Baldur’s Gate 3, the delightfully mischievous fantasy game, is poised for one last update that will finally let PlayStation players join hands with their Xbox and PC brethren.
Yes, the Dungeons and Dragons adventure is getting crossplay, along with a dozen new subclasses (one for each existing class) and a playful photo mode.
While we’re still smarting from that scrapped DLC, the new stuff should entice players back to the mysterious realm of Faerûn.
Here’s what’s in store in Baldur’s Gate 3’s eighth and final major patch.
What’s included in patch eight?
Starting next year, you’ll be able to play co-op campaigns with up to three additional players on other platforms.
Crossplay is coming
The crossplay functionality will enable you to invite friends to join your lobby, regardless of whether you're on PS5 and they’re on PC, Mac or Xbox (and vice versa).
You’ll also be able to join multiplayer lobbies with friends on different systems through the newly launched Larian Network.
New subclasses
In terms of gameplay, Larian is introducing 12 new subclasses, imbuing your character with more abilities and spells.
As a College of Glamour Bard, you can grant allies a temporary health buffer while charming enemies. Turn the tide of a sprawling battle by combining Mantle of Inspiration and Mantle of Majesty to make foes flee, approach, or drop their weapons.
Clerics, meanwhile, can use a series of new necromancy cantrips, including a Toll of the Dead spell that causes 1-8 damage (scaling further for targets that have already been hurt). To get the most out of it, make sure to use the new homebrewed ability that lets you explode nearby corpses to inflict damage.
Monks, on the other hand, can indulge in some divine revelry by drinking alcohol to recover Ki (the energy that lets you deal special attacks). Using Intoxicating Strike, you’ll be able to inebriate enemies with your boozy stash, making them more susceptible to Sobering Realisation, the psychic equivalent of a really bad hangover.
For the full list of subclasses, and their accompanying perks, check out the patch eight blog post.
Photo mode
Lastly, photo mode brings the type of photo-editing tricks you’d expect to find on a Google Pixel phone. Get the gang together for a group shot, pick your central subject, and voila; you’ll have a souvenir to turn into a PS5 wallpaper. You can even erase enemies and party members from pics, frame your images, add emoji-like stickers, and go pro by tweaking the camera settings.
When is patch eight coming out?
There’s not long to wait till the final update arrives. A stress test for patch eight is planned for early next year, with details to come on how players can join in, with the full update expected to be released later in 2025.
Following its launch, Larian Studios says it will "bid Faerûn adieu in search of stranger shores". The developer currently has two original projects on the burner after spending six years crafting games set in the Dungeons and Dragons universe.
