patch · July 22, 2024
Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 Preview Brings Evil Endings, Mod Support, and Custom Honour Rules
Larian Studios detailed the contents of Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 alongside a brief delay to its PC closed beta. The upcoming update adds evil cinematic endings, an in-game mod manager, dynamic split-screen merging, and the ability to run Honour Mode rules in custom difficulty games.
Larian Studios has pushed the PC closed beta for Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 back from its initial date due to a bug affecting passive rolls. To tide players over, the developer released an extensive list of highlights included in the update, which features over 1,000 fixes, new evil cinematic endings, and official modding tools. The patch is scheduled for a full public release in September.
Difficulty Options and Combat Changes
Players can now enable Honour Mode rulesets in Custom Mode playthroughs via the ruleset dropdown menu, bringing the punishing mechanics to a flexible difficulty. Boss encounters have received major adjustments, including new legendary actions and abilities. Dror Ragzlin now uses a spell called Arachnid Compulsion in the spider pit to befriend spiders instead of fighting them. The Bulette gains Diamond Scales and the Shredding Scales legendary action, while Malus Thorm receives Grasping Appendage. Other adjustments target Spectators, who gain a Panicked Sentinel aura and Ocular Nightmare spell, along with new legendary actions for Githyanki leaders Ch'r'ai Tska'an and Ch'r'ai Har'rak, and Ptaris. Additionally, the kuo-toa army and Gondian Steel Watchers will now properly support players in the final battle based on earlier choices.
Quality of Life and Interface Adjustments
Split-screen gameplay now features a dynamic merge system where halves of the screen combine when characters come close together and separate when they move apart. Video options have been reorganized with dedicated upscaling drop-downs and sharpness sliders. The reactions interface now requires players only to toggle the reactions they want to use rather than repeatedly selecting 'Do not react'. Controller users receive a new Equipment Options menu on the character sheet, and donating magic items to Gale now displays items straight from the Traveller's Chest while marking equipped gear. Furthermore, using soap and sponges has been renamed from 'Consume' to 'Use'.
Gameplay and Progression Fixes
Several progression stoppers and quest blockers have been addressed. The Leap of Faith trial in the Gauntlet of Shar no longer allows players to bypass the puzzle by clicking the final platform for pathfinding. Long rest camp supplies will now only consume what is strictly necessary from stacked items rather than entire stacks. Gale's lingering Necrotic Aura has been fixed to dissipate correctly, and he will leave the party if players refuse to donate magic items retrieved from the Traveller's Chest. Resurrecting Lae'zel on the beach in Act I will no longer cause her to disappear from the game world, and companion follow bugs affecting Jaheira and Minthara have been resolved.
Modding, Cinematics, and Performance
Patch 7 introduces the official Modding Toolkit and an in-house Mod Manager for browsing and installing community creations. New cinematic evil endings have been added for villainous playthroughs. Performance optimizations target areas with dense crowds, such as the Lower City, while reducing peak memory usage during level loads and inventory management. Animation updates give new idle behaviors to Astarion, Minsc, and Karlach, alongside polished facial expressions and kissing cinematics.
Why this patch matters
Patch 7 brings major structural changes to Baldur's Gate 3, combining requested quality-of-life additions like custom Honour Mode rules and split-screen improvements with modding tools and bug fixes.