Community Update #25: Ain't No Party Like a Withers Party
Howdy gang,
Like a holiday turkey overstuffed with a moist heap of meaty bread, so too have you overstuffed our collective heart here at Larian. Since our launch in August, over 1.3 million players have completed Baldur's Gate 3, which, to continue the holiday metaphor, has made even the most blackened Belgian heart expand to at least three times its normal size. We’re so thrilled to see so many of you are loving - and, you know, finishing - the game. Even now, doctors are closely monitoring our David Walgrave in case he begins to show signs of smiling.
So to all of you veteran players of Baldur's Gate 3 - and those still waiting to experience these Forbidden Realms for themselves - today we bring you another reason to return to Faerûn: Patch 5, our most feature-filled patch since launch, comprised of brand new epilogues that bring closure to each player’s unique journey, along with new game modes, and so much more.
Now without further ado: Patch 5.
Journey’s End: Playable Epilogues Are The Final Chapter In Your Adventure
A chance to say goodbye
Set at camp in High Hall, with a view overlooking the city, this new playable chapter takes place six months after the events of Baldur’s Gate 3’s story, and is accessible to all players by loading the game prior to the final fight.
Your epilogue is defined by you. This is the culmination of every choice and consequence that you’ve made since the very start of your adventure, a gigantic tree of permutations that leads to an opportunity to reflect on that journey before you say goodbye. For the writers of Larian, this “final goodbye” has resulted in some of the most complex writing in the game thus far, as it takes advantage of Baldur's Gate 3’s reactivity across the entire adventure.
Getting the gang back together
You’ll experience new cinematics that reflect the arc of your story, reunite with your companions to reminisce and trade tales, read letters sent by old friends, and keep abreast of the latest Baldur’s Gate news with updates in the Baldur’s Mouth Gazette. Not sure where you put Scratch’s ball? You can play a game of fetch using the Astral Prism instead - the Forbidden Squeaky.
Though happy endings are never guaranteed, this final scene aims to bring closure to your personal story, based on your choices. It’s a tender moment to reflect on the last six months since you took on your final challenge, together as a team, as well as your chance to say goodbye before the credits roll.
What else can you expect here? Well, there’s new music from Bobby, brand new faces at camp, and a special cinematic ending for Gale and Lae’zel depending on your choices along the way.
Patch 5 also features fresh threads, a hip phrase that my aged hands typed just before turning to dust.
Shantay, you stay
Origin characters have received new outfits for this final party, including Shadowheart, who is going for a kind of cute “they don’t even know I’m god’s favourite princess” party vibe.
Drip King
As modelled by Astarion above, Orin’s outfit will now drop as loot and can be worn by anyone. And it’s dyeable in the colour of your choosing.
Experience Baldur’s Gate 3 Like Never Before In Honour Mode And Custom Mode
Good luck, you’re going to need it
Alongside the new epilogue content come two new game modes, Honour Mode and Custom Mode.
Honour Mode ups the intensity of what was previously our most challenging mode - Tactician - and not only makes the game more difficult in and out of combat, but also introduces over 30 new tweaks to all of Baldur's Gate 3’s boss-fights, with a new Legendary Action system designed to catch players off-guard and increase the challenge. Now, bosses can perform new actions, adding twists and turns to all major fights throughout the game.
Giant Spider Mama just wants to be left alone, spews webbing
The stakes are raised higher in Honour Mode, as save scumming - the divisive art of loading previous save games - is disabled. Some of the more powerful ‘unintended exploits’ have been removed for players who embark on an Honour Mode adventure, though have been kept open for players to exploit in other difficulty settings.
Survive Honour Mode And Receive The Golden D20
They see me rollin’
When you inevitably die in Honour Mode, you’ll be presented with statistics from your journey, including how long and how far you survived. Should you so choose, you can continue your adventure, which will then disable Honour Mode. But players who do manage to complete the entire game with Honour Mode enabled without dying will be awarded the coveted Golden D20.
The Golden D20 stands as a testament to your gaming skill, earning you such admiration that people may willingly kneel before you, offering to serve as a footrest while you continue your awesome pursuits of being a hardcore gamer.
Or Customise Your Gameplay Experience For A More Authentic Tabletop Experience
Play how you want to play
Those of you who aren’t gluttons for punishment (or perhaps want to push gameplay to its limits) may enjoy Custom Mode, a new game mode that allows you to pick and choose the type of experience best for you. With many options to pick from, a few favourites include the option to hide the required roll to succeed dice checks, which gives a more realistic D&D experience, as well as the ability to hide enemy HP in battle, again more closely simulating the tabletop style.
Other options in Custom Mode include Short Rests fully healing the party, as well as disabling Death Saving Throws, or even the ability to hide failed Perception Checks, which means you’ll never know there was even a roll to begin with!
And Much More!
Patch 5 introduces a huge quality of life update in the form of improved inventory access. Now while in camp, you will be able to manage the inventory of companions who are not in your active party without having to recruit them first - all from one single UI.
This update also brings performance improvements engineered as a consequence of the Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate 3, which benefits all platforms.
To our friends in Korea: 이제 Baldur’s Gate 3를 한국어로 플레이할 수 있습니다!
Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available with Korean-language subtitles!
You can also expect to find new changes for those who choose to become half-illithid, with your transformation now visually affecting your eyes.
And finally, we have updated our in-game credits to include a dedication in memory of our friend and colleague Jim Southworth, who passed away earlier this month.
We are still actively working on improving kisses for all romanceable companions, so expect even more new animations featuring unique snogging methods for our characters. No romance partner has been forgotten! Some characters were just a little too eager to get out.
With that, let’s unfurl the patch notes.