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

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 ready for all players to enjoy next week.

Patch 8 introduces a plethora of exciting new content to the acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Among the highlights are 12 new subclasses, a photo mode, cross-play capabilities, and split-screen functionality for Xbox Series S. 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 wield the power to heal allies and command foes with equal finesse. Cast Mantle of Inspiration to grant your allies 5 temporary hit points, and if an enemy attacks during this time, they'll find themselves Charmed. Leverage Mantle of Majesty to manipulate these Charmed enemies, commanding them to flee, approach, freeze, drop to the ground, or relinquish their weapons.

Barbarian - Path of Giants
Choose the Path of Giants for your Barbarian to harness immense strength, making it easier to hurl both friends and foes. With the Giant’s Rage passive, you gain increased size and strength, dealing additional damage with Throw attacks and enjoying an expanded carry capacity.

Cleric - Death Domain
Embrace the Death Domain as a Cleric and unlock dark powers, including spells that specialize in necrotic damage and three new necromancy cantrips. Toll The Dead allows you to deal 1-8 damage, scaling if the target is already wounded. Additionally, you can now explode nearby corpses to damage enemies.

Druid - Circle of Stars
As a Circle of Stars Druid, you draw power from the stars, beyond traditional wildshapes. Choose from three Starry Forms—Archer, Chalice, and Dragon—each tailored to different strategies. The Archer deals radiant damage with astral arrows, the Chalice restores hitpoints, and the Dragon boosts your constitution rolls, enhancing your role as a healer, fighter, or strategist.

Paladin - Oath of the Crown
Sworn to uphold the law, as an Oath of the Crown Paladin, you can aid allies and disrupt foes. Use Righteous Clarity to guide your companions, taunt enemies with strategic interrupts, and employ Divine Allegiance to absorb damage and restore health to your party.

Fighter - Arcane Archer
As an Arcane Archer, blend magic with marksmanship. Banish foes to the Feywild for a turn or unleash Psychic damage, forcing enemies to make a Wisdom saving throw or be blinded until their next turn.

Monk - Drunken Master
As a Drunken Master Monk, consume alcohol from your inventory or the Sword Coast to recover Ki. Use Intoxicating Strike to share the bottle with enemies, boosting your Armour Class and chance to hit Drunk targets. Additionally, Sobering Realisation sobers drunk targets while dealing physical and Psychic damage.

Ranger - Swarmkeeper
The Swarmkeeper subclass equips Rangers with three deadly swarms: Cloud of Jellyfish for lightning damage, Flurry of Moths for Psychic damage and potential blindness, and Legion of Bees for piercing damage and knockback. Each swarm also provides teleportation capabilities.

Rogue - Swashbuckler
As a Swashbuckler Rogue, embrace the pirate life with actions like Blinding enemies with sand, Disarming them with a flick of your weapon, and using Fancy Footwork to prevent opportunity attacks during melee.

Sorcerer - Shadow Magic
As a Shadow Magic Sorcerer, thrive in darkness with Superior Darkvision, Shadow Walk between dim light or darkness, summon the Hound of Ill Omen to harass foes, and use Strength of the Grave to avoid being downed, perfect for Honour Mode runs.

Warlock - Hexblade
Hexblade Warlocks make a pact with a Shadowfell entity, manifesting magical weapons. Curse your enemies, raise their spirits as summons for ten turns to deal necrotic damage, and heal by ripping away a piece of their soul.

Wizard - Bladesinging
As a Bladesinging Wizard, merge swordplay with spellcasting. Experience new spellcasting animations, utilize Bladesong for supernatural speed, agility, and focus, and gain a bonus to Constitution saving throws.

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Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, concluding a remarkable journey for Larian Studios. The game launched to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success in 2023, continuing to sell strongly through 2024 and into 2025.

In a surprising move, Larian has announced its departure from *Baldur’s Gate 3* and the Dungeons & Dragons universe to focus on a new, undisclosed project. Following this announcement, a media blackout was instituted to concentrate on this mystery game.

Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at plans to continue the series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, Dan Ayoub, indicated that with Larian moving on, there is significant interest in *Baldur's Gate*. While he did not specify whether future projects would be a full sequel or a crossover, Ayoub expressed a desire for a *Baldur's Gate 4*, though he acknowledged that it would take time to develop.

"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," Ayoub 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 featuring senior systems designer Ross Stephens, who will discuss the changes and additions in detail.