It appears thatBaldur’s Gate 3has hit the end of the road. The game’s “Final Patch” released on April 15, with much fanfare from both players and critics alike. In celebration of its addition, a new animated short was released, once again starring the original voice actors from the game, including Neil Newbon, Devora Wilde, Jennifer English, Tim Downie, Theo Solomon, and Samantha Beart. Titled “Baldur’s Gate 3: The Final Patch,” the short was a fitting conclusion not just to the animated short series, but toBaldur’s Gate 3as a whole.
But the expansion nature of the Final Patch,also known as Patch 8, has excited fans. Of course, the Final Patch added many necessary bug fixes toBaldur’s Gate 3, but players had plenty of new content to be excited about.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8’s Content
The biggest addition fromBaldur’s Gate 3’s Final Patch is the game’s new cross-play ability. WhileBaldur’s Gate 3has had multiplayer for quite some time, multiplayer functionality was not possible across consoles and PC. Now players can join a multiplayer party regardless of what device they are playing the hit RPG on. Cross-play extends into mods, though the update’s patch notes are quick to remind players that any lobbies planning on using mods will need the same version of mods installed for each player. Additionally, cross-play requires players to have their platform account connected to their Larian account.
AnotherBaldur’s Gate 3non-story-related addition includes anew Photo Mode. Players can now take photos of their party and decorate these pictures with themed stickers. According to the patch notes, these photos can be found under screenshots for PC and Mac and media galleries for console players. The game’s modding toolkit has also received an update, allowing mod authors to explore partial level editing. New information has been added toBaldur’s Gate 3’s Modding Guideline for any mod authors eager to explore the new feature.
But the addition that most players clamored over in the Final Patch isBaldur’s Gate 3’s 12 new subclasses. Spells, cantrips, and subclasses present inDungeons & Dragonsthat had yet to have their time in the sun inBaldur’s Gate 3finally made their way into the game, including the College of Glamour Bard subclass and spells like Toll the Dead, Booming Blade, and Staggering Smite. This update is certainly a high note forBaldur’s Gate 3to go out on, but it’s likely that the game will maintain cultural relevance for quite some time.
The Final Patch May Incentivize Gamers to Finally Hop on the BG3 Bandwagon
Not only will the many accolades thatBaldur’s Gate 3has received continue to bolster the game as one of the best RPGs in recent memory, but the game’s player base and fan community are powerful. However, this Final Patch update could easily be yet another avenue for the game to extend its reach. The marketing of Patch 8 asBaldur’s Gate 3’s Final Patchmay push gamers who have found the game too daunting to finally give it a shot. After all, there are completionist gamers out there who refuse to play titles until they are deemed finished.
As mentioned, Patch 8 also introduces new subclasses toBaldur’s Gate 3.Dungeons & Dragonsplayerswho have been interested in the game may feel more incentivized to purchase it now that these new roles have been added. Of course, these are circumstantial reasons, but the scope ofBaldur’s Gate 3may have finally hit its limits with Patch 8, making it feel, well, final, rather than an exponentially growing game. There have been cases where developers or studios walk back on their “Final Patch,” eventually adding more content to a title. It’s likely thatBaldur’s Gate 3will have bug fixes down the line, but considering Patch 8’s marketing push, it seems that the Final Patch may be just that.
