Larian Studios has announced that Baldur's Gate 3 was the barbarian class, which was added as part of the Patch 7 update in February.
The bard class has been part of Dungeons & Dragons since the earliest days of the game. In D&D 5e (the current iteration of the game), bards are a powerful primary spellcaster class, with access to a number of buffs, healing spells, and magic that can control and deceive the minds of enemies. The bard was a highly-requested class for Baldur's Gate 3, as it has found a new fanbase in the 5e era, especially among the more light-hearted players. The gnome is also a long-running part of D&D and has found a new fanbase in 5e, thanks to their magical aptitude and humorous personalities.
Larian hinted that bards are coming to Baldur's Gate 3 in a Twitter post that d the next From Hell, which are livestreams that promote the major updates for the game. It was then confirmed during the From Hell that bards and gnomes are indeed coming to the Early Access version of Baldur's Gate 3 today as part of Patch 8, along with numerous other features and updates. The latest From Hell can be seen on the Larian Studios YouTube channel.
It has been confirmed that the bard class will have access to its two subclasses from the Player's Handbook: the College of Valor and the College of Lore. The College of Valor bards can inspire allies to deal additional damage in combat, while the College of Lore bards have access to more magical abilities. Larian hinted that gnomes would be coming to Baldur's Gate 3 in the past, but the From Hell revealed that the rock gnome and forest gnome subtypes from the Player's Handbook will be ed by deep gnomes, which are gnomes that commonly reside in the Underdark, and are known for their incredible resistance to magic.
The bard class might have been the most highly-anticipated remaining D&D class that was waiting to be added to Baldur's Gate 3. The addition of the gnome race in Patch 8 is also relevant, as it's the first new race that has been added to Baldur's Gate 3 since it entered Early Access. This means that the only classes waiting to come to Baldur's Gate 3 are the paladin and the monk, and the only remaining races are the half-orc and the dragonborn. This patch also means that Baldur's Gate 3 has taken a major step towards completion and may actually hit its loose 2023 launch window.
Baldur's Gate 3 will be released for Google Stadia and PC in 2023.
Source: Larian Studios/YouTube
