With Patch 8, Larian is bringing 12 new subclasses to Baldur’s Gate 3. In a video series, the developers present their new content and explain what the specializations can do. Right in the first video, you can see the classes that will have a significant impact.
What are these new classes?
- Larian is going all out with the upcoming Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3: A total of 12 new subclasses are being added to the game.
- Each of the playable classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 will get a new subclass, which means: a new “orientation” that determines playstyles and abilities.
- Additionally, Patch 8 will introduce crossplay, allowing you to play with friends on PC, PS5, and Xbox.
Larian is now demonstrating this: With a “Guide” series, the developers want to prepare you for the new classes. Each video will (presumably) showcase four classes so that you can learn more about their advantages, abilities, and roles.
The new subclasses offer you opportunities to play your character in new orientations. The first video shows:
- the College of Glamour for the Bard, a support specialization focused on group control
- the Circle of Stars for the Druid, which lets you take on a star constellation in your “animal” form, where you can continue to cast spells and gain various enhancement options
- the Path of Giants for Barbarians, which focuses on throwing opponents and other objects – and simply makes you larger
- and the Death Domain for Clerics, basically the OG necromancers with abilities related to death and corpses.
Unfortunately, the developers did not provide a release date for Patch 8, but currently, all speculations are somewhere between February and March.
The Death Cleric is the front-runner – The Glamour Bard not so much
With the Death Cleric, Larian has already introduced the subclass that could potentially be the strongest in the new patch, maybe in the whole game. And this is despite the fact that Clerics are extremely unpopular.
The specialization is primarily strong due to its focus on killing. You not only have proficiency in all kinds of weapons but also receive a spell trick with “Toll the Dead” that is almost as powerful as the Eldritch Blast of the Warlock.
At the same time, the video showcases the College of Glamour Bard. Although Bards are the best class in the game and true jack-of-all-trades, the College of Glamour unfortunately serves as a prime example of: “Can do everything, but nothing well.”
You rely on group control and support, which in theory is very useful, but in practice can be handled much better by other classes. Furthermore, by taking a College of Glamour Bard, you waste two of the strongest specializations in the game: the College of Swords and the College of Lore.
Additionally, the video shows the Giant Barbarian as another top choice, and with the Daredevil Rogue, you can look forward to another top subclass in the upcoming videos. More information about the classes and how strong they are can be found in our power ranking of the new subclasses in Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3.
