Like a team of infernal reindeer, the next major update for Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming in for a smooth yuletide landing — yes, new features will be live before the year is out, accompanied by a festive Panel From Hell that will give you a peek at what’s to come in 2023!
In the Community Update accompanying that Panel From Hell, we’ll go into detail about some of the most discussed topics in the community. The good news is that we’re on track for release in 2023 – and we’ll have more on that in December. Acts 2 and 3 of the story are being actively playtested to ensure they’re up to the same level of polish and you’ll soon discover that there’s much more in the works (or already complete) than what you’ll encounter in an Early Access playthrough. Our goal is for even the players who have repeated Act 1 over and over again for hundreds of hours to feel like there’s a whole new experience in store for them at launch.
We're still paying close attention to all your feedback, bug reports, comments, your fan art and jokes – they sustain us, so please keep them coming or we will grow desperate and you’ll discover us consuming pigs’ blood in the middle of a Belgian motorway like a certain vampire spawn. Whatever it takes to get the game out, you know?
In all seriousness though, it takes time to tell a great story, implement feedback, and iterate on such a large game, so we want to thank you for your patience as we get closer to Patch 9.
We’ll see you in December – the dress code is “Christmas from Hell”. 🎄😈
Behind the Scenes: Motion Capture
We’ve just opened up a new, dedicated motion capture space in Guildford, so while we have you here and we’re telling you things, we thought we’d give you a little peek behind the betentacled curtain into one of the most important tools in our storytelling arsenal: our motion capture tech.
A typical day at work at Larian Quebec
We have been working with motion capture for years, with mocap-ready studio spaces constructed at our offices in Ghent, Kuala Lumpur, Quebec and Dublin.
Having multiple locations has meant that each team could be empowered to try out new ideas, experimenting upon and refining animations without having to wait for another studio to come online. Having spaces across the globe also meant we could capture data anytime over the 24 hour period, allowing for continuous development.
Our team in Kuala Lumpur passionately discuss whether Gith are in fact more similar to platypus than humans. “They’re both egg-laying mammals.”
Early on, we began using XSens’ full-body motion capture which allowed animators and designers to quickly monitor and review data even when working from home — something that proved pretty helpful during lockdown. We integrated StretchSense gloves to improve the speed we can get finger data into the engine and completed major overhauls to our pipelines to allow the Optical Performance Capture data to be quickly imported into our build. But as we first began development on Baldur’s Gate 3, we knew in order to achieve a truly cinematic feel we’d need to improve the quality of our technology and the speed of our mocap pipeline.
So we decided to expand on this idea last year with the launch of Larian Guildford; our first studio in the UK.
The actors when lunch arrives.
England has a wealth of talented performance capture artists and we knew we wanted to start working with them, but the biggest challenge would be to find a space large enough for the kind of choreography we require. Many locations were visited, measured, and considered before we finally settled on our current office* — an ideal location nestled in between a bustling high street and a place that sells 12 different kinds of sausage rolls.
Our Guildford mocap team tries to comprehend the physical feasibility of the Buthir/Grukkoh love scene.
The Larian Guildford Mocap Facility is big. This is the largest mocap space we have at Larian, measuring 14m x 12m, and currently features 40 Vantage V16 Cameras and 3 additional reference cameras, all running through our VFX motion capture software. With a studio of this size we can easily record a dozen mocap actors at once — capturing everything from complex movements and gestures to stunt work with props.
A man in full mocap regalia thinks back to the time someone insulted his character build.
Bringing Baldur’s Gate 3 to life has been an incredible experience and we can’t wait for you to see the results come launch.
If you want to be part of this story, we are looking for new blood to help run the studio, producers and tech. Keep an eye out for listings.
And until then, we’ll just say see ya soon — there’s more information about the next patch still to come. Watch this space!
The illustrious Neil Newbon (voice of Astarion) directing a team of 12 in our Guildford studio, while wearing a beautiful kimono.
*Of course, no Larian studio could be complete without an induction into our grandest tradition of all: soggy carpets. Yes, like our Belgian studio in 2020, our new Guildford office got a light baptism of its own this year in the form of some pretty insistent British weather. Luckily it was only a very minor hiccup and we were able to seal the leak using a pie barm.
A moving interpretive dance performance representing Larian’s feelings on pipe leaks.
OK OK here's a bonus video -- please name this dance move:
Hotfix #29 Now Live!
Hello everyone,
We’ve got another hotfix for you today, handling a few crashes and blockers you’ve been reporting to us. Not every party gets along smoothly, but we’ve been told that companions at camp were giving you the cold shoulder after rescuing Halsin. We guess they’re just not fans of bears, but they should be a lot chattier now after some team building.
As ever, thank you for playing Baldur’s Gate 3 and taking the time to report these issues to us.
CRASHES & BLOCKERS
Fixed a crash that would occur randomly when running the game on the Vulkan API in combination with an NVIDIA card.
Fixed a crash that would occur when opening in-game windows like the Examine and Inventory panels when running the game on an NVIDIA card with DLSS enabled.
You can now initiate dialogue with companions at camp after rescuing Halsin.
Fixed the VFX crashing the game when shapeshifting (e.g. via Transform or Wild Shape).
Fixed the sharp drops in FPS and the subsequent crash if your character dies while wearing the Helmet of Grit and the Gloves of Fire Resistance.
Fixed a crash that would occur when saving after using a Scroll of Goodberry.
Fixed potential freezes and GPU lockups for Mac users on AMD machines when clicking the ‘New Save’ button.
Hotfix #28 Now Live!
Hello everyone,
We’ve got another Hotfix for you, taking care of several crashes, blockers and visual bugs. We understand that Lae’zel is hard to please by nature, but it seems that she’s been more prone to tantrums since our previous Hotfix. We’ve explained party dynamics to her, which she didn’t really enjoy, but understands that she shouldn’t randomly stop following the player now.
Thank you for taking the time to report these issues to us, and thank you for playing Baldur’s Gate 3!
CRASHES & BLOCKERS
Fixed an issue where Lae’zel would stop following the player after going to camp when loading a previous Patch 8 savegame in Hotfix 27
Fixed a Vulkan-specific crash that would occur during Bibberbang explosions
Fixed Swarm AI not jumping in cases where their jump end position is blocked by another swarm member
Fixed crashes that would potentially occur during large combat scenarios
Fixed crashes that would potentially occur in Multiplayer combat when the player hovers the cursor over items or certain characters
Fixed a crash that would potentially occur in Multiplayer when joining if the host was in character creation
VISUAL BUGS
Fixed missing VFX in Plea at the Gates cinematic
Fixed camera in the cinematic relating to Connor’s resurrection
Fixed the antidote bottle clipping through the player’s mouth if playing as smaller races
Fixed the camera zooming out beyond normal limits when attacking in combat
Hotfix #27 Now Live!
