Even thoughBaldur’s Gate 3is well over a year old, Larian Studios has continued to support the game with a constant stream of updates and new content. It was easily the biggestgame 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 support on both computers and consoles,Larian has promised one more major update coming to the game. But beyond that, the future ofBG3is 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 toBG3’s major updates, and the next upcoming patch is already shaping up to be one of the biggest and juiciest the game has received yet.Patch 8 will bring 12 new subclassesto the game, one for each of the main classes present. Drawn from the supplementary books released forDungeons & Dragons, they’ll each be bringing a bevy of new class features and abilities that’ll open up countless new possibilities for party building.
Oath of the Crown
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 upcoming 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 sinceBaldur’s Gate 3first 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 members to set up the perfect photo opportunity and decorate their snapshots with an assortment of stickers, frames, and post-processing effects. Patch 8 forBG3is set to enter public stress-testing in early January 2025 across both consoles and PC with a public roll out likely following soon after.
Larian Is Focusing On Other Projects
Another feature that fans have been clamoring for since the launch ofBaldur’s Gate 3is the addition of a full-fledged expansion to the already beefy game. Some wanted to experience the options that exist beyondBG3’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 thatnoBaldur’s Gate 3DLC is in the works. The sad news was made official at the 2024 Game Developers Conference, and elaborated on through the X (formerly Twitter) account of Larian Studios presidentSwen Vinckehimself, 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 towork on their own IPs likeDivinity.Baldur’s Gate 3is an absolutely massive game even without DLC, and with the amount of content being added in the upcoming patch, it almost feels like we’re getting DLC for free anyway.
Don’t Expect A Sequel Any Time Soon
When any game enjoys the kind of runaway success thatBaldur’s Gate 3has, it’s only natural to assume that a sequel or followup of some kind will be in the works in short order. Considering thatBG3was already the third installment in a franchise, it would seem to make even more sense that a sequel would be forthcoming. Could a potentialBaldur’s Gate 4be on the horizon?
As things currently stand with the franchise and its developers, no,Baldur’s Gate 4doesn’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 ofBaldur’s Gate 3and theDnDfranchise as a whole in favor of working on its own IPs. If it is coming,Baldur’s Gate 4will have to be in the hands of a new studio, and given the protracted development cycle ofBaldur’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.
BG3 Will Continue To Be Supported In Smaller Ways
Just because Larian is stepping away from full-scale development work onBaldur’s Gate 3doesn’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 theBG3there 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 users 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 comeas well. Despite this, Patch 8 is set to be the final major update to the game, but even if it is the last stop forBaldur’s Gate 3, it’ll at least be going out on a high note.
Source:Swen Vincke/X
Baldur’s Gate 3
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an upcoming 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.
