Home » Articles » Game Articles » Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 9 Patch Notes – Level 5, Paladin Class, New Spells, And More!
Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 9 Patch Notes – Level 5, Paladin Class, New Spells, And More! – Larian Studios is giving us a wonderful gift this Holiday Season with the release of the biggest patch to date. This includes raising the level cap to 5, the Paladin Class, and a whole list of new Spells together with combat and gameplay changes that’ll really make the wait time to the launch worth it. If you’re curious about the major comprehensive changes for Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 9, then this article is for you!
You can check out our previous Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 8 Patch Notes together with the most recent Bard Class Guide!
Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 9 Patch Notes – Level 5, Paladin Class, New Spells, And More!
Since Baldur’s Gate 3’s Early Access release, the level-up cap has always been restricted to Level 4. But thankfully now, we’ll be treated to Level 5 changes, making the tide of Combat much better than ever before! How will these affect us, you might wonder? Well, Martial Classes like the Fighter, Ranger, and Barbarian will get the Extra Attack Feature, allowing them to deal massive Weapon Attack Damage to finish off stronger targets easily! This becomes possible since they can use the Attack Action twice in a single turn.
Meanwhile, Spellcasters like the Wizard will get access to better Spells such as the Fireball, which will force targets to roll for a Dexterity Saving Throw. Regardless of whether or not they succeed, they’ll still take significant AoE damage and the area will be set on fire. Furthermore, we’ll also experience other Level 3 Spells such as Fly, which we initially saw in the latest trailer from The Game Awards 2022, specifically with Gale gliding from one location to the next.
However, despite the increase in level cap, we won’t be seeing new areas. In addition to the features different Classes will unlock, certain NPCs will also see their levels increased. They include Gekh Coal, Mask of Regret, and Filro, to name a few. These would allow you to test the effectiveness of your characters upon hitting Level 5. While we’re happily progressing, Larian Studios remains to be tight-lipped about the possible max level when Baldur’s Gate 3 launches in August 2023. What are your theories about it? Will we get another Patch before the release date?
Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 9 Patch Notes – The Holy Paladin Class
The much-anticipated Paladin Class is right around the corner, with the Monk the only remaining class from the Player’s Handbook, that’s not yet available in the game. In Patch 9, you’ll get to choose from 2 Subclasses, namely, the Oath of the Ancients and the Oath of Devotion. Regardless of which you choose, you’ll gain access to Divine Sense and Lay on Hands together with 1 Channel Oath Charge each.
Divine Sense is a Bonus Action that will grant you an Attack Roll Advantage against specific enemy types like the Celestials, Undead, and Fiends, meaning, you’ll have a greater chance of hitting them. Lay on Hands works like Cure Wounds in the sense that you’ll need to touch your ally to heal them. But what makes it better is you can also cure them of their afflictions such as Poison. And just like the Fighter, the Paladin is proficient in all Weapons, Armor, and Shields, making them a very reliable member of the party.
Should you pick the Oath of the Ancients, you’ll battle it out against dark elements to protect the forces of nature and life in general. At the start, you’ll be taking on a more supportive role due to Healing Radiance. This lets you channel your oath to heal every nearby ally. The Oath of Devotion Paladin also protects teammates at all costs to do the right thing but they’re more offense-oriented because of Holy Rebuke. Holy Rebuke allows them to channel their oath to imbue an aura on any teammate to then deal 1-4 Radiant Damage against a creature who performs a melee attack against them. One benefit of this Action is it can be cast from a distance.
At Level 5, the Paladin can gain the following Class Actions costing 1 Channel Oath Charge each:
- Spiteful Suffering – Deals 4-7 Necrotic Damage, which can be used to finish off low HP enemies.
- Control Undead – Control the Undead as long as their level is lower than yours.
- Dreadful Aspect – Frighten multiple targets so they can incur a Disadvantage on their Attack Rolls.
Together with 8 Prepared Spells, the Paladin is bestowed with 4 Spells that are automatically Prepared including Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds, Crown of Madness, and Darkness should you choose to break your oath.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 9 Patch Notes – New Spells
One of the largest changes to the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 update is the introduction of new Spells and scrolls! Although there’s no detailed list yet, we’ve managed to get ahold of some of them such as the Fireball, Spirit Guardians, Counterspell, Wrathful Smite, Glyph of Warding, and Mass Healing Word. We’ve already talked about Fireball in the first section of Patch 9 so we’ll move on to Spirit Guardians, which is another Level 3 Spell.
This requires Concentration and is exclusive to Clerics. What it does is summons various spirits that fly around the caster. When an enemy enters the spirits’ radius, they will take 3 – 24 Necrotic or Radiant Damage. In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can select the damage type you want to inflict but in the D&D 5E Ruleset, the choice is determined by the caster’s alignment with Necrotic Damage for evil characters and Radiant Damage for good and neutral ones.