Hello everyone,
We’ve got another hotfix for you today, addressing several crashes and bugs. We’re also very happy to report that this hotfix brings Patch 8 to Mac players. We’d make a joke about metal support but we wouldn’t want to explode Neil’s head again, now, would we?
Thank you to everyone who took the time to report these issues to us through all of our channels. Your support is greatly appreciated as we squash these troublesome bugs. Thank you for playing Baldur’s Gate 3!
CRASHES & BLOCKERS
Fixed some companions not performing their camp rituals in savegames first made in the original Patch 8 release or Hotfix 1, and then loaded or saved in Hotfix 2.
Fixed a crash that would occur when you successively went to camp, traded with Withers, then went to sleep.
Fixed a potential crash that would occur when saving or levelling up.
Fixed a potential crash that would occur when you dismissed a companion at camp and key items were transferred into your inventory automatically.
Fixed passive rolls crashing the game in certain circumstances, like when starting combat while sneaking.
Fixed a crash that would occur when sending a character to camp while the party panel was open.
COMBAT
Fixed Valiant Damage removing Bardic Inspiration if you missed an attack.
Fixed spells with effects that end combat getting interrupted.
Fixed the hag’s cinematic not triggering when you entered her lair for the boss fight.
UI & UX
The party panel now updates the character list when you add or remove a character to or from the party.
The journal now updates accordingly when the hag's reward appears in your inventory after you choose to spare her in exchange for ‘power’.
Fixed the Level Up UI not appearing when entering Turn-Based Mode for the first time.
Fixed revived companions having empty inventories when resurrected.
Improved the text input support for Chinese keyboards (Microsoft Pinyin).
VISUAL BUGS
Fixed a Vulkan-specific visual glitch that would occur when switching races during character creation.
Fixed a visual issue causing squares to appear in the sky around distant trees.
Fixed Gauntlet Nichol's name going missing.
Hotfix #26 Now Live!
Hello everyone,
We’ve got a new hotfix for you today, taking care of multiple crashes, bugs, and issues. Sometimes, corpses get nostalgic for those halcyon days of being less corpse-y. When this happens, they tend to stand bolt upright in an act of what can only be described as undead defiance. We’ve told them to act their age (dead being their age), hopefully leading to fewer weird ‘Didn’t I kill you already?’ moments.
As ever, thank you for playing Baldur’s Gate 3 and reporting these issues to us through all our channels. We really appreciate it!
CRASHES AND BLOCKERS
Party members now appear correctly at camp regardless of how many times you go there.
Fixed a major blocker causing a permanent black screen if the game had just loaded after you went to camp.
Fixed a major multiplayer issue causing you to get blocked if you gave a fellow player control of an Origin character.
Fixed an issue that would block you in the Active Roll UI if you were interrupted by an NPC’s crime interrogation dialogue.
Fixed a crash related to the bibberbangs’ explosion VFX.
Fixed a crash that would occur after loading a savegame.
Fixed a crash that would occur if you had created the Vision of the Absolute spear and saved in camp.
Fixed a blocker that would occur if you took a Long Rest after defeating Bernard and the automatons atop the Arcane Tower.
CINEMATICS
Fixed cinematic issues related to Barcus and Beldron at Grymforge.
Fixed a cinematic issue related to missing water VFX when speaking to Gauntlet Dain at Waukeen's Rest.
Fixed the myconids freezing during their cinematic dialogue.
Fixed a cinematic issue causing party members to have jittering heads during the cinematic dialogue with the deep rothé.
Fixed female halflings and gnomes not looking at the correct speakers in a cinematic dialogue during the introduction to the camp area.
Fixed cinematic issues in the conversation with Nettie involving drinking the antidote.
Fixed a continuity issue where the bard dialogue options with BOOOAL wouldn’t proceed correctly.
Fixed several cinematic issues related to camera angles, animations, depth of field, popping, lighting, and clipping.
UI
Fixed an issue related to the new combat cameras causing the gold dice overlay and vignette to go missing after the first critical camera shot.
Added missing weapon damage resistance to the resistances' update.
Fixed an issue causing the inventory to appear empty if a character was looted as a soul and then revived.
Fixed an issue causing spells in the custom Hotbar to be removed after Wildshaping.
Fixed a UI issue where searching for filtered names did not display the relevant items.
Fixed spell options becoming greyed out if you moved around in-game whilst the Variant Hotbar was open and active.
Fixed some global inventory filters not working if your character wasn't Proficient.
Fixed the visibility of the Options screen when applying any Interface option while in a dialogue.
CONTINUITY AND OTHER BUGS
Fixed corpses standing upright after you leave a region and go to camp. This was also affected by Autosave.
Fixed an issue causing druids to lose all their prepared spells if they had used Dismiss Wild Shape or if they dropped to 0 HP.
Fixed an infinite loop of entering and exiting combat when only one character and one in-world item remained.
Fixed the Short Rest SFX.
Hotfix #25 Now Live!
Hello everyone,
We’ve got another hotfix for you today, addressing a couple of troublesome crashes and issues. It’s not a party if your members stop following you into the unknown, so we’ve had a little chat with them about following your instructions more closely. Now, your followers should…follow you. Thank you for taking the time to report these issues to us so we can fix them swiftly!
FIXES
Fixed an issue where party members would stop following the character you’re controlling, including crashes that could occur relating to this issue.
Fixed a crash related to switching hair colours or highlights.
Fixed a crash that would occur when ending long rest and then saving.
Fixed a crash related to pickpocketing and trading, and using items whose ownership changed.
Hotfix #24 Now Live!
Hello everyone,
Fresh off Patch 8’s release, we’ve got a small hotfix for you today. Some folks just like to hang around long after they’ve overstayed their welcome, and we had a pesky issue where some summons and characters were really making their presence felt on your portrait bar. This has now been rectified. Happy gnoming and barding to you all!
FIXES
Fixed a recently introduced issue with summons and other characters that caused their portraits to multiply and their corpses to remain active even after they were unsummoned or killed.
Fixed a crash related to viewing tooltips.
Fixed a crash related to using the sliders on the hotbar.
Fixed a crash related to incorrect data.
Patch #8
Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3 has taken to the stage, with the bard class, playable gnomes, Swarm AI, and countless other improvements and fixes. We’re also delighted to add another language to our lexicon: Brazilian Portuguese. If you’re after a deep dive into Patch 8, the Community Update is available here.
Mac users, Patch 8 will arrive soon. We’ve got a little bit of bug hunting left to do, so keep your eyes on our feeds for further news. Now, let’s raise the curtain, tune the orchestra, and dive into the full notes for Patch 8
Patch notes related to community-reported issues and feedback are indicated with an asterisk. Like this.*
HIGHLIGHTS
Bard class with College of Lore and College of Valour subclasses.
