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

Larian Studios has officially announced that the much-awaited Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3 will launch on Tuesday, April 15. After being available in a stress test form for some time, this update is now ready for all players to enjoy. Patch 8 introduces a plethora of new content to this record-breaking Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, including 12 new subclasses. Additionally, players can look forward to a new photo mode, cross-play functionality, and split-screen support for Xbox Series S. For a detailed breakdown, check out the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 patch notes.

Bard - College of Glamour
As a member of the College of Glamour, Bards gain the ability to both heal allies and influence enemies. With Mantle of Inspiration, you can grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks during its casting, they may become Charmed. Utilize Mantle of Majesty to command Charmed enemies to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.

Barbarian - Path of Giants

Embrace the Path of Giants for a Barbarian and harness your newfound giant strength to throw both allies and foes with ease. The Giant’s Rage passive enhances your strength and size, enabling you to inflict extra damage with Throw attacks and increasing your carrying capacity.

Cleric - Death Domain

Death Domain Clerics unlock dark abilities, including spells focused on necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips. Toll The Dead deals 1-8 damage when cast, with the potential to increase if the target is already injured. Additionally, you can now detonate nearby corpses to harm enemies.

Druid - Circle of Stars

Circle of Stars Druids harness celestial power beyond traditional wildshapes through Starry Forms—Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Each form supports different strategies: the Archer delivers radiant damage, the Chalice heals nearby allies, and the Dragon enhances constitution rolls while dealing damage.

Paladin - Oath of the Crown

Paladins sworn to the Oath of the Crown gain abilities to support allies and disrupt enemies. Use Righteous Clarity to guide your team, taunt foes with strategic interrupts, and employ Divine Allegiance to absorb damage and restore health to your party.

Fighter - Arcane Archer

Arcane Archers combine magic with archery, featuring unique skills and new shooting animations. You can banish foes to the Feywild for a turn or unleash Psychic damage that may blind enemies until their next turn.

Monk - Drunken Master

Drunken Masters can consume alcohol from their inventory or around the Sword Coast to regain Ki. By using Intoxicating Strike, you gain buffs to Armor Class and hit chances against drunk targets, who are also vulnerable to Sobering Realisation, which deals physical and Psychic damage while sobering them up.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper

Swarmkeeper Rangers command three types of swarms in battle. The Cloud of Jellyfish inflicts extra lightning damage, Flurry of Moths deals Psychic damage and may blind enemies, and Legion of Bees causes piercing damage and can knock enemies back 15 feet. Each swarm also grants teleportation capabilities.

Rogue - Swashbuckler

Swashbuckler Rogues bring new actions to the table, such as throwing sand to Blind enemies, disarming them with a flick of your weapon, and utilizing Fancy Footwork to avoid opportunity attacks during melee combat.

Sorcerer - Shadow Magic

Shadow Magic Sorcerers excel in darkness with Superior Darkvision and the ability to Shadow Walk. They can summon the Hound of Ill Omen to harass foes and use Strength of the Grave to prevent being downed, ideal for Honour Mode challenges.

Warlock - Hexblade

Hexblade Warlocks form pacts with Shadowfell entities, manifesting as magical weapons. Curse enemies to command their spirits, raising them from corpses for ten turns to deal necrotic damage and heal the Hexblade by siphoning the enemy's soul.

Wizard - Bladesinging

Bladesinging Wizards blend swordplay with magic, featuring new spellcasting animations and the Bladesong ability, which enhances speed, agility, focus, and grants a bonus to Constitution saving throws.

Every IGN 10 of 2023

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

Larian surprised the gaming community by announcing its departure from Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Dungeons & Dragons franchise to focus on a new, undisclosed project, entering a media blackout to prioritize development.

Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at continuing the series. In a recent interview at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, indicated that with Larian moving on, there is significant interest in Baldur's Gate. Hasbro is currently planning its next steps and expects to share more details soon. Ayoub expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4 but acknowledged that such a project would require time and careful planning.

"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," he remarked. "We're not in a hurry. We're going to take a very measured approach... We've got a lot of plans, a lot of different ways to go about it. We're starting to think about, okay, yeah, we're ready to start dipping toes a little bit and talking about a few things. And I think, in really short order, like I said, again, not to over-tease that point, we're going to have some other things to talk about around that."

To celebrate the release of Patch 8, Larian will host a Twitch livestream where senior systems designer, Ross Stephens, will discuss the updates and new features.