Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 Gets One Step Closer to Release With Latest Update

Many Baldur’s Gate 3 fans are waiting and watching the Patch 8 Stress Tests for news on when this massive update will finally arrive. Larian is hard at work taking stress test feedback to fine-tune this massive Baldur’s Gate 3 patch before it arrives. Now, the new Baldur’s Gate 3 patch notes for Patch 8, Update #3 reveal more bug fixes, gameplay tweaks, and improvements for cross-play. These updates are only available for gamers in the Patch 8 closed beta for now. Even so, today’s patch notes nevertheless provide insight into what we’re getting when Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 comes out for the rest of us.

The biggest highlights for Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 include the new subclasses and cross-platform multiplayer. Several fixes for cross-play are included in the latest patch notes, with many bugs squashed and crashes prevented. Making sure cross-play runs smoothly is a big part of why Patch 8 stress testing is taking so long, but there are plenty of other improvements in this latest update. The new Baldur’s Gate 3 subclasses are getting fine-tuned as well, with various combat and passive abilities getting fine-tuned as stress tests continue. In all, Update #3 makes Patch 8 look even better, and hopefully means that those bugs and crashes plaguing playtesters will be resolved by the time it finally comes out for the wider audience.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch Notes for Patch 8 Update #3

RELATED: Baldur’s Gate 3 Gives In-Depth Preview of New Subclasses

For a look at everything Larian fine-tuned in this latest Patch 8 update for stress testers, check out the full patch notes as shared via Steam below.

Crashes and Blockers

• Fixed a crash when switching between keyboard and mouse and controller in Character Creation.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when the game was reloading the UI.
• Disabled the ‘Smooth’ split screen animation option when DLSS is enabled, which was, in fact, not smooth.
• Fixed a rare and random crash related to materials.
• Fixed a UI-related crash.
• Fixed a freeze on the PS5 caused by disconnecting and reconnecting the internet connection while logged into the Larian Network.
• Fixed a potential softlock related to the HUD remaining on screen when loading into a savegame made right at the start of a cinematic.
• Fixed a potential crash related to the Rewards UI after finishing a dialogue.
• Fixed a potential crash for the multiplayer client when the host accepts the client’s request to join a game and then immediately enters Photo Mode before the client starts to load in.
• Fixed a crash when taking custom avatars out of Withers’ Wardrobe in multiplayer.

Gameplay

• Fixed characters’ armour sometimes becoming invisible (and see-through) when dropping their Wild Shape or moving from Act I to Act II. Begone, Halsin-who’s-just-a-floating-head-and-arms.
• Fixed the game freezing when dragging items while trading or bartering.
• Fixed a multiplayer issue where the host would get a black screen for 15 seconds when transitioning to a crime dialogue.
• Fixed an Honour Mode issue at High Hall where all party members would die when reaching the top of the stem if anyone in the party was being dominated by an enemy, causing a Game Over.
• Fixed the skiff at the Morphic Pool sometimes appearing in the wrong spot or floating in the air.
• Fixed a bug that would give you the option to go back and choose Explorer, Balanced, or Tactician Mode instead of just Custom Mode after experiencing a Game Over in Honour Mode.
• Fixed shapeshifted items, like those in the Chest of the Mundane, not appearing shapeshifted if they’re created while a region is loading.
• Fixed body type 1 duergar incorrectly receiving halfling stats instead of dwarf stats.
• Fixed Gimblebock getting stuck if his attack triggered a Reaction.
• Fixed characters not being able to pick up any items if an invalid pickup request was, somehow, stored in the savegame.
• Fixed a bug causing non-Dark-Urge avatars to say Dark Urge lines. You’re not all obliged to be wretched things with headaches.
• Fixed a bug where difficulty and game settings wouldn’t save properly when adjusted after experiencing a Game Over in Honour Mode.

Modding

• Fixed a bug where the Mod Verification window wouldn’t accurately show whether a recently downloaded or updated mod was enabled or disabled.
• Fixed a mod issue preventing some modded classes and subclasses from levelling up.

Cross-Play & Multiplayer

• Fixed lagging and freezing on cross-play for all players when a client joins a session.
• Your cross-play Friends List will now group your friends by console.
• Fixed a crash on the client’s end when a local host attempts to start split screen.
• Fixed a bug preventing you from logging back into your Larian Account after losing internet connection.
• Fixed a bug preventing a host from inviting a client whose game is suspended to the multiplayer lobby. The client would instead get a persistent ‘Please wait…’ message.
• Fixed an issue causing random session time-outs and disconnects for multiplayer clients.
• Fixed a loop on PS5 that would keep taking you back to the PlayStation Plus upgrade screen if you try to join a lobby without permissions.
• Fixed an online permissions error preventing clients from joining hosts in a split-screen game via the cross-play lobby.