Musical instruments, usable by any class with the Performer feat at Level 4.
Playable gnomes with three subraces: rock gnomes, forest gnomes, and deep gnomes. Gnomes start with Gnome Cunning and +2 Intelligence. Added gnome reactivity to dialogues and situations.
Ranged critical hits now have combat cameras!
Baldur’s Gate 3 is now playable in Brazilian Portuguese - vamo nessa!
New spells: Calm Emotions, Enthral, Heroism, Phantasmal Force, and Vicious Mockery. Bards, try out Cutting Words, Song of Rest, and a new tadpole power.
New hair-shading model, upgraded hairstyles, and all 66 hairstyles are now available to every race and body type.*
Added hair highlights.
Added grey hair.
Swarm AI, which bands together minor creatures so that they move at the same time and take quick turns to attack. Fighting numerous enemies should now be smoother and faster.*
Rogues can access Expertise at Level 1.*
Use a shovel to dig up treasures and secrets throughout Act 1.
Sustained emotion acting in cinematics. New facial animations allow characters to continue emoting realistically while you make decisions in dialogue.
Cinematic acting for background characters, who now react to the drama unfolding in dialogues.
Elves are now a uniquely animated race.
Detect Thoughts rework - cast it from within dialogues!
Committing crimes now triggers a new type of cinematic dialogue.
Sunlight through clouds has a bigger effect on shadows and lighting, and gameplay now more closely aligns with the in-game light and dark areas.
Revamped lighting across Act 1.
Implemented sound occlusion to simulate the behaviour of sounds coming from other rooms and behind doors.
Introduced auditory attenuation. Dynamic audio-mixing features enhance immersion by focusing on your actions and selecting the most important elements of the soundscape.
Added 10 new skin colours to character creation.
Updated Gale’s face and hair.
Displayed class passive features in the Character Sheet.*
Redesigned the movement bar.
Implemented the first phase of our networking improvements: players with slower and less reliable internet connections should see improvements to stability and lag in multiplayer.
Implemented support for Nvidia DLAA as an anti-aliasing alternative.
Extensive UI updates.
Low-spec PCs no longer become unresponsive and fail to load assets when loading save files.
You can now cast Mage Hand with an active summoned familiar.*
Short Rest can now heal Ranger’s Companions and familiars.
Creatures summoned with Ranger's Companion and Find Familiar now remain with the party after a Long Rest.*
CHANGES AND FIXES
Crashes, Freezes, and Blockers
Can now Long Rest at camp if a companion is dead.
Fixed crash when spam-clicking ‘Go to Camp’ button and Trade window.
Fixed crash when choosing to 'do nothing' about Astarion holding blade to your throat.
Fixed crash when readying Throw action and hovering cursor over dismissed summon.
Fixed crash when killing summons holding Concentration.
Fixed crash when drinking Auntie Ethel’s potion.
Fixed crash when opening a spell container from a hotbar filter after removing that spell from the main hotbar.
Fixed black screen triggered after committing a crime and telling Zevlor you’d like to celebrate at camp.
Fixed character getting stuck if Shoved while Sleeping.
Fixed launcher entering offline mode.
Fixed crash related to Inventory UI.
Fixed crash related to having multiple Examine windows open and closing one.
Fixed crash related to FSR and Ultra Quality graphical settings.
Fixed crash related to sending weapons in the same filter slots to other characters.
Fixed bug related to controlling Us at Crash Site.
Fixed bug preventing you from starting dialogues.
Multiplayer
Fixed loading screen getting stuck after disconnecting.
Fixed crash during character selection.
Fixed crash when starting in lobby.
Fixed issue preventing clients from rejoining session after crash.*
Fixed blocker and black screen caused by Long Rest.
Fixed crash when switching companions during dialogue.
Fixed Direct Connections checkbox deselecting due to NatPunch error.
You no longer get stuck in the lobby if you join the host via invite before you’ve made a profile and if your game folder is in Documents.
UI
Sources of advantages or disadvantages applied by spells are now clearly indicated in target info.
Summons and followers can now use consumables from other characters' inventories.
Added feedback when characters heal.
Equipped items now unequip on double-click.
Added different portrait border colours for allied and neutral characters in Turn Order UI.
UI now indicates when you're in Turn-Based Mode.
Audio options now reset to default correctly.
Can now cut, copy, and paste in password fields.
Savegame version number now visible in load menu.
Temporary hit points now visible in Party Line.
Invulnerable entities and characters no longer display -1/1 HP.
Sort-by-latest option in Inventory no longer prioritises older items.
Improved drag-and-drop feedback.
Barter window now shows correct value when dragging in items.
Inventory slots now update correctly when dragging in stacked items from Barter window.
Improved readability of text indicating number of stacked items.
Fixed Inventory size when changing tabs in Party View.
Show Party Inventory filter no longer stacks items.
Faraway NPCs' dialogues no longer show up on UI and combat log.*
Fixed T-pose issues with Trade window.
Combat log now shows all modifier sources.
In multiplayer, skipping roll animation in active rolls and dialogue checks now shows final amount plus added bonuses.
Quest tab is now called 'Quest Journal'.
Targets that cannot be targeted no longer highlight when aimed at.
Fixed FSR graphics causing item highlights to be offset on mouseover.
Downed condition displays on your portrait in real-time mode.
Can’t Combine anvils and workbenches anymore.
Selecting Group Toggle Mode as summon no longer says group is too far away.
Toggleable passives are now in Character Features tab.
Selecting party member's portrait now highlights it correctly.
Fixed vibrating glossy items in Examine window.
Successfully combining items no longer closes important pop-ups.
Speech bubble cursor no longer has an unnecessary red cross.
Improved feedback and functionality when hitting escape with multiple panels and windows open.
Releasing a mouse-click over a portrait no longer selects that character.
Removed 'Send to Camp' option for items already at camp.
Can now target enemies behind target info UI.
Damage and damage type now display correctly in target info if you Dip your weapon.
Fixed cut-off modifiers in target info.
Fixed clipped text in Inspired notification.
Open windows and panels now close if tutorial pop-up appears.
Fixed text boxes not detecting certain keys.
F keybind no longer assigned to two commands.
Cursor icon now changes for text boxes.
Fixed Filter panel cutting off in Party View when you have four characters.
Removed Level Up button from combat.
Temporary Hit Points UI now disappears after they're depleted.
Added loading screen hints about Darkvision.
Hotbar
Updated hotbar art.
Updated End Turn and Flee buttons.
Grouped Rest actions in new menu.
Restyled Bonus HP indicator.
Restyled Movement bar to be circular and indicate movement cost.
Added button that takes you to the character whose turn it is in combat.
Added purple dot to hotbar weapon slots to signal active condition.
