Larian Studios has rolled out the Patch 8 stress test for Baldur’s Gate 3, offering players a chance to test exciting new updates and features before the official release. Players can expect numerous new features, bug fixes, gameplay improvements, and much more. Larian has gone above and beyond with updating Baldur’s Gate 3, but it finally seems like the studio will be moving on after Patch 8, which promises to be one of the biggest updates yet. Whether you’re a veteran adventurer or a newcomer to Dungeons & Dragons, Patch 8 promises to elevate the player experience and bring fresh ways to experience the epic RPG.
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The patch notes for Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 Stress Test are live, and the update brings some big changes and features. Here is everything you can expect in Patch 8 during the stress test, some of which may change when the official Patch 8 is released.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 Highlights
Highlights
- Photo mode
- 12 new subclasses
- Cross-play
- Xbox Series S split screen
Gameplay
- When you succeed a Perception check, the spotted item will now ping on the minimap and be listed in the combat log.
- Fixed an issue where the special abilities of some of your allies weren’t properly provided at the end of the dialogue with them at High Hall.
- Scrolls and potions inside unlocked containers in your party inventory can now be used when rolling in dialogues.
- Neutral and friendly NPCs will no longer become hostile when, outside of combat, they walk into surfaces created during combat that trigger passives (like electrified surfaces triggering Thunderbolt Strike). Take it easy, lads.
- Fixed Freecast being reset when any condition is applied.
- Fixed characters getting stuck when pathfinding via a ladder that’s already in use by another companion.
- Fixed a bug with the moving platform in the Gauntlet of Shar that would sometimes leave you behind, causing you to plummet to your death.
Combat
- Fixed an issue causing neutral NPCs to trigger combat for seemingly no reason.
- Cerys will stop getting involved in combats with Minthara from across the region. An eager beaver no longer.
Modding
- Fixed an issue causing you to get stuck at a 0% loading screen when attempting to join a multiplayer session that uses mods.
- The Mod Verification window will now trigger regardless of where the request to connect to a multiplayer game is coming from.
- Replaced the third-party mod warning with clearer messaging.
Performance and Options
- Fixed the ruleset selector not appearing on the ‘Alter Custom Mode’ screen when accessing the ruleset settings via the multiplayer lobby.
- Improved server performance in the Adamantine Forge.
Scripting and Flow
- Fixed an issue where you could tell Astarion that Gandrel has been looking for him even if Gandrel refused to tell you the name of his prey.
- Fixed a savegame issue where you wouldn’t get the appropriate amount of Umbral Gems for the Gauntlet of Shar.
- Minthara now comments on the Emperor’s reveal.
- Reminded Minthara that ‘knocked out’ does not mean ‘dead’, so she’ll more reliably appear in Moonrise Towers.
- You can no longer teleport out of Moonrise while controlling Minthara unless you tell her to stay put.
- Minthara is now willing to talk to you after you tell her to wait in the torture chamber.
- Minthara no longer gets stuck babysitting Thaniel in Act II.
- Fixed an issue where you could talk about Art Cullagh as though he’s alive even if he isn’t.
- Your character will no longer think Shadowheart is dead if she isn’t when talking to Viconia.
- Characters who were in a relationship with Gale when he sacrifices himself in the endgame to defeat the Netherbrain will now receive a tonally appropriate (read: lovey-dovey) letter.
- Fixed a dialogue issue preventing Avatar Gale from talking about the orb to Lae’zel after consuming a magic item.
UI
- Discovered and available (non-hostile, alive, etc.) traders are now shown on the world map regardless of how far away you are from them.
Cinematics
- Shadowheart has agreed to stop repeatedly changing her hair colour during certain intimate moments.
- Tidied up and improved some cinematic animations for characters of different heights if you kiss during the evil ending.
Writing
- Fixed a duplicated dialogue option and the wrong version of another dialogue option appearing in Minthara’s main party dialogue.
Patch 8 will bring a multitude of fixes for various crashes and blockers, combat bugs, scripting and flow issues, and more. The full patch notes will be shared once Patch 8 goes live!
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Known Issues
As the Patch 8 stress test is a work-in-progress build, we’re aware of some issues, and have listed the ones relevant to the new features coming in Patch 8 below!
Modding
While it’s our hope that supported mods remain mostly unscathed with Patch 8, this stress test also helps us understand how your mods interact with the latest patch and identify any issues ahead of release.
- ImpUI users may find that radial descriptions aren’t visible, and some menu options don’t work as intended. If you are joining us for the stress test, we recommend creating a new save or loading an existing save that does not use ImpUI or any mods that use ImpUI as a dependency.
Photo Mode
- Photo Mode becomes visually corrupted when using Vulkan.
Cross-Play & Multiplayer
- Some lines in the cross-play settings aren’t fully localised.
- Players in a multiplayer lobby can lose movement input after picking up an item.
UX
Some keyboard hotkeys and controller buttons may stop working after trading with merchants.
