Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 5 Patch Notes | All Changes Breakdown

In this Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 5 Full Patch Notes, I’m going to discuss the key notes that you should know in relation to the game’s combat mechanics, gameplay improvements, cinematics, sound, and bug fixes. There are a lot of new features in this update that fundamentally changes the way you play Baldur’s Gate 3 so let’s get right into it!

Baldur’s Gate 3 Full Update 5 Patch Notes| Combat Mechanics, Gameplay Improvements, And More

Even if there’s no mention of a new Class coming up anytime soon, there are other major improvements that have been implemented by Larian Studios this time around. What’s impressive is how they’ve managed to constantly listen to player feedback, just like in Divinity: Original Sin 2’s Early Access. Since Update 5 has a ton of changes, you’ll have to create new characters to experience the game in a new light. Let’s first talk about Combat Mechanics.

Combat Mechanics

Basic Action Updates

Baldur’s Gate 3 has several basic actions that are available to each and every character. In this new patch, Jump and Disengage are finally two different Actions. Previously, these were both a part of Jump, and so when you leaped, the enemy near you couldn’t hit you with an Attack of Opportunity. But now, there’s a clear delineation of each action’s functionalities.

First, Jumping can provoke Attacks of Opportunity if the enemy is close to where you’ve landed. And second, Disengage guarantees that you won’t get attacked when you move from one area to another, regardless of any foes in the Melee Range.

Another basic action that’s been changed is Shove. Shove should accurately depict how far you can shove a target based on their weight and your character’s Strength Ability.

Non-Lethal Attack Mode

For pacifist players, there’s good news because you can now do whatever you want without killing NPCs. The new Non-Lethal Attack Mode allows you to briefly knock them out should they become too suspicious of your actions. Basically, you’re able to steal their things and sell them to other Merchants without getting into too much trouble! Sounds fun, right?

Class and Feat Changes

On top of these updates, there are also some Class and Feat changes to consider. For any Class, backstabbing no longer provides you with an Advantage on your Attack Roll. As such, this action is now considered a normal attack so your chances of hitting the enemies won’t be as high anymore. This is one of the modifications that players have been asking for since backstab can easily overpower enemies whether you’re about to hit them up close or from afar.

Performing Sneak Attack now has a restriction. You’ll need to make sure that you have a Finesse Weapon equipped in your main hand, similar to the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition ruleset. This lets you deal additional damage when you do have Advantage or if one of your party members is next to your target.

When it comes to Feats, there are two updates to remember. First is Shield Master that now only lets you shield yourself once per turn to react to the enemy’s Spell. And second is with Dual Wielder, which now provides you with +2 AC bonus, instead of +1, when you’re dual wielding Melee Weapons.

Spells and Status Effects Upgrades

For Spell and status effect changes, the most noticeable changes are related to Concentration and the Prone Condition. You can now cancel Concentration by simply clicking the Concentration indicator. You won’t have to contend with the ill effects of Spells like that nasty Fog Cloud. Who wants to anyway?

For Class-specific and general Spells, these will each have unique visual effects so you can easily identify one from the other. Also, Class-specific spells are personalized and based on your chosen Class’ overall style.

Next is the Prone status effect, which isn’t as harsh as it once was. When you receive this condition, you’ll only incur a Disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity Saving Throws rather than failing altogether.

Smarter Enemy AI

Enemy AI has received considerable improvements that make them think on their feet more effectively. They’re now able to strategically implement better tactics to have a fighting chance in combat. The creatures you’ll go up against will always find ways to attack you regardless of your position on any difficult terrain. If they can’t execute a Melee Attack, then they’ll opt to do a Ranged Attack. More specifically, some enemies like Bugbears and Ogres will have Ranged Spells at their disposal.

Moreover, if they don’t have any Weapons, they’ll get what they can near the area and hit you with it. This scenario isn’t a cause for concern, at least not too much, because you can use it to your benefit. You can disarm enemies first to force them into chasing after their Weapons, thereby wasting their turn. Let’s just hope they aren’t prepared to perform destructive Spells!