Fixed resource bar not scaling correctly.
Updated Weapon Actions and Upcast drawers.
Ensured passive features of summoned creatures now appear on their hotbars.
Fixed weapon actions disappearing from filter views when removed from hotbar.
Equipped Weapon filter no longer shows duplicates.
Fixed items not appearing correctly when playing as Wild-Shaped druid.
Fixed alignment for weapon slots.
Fixed positioning of conditions when there are more than three.
You can now cast spells correctly using spell containers that open through hotbar filters.
Fixed hotbar filter issues.
Fixed visual animation jitters for Class and Items hotbar drawers.
Tooltips
Average damage range in weapon tooltips now includes damage applied by Dipping weapons into damaging surfaces.
Ranged attacks and spells with ranges under 2m are now presented as being within melee range.
Improved how tooltips present information.
Tooltips now update to reflect weapon damage values.
Tooltips now correctly state, where applicable, that Attack of Opportunity won’t be provoked.
Tooltips now clearly show which actions or spells are unlocked by certain items.
Weapon tooltips now update to add and remove conditions while open.
Fixed tooltips not showing up if similar ones were already pinned.
Fixed flickering tooltips when unpinned.
Updated descriptions of effects of Bomb and Acid Vial.
Added artwork for Beastmaster's Chain.
In-world tooltips don’t show up for uninteractable items anymore.
Added tooltip property that indicates area of effect of certain spells.
Spell scroll tooltips now indicate when you can't cast them due to blocked casting.
Fixed incorrect tooltip descriptions and weapon proficiency properties.
Mousing over 'Hit Points' in 'Do you want to go to camp?' pop-up now opens correct tooltip.
Fixed clipped text and links in Water item.
Fixed error in Ring of Mind Shielding tooltip.
Fixed damage stats when comparing items.
Fixed calculation of weapon damage for spells granted by items.
Linked Armour Class tooltip to AC value in armour tooltips and updated AC tooltip.
Clarified conditions required for wood woads' Regeneration passive to become active.
Updated Runepowder Barrel and Runepowder Vial descriptions.
Descriptions of Protection from Evil and Good are now consistent.
Fixed issue affecting tooltip readability.
Fixed two similar error messages about not being able to Dip undippable weapons.
Added missing descriptions in special arrow tooltips.
Fixed Springstep Boots description clipping into UI.
Fixed tooltips and icons related to Concentration.
Fixed cut-off text in Level Up tooltip in certain languages.
Character Sheet
Improved readability.
Added spellbook filtering.
Added bespoke spell-learning UI.
Added area for prepared spells with drop-down that lets you add or remove them.
Updated spellbook so that different levels of same spell aren’t duplicated. Can now upcast by triggering spell from hotbar.
Fixed sort function if Show Party Inventory is toggled.
Fixed Inventory sorting for newly recruited companions.
Fixed rogues’ Fast Hands and Second-Story Work features not appearing.
Repositioned approval bar.
Repositioned character models.
Fixed Movement tooltip appearing when mousing over area above Character Sheet button.
Adjusted position of pin icon on Proficiencies filter buttons.
Fixed error appearing on Diamondsbane feature.
Balance
Kirgrath's gang at Grymforge turn hostile if you fail Detect Thoughts.
Wearing non-proficient helmet, boots, and gloves confers Disadvantage and blocks spellcasting.
Wood woads have unique passive: extra 3d4 magical damage when attacking with clubs. They no longer wield two-handed weapons.
Defensive Duelist feat no longer available to characters with under 13 Dexterity.
Ring of Mind Shielding blocks tadpole powers.*
Rage damage bonus also applies to off-hand weapon attacks.*
Barbarian NPCs have Unarmoured Defence passive ability.
Athlete feat consumes 1.5m when standing up after being Prone.
Items grant item buffs to characters within range of their aura.
Archer's Eye costs Flaming Fist archers 1 Action Point and 1 Bonus Action Point.
Muddy grants resistance to Fire damage.
Tweaked balance of Haste and Potion of Speed.
Non-humanoid creatures can’t access basic actions typically reserved for humanoids anymore.
Improved items offered by goblin trader at Goblin Camp.
Changed equipment of certain Flaming Fist members.
Spaw uses Animating Spores less and participates in combat more. His Multiattack doesn't deal Poison damage anymore.
Myconids' Pacifying Spores stun targets for 1 turn.
Mind flayers' Tentacle action no longer applies Stunned.
Spaw is heavier and more resistant to Shove. Other myconids are lighter.
Lowered Flaming Fists’ Wisdom.
Healer goblins can cast Bane and other spells.
Static Discharge Aura no longer grants construct damage buff to non-construct characters.
Alchemist Argram can cast spells thanks to light armour proficiency.
Gandrel has Level 2 spell slots, granting him Misty Step.
Inwe can cast Web.
Removed potions from Novice Garmor.
Disabling reactions removes passives.
Knocking out NPCs grants XP.
Can’t trade non-tradeable items with NPCs anymore.
Long Rests no longer account for temporary hit points when calculating rested health.
Swapping weapon between main hand and offhand no longer duplicates weapon’s passive.
NPCs with depleted casting resources now resort to spells in their spell slots.
XP reward for killing duergars in Grymforge now scales correctly.
Illithid Wisdom checks no longer have -1 DC.*
Word of the Absolute debuff now remains until next Long Rest.
Combat
NPCs can now use projectile spells on targets behind objects that don’t provide cover.
Sarth Baretha has received the title Warrior of the One Sky.
Goblin warlock now uses different skills during Grove attack.
Wrath now only works when using melee weapon attacks.
Redcaps are better at disguising themselves.
Redcaps' Bloodlust ability now heals 3d6 on killing blow.
NPCs now react correctly if you drop hanging braziers on them.
Toggle Party Stealth button now works in combat.
Enemies at Grove’s gates now pick items back up after being disarmed.
Crag spiders from Spider Egg Sac can now Jump and Bite.
Jolted creatures can’t perform Reactions anymore.
Hook horrors’ Hook attack no longer shows duplicate Saving Throws.
Barbarians' Rage now ends after combat, applying Rage boosts correctly during dialogues.
Characters’ turns aren’t skipped anymore when entering dialogues during combat.
Underdark creatures can now Sneak.*
Can no longer dodge Attacks of Opportunity by dropping items and then moving.
Handing Sazza over to guard now triggers combat with guards.
Destroying statue left of cave-in at Grymforge no longer triggers combat.*
Failing to read Flaming Fist Ephren’s mind as a drow now triggers combat.
Attacking Shadowheart between Crash Site and Grove now triggers combat.
Ranged Attack no longer replaces Unarmed Strike when equipping ranged weapon to unarmed hand.
Shapeshifted conditions now get removed when affected entity hits 0 HP.
NPCs no longer loop when trying to climb surfaces near other characters.
