It seems like fans aren’t quite ready to leave Baldur’s Gate 3 behind, and who could blame them? The game has more content coming next year that’s sure to tempt even the most devoted fans into starting an eleventh run. Meanwhile, here I am, still trying to finish my first.
Larian Studios recently shared through social media and a Steam blog post that Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t done receiving major updates. Despite previous claims from the Larian team that they were done with massive expansions for this RPG, they’re back at it again, much like those developers of Terraria and Binding of Isaac, who just can’t stop expanding their creations.
Even as the game garners tons of attention with user-made mods — so much so that reportedly even a few folks at the Vatican have given it a go — Larian is committed to giving fans more reasons to rejoice.
Coming next year, Patch 8, which they’ve promised is truly the last one this time, introduces cross-play, photo mode, and an impressive lineup of 12 new subclasses. While players have long been clamoring for a photo mode, the addition of cross-play is a delightful surprise, setting BG3 up to be the ultimate game for endless social interaction. As for the new subclasses, it looks like the avid Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts are going to be in character-creation heaven yet again.
Cross-play will allow players to enjoy the full experience of cross-platform progression, including cross-play itself. Lobbies will be shareable across platforms, although it’s not entirely clear yet if you’ll be able to put them up for public matchmaking and jump in with random players.
The photo mode arrives loaded with features such as camera and lens settings, pose and facial expression modifiers, post-processing effects, frames, and even stickers. Given the creativity of the community and the abundance of mods, we can only imagine the imaginative pandemonium that will ensue.
As if that weren’t enough, Patch 8 will also introduce a new subclass for each of the 12 classes in the game. Here’s what players can look forward to:
– Bard: College of Glamour
– Barbarian: Path of Giants
– Cleric: Death Domain
– Druid: Circle of Stars
– Paladin: Oath of the Crown
– Fighter: Arcane Archer
– Monk: Drunken Master
– Ranger: Swarmkeeper
– Rogue: Swashbuckler
– Sorcerer: Shadow Magic
– Warlock: Hexblade
– Wizard: Bladesinging
Moreover, ‘stress tests’ are scheduled for January to ensure both crossplay and additional fixes with Patch 8 are bulletproof, so don’t hold your breath for a final release before February 2025. Rest assured, we’ll keep you posted on all the latest developments as they happen.
