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

Larian Studios has officially announced that the much-anticipated Patch 8 for *Baldur’s Gate 3* will launch on Tuesday, April 15. This update, which has been in stress test form for some time, is now set to roll out to all players next week, promising a substantial enhancement to the game's already rich content.

Patch 8 introduces a wealth of new features to the record-breaking Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Players can look forward to 12 new subclasses, which will significantly diversify gameplay options. Additionally, the update will include a photo mode, cross-play functionality, and Xbox Series S split-screen capabilities. For a detailed breakdown, be sure to check out the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 patch notes.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 New Subclasses:

Bard - College of Glamour
As a College of Glamour Bard, you'll wield the power to heal allies and command foes. With Mantle of Inspiration, you can grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks while this is active, they may find themselves Charmed. Utilize Mantle of Majesty to command these charmed enemies to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapon.

Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choose the Path of Giants to harness your newfound giant strength, making it easier to throw both friends and foes. With the Giant’s Rage passive, you'll gain both strength and size, dealing additional damage with Throw attacks and benefiting from an increased carry capacity.

Cleric - Death Domain
As a Death Domain Cleric, you'll unlock new spells focused on necrotic damage and three necromancy cantrips, including Toll The Dead, which deals 1~8 damage that scales with prior damage. Additionally, you can now explode nearby corpses to damage enemies.

Druid - Circle of Stars
Circle of Stars Druids look to the stars for power, adopting one of three Starry Forms: the Archer, Chalice, and Dragon. Each form caters to different strategies—the Archer deals radiant damage, the Chalice restores hitpoints, and the Dragon enhances constitution rolls, offering versatile combat and healing options.

Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, Oath of the Crown Paladins can guide allies with Righteous Clarity, taunt enemies with strategic interrupts, and absorb damage while restoring health with Divine Allegiance.

Fighter - Arcane Archer
Arcane Archers blend magic with marksmanship, using unique skills and new shooting animations. They can banish foes to the Feywild or unleash Psychic damage that may blind enemies.

Monk - Drunken Master
Drunken Masters can consume alcohol from their inventory or around the Sword Coast to recover Ki. With Intoxicating Strike, they can share a drink with enemies, boosting their Armour Class and hit chance against drunk targets, and use Sobering Realisation to sober up and damage drunk foes.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper
Swarmkeeper Rangers command three deadly swarms: Cloud of Jellyfish for lightning damage, Flurry of Moths for Psychic damage and potential blinding, and Legion of Bees for piercing damage and knockback. Each swarm also offers teleportation capabilities.

Rogue - Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler Rogues can engage in piratical combat with actions like tossing sand to Blind enemies, flicking weapons to Disarm foes, and using Fancy Footwork to avoid opportunity attacks during melee.

Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
Shadow Magic Sorcerers thrive in darkness with Superior Darkvision, Shadow Walk between dim light or darkness, and the ability to summon a Hound of Ill Omen. Strength of the Grave prevents them from being downed, perfect for Honour Mode runs.

Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks forge pacts with Shadowfell entities, manifesting as magical weapons. They can curse enemies, raise their spirits for combat, dealing necrotic damage and healing themselves by siphoning enemy souls.

Wizard - Bladesinging
Bladesinging Wizards combine swordplay with spellcasting, featuring new animations, a Bladesong ability for speed, agility, and focus, and a bonus to Constitution saving throws.

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Patch 8 marks the final major update for *Baldur’s Gate 3*, concluding an extraordinary period for Larian Studios. Since its launch in 2023, the game has received critical acclaim and achieved remarkable commercial success, continuing to sell strongly into 2025.

In a surprising move, Larian announced its departure from *Baldur’s Gate 3* and the Dungeons & Dragons universe to focus on a new, undisclosed project. Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at continuing the series. Speaking to IGN at the Game Developers Conference, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, Dan Ayoub, expressed interest in the future of *Baldur's Gate* and teased upcoming announcements.

"We're kind of working out our plans for the future and what we're going to be doing with that. And actually, in pretty short order, we're going to have some stuff to talk about around that," Ayoub stated. While he did not specify whether this would involve a new *Baldur's Gate* game or a crossover, he acknowledged a desire for *Baldur's Gate 4*, though it would likely take time to materialize.

"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," he added. "I mean, we're not in a hurry. Right? That's the thing, 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 changes and additions in detail.