Improved Zhentarim dungeon combat.
Improved AI combat navigation around Waukeen's Rest and Myconid Village.
Fixed AI behaviour of automatons and how they use Static Discharge.
Fixed calculation error causing NPCs to miss out on their third extra attack.
Bulette can now perform Deadly Leap.
Owlbear cub now runs away when low on health.
Fixed character repositioning when attempting to shoot ranged attacks or cast spells at targets selected via their portrait.
Halsin no longer remains Wild-Shaped if you use non-lethal attacks in wolf pens.*
Harpies no longer flank you from distance or drag faraway characters into combat.
Improved targeting and fixed see-through roof at Zhentarim hideout.
Enemies now react correctly if you Shove them while Hiding.
Can’t shoot through building outside Chapel anymore.
Fixed blocker caused by jumping and then missing Attack of Opportunity.
Made mushrooms around Myconid Village immune to myconids' spore attacks.
Andorn and Mari no longer run back and forth.
Nadira now runs away when combat starts.
Gekh Coal's zombies no longer create Blood surfaces when killed.
Successful saves at end of turn now remove Spectators' Paralysed condition.
Spells
Added visible timer to caster's portrait for Concentration spells.
Fog now lasts 10 turns.
Light no longer triggers Saving Throw when targeted at corpses.
Invoke Duplicity no longer blocks Radiance of the Dawn.
Fixed previews of spell and ranged attack trajectories.
Certain summoning spells now consider line of sight.
Fixed summoning and channelling spells not landing on destructible terrain.
Fixed effect and speed of spells cast by entombed scribes and warriors.*
Can’t cast Guidance on yourself to use it against Shadowheart in dialogue roll.
Fixed Wyll not being able to cast Arms of Hadar if not recruited.
Fixed spell costs not being detected.
Continuity
Can no longer promise Baelen his bag if you have already thrown it to him.
Can no longer give Zarys Iron Flask without obtaining it.
Can no longer complete Find the Missing Shipment without handing over shipment.
Can’t ask Withers where he came from after releasing him from sarcophagus anymore.*
Can’t perform Sharran ritual without dagger anymore.
Can’t cut off Nere's head in lava anymore.*
Healing Thulla with antitoxin no longer causes myconids to dislike you.
Stealing Idol of Silvanus undercover now causes druids to become hostile.
Minthara's raiders now attack tieflings if she’s killed early.
Minthara now celebrates after Grove’s denizens are eradicated.
Fixed journal update for Deliver Nere's Head quest.
Can’t do Myconid Revenge quest anymore if Nere's head is inaccessible.
Can now end Gekh Coal's quest earlier if you already have Thulla's boots.
Pandirna now joins Grove attack if healed.
Grym no longer disappears from game if you flee from combat.
Mirkon no longer resurrects if you damage his corpse.
Tieflings no longer react oddly to rangers summoning dangerous animals at Grove.
Children now react to you stealing at Dragon's Lair.
NPCs now always react if they notice you stealing an item.
Fixed trigger for Wyll's reaction to Arabella's death.
Tingmiaq now flies away.
Aradin now stops you from looting his dead comrades.
Fixed NPCs’ behaviour when failing pickpocketing checks on tiefling children.
Auntie Ethel's reward now appears in your inventory if you spare her in exchange for 'power'.*
Can now interact with Zevlor if you ignored him when he confronted Aradin.
Items
Lightning Aura, granted by Real Sparky Sparkswall, no longer uses up all Lightning charges.
Click Heels, granted by Boots of Speed, now doubles movement speed.*
Venomous Revenge, granted by Broodmother's Revenge necklace, no longer applies basic poison to weapon.
Wrath and Momentum, granted by Bloodguzzler Garb and Spurred Band under 50% HP, remain active even when healed to over 50% HP.
Whispering Mask now correctly applies Ephemeral Whispers condition.
Salami is now more common loot.
Rotten eggs no longer heal you.
Can’t eat roasted dwarf to heal anymore.
Can’t dip torches into Poison surfaces anymore.
Shadowheart can now pick locks and unlock things.
Can now disarm traps at Grove, Tollhouse basement, and Swamp.*
Can’t set fire to indestructible objects like metal doors and scalable rocks anymore.
Hanging braziers now fall and explode if attacked.
Destroying destructible platform in Zhentarim dungeon now triggers explosion.
Certain explosive items no longer leave surfaces with infinite duration.
Items dropped off at camp now correctly transfer to traveller's chest.
Can’t electrify water after unequipping Watersparkers boots anymore.
Can’t start infinite loop of Fire damage with Ring of Fire and Gloves of Flint and Steel anymore.*
Encumbered condition now updates correctly when dropping items and allows you to double-click to loot.
Nettie overcame obsession with sitting on specific mossy stone.
Whispering Mask’s condition now removed if wearer is Downed or dead.
Improved cambion loot on nautiloid.
Added loot to Mask of Vengeance.
Added loot to hidden backpack in forest.
Brine bulbs now fall correctly after taking damage.
Heads of lettuce no longer become big, grey cubes when dropped.
Can no longer coat your weapon with poison if you’re not wielding one.
Can’t consume this one apple anymore.
Gilded chest near Alfira is now locked.
Made it easier to see and pick up meat dropped in Arcane Tower.
Can’t walk through wooden desk in Thayan Cellar anymore.
Can’t walk through brazier next to Priestess Gut anymore.
Can now pick up dropped items if you saved while first picking them up.
Fixed out-of-reach and uninteractable items.
Traveller's chest no longer spawns inside pillar at Grymforge.
Travel
Summons can’t initiate fast travel anymore.
Companions now follow you after being recruited.*
Grouped parties no longer unlink when using waypoints.
Toggle Party Sneak button no longer causes companions to do opposite of main character if already sneaking.*
Room Portal system now hides and reveals things more effectively.
Made unclimbable and unreachable terrain more obvious.
Made it easier to climb rock ledge in passage beneath Grove.
Can’t jump through wooden beams in Abandoned Village anymore.
Can’t walk through iron gates into spider pit at Goblin Camp anymore.*
Brakkal can’t squeeze through bars of cage anymore.
Kagran no longer walks through Dror Ragzlin's throne.
Can’t walk through certain walls at camp, near Shadowheart’s nautiloid pod, and at Grove anymore.
Fixed enthralled cultists on nautiloid running into each other to fix canon.
Can’t jump through burning doors in Waukeen's Rest anymore.*
Removed roll for non-silenced characters interacting with blocked doors at Waukeen's Rest.
Improved wood woads’ teleportation between trees.
Improved hook horrors’ navigation in tight places.
Fixed Magma mephits getting stuck when pushed into forge.*
Fixed fake wall in Zhentarim hideout.
Removed ladder under destructible platform in Zhentarim caves.
