Baldur's Gate 3 patch notes tease companion changes in the most Larian way: "No great work of art is ever finished, and so too is our approach to the art of snogging"

GamesRPGBaldur’s GateBaldur’s Gate 3Baldur’s Gate 3 patch notes tease companion changes in the most Larian way: “No great work of art is ever finished, and so too is our approach to the art of snogging"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

GamesRPGBaldur’s GateBaldur’s Gate 3Baldur’s Gate 3 patch notes tease companion changes in the most Larian way: “No great work of art is ever finished, and so too is our approach to the art of snogging"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing a female elf Tav kissing ascended Astarion, a pale male vampire elf with short curly white hair

Baldur’s Gate 3is getting its seventh major patch soon, and it’s certainly a big one - from the much-needed companion fixes to some steam(ier) neck kisses.

Larian Studios is cooking up quite a storm for its Baldur’s Gate 3 update. Thankfully,Patch 7 won’t be the RPG’s final update after all- but it’s undeniably exciting nonetheless. With some additional evil endings, character changes, and plenty of gameplay tweaks galore, a reveal of the new patch explores just how massive it is.The RPG’s official mod toolkitis arguably the update’s centerpiece, with modders already calling it “beyond words” - although companion stans and romance lovers may spot a different highlight.

As detailed in Larian’s newcommunity update, there are plenty of companion changes to look forward to. From “a heap of fixes for Wyll” to a “polished up Gale,” Origin characters are receiving much-needed adjustments for more immersive cinematics, dialogue lines, and relationships - with players' Tavs, of course, but also with each other. Larian describes how the team “made tweaks to how Origin characters react within certain cutscenes, to enhance their emotional impact.”

For example, “companions will show Astarion more empathy when he loses his ability to withstand sunlight.” On that note, there are “improvements to the facial animations of your character during some kissing cinematics” - including with Astarion after he ascends (thank you from the bottom of my heart, Larian). This extends to Shadowheart-related scenes, too, with the dev saying “yes, we’ve tweaked a few kissing scenes for her” and “polished up the appearance of neck kissing.”

If you are as well, you can sign up for the closed beta viaSteambefore it goes live next week on July 22. There’s sadly no guarantee you’ll get in, though - Larian states that “Entry to the playtest will be given to randomly selected registered players.” I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for early access to smoother Astarion smooches until then.

Baldur’s Gate 3 won so many awards that it started to “affect development”, forcing Larian to send “rotating teams” of devs to ceremonies

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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

1

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

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1

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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

2

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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3

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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4

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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

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5

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1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now”

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2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

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3

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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

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5

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

Contents