Baldur's Gate 3 is 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 toolkit is 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 new community 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."
Larian reveals this in the most beautifully Larian way - by quoting Michelangelo himself: "In the words of Michelangelo, no great work of art is ever finished, and so too is our approach to the art of snogging." I don't know about anyone else personally, but I'm more than ready to see how this mysterious "art of snogging" is expanded upon in Patch 7. Maybe one day we'll also get some more Minthara-specific love, but for now, I'm content with kissing the new and improved ascended Astarion.
If you are as well, you can sign up for the closed beta via Steam before 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.
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