Fixed ladder leading from Defiled Temple to Selûnite Outpost.
Rotating the camera no longer moves minimap incorrectly if you alt+tab out of and back into game.
Fixed characters leaping off apothecary's house in Blighted Village.
Fixed issues with reaching places and using ladders at camp.
Fixed button for secret room in Grymforge.
NPCs no longer disappear or get stuck when trying to run away.
Dialogues
Halsin no longer Wild-Shapes into bear when you first talk to him at camp.*
Improved Gale’s personal story flow if he doesn’t like you after a certain point.*
Lae'zel now responds to being asked to connect transponder at helm of nautiloid.
Lae’zel’s recruitment dialogue now plays automatically after breaking her cage and convincing tieflings to leave.
Matched Lae'zel's VO to subtitles when recruiting her.
Can’t attack sarcophagi during conversation with Withers anymore, who reacts appropriately if you attack him mid-dialogue.
Improved flow for barbarians with Nettie at Grove.
Exhausted bird at Grove no longer repeats lines.
Improved flow and fixed crash when Halsin confronts Kagha.
Non-humans no longer get a human-specific dialogue option when talking to Auntie Ethel.*
You can read Barcus' mind after rescuing him and his friends from Nere.
You can trade with Mol at Grove.
You can trade with Derryth in Underdark.
You now faint during dialogue about Shadowheart and artefact.
Warrior Druk’s and Smythin’s overhead dialogues no longer show up repeatedly.
Fixed flow in pro-gnome dialogue with companions.
Failing barbarian active roll against Taman and Gimblebock now results in combat.
Fixed trigger for cinematic dialogue with Philomeena and when using Speak with Dead on Buthir.
Fixed repeating lines in scene with Volo and Gribbo at Goblin Camp.
Fixed skipping and repeating lines and missing VO in rothé discussion in Underdark.
Overhead text now disappears for downed or dead speakers.
Can’t attack midway through Arabella's 'trial' scene anymore.
Fixed issue blocking scene with Lae'zel at camp.
Fixed Thayan Mirrors triggering cinematics twice after failing then succeeding the check.
Camera
Fixed camera when recruiting Lae'zel while Wild-Shaped as a cat.
Fixed camera pointing at empty spaces when talking to Nettie.
Fixed dead drow's hand blocking your character when talking to Nettie.
Fixed camera getting stuck in Selûnite Outpost.
Fixed camera getting stuck close to stairs near Shattered Sanctum.
Fixed character disappearing after walking through door in Grymforge.
Fixed issues with ceiling visibility in Zhentarim hideout.
Fixed and improved camera fading on Risen Road.
Fixed issues related to Kuo-Toa Hunter.
Fixed issues for halflings during mutiny cutscene in Grymforge.
Lighting
Fixed in Chapel and Zhentarim storage area.
Fixed when freeing Shadowheart from her pod and speaking to Zevlor and Aradin.
Fixed for mindflayer and stranded fishermen at Crash Site, Auntie Ethel at Grove, multiple characters and scenes at Goblin Camp, myconids in Underdark, and merregons in Grymforge.
Audio
Barbarians’ Rage SFX continues when certain spells are cast on them.
Harpy song and ambience plays during Secluded Cove cinematic.
Harpies' Luring Song audible upon cast.
Added audio feedback for invalid action commands.
Fixed VO when failing Arcana and Dexterity checks for Book of Restored Gods.
Added missing SFX for barbarian berserkers’ Frenzied Strike.
Added missing SFX for Natural Recovery.
Added missing movement sounds for Hiding deep rothé.
Removed beeping noise during cinematic with BOOOAL.
Fixed overhead text not triggering associated VO.
Fixed muffled narrator lines.
Characters make noise when waking up at Crash Site.
Fixed impact sounds when projectiles hit corpses.
Fixed delayed impact sound of mace attacks for female dwarves.
Fixed muted mindmeld cinematics.
Fixed muffled audio when closing Party View with I key.
Fixed muted audio for Party View, Inventory, Equipment, Split Item, and Long Rest.
Visuals
Added clearer indication of which part of a platform to target to destroy it.
Updated Flaming Fists' uniforms.
Gave bugbear panties.
Ensured barbarians' earrings no longer stack.*
Clothed woman who transforms into mind flayer on nautiloid.*
Fixed Myrnath’s tan.
Fixed HDR calibration.
Fixed bug for mushroom platforms in Festering Cove.
Removed black void near Dror Ragzlin's treasure vault.
Removed some blue lights at Crash Site.
Made young mud mephits more recognisable and distinct from ancient ones.
Made Filro the Forgotten dirtier.
Mourning Frost staff matches its description.
Fixed firefly VFX in Underdark camp.
Added SFX and VFX for gnolls casting Soul Offering.
Added VFX for Wild-Shaped giant badgers Burrowing.
Fixed Spiritual Weapon VFX.
Fixed Frenzy and Wildheart VFX.
Fixed VFX for equipped weapons.
Added Stinking Cloud VFX.
Removed black square when casting Armour of Shadows and Armour of Agathys.
Harper Branthos and Fist Ulthred are no longer identical. Nor are Stone Guard Kur and Morghal.
Unique hairstyle for Flind.
Gameplay Animations
Fixed Wyll's left eye colour.
Fixed tiefling tail animations.*
Fixed animation when falling from high altitudes.
Fixed death animation for killing minotaurs with Fire or Radiant damage.*
Fixed getting stuck in falling animation in certain situations.
Fixed Shadowheart knocking at Chapel.
Sitting tiefling children no longer float.
Fixed Prepare animation for fighter abilities.
Animated pre-casting for Create Spell Slot and Create Sorcery Points.
Synced dwarf and halfling druids' VFX with prepared animations.
Improved Sneaking animation.
Fixed Spiritual Weapon: Greatsword animation.
Fixed freezing and looping Activate Witch Bolt animation.
Repositioned javelin VFX for Raging barbarians.
Added missing Mage Hand Throw pre-casting animation.
Fixed Dash, Disengage, and Prepare animations for Raging barbarians.
Fixed captured gnome animations at Grymforge.
Fixed walking animation for characters performing Help.
Fixed weapon sheathing animation.
Fixed animation delay when cat familiars switch between Sneaking and idle.
Fixed animation delay when moving before using crossbow ranged attack.
The next time someone quotes to you from that famous old adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me," grab hold of their lapels and ask: “But what if those words were spoken by a Bard?”
Hello again, friends! I come to you today with a fresh Community Update to ring in the release of our latest patch, Patch #8: Of Valour and Lore. As you may have already gleaned from the title, today’s update introduces a playable class: Bards!
