The patch 8 called “Of Valour and Lore” offers the addition of a new class, a new race and a lot of adjustments.
The Belgian development studio Larian Studios has lifted the veil on the 8th big update for Baldur’s Gate III called “Of Valour and Lore” as part of the latest Panel of Hell. This event dedicated to the important announcements of Baldur’s Gate III was accompanied by a live performance of the metal band Hunter led by the Head of Production at Larian Studios, David Walgrave. But it was also the occasion to see the actors Neil Newbon alias Astarion in the game and Stephen Hogan who lends his voice to the character of Volothamp Geddarm.
Regarding the game itself, the panel presented a new class in the person of the Bard as well as a new playable race, the Gnome. In addition to that, new improvements and optimizations have been made and that we will develop below.
New class in Baldur’s Gate 3: the Bard
A connoisseur of song and a fan of ballads to accompany warriors, this support gives a necessary and welcome help during the fights or the journeys. Thanks to its mastery of the verb, he covers his enemies with insults or brings his support to his allies.
The bard has two subclasses: the College of Valor and the College of Knowledge.
The first subclass is more focused on combat because the bard from this branch has skills that allow him to face the dangers of the battlefield while providing support to his teammates.
He has a signature feature “Inspiration of Combat” capable of boosting various characteristics of his allies such as attack rolls, saving throws and skill tests. In addition, it offers many bonuses on raw attack and defense.
The subclass College of Knowledge is as for her more based on the incantations and the Bard can then put afflictions to his enemies.
Thanks to his signature skill “Sharp words”he can distract an enemy by taking a penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and damage dealt until the start of the next turn.
In addition, the update brings the Recital ability that allows any class with this trait to play music. If it seems insignificant at first sight, Recital actually offers many new interactions with NPCs and some may even reward you for your performance.
New Race for Baldur’s Gate 3: The Gnome
Of Valour and Lore is also the occasion to discover the new playable race of gnomes. This is the very first race added to the game since its release in early access.
Although their size puts them at a disadvantage in a variety of situations, gnomes have managed to get around this disadvantage by using it to their advantage. Fast and elusive, they’ll be a great help to you on your adventures..
Improvements and AI “Cloud”
This update also allowed new improvements such as the “Swarm” AI which now allows minor enemies to move in groups and fight together. This change adds more fluidity during combat. We can also note the appearance of Killcams for critical strikes at distancethe opportunity for players to watch their projectile slash their opponent.
Technical side, the hair benefits from a new rendering improving notably the texture and the quality of the shadows and new options for cuts have been added.
Finally, the developers had a thought for players with a slow internet connection thanks to a better stability of the multiplayer as well as a reduction of the lag when playing online with friends.
Of Valour and Lore Patch Now Available to Baldur’s Gate III Players.
