Even though game of the year in 2023, and continued its run of dominance throughout 2024 as players racked up thousands of hours in the sprawling RPG.
After raking in the awards (and money) two years in a row, it would be easy for the developers to simply rest on their well-deserved laurels, but instead they've continually added new content to the game on a regular basis. After the long-awaited addition of official mod on both computers and consoles, Larian has promised one more major update coming to the game. But beyond that, the future of BG3 is looking a bit more murky.
Baldur's Gate 3 Is Getting A New Major Patch
Long-Requested Features Are Finally Being Added
Players have learned to look forward to BG3's major updates, and the next patch is already shaping up to be one of the biggest and juiciest the game has received yet. Patch 8 will bring 12 new subclasses to the game, one for each of the main classes present. Drawn from the supplementary books released for Dungeons & Dragons, they'll each be bringing a bevy of new class features and abilities that'll open up countless new possibilities for party building.
Class |
New Subclass |
|---|---|
Bard |
College of Glamour |
Barbarian |
Path of Giants |
Cleric |
Death Domain |
Druid |
Circle of Stars |
Fighter |
Arcane Archer |
Monk |
Drunken Master |
Paladin |
Oath of the Crown |
Ranger |
Swarmkeeper |
Rogue |
Swashbuckler |
Sorcerer |
Shadow Magic |
Warlock |
Hexblade |
Wizard |
Bladesinging |
If that were all Patch 8 is bringing, it would likely be enough to make players happy, but there's even more packed into the update. Crossplay will also be added, finally bridging the gap between platforms and allowing players on consoles and computers to adventure together regardless of whether they play with a controller or keyboard. It's a feature that's been in demand since Baldur's Gate 3 first launched, and it's exciting to see it finally being added.
Baldur's Gate 3's Newest Paladin Subclass Finally Fills An Old Plot Hole
Baldur's Gate 3's Patch 8 introduces the "Oath of the Crown" subclass for paladins, which a certain character is implied to have once followed.
On top of that, the patch will also be adding a spiffy new photo mode. Players will be able to pose their party to set up the perfect photo opportunity and decorate their snapshots with an assortment of stickers, frames, and post-processing effects. Patch 8 for BG3 is set to enter public stress-testing in early January 2025 across both consoles and PC with a public roll out likely following soon after.
No DLC For Baldur's Gate 3
Larian Is Focusing On Other Projects
Another feature that fans have been clamoring for since the launch of Baldur's Gate 3 is the addition of a full-fledged expansion to the already beefy game. Some wanted to experience the options that exist beyond BG3's level cap of 12, while others simply would have liked to explore more side stories that put the spotlight on the game's beloved cast of characters. Either way, the release of a proper DLC expansion for the game seemed like a surefire money-maker.
10 Easy Ways To Get Past Tough Encounters In Baldur's Gate 3
Not all Baldur's Gate 3 encounters have to be ridiculously tough or frustrating, especially when there are easy ways to get past them.
Unfortunately, no such content is coming, as it's officially confirmed that no Baldur's Gate 3 DLC is in the works. The sad news was made official at the 2024 Game Developers Conference, and elaborated on through the X (formerly Twitter) of Larian Studios president Swen Vincke himself, who confirmed that any plans for future DLC were being nixed to focus on the studio's other endeavors.
It's a disappointing update for fans who fell in love with the game, but it's hard to blame the team at Larian for wanting to commit to work on their own IPs like Divinity. Baldur's Gate 3 is an absolutely massive game even without DLC, and with the amount of content being added in the patch, it almost feels like we're getting DLC for free anyway.
No Baldur's Gate 4
Don't Expect A Sequel Any Time Soon
When any game enjoys the kind of runaway success that Baldur's Gate 3 has, it's only natural to assume that a sequel or followup of some kind will be in the works in short order. Considering that BG3 was already the third installment in a franchise, it would seem to make even more sense that a sequel would be forthcoming. Could a potential Baldur's Gate 4 be on the horizon?
As things currently stand with the franchise and its developers, no, Baldur's Gate 4 doesn't seem to be in the cards at this time. Larian Studios has made it clear that once Patch 8 is released, the developer will be washing its hands of Baldur's Gate 3 and the DnD franchise as a whole in favor of working on its own IPs. If it is coming, Baldur's Gate 4 will have to be in the hands of a new studio, and given the protracted development cycle of Baldur's Gate 3 (over six years long) and the impossibly high bar it set for any other game to follow, a new game in the franchise is unlikely to come anytime soon, if at all.
Fixes & Updates
BG3 Will Continue To Be ed In Smaller Ways
Just because Larian is stepping away from full-scale development work on Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't mean there's nothing left to come after Patch 8, though it's unlikely to be anything major. While the game boasts a decent level of polish, it's still been afflicted by its fair share of bugs since launch. Each patch has brought a laundry list of fixes and tweaks to small issues, and with the release of official mod tools for the BG3 there are likely to be lots of technical difficulties that need to be managed.
Baldur's Gate 3: 12 Best Console Mods On PS5 & Xbox
Baldur's Gate 3 recently released mods for console s that bring new excitement to the game for both new and returning players.
With the substantial new content in the new patch likely to introduce some new issues, there are surely a number of hotfixes yet to come as well. Despite this, Patch 8 is set to be the final major update to the game, but even if it is the last stop for Baldur's Gate 3, it'll at least be going out on a high note.
Source: Swen Vincke/X
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
- Cross Save
- Full cross-platform progression.
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Platform(s)
- PC, macOS
- Local Co-Op
- 1-2 Players
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