These actions are all related to how these enemy AIs are able to utilize their resources and actions efficiently. For instance, enemies are careful when it comes to planning their next actions so they preserve as many resources as possible. Say in the first round, they can attack you with their default Melee or Ranged Attacks and then leave some room to execute other actions like Dash and Action Surge in succeeding turns.

Additionally, Humanoids and friendly NPCs now have the same basic actions as the players, meaning, they can use Dash, Jump, Shove and Throw in similar ways. With Throw, they can also hurl Healing Potions towards their injured party members to heal them from afar.

Lastly, there have been adjustments to the Movement Speed of some NPC races to mimic the speed of player characters. For Dwarves, Duergars, Gnomes and Halflings, the Movement Speed has been decreased to 7.5 units while for the Wood Elf, it has been reduced to 9 units.

Gameplay Improvements

Active Dice Rolls

Dice rolls play an active part in Baldur’s Gate 3 because they determine just about every outcome. Previously, when you communicated with NPCs and you made Skill Checks, dice were simply rolled in front of you to know if you succeeded or failed in whatever you aimed to do. In Patch 5, these are stylized differently such that the UI will show bonuses together with the Advantage and Disadvantage you may have incurred.

Furthermore, you now have a bit of control in Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 5 when it comes to stacking the odds in your favor. You can either use your own Spells and Items or that of your Companions’. For instance, you can cast Charmed Person to inflict the Charmed Condition. As a result, the NPC you’re interacting with will not harm you in any way. Plus, you also receive Advantage on Charisma Checks against them.

Another example is casting Enhance Ability to gain Advantage in order to roll twice, and to succeed in possibly persuading or intimidating the NPC. Just remember that using Spells reduces your Spell Slots. This also works in multiplayer mode but be warned, because your so-called ‘friends’ can opt to disagree with you if they wish to see you crash and burn.

In relation to picking locks and disarming traps, they now have corresponding active roll animations instead of loading bars. So every time you perform either activity, you’ll see the actual roll, which takes your skills into account. This will feel satisfying since you’ll know how the stats of your character affect the success rate of opening locks and deactivating traps.

What Camp 2.0 Means

Long Rest used to work differently, but it has changed in Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 5. It was easy to activate it without any penalty or consequence whatsoever – you were simply teleported to the Camp to fully restore your HP and Spell Slots. In this patch, it’s possible to take either a Long Rest or a Partial Rest, which both entail different recovery rates.

Food is now more important because this serves as part of your camp supplies, together with scraps, in order to perform a Long Rest. Note that you can no longer consume food on the spot to heal yourself. Moreover, you’ll be teleported to Mini Camps, which adjust to the ambiance of your current location, so it won’t look like the default, one and only Camp by the river.

On the other hand, if you don’t want to use your camp supplies, you can opt to take a Partial Rest in order to restore half of your HP and other resources.

Greater New Player Experience

New player experience has improved by miles because of the presence of more tooltips. These are linked to each other like a Wiki of some sort. You can hover over them to gain more information in case you get confused by concepts in-game. You’ll also find tooltips in log entries such as for newly created surfaces in combat. And you can even put pins on them to serve as reminders should you forget how some mechanics work.

In relation to the tooltips, the descriptions of items, Spells and statuses have been improved for clarity. For instance, you’re now able to understand better why some Spells can’t be cast in specific scenarios due to their respective limitations. Expect to see new icons for these as well to support these updates.

Secret Background Quests and Loot

New secret side quests and loot are just around the corner so if you’re thinking of getting Baldur’s Gate 3 now or if you’ve been playing the game for a while, now’s a great time to dive in. Similar to Solasta’s side quests, each Background in the game, whether you’re a Charlatan or a Criminal, now has corresponding secret side quests. This expands your history and whereabouts before starting your journey to Baldur’s Gate.

Upon completion, you’ll either get Inspiration Points, which you can use in dialogue to reroll a D20, or gain extra XP. Note that you can only accumulate a total of 4 Inspiration Points. Beyond this, all points will be counted towards receiving that sweet, additional XP.

On top of this, the introduction of 12 new magic items should keep the gear chase interesting once again, especially when it comes to seeking out powerful equipment that can define your Builds. Additionally, you’ll also see more Gith-specific equipment on top of the infamous Githyanki Half Plate that Lae’zel always wears.

