Larian’s massive final update to Baldur’s Gate 3, Patch 8, is finally here. And with all the teasers, most fans know the big highlights, from new subclasses to photo mode and, of course, cross-play. But those lengthy patch notes hide quite a few more surprises for players to look for as they enter their first or 50th Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough. Since there’s so much to digest, we’re picking out some of the biggest new details that you won’t want to miss as you dive into Baldur’s Gate 3 post-Patch 8.
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Keep in mind, some of these bigger changes might relate to endgame content. We’ll try to keep it vague, but there may be a few minor Baldur’s Gate 3 spoilers below. You’ve been warned!
Shadowheart Story & Hair Color Fixes
Shadowheart can be one of the more dramatic party members in Baldur’s Gate 3, and that sometimes makes her one of the most prone to bugs. The patch notes are chock full of fixes to streamline Shadowheart’s story, from ensuring her hair doesn’t keep changing color during key romance scenes to fixing glitches where her wound wouldn’t trigger properly in climactic moments. Several of her dialogue lines have also been smoothed out, so the overall experience of getting to know Shadowheart and following her story should look a lot better post Patch 8.
More Heartfelt Ending for Romancing Gale
As for Gale, one aspect of the possible ending for his story wasn’t quite landing properly. Patch 8 fixes that, ensuring that he gives the heartfelt ending you might expect for an emotional Wizard of Waterdeep. There are a few other fixes to make sure he’s only demanding to eat your magic items when he’s actually in the party and that he doesn’t accidentally summon a permanent double at camp. If you’ve been waiting for your Gale romance playthrough, Patch 8 might be the invitation you’ve been looking for.
Overall Better Involvement and Story Flow for Minthara
Minthara’s name is all over these patch notes, and for good reason. She was constantly misbehaving, from bugs to story issues that made it harder to progress with her in mind. Patch 8 should make it a lot easier to involve Minthara in your story if you don’t immediately kill her because you forgot about non-lethal damage, like I definitely didn’t do during my first playthrough. Cerys will no longer engage in cross-region combat with her, and she’ll more reliably actually show up in Moonrise Tower, be willing to talk to you even if you ask her to wait, and will not get stuck babysitting Thaniel in Act II. Basically, there’s more Minthara now, if you want it.
Traders Will Be Easier to Find Thanks to Map Update
If you’ve had trouble tracking down somewhere to sell your loot or buy more camp supplies, Patch 8 should help. Traders you’ve discovered who aren’t dead or hostile will now show up on the world map, regardless of distance. That way, you can more easily fast-travel your way to a trade when you need it most. This might seem minor, but honestly, it’s a big quality-of-life improvement in my opinion and bears pointing out so it doesn’t get lost in the patch notes.
Smoother Quest Progression in the Journal
I don’t know about you, but I hate an unfinished quest in my journal… especially if it’s actually impossible to complete. Certain quests would linger in the Baldur’s Gate 3 journal even if you passed a point of no return rendering them impossible. This has largely been smoothed out in Patch 8, so those quests will correctly stop showing as open if you can’t actually complete them. Similarly, quests that weren’t updating properly have been fixed,so you should be able to track your progress more effectively.
These are just some of the more noticeable changes in a whole host of bug fixes, improvements, and act adjustments in Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8. There’s plenty more to discover as you dive into your new cross-play campaign, check out a new subclass, or just lose yourself in the joys of photo mode. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like they’ve made it any easier to romance Astarion when you keep making nice choices he doesn’t like, so there goes that dream I’ve been hanging onto.
What are you most looking forward to or enjoying about Patch 8 in Baldur’s Gate 3? Let us know in the comments below!
