The devs said it's time for the team to go back to their cave and hang the armour on the wall, while they focus on bringing players their next project.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s final major update, Patch 8, was released on Tuesday, 15 April, with the full patch notes published on the game’s official website. This final patch marks the end of new content additions for the game, with future updates expected to focus primarily on bug fixes.
The update begins with a note from the development team, who expressed gratitude for the community’s ongoing support. According to the statement, this will be the final patch to introduce new content, with no further narrative or gameplay expansions planned.
The devs stated, “We’ve told our stories the way we needed to tell them,” and added that development efforts would now turn to new projects.
A retrospective reference was also made to PAX West 2023, where the team shared plans to retreat and prepare for upcoming work. “As Swen said during the Baldur’s Gate 3 retrospective panel at PAX West in August of last year, it’s time for the team to go back to our cave and hang the armour on the wall while we focus on bringing you our next project.”
To commemorate the game’s journey, an animated short created in collaboration with Spud Gun Studios was released alongside the patch.
Cross-play and cross-platform progression
Two of the biggest and probably most-requested features included in the final patch are full cross-platform progression and cross-play. This update enables multiplayer compatibility across PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation 5. Using the Larian Network, players can now create or join cross-play lobbies, allowing for seamless cooperative gameplay across platforms.
All players in a cross-play session must have the same versions of installed mods in order to play with mods enabled. A Mod Verification window will prompt players to enable, upgrade, downgrade, or install missing mods when joining a game. PC hosts can filter mods using the “Available on Console & Mac” tag.
Consoles have a mod limit of 100 and do not support third-party mods. Full instructions for cross-play can be found here.
New Subclasses added for every class
Patch 8 introduces 12 new subclasses, with one added for each playable class. These include unique abilities, animations, effects, and even new voice lines, such as those included for the Oathbreaker Knight variant of the Oath of the Crown Paladin subclass. The full list includes:
- 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
- Bladesinging Wizard
Subclasses can be selected upon reaching specific levels, which vary by class:
- Level 1: Cleric, Sorcerer, Paladin, Warlock
- Level 2: Druid, Wizard
- Level 3: Barbarian, Bard, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue
Photo Mode Launches
Photo Mode has also been added, enabling players to capture in-game moments with full creative control. On PC, it can be activated by pressing F9, while console users can press both analogue sticks or access it via the HUD minimap. Players can adjust character poses, facial expressions, angles, and scene settings even during combat. The mode includes over 300 stickers and supports user-generated content through the BG3 Toolkit.
Updates to the Modding Toolkit
Alongside the main patch, the Baldur’s Gate 3 Modding Toolkit now supports partial level editing. This allows creators to introduce or override certain template types within existing levels. Static elements such as terrain and buildings remain uneditable, but interactive objects, such as teleporting chests or pocket-sized statues, are now possible to implement.
Modding guidelines have also been updated to reflect the expanded capabilities. Console compatibility remains limited, and mods introducing new playable races cannot be curated for console currently. The updated guidelines can be reviewed here.
Additional updates
Patch 8 also includes various bug fixes, UI improvements, gameplay and balance adjustments, and more. Full details can be accessed through the official patch notes.
