Baldur’s Gate 3 has received Patch 9, its last major update before the full game’s launch in August 2023.
It adds the Paladin class with the sub-classes Oath of the Ancients, Oath of Devotion, and Oathbreaker. The level cap has also been increased to 5, providing access to all kinds of new spells.
Some other highlights of the patch include the Fly spell for increased mobility and a revamped Reactions system. If you cast Counterspell, you can now toggle when it activates against opposing magic. Combat encounters in late Act 1 have been revamped, while Combat Cams are extended to Critical Hits, summons, Wild Shapes, various spells and abilities for both players and enemies.
If that weren’t enough, the Character Creation has been expanded with non-binary appearance options, and female human and Elf heads. Summons are now dismissable with a dedicated action, and Mage Hand no longer prevents the summoning of Ranger’s Companions and familiars. Check out some of the patch notes below for more details.
Patch #9 Notes
HIGHLIGHTS
- Added the paladin class with the Oath of the Ancients and Oath of Devotion subclasses. Added the hidden Oathbreaker subclass, which triggers if you break your oath.
- Increased the level cap to Level 5.
- Added the Fly spell.
- Revamped the Reactions system.
- Rebalanced combat encounters in late Act 1.
- Added new spells and spell scrolls.
- Added a ping system, usable outside of combat and during your turn in combat.
- Overhauled the tooltips.
- Extended Combat Cams to player and enemy melee Critical Hits, summons, Wild Shapes, and several spells and abilities.
- Added Command spell variants.
- Made Minthara a paladin.
- You can now delete save files by playthrough.
- You can now dismiss summons with a dedicated action.*
- Added a new Level Up button and improved visual cues for levelling.
- Added female human and elf heads to Character Creation.
- Characters who attempt to play an instrument they’re not Proficient with now fail spectacularly.
Removed non-wizard spell scrolls from NPCs except Revivify, Summon Quasit, True Resurrection, and Speak with Dead. - Added shop triggers. If you try to pick up items owned by certain traders, they will offer to trade.
- Mage Hand no longer prevents you from summoning Ranger’s Companions and familiars.
- Made quarterstaffs Versatile.*
- You now accrue dirt and blood more slowly, Prone makes you a bit dirtier, and Wet cleans you.
CRASHES AND BLOCKERS
- Fixed crash when loading savegames.
- Fixed crash when adjusting UI settings.
- Fixed crash when selling items that don’t belong in Trade view.
- Fixed crash when repeatedly preparing to Throw.
- Fixed blocker when playing Gale’s flute after killing a magma mephit.
- Fixed blocker when running past Mirkon towards the harpies.
BALANCE
Combat
- Added a Smart AI to increase behavioural differences between animals and humanoids. Notable humanoid fighters now know when actions won’t succeed and when to prioritise easy wins.
- Made NPCs better at deciding when to Shove characters to their death.
- Made NPCs more patient and smarter with healing spells, preferring to heal those with lower HP.
- Adjusted Halsin’s HP, removed upcasted spells from his spell list, gave him Call Lightning, and made his spell usage more varied.
- Improved Astarion’s combat strategies.
- Made Gekh Coal Level 6, increased his HP, and rebalanced his attributes.
- Made Mask of Regret Level 4.
- Made Filro and BOOOAL Level 5 and increased the latter’s HP.
- Reworked Morghal.
- Updated Baretha’s attributes.
- Gave Barth the appearance and stats befitting a high half-elf.
- Improved Blighted Village ambush, making one of the Trackers smarter.
- Improved the Great Weapon Fighting reroll boost.
- Gave Murmath Basic Poisons.
- Gave Sharp-Eye Eef Arrow of Roaring Thunder.
- Confiscated Sharp-Eye Zami’s scimitar.
- In the magma mephit combat, an extra mephit spawns per wave and the second wave starts after 2 kills.
- Added a magma mephit to the adamantine golem combat.
- Tweaked stats and levels of the dead duergar and gnomes near Gekh Coal.
- Improved minotaur’s use of Reckless Roar.
- Intellect devourers’ unarmed ranged attack is now Dexterity, improving their chances of hitting Synaptic Discharge.
- You now have Advantage when attacking dying hyenas.
- Gave the bulette higher HP and faster regeneration, Proficiency in Dexterity and Strength Saves, and the ability to apply Acid when Biting. It can now act as soon as it joins combat.
- Gave Proficiency in Dexterity and Intelligence Saves to all kuo-toa and fixed their obsession with Net. They can no longer Net already-trapped targets.
- Made Flaming Fist Ephren more likely to use her poison vial.
- Sword spiders are now Level 5 and have Extra Attack instead of a second action.
- Some duergar around Grymforge now have Extra Attack.
- Increased the hag’s AC and weight, gave her Saving Throw Proficiencies, and changed Ray of Sickness to an action.
- Gave Grym’s Slam a small AoE; fixed its Stomp ability; increased its HP, AC, and damage; gave it Dexterity and Wisdom Save Proficiencies; and made sure that mephits can act as soon as they join the combat.
- Increased hellsboars’ HP and Strength, made them Resistant to Poison, and gave them a passive that applies Burning.
- Mud mephits can now Fly.
- Made the gate to the grove more fragile.
- Removed Toughness from Spider Eggs.
- Improved ogres’ ability to throw barrels with goblins in them.
- Gave the Grymforge clerics Silence and Glyph of Warding: Lightning, and removed Bane.
- Ogres no longer have javelins but they learnt how to throw stones.
- Made several tweaks to minotaurs, hook horrors, lava elementals, animated armours, and Bernard.
- Flaming Spheres are no longer indestructible and they can no longer use potions or scrolls.
- You can now remove spectators’ Paralysed condition with a successful Saving Throw.
- Gave some melee characters javelins.
- Made the raven and dire raven Small and the red dragon Huge.