Whether they’re spitting pithy one-liners on the frontlines of combat, or inspiring your party with instrumental buffs from the sidelines, Bards are a powerful class to have in your party - a jack-of-all-trades who can cast powerful spells with just a melody, wield cutting insults as if they were weapons, and potentially kill a man with a pun about his scrotum.
But a new class isn’t all you have to look forward to in this update. Today’s patch notes are an eye-watering 19 pages-long, and features countless improvements and fixes alongside a new playable Gnome race, a major upgrade to the pace of combat, musical instruments, fresh hairstyles and colours, and much more.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the highlights you can look forward to in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Trebel Makers: A new Bard class comes to Baldur’s Gate 3
Bards are a versatile class who inspire their party with words or music. Their signature move, Bardic Inspiration, positions them as a robust support class, allowing them to boost an ally’s effectiveness in combat and emboldens them to hit harder and faster. But whether your Bard’s other strengths lie more in spellcasting or in combat will depend on which of their two subclasses you choose once they reach Level 3.
Bards of the College of Valour are deadly with simple weapons, using the proficiencies and skills of their subclass to deal devastating attacks. Their signature ability - Combat Inspiration - makes them a powerful addition to any team, allowing them to inspire allies with their valour, boost weapon damage and Armour Class, or add a +1d6 bonus to the next Attack Roll, Ability Check, or Saving throw.
Bards of the College of Lore, on the other hand, are capable spellcasters who seek out knowledge anywhere it lives, and use deft wordplay and magical abilities to confuse and debuff foes. As a Bard of the College of Lore, you’ll be able to unleash a string of insults that sap the confidence of your enemies – dealing out a 1d6 penalty to Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, and damage dealt until their next turn.
Their signature ability - Cutting Words - allows them to unleash a string of insults to sap the confidence of their enemies, dealing out a 1d6 penalty to Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, and damage dealt until their next turn. Inspired by this power, Patch 8 features 97 bespoke insults, each meticulously crafted by our team of talented writers who have spent years honing their wordsmithing skills in the Rude Arts.
Here are a few highlights, ranging from Subtly Backhanded to Emotionally Devastating:
“Your eyes - pools of tepid piss.”
“Didst your idiot mother beclothe you?”
“Get thee gone, custardous discharge.”
Try one out for yourself next time someone cuts in front of you in a queue.
The Realms are alive with the sound of music
“Chuck! Chuck, it's Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin Berry. You know that new orchestral Bard sound you're looking for? Well, listen to this!”
Musical instruments aren’t only for Bards in Baldur’s Gate 3. In this update we’ve added five playable instruments that can be used by any class with the Performer feat at Level 4: flutes, drums, lutes, lyres, violins, and even whistling. Whether you’re a solitary busker looking to impress the local Druids with a rousing lute solo or you’re part of an all-whistling quintet in multiplayer, musicians gain gold by playing to crowds. And you can play together. Inspire an NPC enough with your musical prowess and they might join in - just perform in range of each other and you’ll automatically play the same song in sync. But if a legitimate career in busking is not for you, group performances can also provide a perfect opportunity to earn gold in a more, say, creative way. Try distracting the crowds in the Goblin Camp with playing some sweet licks on the lyre, then send a friend to go steal from the unsuspecting audience.
Playable Gnomes come to Baldur’s Gate 3
Say hello to my little friend.
In Patch 8, we are adding our first new playable race since launching in Early Access. They are curious. They are adventurous. They can make for an impressively compact projectile should you ever feel the urge to throw one.
They’re Gnomes!
Gnomes are one of Faerun’s brighter races, starting things out with +1 intelligence and Gnome Cunning - which grants them an advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma-based Saving Throws against magic.
Should you choose to play as the reclusive Forest Gnome, you’ll receive +1 Dexterity on top of that, as well as Darkvision to see better through the shadows. Deep Gnomes of the Underdark receive Superior Darkvision by comparison – allowing them to see even further in the dark - and can hide in rocky terrain using their subrace trait Stone Camouflage.
The third playable Gnome subrace is the Rock Gnome, not to be confused with my Angus Young tribute band of the same name. Rock Gnomes receive +1 Concentration, Darkvision and Artificer’s Lore, giving you a double Proficiency bonus on History checks.
Faster Turn-Based Combat
Fights in Baldur’s Gate 3 can get pretty big. It isn’t out of the ordinary that you might go head-to-head with a dozen enemies at any one time. But this experience can also get a little sluggish.
To tackle this, in this update we are introducing Swarm AI: a quality-of-life improvement that makes turn-based encounters faster. Now instead of waiting for each individual enemy to take their turn, minor enemies like animals and goblins will be grouped together during fights, and both move and attack simultaneously - making for a much smoother combat experience throughout bigger battles.
Have a play for yourself, and let us know what you think of combat now that Swarm AI has been implemented.
A cinematic experience with realistic emotional responses
As we work toward launch, you’ll continue seeing improvements made to our cinematics.
And in today’s update, our focus is on the emotional response and expressiveness of NPCs in these scenes.
Patch 8 introduces Sustained Emotion Acting to ensure that a character’s visual behaviour during dialogue cinematics stays within the right range of emotions To do this, we’ve created a library of facial animations that accurately reflect the tone of each conversation. Now, instead of reverting back to a neutral stance while you choose your response in dialogues, your partner in conversation will stay in the moment.
In addition to this, We’ve also added more support for companions characters who appear in the background of these cinematics - tweaking their reactions so that they react appropriately to the drama unfolding before them.
But dialogue scenes aren’t all that have been cinematically-tweaked in Patch 8. In this update we’ve added kill cams to the game. Ranged critical hits will now be accompanied by combat cameras, adding a cinematic zoom to your killer projectiles so you can get a better look at the unfortunate soul you so ruthlessly impaled. That Redcap had a family, you monster.
New ways to Detect Thoughts and avoid prison time
What’s more, you can now cast Detect Thoughts from within dialogue!
While we continue to work on the SFX and VFX for these scenes, you are no longer required to cast Detect Thoughts ahead of entering a dialogue. Instead, you now have the option of reading minds mid-conversation, making using this spell much more convenient than before.
But while a successful roll will allow you to manipulate those whose thoughts you’ve waded through, you run the risk of revealing your telepathic insolence if unsuccessful. If an NPC discovers you are trying to read their mind, they will trigger combat. And remember, the Absolute really hates it when you telepathically read their Internet search history.
In addition, Patch 8 introduces new dialogue options to help you talk your way out of jail. Has an NPC accused you of unlawful looting? Now you’ll have a chance at persuading them otherwise and avoid spending time in a cell altogether. But is a stolen sausage still considered stolen if no NPC is there to witness the stealing? This is the philosophical quandary we put to you, dear reader.
Maybe he’s born with it; Maybe it’s the creative ingenuity of artists well-versed in the aesthetic of zaddies. Gale and Wyll are getting makeovers in this patch, with minor tweaks and improvements made to their faces and hair.
