to expect the final version of Patch 8 to go live other than sometime this year. Once that happens, the studio will be moving on from the series to focus on something outside Dungeons & Dragons.
