Baldur’s Gate III – Early Access Patch #5 Now Live

Showcased during the recent Panel from Hell livestream, the fifth major early access update for Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate III is here. The update’s big new features include the so-called Active Roll system, the secret Background Goal miniquests, expanded party interactions, improved enemy AI, and more.

The full patch notes go on for quite a bit, so here’s just something to get you started:

Is the sausage mightier than the sword? Depending on the meat content, yes.

Today you get to try it out for yourself. Patch 5 is now live!

Onward, for a read of our patch notes in full.

IMPROVEMENTS and ADDITIONS

• Added new scenes expanding on Shadowheart’s mysterious artefact.
• Added new recruitment scenes with Shadowheart.
• Additional reactivity from Shadowheart when she approves of you.
• Added Background Goals – Now every character will have their own series of secret miniquests based on their Background and for each you complete you’ll receive an Inspiration Point up to a maximum of 4.
• Added new camp scene with Scratch and the owlbear cub.
• Added Point and Click character responses.
• Added 12 new magic items in loot and quest rewards.
• Revised active roll UI during dialogue. This includes improved displaying of bonuses and double dice for rolling with Advantage or Disadvantage.
• You can now use spells and items to increase chances when rolling during dialogue (including your companions’ spells and items).
• Picking locks and disarming traps are now active rolls.
• Added a new Disengage action that allows you to avoid provoking Attacks of Opportunity.
• Adding an item during Bartering will automatically equalise the gold on both sides.
• Added a way to cancel concentration from the concentration indicator.
• You can now pin most tooltips to hover over additional terms… for more tooltips.
• Increased the line limit in the dialogue history window.
• You can now save while leveling up.
• Added unique visual effects for class-specific spells.
• Added new icons for spells, statuses and items.
• Added dozens of new interactable items, expanding on the lore and background of the world.
• Revamped visuals for spells used by multiple classes to create more cohesion with Class-specific spells.
• Properly indicate when an action is fully free (does not count as a full or bonus action in combat).
• Added a tooltip for surfaces in combat log entries.
• Added better feedback on saving throws.
• Added feedback to clarify why casting a spell at a target is impossible.
• NPCs have new reactions when they’re unable to talk to you.
• Updated assorted spell, item, status, and book descriptions.
• Cinematics
  • Cinematic character emotions.
  • Camera choice and motion.
  • Cinematic VFX.
  • Improved cinematic motion when characters look around.
  • Improved cinematic behaviour involving objects.
  • Introduced a cinematic visual for ‘The Mark of the Absolute’.
• Animations
  • Updated Worg model and its climbing animations.
  • Added Crab and Spider climbing animations.
  • Added Stave animations for Goblins.
  • Improved Mind Flayer animations.
  • Improved Human running and idle animations.
• Audio
  • Characters now have semi-procedural armour sounds during cinematics that follow their movements.
  • Creatures now have jumping vocalisations.
  • Added new ambient sounds and music to camps.
  • Explosions – bigger booms, louder braaams.
  • Impacts and gore – combat actions are more nuanced and represented much more ‘close-up’.
  • Item Destruction – all new debris system to increase realism.
  • Added sound feedback when Moon Puzzle is solved.
  • New UI sounds.
  • More detailed cinematic sounds.
  • Remastered Spell Vocals.
  • Multi Output – You can now choose your audio device to tailor a better audio experience.
  • Midnight Mode – A dedicated mix to avoid disturbing people around you.
• Multiplayer
  • Added multiplayer support for local ready checks if other party members are not nearby.
  • A warning is now shown when trying to talk to another player’s followers.
  • Added additional feedback when connecting to a lobby.
  • You can now lock your inventory in a multiplayer game.