Greetings everyone,
To keep up with all our latest news and announcements, we’ve expanded our presence across various online platforms. You may have noticed that our previously inactive BlueSky account has been reactivated and is now up and running. Additionally, our Community Team has taken the logical step to join Tumblr—after all, if our team stars in countless slow-burn romance stories, we want to be there to enjoy them.
On another note, some PS5 players might have inadvertently accessed Patch 8 sooner than expected—oops! If you’re among those perplexed by this, don’t worry. You can revert back to Patch 7 by simply uninstalling and reinstalling the game. For complete instructions, click here. Consider it a bit of a time-travel escapade.
Moreover, the Patch 8 stress test is officially live on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC!
If you’ve registered to participate on either PlayStation or PC, be on the lookout for an email from us with your game code and instructions on accessing the stress test.
If you’ve registered through the Xbox Insider Program, the Baldur’s Gate 3 Stress Test application is now available in the Xbox Insider Hub for download! For further information, click here.
Continue reading to learn more about setting up a cross-platform lobby and to discover the bug fixes introduced in Patch 8!
During the Patch 8 stress test, players on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC can explore cross-platform play by creating or joining a lobby.
If you’re eager to try cross-platform play with friends on different platforms but have gained access to the stress test while your friends haven’t, you can request additional Patch 8 stress test keys for PlayStation and Steam (PC) by visiting: https://larian.com/account/connected and linking your game account with your Larian account.
Check out the instructional video below for a step-by-step guide on enabling cross-platform play!
After enabling cross-platform play in the multiplayer online settings, you can create or join your own cross-platform multiplayer lobby. Navigate to the Multiplayer menu, select Cross-Play, and set up your lobby!
For this stress test, we advise console players to host a cross-platform lobby when playing with a PC player.
You can add friends through the Larian Network by selecting the + icon on the Create Lobby screen during the cross-platform setup. Enter their Larian account username and send a request! Once accepted, you can see them online and invite them to your lobby.
Though we advise console players to host a cross-platform lobby for convenience, if you’re joining a modded PC lobby, the PC host can’t have more than 100 mods installed, and mods must be compatible with console and Mac. These are marked by the “Available on Mac and Console” tag when browsing mods. Otherwise, a mod mismatch could occur, preventing you from joining the game.
If you’re looking to enjoy multiplayer closer to home, Patch 8 is bringing split-screen functionality to Xbox Series S consoles! If you’re joining the stress test via Xbox, you can test this out ahead of release.
Register for the Patch 8 Stress Test
The stress test is now live! If you’ve registered on PlayStation or PC, access details will be sent to your email. Xbox users will need to download the Xbox Insider Hub App to become an Xbox Insider and join the playtest from the app.
If you haven’t signed up yet, you can still express your interest by clicking the banner below!
While some of you will get a firsthand experience with Patch 8 starting today, here’s a preview of what to expect once it’s released!
- Photo mode
- 12 new subclasses
- Cross-platform play
- Xbox Series S split screen
- Items discovered through Perception checks will now be marked on the minimap and included in the combat log.
- Resolved an issue where certain ally abilities weren’t granted after dialogues at High Hall.
- Scrolls and potions in your inventory’s unlocked containers can now be used during dialogue rolls.
- Neutral and friendly NPCs will no longer turn hostile if they accidentally walk into combat-created surfaces that trigger passives outside of combat.
- Fixed Freecast resetting with any applied condition.
- Addressed characters getting stuck when using a ladder already occupied by another character.
- Fixed a bug with the moving platform in the Gauntlet of Shar, which could leave players behind.
- Rectified an issue prompting neutral NPCs to initiate combat unnecessarily.
- Cerys will no longer engage in battles with Minthara from afar.
- Fixed a problem where multiplayer sessions using mods would stall at a 0% loading screen.
- The Mod Verification window now appears regardless of where the multiplayer connection request originates.
- Updated the third-party mod warning message for better clarity.
- Fixed the absence of the ruleset selector on the ‘Alter Custom Mode’ screen when accessing multiplayer lobby settings.
- Enhanced server performance in the Adamantine Forge.
- Resolved an issue where you could inform Astarion of Gandrel’s pursuit, even if Gandrel did not disclose his quarry.
- Fixed a savegame error preventing the correct acquisition of Umbral Gems in the Gauntlet of Shar.
- Minthara now comments on the Emperor’s revelation.
- Reminded Minthara that ‘knocked out’ isn’t the same as ‘dead’, so she will appear more reliably at Moonrise Towers.
- You can no longer leave Moonrise while controlling Minthara without instructing her to remain.
- Minthara is now willing to converse after being told to wait in the torture chamber.
- Minthara no longer remains stuck caring for Thaniel in Act II.
- Fixed the dialogue regarding Art Cullagh as if he’s alive when he’s not.
- Characters won’t assume Shadowheart’s death in conversation with Viconia.
- Characters in a relationship with Gale will receive a suitable letter if he sacrifices himself at the Netherbrain battle.
- Addressed a dialogue issue preventing Avatar Gale from discussing the orb with Lae’zel after consuming a magical item.
- Discovered and accessible (non-hostile, living, etc.) traders are now visible on the world map, regardless of proximity.
- Shadowheart has agreed to refrain from changing her hair color during certain intimate sequences.
- Enhanced cinematic animations for characters of varying heights during kisses in the evil ending.
- Fixed duplicated and incorrect dialogue options in Minthara’s party conversations.
Patch 8 will introduce numerous fixes addressing crashes, combat bugs, scripting issues, and more. Full patch notes will be released once Patch 8 is live!
Internal playtesting has been ongoing for several weeks, and with the addition of photo mode in Patch 8, our playtesters have found creative ways to capture some intriguing issues.
While we don’t expect you to document every quirky bug you encounter (please avoid this!), we appreciate reporting any issues you experience in the Patch 8 stress test using the bug reporting form. Be sure to specify “Patch 8” in the Game Version field!
As the Patch 8 stress test is a work-in-progress, we’re aware of some issues relevant to the new features in Patch 8—these are listed below!
While we hope supported mods remain largely unaffected by Patch 8, this stress test helps us understand how your mods interact with the update and identify issues before release.
- ImpUI users might notice absent radial descriptions, and some menu functions may not work as intended. For the stress test, we advise creating a new save or using an existing one that doesn’t rely on ImpUI or its dependencies.
- Photo Mode may become visually corrupted when using Vulkan.
- Certain cross-platform settings lines aren’t fully localized.
- Multiplayer lobby players can lose movement input after picking up an item.
- Some keyboard shortcuts and controller buttons might stop responding after trades with merchants.
- Gale refuses to consume his magical items, despite requests.
Keep an eye out for updates during the Patch 8 stress test as we continue addressing these issues!
We’re eager to hear about your experience with Patch 8. We’ve created a brief form for you to share your feedback. If you’re participating in the stress test, look for the link in your access email!
And with that, until next time.
