Larian has published a blog post detailing an update to the Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8, which isn't actually out yet and is still in stress testing. The update includes a few tweaks to the balance of new sub classes in addition to the expected bug fixes, but notably absent among them were any significant changes to Booming Blade, a new cantrip that's set to seriously shake up the game's balance and crown a new subclass king.
The update fixes a number of crashes, bugs, and scripting errors introduced with all of Patch 8's changes, including some tweaks to Baldur's Gate 3's long-awaited crossplay. It also features a number of quality of life improvements to BG3's upcoming photo mode. On the balance side, some bugs and unintended interactions have been cleaned up. The update has ever so slightly buffed the Death Domain Cleric's new cantrips while nerfing its Reaper passive, making it so you have to target two creatures with your double cast and can no longer hit the same one twice.
That last one really stands out to me because it's a balance change, and one that contrasts with pre-existing abilities like the Swords Bard's ranged Slashing Flourish, which can target the same enemy twice, unlike in tabletop. I was surprised to see a balance change of this nature pushed out without any similar tweak to tune down the power on the new Booming Blade cantrip.
- Baldur's Gate 3's stress test update has, mercifully, made one of its new OP cantrips halfway balanced again—but it's really still quite good
- Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 testers are whispering that a previously mediocre subclass is now an S-tier war god of infinite thunder smites, but there's no way it can last
As it stands, Booming Blade is effectively a free Paladin smite that can be used as many times per turn as you can attack. A unique interaction with the previously-underwhelming Eldritch Knight subclass allows them to attack three times per turn by level seven, four by the end of the game, and all without expending any resources like spell slots, superiority dice, or channel divinity charges.
I'm definitely conflicted by all that pure power having no drawbacks, and the Baldur's build sickos over on the BG3builds subreddit are similarly torn on whether it's the best or worst thing to happen to the game's meta. On the one hand, it seems fun as hell to be a super-powered thunder-smiting spellsword. On the other hand, there's an anxiety that the relatively simple, risk-free character build of Hexblade 1 / Eldritch Knight 11 could eclipse just about everything else in the game, particularly the incoming spellsword class Bladesinging.
But I'm feeling less worried about the prospect as it appears more likely to be carried through to the final patch. Baldur's Gate 3 already has plenty of easy money game breakers like the Open Hand Monk / Thief or College of Swords Bard / Fighter / Thief, and I find myself coming back and trying new builds regardless. Even if Patch 8 goes live with Booming Blade war god Eldritch Knights, I'll still probably have my first run be with the new Arcane Archer subclass.
