BioWare's beloved Baldur's Gate series has been a fan-favorite for decades, and many are beyond excited to be able to play Baldur's Gate 3 next year. The fantasy franchise, based on the perennially popular Dungeons & Dragons tabletop game, has had a number of entries over the years, but Larian Studios' newest installment has been a long time coming. First released in Early Access in 2020, the PC title should finally be getting its full launch sometime next year, but fans will be able to enjoy a sizable update for Baldur's Gate 3 in the meantime with the release of the Patch 9 update.
The recently revealed update will be the last significant bit of content for Baldur's Gate 3 ahead of its official launch, but luckily for players, it seems to be bringing plenty of exciting new elements to the game. In addition to a new trailer shown at this year's Game Awards, gamers learned about all the fresh content coming to Baldur's Gate 3 including gameplay updates, new spells, and a new class – all of which are now live for players to enjoy.
Baldur's Gate 3's Patch 9 Update
As Baldur's Gate 3 progressed through its Early Access phase, players would expect the developer to make changes in order to whip the base game into the best shape possible ahead of its official 2023 launch. Over the course of the past two years, Larian Studios have added bug fixes, multiplayer elements, and additional classes to the abbreviated Baldur's Gate 3. With Patch 9 now live, the developer has overhauled the Reaction system, with players now able to decide whether or not they want to use a Reaction once it's been triggered after a specific combat circumstance.
The update has removed the previous level cap and will now let players progress to level 5. This will have a significant impact on many of the classes as some of them start to truly open up at this level, in addition to providing a decent power boost across the board. Third-level spells will now be available for magic-wielding players like Fireball, Counterspell, Wrathful Smite, and Fly – the latter of which can now also be used outside of combat to help characters traverse difficult terrain. These will help to expand what players are capable of and increases the lethality of their party, in addition to just making Baldur's Gate 3 more fun.
Baldur's Gate 3's Paladin Class
One of the biggest changes to come with the Patch 9 update is the addition of the Paladin class – something the Baldur's Gate 3 community has long been asking for. The oath-swearing Paladin class is an interesting build to play as gamers swear to uphold justice and fight against the growing forces of evil, but the hidden Oathbreaker subclass gives them the chance to subvert this trope as well. The two main subclasses are Oath of Devotion and Oath of the Ancient, which will have the Holy Rebuke and Healing Radiance abilities respectively.
Paladins are characterized by their zealous commitment to righteousness, but they can also be incredibly useful party members. Their fighting skills combined with their powers of protection mean they're good in a tight spot, and with abilities such as Lay on Hands to heal allies and the Divine Sense bonus action to give attack advantages, it's a class that could help bring a few changes to Baldur's Gate 3's gameplay. Thanks to the increased level cap, level 5 Paladins can also add class actions such as Spiteful Suffering, Control Undead, and Dreadful Aspect to mix things up even more.
Baldur's Gate 3 is releasing in August 2023 on PC.