Patch 5 Baldur’s Gate III has been released by Larian Studios, offering players an enriched experience with new game modes, exciting epilogues, and significant improvements. Considered the most comprehensive to date, this patch not only addresses previously reported slowdown issues but also introduces entirely new elements.
The most notable addition is the inclusion of new epilogues that provide a unique closure to each player’s journey. Accessible to anyone who loads up the game before the final fight, the new playable epilogue takes place six months after the events of Baldur’s Gate III’s main story. Players will find themselves at the camp, where they can meet new and old friends, taking as much time as necessary to say goodbye to their group.
The “last goodbye” has been a complex writing challenge for the Larian team, taking advantage of the reactivity of the game throughout the entire adventure. A gigantic tree of permutations defines the content, with new lines of writing (exactly 3,589), cinematics and even characters joining the camp meeting, organized by Withers.
Along with the new epilogue content comes two new game modes: Honor Mode and Custom Mode. Honor Mode not only increases the game’s difficulty in and out of combat, but also introduces over 30 adjustments to all of the game’s boss fights, with a new Legendary Action system designed to surprise players and increase the challenge.
Honor Mode makes bosses perform new actions, adding twists to all important fights throughout the game. Inspiration points become more valuable in this mode, since loading previous games, known as “save scumming,” is disabled.
Additionally, the game becomes more challenging by removing some of the more powerful exploits for those who venture into Honor Mode, although they remain open for players on other difficulty levels. When a player dies, they will be presented with statistics of their journey, including the time and distance they survived. Those who complete the full game with Honor Mode enabled (without dying) will receive the coveted Golden D20.
For those looking for a personalized experience, Patch 5 introduces Custom Mode, allowing players to choose and tailor their experience. With options such as hiding the dice needed to succeed on rolls, offering a more realistic D&D experience, or even the ability to hide enemy hit points in battle, more closely simulating the board game style.
This patch also features improvements to inventory access, allowing players to manage the inventory of all teammates from a single interface, regardless of whether they are currently in your party. Additionally, performance improvements derived from the Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate III have been implemented, benefiting all platforms.
Baldur’s Gate III is available now for PlayStation 5, PC, and Mac via Steam and GOG. The Xbox Series version is scheduled for December, with a release date announcement planned for The Game Awards 2023 on December 7. Check out the full patch notes here for all the details.
Fountain: Gematsu