Subclasses

• Fixed the new subclass icons for action resources not showing up in Character Creation.
• Fixed characters facing the wrong direction when shooting Luminous Arrow.
• Updated Bound Hexblade weapons to apply Hexblade’s Curse if they’re equipped in the off-hand slot.
• Deepened Pact now correctly grants an Extra Attack via Pact of the Blade on Honour Mode.
• Updated Booming Blade to only be usable once per Action taken. If the initial attack was not Booming Blade for Extra Attacks, one of the Extra Attacks can be Booming Blade.
• The War Magic and War Priest Extra Attacks will now disable themselves if the Bonus Action needed for the Extra Attack is used before the Extra Attack.
• The Death Domain Reaper passive will no longer disable itself when Metamagic: Twinned is on but will retain its inability to stack.
• Hexblade’s Banishing Smite tooltip will no longer be specific to Ranged attacks.
• Fixed the animation missing for Swashbucklers’ Flick o’ the Wrist action when used by short or large body type 2 and 4 characters with a two-handed finesse weapon.
• The Song of Defence reactions are now sorted in the correct numerical order in the Reactions UI.
• Bladesong Climax will no longer work if you have the Bladesong Impeded condition. Bladesong Climax and End Bladesong will also no longer be removed from the hotbar when you gain Bladesong Impeded; instead, they’re now disabled and have a clarifying warning message in the tooltip indicating that Bladesong is impeded.
• Clarified that Circle of the Stars’ Chalice Healing must be used on the turn it gets activated.
• Drunken Master’s Redirect Attack will now use Unarmed Strike back at the attacker instead of attacking any other new target.
• Updated Bursting Shot to now not cause every enemy in the AOE to display ‘miss’ when the target is missed.

Photo Mode

• Added some messaging for multiplayer to explain that only the host can toggle Photo Mode on and off.
• Fixed a bug causing the selector to jump to the top of the Frames tab when adjusting any of the Frames sliders on controller.
• Fixed a split screen bug causing Player 2’s screen to turn black when Player 2 stops listening in on a dialogue and then Player 1 enters and exits Photo Mode.
• Fixed camera movement getting blocked if you enable the Track Character option and then click the Reset button in the top left of the Camera Settings panel.
• Fixed body type 2 and 4 characters’ pinkie and ring fingers stacking vertically on their hand instead of sitting next to each other in the Monk: Spellcaster pose.
• Fixed the Dramatic: Kapow pose causing the Barbarian starting armour to stretch on dragonborn characters.
• Fixed a Photo Mode message on the Steam Deck that would overlap with the button prompts.
• Tidied up the Photo Mode keybinds in the Keybinds menu.
• Fixed a bug causing the camera to drift upwards infinitely after you take a photo and return to Control Camera mode.

VFX

• Fixed a bug where body type 1 and 3 characters’ chests would clip through their armour in the spectral preview that appears when preparing to cast certain spells.

Animation

• Fixed some clipping and textural issues with the Barbarian starting armour when worn by body type 1 gnomes.
• Fixed the Cleric starting armour bouncing around a little too much when worn by body type 1 characters.

UI

• Fixed an issue causing developer scene stages sometimes briefly appearing on-screen or blinking when fading out of Character Creation.
• Fixed the Appearance sliders in Character Creation on controller moving erratically.
• Fixed item labels being offset or offscreen for Player 2 on split screen.
• Fixed a split screen bug where when two players looked at a tooltip for the same item, they would see the stats as though they were both the second player to open it.
• Fixed a bug on the hotbar for summons and followers causing the icons to appear shifted down.
• Fixed a button prompt missing from a message on the main menu about how to start a split screen game.
• Fixed the Down button on the PS5 controller sometimes skipping over several options when cycling through them.
• Fixed a bug where the UI wouldn’t fully update one way or the other when switching between the mouse and keyboard UI and the controller UI.
• Fixed some visual issues with the tab animations when flicking between the tabs in Character Creation.
• Fixed a 1-frame glitch where swapping between two party members’ Inventories would briefly show the first character’s equipment in the inventory of the second character.
• Fixed the tooltips for the combat log not consistently appearing on controller even if you have the tooltips toggled on.
• Fixed a bug preventing you from pasting special characters into the password form when logging into your Larian Account.
• The filters in the multiplayer lobby now filter properly.
• Fixed the generic icon for some passive features missing from their tooltips in the Character Sheet.
• Fixed visual issues with the white translucent VFX that appears over portraits in the Party Line, caused when dragging one character’s portrait over another’s.
• Fixed the character tooltips that appear beside character portraits on the Party Line not showing up correctly on hover.
• Fixed a tooltip bug while trading where hovering over any equipped item would display a faulty tooltip, but trying a second time would magically fix it. The tooltips now populate correctly the first time around.
• Fixed a bug causing the sliders in the Gameplay options to autoscroll continuously when the left stick is flicked to the left or right.
• Fixed an issue causing the game to freeze for a second when switching between two characters with the Character Sheet open.
• Fixed a bug on controller preventing you from scrolling through the spells in the Replace Spell UI when levelling up.
• Fixed the footwear slot in the Character Sheet deciding to just not show up.
• Fixed the ‘Venture Forth’ text shaking during Character Creation while the button is held down on controller.

Scripting

• Fixed a bug causing Shadowheart to appear dead when loading older saves should she have been killed in the showdown with Lae’zel. This fix prevents the bug from happening in new playthroughs.

Combat

• Fixed a bug causing damage riders to be added multiple times in Honour Mode.
• Fixed a bug causing the Apostle of Myrkul to appear tiny when you reload your game during that combat.
• Fixed Sneak Attack not activating for actions that spawn additional projectiles, like Curving Shot.