Baldur's Gate 3: How to Make the Most Out of Patch 8's New Features

Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 arrived on April 15, 2025, and is the last major update to Larian Studios’ acclaimed RPG. Adding 12 new subclasses, multiplatform cross-play, a photo mode, and more optimizations, the patch not only improves upon the current experience, but also prepares the game’s legacy. In this article, we’ll take a look at what’s new and give you tips on how to make the most of the update.

Cross-Play: Uniting Players Across All Platforms

One of the community's most frequent requests has finally been answered: cross-play now allows players on PC, Mac, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 to join forces in co-op campaigns.

You’ll need to set it up, so check out the step-by-step guide:

- Link accounts: all players must connect their platform accounts (Steam, PSN, Xbox Live) to the Larian Network via the official website here.

- Create a multiplatform lobby: in the multiplayer menu, select the Cross-Play tab, customize the difficulty options and invite friends using their Larian IDs.

- Mod moderation: if the host is on PC, mods have to be marked as available on consoles and limited to 100 to avoid instability.

Extra Tips:

- Organize thematic sessions, such as a campaign focused on tactical combat or intense roleplay so that everyone can enjoy the strategies between players on different platforms.

- Use cross-progression to switch between devices: you can save your progress on Xbox and continue playing on PlayStation without losing items or decisions.

The photo mode gives you the tools to create your own images, whether you want to impress your friends with them or just make the photos more fun, with options to:

- Deep Customization: Adjust camera angles, apply color filters (such as Dark Gothic or Fae Dawn), and choose from 40 poses and facial expressions available for each character.

- Stickers and humor: There are over 300 available stickers, including cat ears, floating hearts and even blood splatters, so you can create that perfect meme for social media.

- Use in combat: by pausing the action during battle, you can capture the best moments of the game, such as the final blow to a dragon or the reaction of a defeated enemy.

Extra Tips:

- You can access your saved photos in C:\Users\[your_name]\Documents\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\Screenshots on PC or in the console gallery.

Each class has received a new subclass, inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and the Player’s Handbook.

Highlights include:

Glamour Bard (College of Glamour)

- Mantle of Inspiration: Grants 5 temporary health points and charms enemies who attack affected allies.

- Ideal Synergy: Pair with a Crownsworn Paladin to create a support duo.

Death Domain Cleric

- Bursting Sinew: Destroys nearby corpses, dealing piercing area damage. Use it in close-quarters dungeon combat.

- Spell: With the spell, cast Create Undead to ramp up damage and chaos.

Swashbuckler Rogue

- Swift Foot: Ignores melee opportunity attacks, perfect for flanking enemies.

- Sand in the Eyes: Blinds opponents with a quick movement, allowing for quick escapes or sneak attacks.

Hexblade Warlock

- Cursed Weapons: Summons a blade that’s bound to the Shadowfell. Defeated enemies will respawn as Cursed Specters, draining life from their allies.

- Recommended Build: Multiclass with Paladin stack Divine Strikes and curses.

Drunken Master Monk

- Ki Recovery: Drinking alcohol potions during combat restores Ki points.

- Drunken Strike: Increases hit chance and AC against intoxicated enemies.

After months of tweaking and thanks to the optimization of the Divinity 4.0 engine, the Xbox Series S finally supports split screen, allowing two local players to explore Faerûn together. The resolution is kept at 1440p with a stable frame rate.

Extra Tips:

- Avoid crowded areas such as the Adamantine Forge or the Moonrise Towers during intense combat sessions to prevent performance drops.

- Use dynamic screen adjustment, because if players are on different floors, the game automatically switches to individual views, and it can cause visual discomfort.

The Baldur’s Gate 3 Toolkit has been updated, allowing for partial level editing, which makes the game more creative.

Tips:

- Interactive objects: Create teleporting chests or salami statues that fit in your inventory.

- Limitations: Dialogue and static terrain (such as buildings) cannot be altered, but search in the communities, as they’ve already developed unofficial tools to get around this.

Tips for modders:

- Use the Available on Console tag to ensure that cross-play compatibility works without issues.

- Browse the C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Larian Studios directory (PC only) to access mod files.

Patch 8 addresses over 16,753 issues documented in the patch notes, including:

- Companion Recruitment: Minthara now consistently appears at Moonrise Towers if she’s defeated, and Halsin no longer requires the Tiefling Celebration to join the party.

- Act 3 Performance: Inventory loading has been sped up by 15x, reducing crashes in more populated areas.

- Fixed dialogues: Non-Dark Urge protagonists have stopped saying Dark Urge lines, making the game's immersion better.

- Collectible Cards: Unlock 11 cards featuring characters such as Astarion and Dark Urgency, allowing you to create exclusive badges and profile backgrounds.

- Temporary Promo: The game is 20% off on Steam until April 21st, a perfect time for recruiting new friends.

Try hybrid builds:

- Mix the Arcane Archer (Fighter) with the Hexblade Warlock so that magical arrows cause Banishment or Blindness.

- Use the Swarm Ranger to summon bees and teleport around the battlefield.

Document your campaign:

- Create a narrative album in photo mode, highlighting your moral decisions (e.g.: Shadowheart's redemption) or funny moments (e.g.: Gale being thrown around by a giant), ideal for sharing with friends.

Test the mods:

- Download mods like House of Hope Decorator to customize your infernal refuge.

- Try the Honor+ mode, after beating Honor mode, to unlock extra challenges such as enemies with improved legendary abilities.

Larian has confirmed that this is the game’s last major update, and that they’ll now be focusing on a new project, codenamed Excalibur. However, the modding community promises to keep the game alive, with over 3,000 mods already available. Meanwhile, Hasbro plans to continue the franchise, likely with a Baldur’s Gate 4 developed by another studio.

Patch 8 is both a celebration and a farewell to Baldur’s Gate 3. With technical innovations, strategic depth, and creative tools, it turns the game into a classic among modern RPGs. No matter how you play, be it enjoying the cross-play, experimenting with subclasses, or immortalizing your best moments in photo mode, this update offers endless reasons for the player to spend hours and hours in Faerûn.