While the changes are subtle, we’d love to know what you think of their new looks. And in the meantime we invite you to inundate our social media manager with fan art of Gale and the Blade of the Frontier in a variety of scenes from the film Face/Off.
Are you looking to unlock the true potential of great hair for yourself? Now you too can have the Samson-like locks of a hair model in a 90s shampoo commercial. In the game, we mean. Larian Studios cannot currently solve your real-world hair issues.
In this update we’ve given all our hairstyles an upgrade. Now in the character creator you’ll see new styles, colours, and the option of adding a secondary highlight colour to your hair, as well as graying options - for those of you eager to roleplay as a sophisticated silver fox or an aging Community Update writer.
We’ve also made all of our 66 hairstyles available to every single race and body type. And to top things off, we’ve even added new skin colours to the character creator in neutral, cool, warm, pallid, and blush tones.
Elves, re-animated
You can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m an Elven man. No time to talk.
They have style, they have grace, they are our newest uniquely animated race. Elves are the latest race to receive bespoke animations in Baldur’s Gate 3, and we think what we’ve created is finally befitting of their Elven kind. While previously they shared the same animations as our Human characters - each using the same poses, walking motions, and fighting techniques - we’ve now transformed how they move in the world with newly refined poses and an exotic new fighting style.
Spade: The Final Frontier – Dig up loot and treasures hidden throughout the game
If the gods of Perception roll true, you may start running into suspicious-looking dirt piles next time you’re exploring in the game.
In Patch 8, we have introduced a new feature: Digging. Now if you find a dirt mound on your journey, simply equip a shovel and dive in. For in those mounds be treasure.
Gold, potions, and other rewards can be found hidden in treasure chests all across Baldur's Gate 3. The trick, however, is finding them. With 30 digging spots in Act 1 alone, you have your work cut out for you. But, dear treasure hunters, we believe in your unearthing potential. Explore the Forgotten Realms and dig for loot. But please don’t hit a gas line.
Improvements to Lighting and Sound
You may notice that sunshine now has a greater effect on shadows and lighting in Baldur’s Gate 3. With Patch 8, we’ve relit many areas throughout Act 1 to improve the visuals and readability in places that were previously too dark. We’ve also ensured that sunlight through clouds has a bigger visual impact on the environment - resulting in gameplay that is more closely aligned with the light and dark areas that you see on-screen.
Environmental improvements like this help to breathe life into the game, which is why getting sound right is an important aspect of this update. In this patch we have added Auditory Attenuation, creating a series of dynamic audio-mixing features that enhance immersion by focusing on your actions and dynamically selecting the most important elements of the soundscape. And with new features like Sound Occlusion, you’ll notice that sounds coming from other rooms are now simulated more accurately, and will no longer travel through walls or closed doors.
Better, smoother multiplayer
For players with slower and less reliable internet connections, you will now start to see a noticeable improvement in stability and reduction of lag when playing multiplayer with friends following this update. That’s right, the first phase of networking improvements has begun! Unsheathe your official Larian vuvuzela horn and blow triumphantly.
And over the coming months, expect to see even more improvements made to better serve our multiplayer fans.
Localized in Brazilian Portuguese
And finally, to all our friends in Brazil we are thrilled to announce all text in the game has now been localised into Brazilian Portuguese – vamo nessa!
As always, these highlights make up just a fraction of all that’s coming in today’s patch.
Hello there, everyone! We hope you’re all good, wherever you are.
We’ve been hard at work since our last major update, and Patch 8 is almost ready for primetime. We’re putting the finishing touches on it right now, and preparing a Panel from Hell to give it a full unveiling.
On to our feature presentation: Patch 8 is drawing near, and it’s going to be roughly 40GB (so make sure you have space free!), bringing the total install size for Baldur’s Gate 3 to approximately 104GB. As with our previous patches, and saves made on Patch 7 or prior will no longer be compatible when updated.
In addition, we’ll be using Patch 8 as the opportunity for a little bit of digital house-cleaning. Once it goes live, we’ll be removing the ability to download all but the 2 most recent Patches. In this case, Patches 6 and 7 will remain available for download, but we encourage all players to update to the most recent version of the game in order to get the latest fixes and content updates.
With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, let’s talk branching. We’ve got options if you want to continue saves from earlier patches, or if you want to make sure you’re staying current. Check out the below instructions for whichever method suits you best.
1. How to Update Your Game to Patch 8: If you want to play the most up to date version of the game and have never opted into any beta branches in the past, then good news: You don’t need to do anything! When the patch releases, you will receive the most updated version of the game as long as you have automatic updates enabled. To enable automatic updates, please follow the steps below:
Right click on the game in your Steam library
Select properties
Click the Updates tab
Select "Always keep this game updated" in the drop down menu
2. How to Update to Patch 8 If You’ve Opted into an Earlier Beta Branch: If you previously opted into any beta for Patch 6 or earlier and want to ensure you get the most up to date content when Patch 8 goes live, then please follow the steps below:
Right click on the game in your Steam library
Select properties
Click the Betas tab
Select "None" in the drop down menu
3. How to Continue Your Patch 7 Save: If you want to continue your progress from Patch 7, then take the following steps. Save files are not ‘deleted’ from your computer; they’ll remain in your folder, but you’ll only be able to load saves specific to their respective versions.
Right click on the game in your Steam library
Select properties
Click the BETAS tab
In the list under "Select the beta you would like to opt in to", select Patch 7
Close the properties menu
If you’d like to continue your save file on the current version, you can move to the Patch 7 beta branch now.
Important Note: If you want the option to go back to a previous patch, it’s best to make a new in-game profile and backup your local saves from the previous patch. You can do the following before or after you update to the latest version:
Before starting a new playthrough, create a new profile by clicking the profiles button on the top left of the main menu. All your progress in the new patch will then be saved under this profile while your old saves are safe in the previous profile.
As an extra safety measure, you can manually back up your savegames:
Go to /Documents/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/
Find the folder that is named after the profile you used in the previous patch
Copy and paste this entire folder into a backup location
If you want to revert back to the previous patch, follow the instructions above and activate your old profile
If you have somehow lost your progress by overwriting savegames and want to restore your old backed up savegames simply copy over your old profile folder into its original location again: /Documents/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/PlayerProfiles/
Sync back to the patch6 beta branch with the instructions above and load your old savegames
A Note On Mods: If you have any mods installed, or were using any in previous versions of Baldur’s Gate 3, please remove them before updating your game. You can do this by checking both the ‘Mods’ and ‘Public’ folders in '..\SteamApps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\Data' - if either of those folders are present, please delete them before updating. If applicable, please also delete the file ‘modsettings.lsx’ in the profile folder. Further information about mods can be found at https://larian.com/support/faqs/mod-information_77
