Larian Studios has announced their Community Update #30, which leads into an update for their new patch, Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3. This new update is bringing several new features, bug fixes, and, surprisingly, new subclasses.

New Adventurers from Far Places

In Patch 8, Larian Studios will be implementing Cross-Play for their community. Allowing PC players to play with PS5, Xbox, and Mac users, and vice versa. While not a HUGE deal for a lot of people, it can make it easier to play with friends who are on different consoles. This will also include, cross-progression, meaning so long as you have data that is allowed to progress over to a different console, you can play on a PC and then play on a PS5 or Xbox if you so desire. This is a huge step moving forward and hopefully will allow Larian to implement it easily going forward with new IPs.

Say, Cheese!

Before hopping into the bread and butter, Larian will also be launching a Photo Mode with Patch 8. In their words: Toggleable from the HUD, located near the minimap, or by using the hotkey binding you’ll get to take photos of your characters. As long as they are in your party, you can take photos while adventuring out in the wild. Adventurers will have access to Lens Settings, Scene Settings, Post Processing Effects, Frames, Stickers, and a Selfie mode.

This will allow you to take dynamic photos at any encounter as the game rightfully freezes. They mention there are over 300 stickers to choose from for whatever nightmare fuel you can come up with, their words, not mine. However, I am sure with the creative minds of the community we will see some wonderful images coming out.

New Ways to Play!

This comes as a surprise, Patch 8 as a whole anyway, but Larian Studios has decided to add 12 new subclasses, one for each of the main classes in Baldur’s Gate 3. All with new abilities, animations, VFX, Summons, and cantrips.

Bards – Collage of Glamour

Bards will be getting the Collage of Glamour, this is a performance of fey magic that will enthrall both your enemies and your allies leaving them Charmed. This will leave your enemies helpless as you take advantage of Mantle of Majesty and use the Command spell freely to take control of them and bolster your allies with temporary hit points.

Barbarian – Path of Giants

Path of Giants gives the Barbarian new strength or more strength, to yeet your friends and foes off a cliff, or into one another, your choice. Giant’s Rage grants a passive that grants both strength and size and an increase in carry capacity.

Cleric – Death Domain

The Death Domain gives Clerics control over new necrotic spells and cantrips. Larian also included the ability to explode nearby corpses and damage enemies.

Druid – Circle of Stars

In Patch 8, Druid gains the power of stars, taking the shape of three Starry Forms: Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Allowing you to deal Radiant Damage through a Range Spell as a Starry Archer, Heal allies as the Chalice, or allowing you to deal damage with an added bonus to constitution rolls as a wise Dragon.

Paladin – Oath of the Crown

Oath of the Crown is a new support kind of Oath for the Paladins. You can aid your allies and strike opposition in your foes. With Righteous Clarity, taunt enemies with strategic interruptions and keep your party strong with Divine Allegiance.

Fighter – Arcane Archer

Utilizing both the dual arts of magic and marksmanship, the Arcane Archer subclass. This will add new spells and shooting animations, from banishing enemies for a turn to blinding enemies, Arcane Archer will allow versatility in the user’s quiver, making for more of a dangerous Archer.

Monk – Drunken Master

As a Monk, you will be able to pop a bottle of alcohol and chug it to gain the powers of a master. As a Drunken Master, you can use Intoxicating Strike, you’ll be able to generate Armour Class and a chance to hit drunk targets. Using Sobering Realisation, Sobers up drunk targets dealing physical and psychic damage.

Ranger – Swarmkeeper

The Swarmkeeper subclass allows Rangers to utilize three kinds of deadly swarms to assist them in combat. Cloud of Jellyfish deals extra Lightning damage, Flurry of Moths Deals Psychic damage, and Legion of Bees deals piercing damage.

Rouge – Swashbuckler

The Swashbuckler introduces new actions that fit pirates. Toss sand at enemies to Blind them, Flick your weapon at them to Disarm them, or use your new Fancy Footwork passive to ensure the enemy can’t make opportunity attacks against you. Just play dirty!

Sorcerer – Shadow Magic

You control dark magic that gives you Superior Darkvision as well as the ability to Shadow Walk. Larian is adding the homebrewed Hound of Ill Omen and the Strength of the Grave to prevent you from being down.

Warlock – Hexblade

Hexblade Warlock makes a pact with an entity from the Shadowfell. Curse your enemies and force their souls to do your bidding. As long as they are alive and remotely human, you can summon their spirits from the corpses for ten turns and provide yourself with healing.

Wizard – Bladesinging

This combines both swordplay and wizardry. New Spellcasting animations and a new Bladesong ability will come granting supernatural speed, agility, and focus. It adds a bonus to any Constitution saving throw.

Closing Thoughts

All of these are wonderful additions and I cannot wait for Patch 8 to drop and allow us to get a taste of new subclasses and new ways to make the adventure interesting. Some subclasses that I think are worth looking at are the Circle of Wildfire for the Druids, the Oath of Conquest for Paladins, and the Celestial for the Warlock. Wildfire can add a mixture of support and feature summons. Allowing you to both heal and deal damage with Fire and summon a Wildfire spirit to aid in combat.

Oath of Conquest gives a more… chaotic good to the Paladin side of subclasses where you strike fear into your enemies ensuring it’s your way or the highway, with the highway being your enemy’s blood on the edge of your blade. the Celestial gives another support for Warlocks, allowing for decent healing but nothing too far different from the usual warlock magic, The Genie would be another notable subclass, more advanced than anything but would allow for versatile gameplay as you can take a focus on spellcasting but provides great worth coming from mastering the class.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is also 20% off of Steam, GOG, and PlayStation, so get it while it’s hot! Patch 8 is planned to arrive in 2025.