Wasting no time addressing some of the issues standing in the way of players’ enjoyment of its long-awaited CRPG, Baldur’s Gate 3, developer Larian Studios has released the first hotfix for the game only a day after its launch. Despite receiving high marks from many critics and fans some players have already expressed their frustration with issues ranging from how Baldur’s Gate 3 handles co-op to crashes when playing the game on Steam Deck.

First appearing as an early access title in late 2020, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the latest entry in the D&D-based series of CRPGs that began in 1998. Although Larian Studios has now taken the reins of the franchise from original developer BioWare, Baldur’s Gate 3 still retains the series’ strong focus on player choice and heavily tabletop-influenced gameplay mechanics. The long-awaited CRPG has received praise not only for its solid gameplay but also its often-humorous writing, with developer Larian Studios even taking the time to hide a hilarious secret message in the EULA for Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Moving quickly to address lingering issues present in the game following its launch earlier this week, Larian Studios has released the first hotfix for Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam. The update provides fixes for issues ranging from disappearing characters in split-screen games to problems with Baldur’s Gate 3’s save system, with the developer attributing the latter issue to the game’s cross-save functionality. The hotfix also resolves several crashes that players were encountering in the game, though it’s unclear whether this will fix the crashes encountered by many Steam Deck users when launching Baldur’s Gate 3.

In addition to providing fixes for several technical and graphical problems present throughout the game, the Baldur’s Gate 3 hotfix also addresses numerous issues with the in-game cinematics. These cinematic changes actually make up a large percentage of the fixes included in the update, which isn’t surprising given how story-heavy Baldur’s Gate 3 is. Updates to cinematics range from stopping characters from clipping through each other, to fixing misplaced cameras, to preventing an NPC from ruining the moment by turning their back on the player during an endgame sequence. The patch notes for these changes contain story spoilers, so players may want to avoid reading them until completing the game.

With its numerous fixes to some wide-ranging issues throughout the game, this update should come as welcome news to fans of Baldur’s Gate 3. And now that they won’t have to worry about their game unexpectedly crashing on them, players can get back to doing much more important things like making Papa Smurf in the Baldur’s Gate 3 character creator.

Patch Notes for Cinematics Contain Story Spoilers

Baldur's Gate 3 Hotfix #1

CRASHES AND BLOCKERS

• Fixed possibly getting stuck in a dialogue in the first confrontation with a major boss.
• Fixed a rare issue where player character states would not update properly after dying.
• Fixed a crash that could occur related to one of Astarion's cinematic dialogues in the endgame.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when loading an old savegame while at Last Light.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when using the brain reader in the Colony.
• Fixed an issue that could cause you to get stuck in a loading screen when loading a savegame after dying.
• Fixed a blocker during Character Creation preventing you from progressing if you chose a Zariel tiefling as your Guardian.
• Fixed a potential crash triggered by the light system.
• Added an error message to prevent crashes being caused by mods when starting the game.
• Disabled Larian Account cross-saves temporarily to solve an issue blocking loads and saves. Steam cross-saves are unaffected.
• Fixed a startup crash with the Steam API.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when quick-loading a game while a container or corpse was open for looting.
• Fixed a crash that could happen if an item unlocked a spell for a game entity without stats.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when switching a race or a class in Character Creation.
• Fixed potential crashes that could occur when closing screens like the options menu or when ending dialogues.
• Fixed a potential crash when an enemy tries to use the Motivator during combat in the Steel Watch Foundry.
• Fixed a blocker that could occur if you choose to attack the Emperor during a dialogue after you side with him.
• Fixed a crash in PhysX.

MULTIPLAYER

• Players will now correctly join cinematic dialogues that require all players to be present if they were listening in previously.
• Fixed an issue that allowed players to listen in on private dialogues using the context menu.
• Fixed an issue causing players to get stuck and not be able to join a dialogue if someone else is already in a dialogue.

GAMEPLAY

• Fixed hair physics on drow and elf male strong body types.
• Fixed an issue causing phase spiders to skip their turn in combat if they're standing on a web that's been destroyed.
• Fixed an issue with dice rolling, where retrying could cause the roll to fail if you were applying bonuses and clicking really fast.
• Duplicate spells no longer appear on followers' hotbars and you can no longer customise their radial menus. (Important to note: followers are not companions or full party members.)
• Fixed Dark Urge randomisation in Character Creation for non-white dragonborn characters.
• Fixed an issue preventing you from interacting with Withers in one of the camp locations.