Expanded Lore

In line with the new background quests, Lore will be heavily expanded upon as well with the addition of new items that you can interact with. Should you decide to continue your murder spree outside of combat, remember that there will still be consequences for your actions. This can certainly affect some storylines that are made available to you.

Shadowheart and Companions

Your relationship with Shadowheart will have more weight than ever before. New scenes will be available once you recruit her and once you find out about her mysterious artifact. Furthermore, gaining her approval will result in favorable reactions. If you were to play as a Selûne-worshipping Cleric, you’ll have unique interactions with Shadowheart, which should give you more insight into her thoughts about the matter.

When it comes to Companions in general, if you’ve antagonized or heavily disappointed any of them, they can become hostile towards you and eventually leave the party. These actions will now be precisely laid out in the journal.

Point and Click Interactivity

Exploring in Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 5 can get lonely at times even if you have Companions running beside you and sharing banter here and there. But now, you’ll be entertained by your own thoughts! When you click on a tree or muddy ground, you’ll hear your character’s insights about what you’ve made them notice.

Every interaction you have with the world and the environment corresponds to a dialogue in your head, which you can turn off if it’s a little bit much for you. This new feature certainly sounds fun because it enhances the game’s immersiveness and roleplaying aspect.

Miscellaneous Improvements

Next, I’d like to discuss a couple of miscellaneous improvements to gameplay. First is the encumbrance mechanic, which is now divided into three degrees of severity, each with their own respective consequences. At the highest level, expect your actions to be very limited so you’ll have to manage your inventory well to prevent this from happening in the first place.

Second, like in DOS 2, when bartering with merchants and adding items for sale or for purchase, gold will automatically even out for both parties so it’s easier to calculate the value you’ll get or spend. Third, in multiplayer mode, you can finally lock your inventory so they won’t be able to move your things around anymore. And fourth, to add to immersion, NPC’s facial reactions and body language will both be improved when they can’t speak with you.

Cinematics and Sound

When it comes to Baldur’s Gate 3’s cinematics and sound, you can expect to see and experience notable enhancements. In terms of the cinematics, character emotions, camera motion and angle, and visual effects have all been upgraded. You’ll witness new camp scenes involving Scratch and the Owlbear Cub, better character movements, and refined animations for Humans as well as the Mind Flayers in particular.

For the sound and audio improvements, you can choose between the Multi Output or Midnight Mode. For the Multi Output setup, you’re able to pick the audio device that’s most suitable for the game whereas for the Midnight Mode, you’ll be presented with a sound mix, which lowers some special effects so you won’t bother the people around you.

Moreover, there are audio upgrades such as Armour sounds in cinematics that are precisely tailored to the character’s movements, together with soothing music when you’re resting and talking to your fellow Companions at the Camp. In relation to combat, you can expect to hear louder explosions and to see highly destructible environments with matching gore to improve Baldur’s Gate 3’s realism.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Bug Fixes

The last part of Baldur’s Gate 3 Update 5 involves a ton of bug fixes. Let’s highlight the major changes one by one. For player characters with low HP, you will no longer be subjected to constant attacks because the enemy AI’s bias towards you has been reduced. As such, combat should be more balanced. Note however, that there are still enemies who would choose to attack you regardless of the HP you have because they’re designed to inflict killing blows within an acceptable range so you’ll have to be careful.

Next is the fix for Druids whose Wild Shape is currently activated. In this form, you won’t be able to cast Spells with the Verbal Component, specifically when you’re Silenced. For the Great Weapon Master Feat, you can no longer perform another Melee Attack as a Bonus Action if you Critically Miss.

Fixed a bug where the game used the same Attack Roll for both attacks while Duel Wielding. This should mean that your Off-Hand Attacks will be less accurate when Dual Wielding now.

Other bugs that have been fixed include the crash experienced by some players in Character Creation when they’re loading a saved game. Additionally, saved games with certain characters should all be available in your list of saves. For a complete list of Patch 5, you may refer to our Patch Notes page.

Stay tuned for more Baldur’s Gate 3 content and be sure to check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 Wiki and Twitch Channel if you have any questions on the game. Will you dive right back in? What did you think of this full patch? Let us know in the comments section below!