Now due to the revamped Reaction System, we’re glad to see the addition of Counterspell. This powerful Spell will totally disrupt a target that is trying to cast a Spell, essentially destroying their intended strategy. We’ll also get another Level 1 Evocation Spell called Wrathful Smite, which deals 16 – 31 Slashing and Psychic Damage as well as other Smite Spells like Divine Smite and Thunderous Smite. Meanwhile, Glyph of Warding will trigger a random magical effect against the enemy when they step on the AoE while Mass Healing Word will let you heal multiple allies from any distance.
New Command Spell variations are also being put into the game. Currently, only Halt is available to prevent the target from executing any Action, but D&D 5E also has Approach, Drop, Flee, and Grovel so we’ll have to wait and see until the new Patch drops.
Now Magic Missile players wearing the Sapphire Spark will receive an indirect nerf. Now called Psychic Spark, this necklace grants 1 additional Magic Missile projectile instead of having each hit deal an additional 1 – 4 Psychic Damage. The current implementation would have Magic Missile inflict 2 – 5 Force Damage, which means that one cast with Psychic Spark will only allow a potential of 8 – 20 Damage at Level 1 instead of 9 – 27.
Finally, with the addition of the Level 5 cap into the game, we’re keeping our fingers crossed to see special features such as the Owlbear Wildshape transformation for Druids and the Lightning Bolt Spell. Perhaps the Clerics and Paladins will also be able to make use of Revivify so we can stop investing our hard-earned gold to purchase Revivify Scrolls and just consume a Spell Slot instead!
Gameplay and Combat
When it comes to the gameplay, you can expect to see that tooltips across the board have been updated, improved, or fixed in Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 9. Both Spell and Action Tooltips have been entirely rewritten so that the Action itself once performed will be clearer in terms of how much damage it will do and what will occur should it miss. Additional details such as Spells requiring Attack Rolls or the target performing Saving Throws will be displayed as well. The tooltips themselves will be straight to the point but can be expanded upon (and sticky pinned to the UI). Sooner or later, it would be as if we have our very own Player’s Handbook with all of the information the game presents to us.
Combat logs will be more comprehensive and clear as well. For instance, critical failures will be detailed and there will be a Fall Damage breakdown in the event that you, unfortunately, get shoved into oblivion. Speaking of Shove, it’ll now provide you with an Advantage Roll when performed while in hiding.
In an effort to make combat as balanced as possible, Act 1 encounters will be tweaked particularly in the Blighted Village and Grymforge. You can expect Sword Spiders to use Extra Attack (thanks, Level 5!) to replace their second Action as well as some duergars. Meanwhile, Clerics will now be able to cast Silence and Glyph of Warding: Lightning so you need to find the best position for your spellcasters. Quarterstaves will also be “Versatile”, allowing you to deal greater damage with them when wielded with both hands.
Given these balance changes, enemy AI will be smarter this time around by improving the ways in which they interact with player characters together with their performance in combat. For example, humanoids will have a keener sense of whether or not their actions will succeed, oftentimes choosing the options that will guarantee them victories!
Furthermore, remember to be careful when it comes to positioning your characters near the edge of cliffs or hills since NPCs can now deduce the best time to use Shove to your detriment. They will also prioritize healing comrades whose HP are the lowest so you have to beat them in their own game first. And lastly, NPCs can even join fights if they want to despite how far away they are.
Visuals and Audio
In terms of visuals, lighting will receive some of the more prominent updates in Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 9. Specifically, light radii will be better represented based on the actual object that emits illumination. For instance, the Light Spell will have its light radius match the meager Torch item, making both equal in terms of viability. Lastly, the Underdark will also get a tad less dark with some enhanced lighting effects.
Characters, in general, will be a bit less filthy as both blood and dirt will take longer to build upon their faces and Armor. You won’t look too much like you crawled out of a butcher shop anymore after a minor fight with some wolves. If you do go Prone you’ll still become dirty, but the upside now is that getting the wet status will clean you up. Time for a bath, Tav!
Coming into the more technical side of things, FXAA was removed from the Options Menu as a way to soften jagged edges. Instead, you’ll have access to SMAA, TAA, and FSR for all GPUs, while NVIDIA cards can make use of DLSS and DLAA.
When it comes to sound effects, there are very few but welcome changes. Sound Occlusion is being touched upon once again. This terminology pertains to how “close” sounds are perceived in some tighter environments, especially those with walls or barriers between the emitter and the receiver. The direction in which sounds are coming from will become more believable as a result. With this, Larian has also decided to improve explosion sounds, lower the verbal battle cries when casting Spells (no more Gale yelling “IGNIS!!” at the top of his lungs), and Shields will now have the expected “clang” noise when they successfully block attacks.
To read the entire Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 9 Patch Notes with fixes, you can check out our Patch Notes on the Wiki. What did you think of these big changes? Are you excited to try out the Paladin Class? Let us know in the comments below!
Stay tuned for more Baldur’s Gate 3 updated guides as we take a look at Classes and Builds, and be sure to drop by our Twitch Channel if you have questions about the game. If you need something specific, check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 Wiki which is being worked on night and day!
