The next big patch for Baldur’s Gate 3 is on its way, being due to release for all players, PC and console alike, this September. For the moment, though, it seems the PC closed beta for this next patch, that is, Patch 7, is getting pushed back to later this week. Fans apparently needn’t worry, though, as Larian Studios appears to have everything well in hand.

To help tide everyone over, Larian released a full statement with details on its website. There it outlined not only the reason for the closed beta’s delay, but also laid out what all fans have to look forward to next month. Starting with the reason for the delay, it seems it’s a classic case of a fix for one bug causing another to crop up elsewhere in the game. As for what exactly broke badly enough to push the beta back, it seems that an attempted fix has caused a lot of passive rolls to stop working. So, yeah, it’s hard to blame them for wanting to get that taken care of before letting beta players try out the new build.

Okay, now, how about what fans will be getting in Patch 7 next month? Well, for starters Larian has apparently made over 1,000 fixes and improvements to Baldur’s Gate 3, meaning it should be running at its leanest and meanest once the patch goes live next month. There are also several additions to look forward to, including all new endings for evil characters. Particularly, the studio has added brand new cinematic cutscenes to help players fully appreciate the results of their dastardly deeds.

Split-screen co-op has also been improved, with the two halves of the screen now dynamically splitting and merging back together again whenever players split and eventually link up again.

Aside: how cool is it that we’re still seeing advances in splitscreen these days? This sounds awesome!

Baldur’s Gate 3 will also have its own mod manager going forward, complete with features to let you browse and install mods without having to go to an outside source like ModDB. (It’s about time more games started to do this!) Also, those who like Honour Mode’s features (but not its crushing difficulty) will be able to pick and choose what they like in a new Custom difficulty mode!

Other additions include better support from certain allies, NPCs and factions in the end game, better idle animations for party members, more dialog, more quips and reactions to player choices, UI improvements and a new loading screen in Act III. Be sure to check out the link above for all the details, because it really is an impressive list!

As a fan myself, I just keep getting blown away by how thorougly and passionately Larian is supporting Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s not the bland seasonal crap we see in the rest of AAA, and it’s not that “never overdeliver” awfulness that so many studios and publishers now live by. This is “just” a patch, yet we’re getting more stuff than actual add-ons to other games. Seriously, this is awesome!

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Have you played Baldur’s Gate 3? What’s your take on it and Larian Studios?

Image from the Baldur’s Gate 3 Steam page