Baldur’s Gate 3 is getting crossplay and new subclasses next year

Baldur’s Gate 3 might be well over a year old by now, but developer Larian is far from finished with it. After a lengthy period in Early Access, the game has continued to receive free updates, including new endings. Larian has now announced that its next update, simply called Patch 8, will be coming next year and bringing with it a photo mode, crossplay multiplayer and new subclasses for all of the playable character classes.

The details of what will be included in Patch 8 can be found in the announcement on Steam. Firstly, crossplay multiplayer will be implemented, allowing PC, Mac, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players to play online with one another regardless of platform. Notably, players on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S will require their respective online subscriptions in order to access online multiplayer functionality.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is also getting a dedicated photo mode to allow players to properly frame and share their adventures. Players can choose which character they want to take center stage, remove party members, enemies and NPCs who are in the way of the shot and toggle many other features, such as adjusting the colour grade and contrast, as well as choosing from a range of frames to really complete the shot. You can even further decorate your photos with emojis and stickers to really set your preferred tone.

Finally, there are the subclasses, which are based on Dungeons and Dragons 5e subclasses which have been released in source books following the 5th Edition Players Handbook. The list of new subclasses for each class are as follows:

• College of Glamour (Bard)
• Path of Giants (Barbarian)
• Death Domain (Cleric)
• Circle of Stars (Druid)
• Oath of the Crown (Paladin)
• Arcane Archer (Fighter)
• Drunken Master (Monk)
• Swarmkeeper (Ranger)
• Swashbuckler (Rogue)
• Shadow Magic (Sorcerer)
• Hexblade (Warlock)
• Bladesinging (Wizard)

The full details of what each subclass is capable of can be found in the original announcement. From the Arcane Archer’s magical arrows to the Drunken Master’s ability to restore Ki points and debuff foes by drinking alcohol, many of these subclasses have a lot to offer and can provide a fresh way of experiencing Baldur’s Gate 3, even if you’ve played it to death already.

It may be a while before most of us will get our hands on these new features, however. We don’t yet have a firm release date for Patch 8, but a public stress test is tentatively planned for early January 2025, with the update to release properly on all platforms sometime later in the year. Larian will be sharing community update later on to confirm how interested players can take part.