UI

• Fixed issues in cinematic dialogues when listening in.
• Fixed an issue causing the character models for half-orcs, dragonborn, and half-elves to not update correctly when unequipping armour in the character sheet.
• Fixed some issues with prepared spells during Level Up, when multiclassing.
• Hid the version number during dialogues.
• Fixed splitscreen cinematics showing sampling garbage.

AUDIO

• Fixed audio issues with grunts, shouts, and moans across gameplay and cinematics.
• Fixed a line being cut off when speaking to the Restless Myconid in the Underdark.
• Removed a clicking sound during the credits.
• Fixed audio levels in a dialogue with Mayrina in the Lower City.

ENGINE

• Fixed a bug causing textures to appear in bright, neon colours.
• Fixed a splitscreen issue causing characters to remain invisible after a dialogue ends.
• Fixed an aspect ratio issue when FSR is active during splitscreen.
• Fixed surface texture details not updating when changing Texture Detail in the game video options.

CINEMATICS

• Fixed characters looking in the wrong direction in a dialogue with Mizora.
• Fixed the Emperor turning backwards in an endgame cinematic.
• Fixed a camera issue with the deep rothé.
• Fixed camera and lighting issues with the strange ox at Last Light.
• Fixed a blank screen in the cinematic when you put on one of Auntie Ethel's masks.
• The nautiloid crash scene will now play even if your avatar is dead and a companion used the transponder instead.
• Fixed Jaheira's youngest daughter clipping in a cinematic dialogue.
• Fixed an issue with clipping characters in a cinematic dialogue in the Colony.
• Ravengard is no longer missing from a dialogue involving all the allies you've made.
• Fixed the avatar's head popping into place in a dialogue in the Colony.
• You no longer look like you're walking through Sceleritas Fel in the Temple of Bhaal.
• Fixed Cazador's staff disappearing in a cinematic dialogue.
• Fixed a camera that was zoomed in too far on a wolf.
• Fixed Lae'zel's head popping in a dialogue with Vlaakith.
• Fixed issues with animations, clipping, and camera shots in the romantic scene in the House of Hope.
• Fixed Orin and her victim clipping into an altar.
• Fixed a blocked camera in the dialogue with Lunkbug and Laridda.
• Fixed companions disappearing the morning after the Dark Urge gives into a particular Urge.
• Fixed lighting issues in a scene with Z'rell at Moonrise Towers.
• Fixed Araj's hands clipping when talking to her in the Lower City.
• Fixed some companions being visible in the background of dialogues where they shouldn't be.
• Fixed some lines being cut off when speaking to Ravengard in Wyrm's Crossing.
• Fixed Ketheric's corpse standing back up in an idle pose.
• Fixed a blocked camera in the dialogue with the ogres at the Blighted Village.
• Fixed Raphael popping during the dialogue with the orthon.
• Fixed camera, audio, and character movement issues in the dialogue with the monk's amulet.
• Fixed a looping animation in the cinematic dialogue with the Brewer.
• Fixed half-orc hirelings clipping when speaking to the pale individuals in Fraygo's Flophouse.
• Fixed male halfling Dark Urge's hand clipping through his body when lying down.
• Fixed lighting issues in the endgame cinematic.
• Fixed Jaheira having jittering and popping hands in a dialogue in the Lower City.
• Fixed a repeating animation on the submersible.
• Fixed Wyll looking in the wrong direction when recruited.
• Added reactions to the player character's face when talking to the ox in Last Light.
• Fixed clipping between two Zealots of the Absolute in the Colony.
• Lae'zel no longer floats in a cinematic dialogue in the Temple of Bhaal.
• Fixed popping issues with Cazador in several dialogues with Astarion.
• Fixed some issues with where characters are facing, animations, and cameras in the final combat cinematic.

Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC, with a PS5 release on September 6 and an Xbox launch to follow.

MORE: Baldur's Gate 3 Review

Source: Steam