Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3has released Hotfix 17 across all platforms, an update that fixes performance issues on the PS5, compresses save game file size, and improves on some of the game’s narrative flow. As thebest-selling game on Steam in 2023and the recipient of many accolades – including Game of the Year 2023 at The Game Awards – it’s safe to say that Larian built a worthy sequel toBaldur’s Gate 2. Though the developers openly admitted thatBaldur’s Gate 3greatly benefited from its three-year Early Access period, the level of detail and care that went into the game is still impressive.
That being said, it’s also important to recognize that Act 2, and especially Act 3, have lacked the polish of Early Access content. Larian has done its utmost to fix the game’s technical issues through five major updates, with Patch 5 even adding theEpilogue toBaldur’s Gate 3, but there is still work to be done. Fans on Xbox have notably suffered from catastrophic save game issues, and though Microsoft released several firmware updates in an effort to address them, the problems have stubbornly persisted for a fair few players.
Listed as Hotfix 17, the latestBaldur’s Gate 3update primarily tackles save games, crashes, and one of the more annoying aspects of having Gale around in early Act 1. While Microsoft claims that it willfixBaldur’s Gate 3’s save game issueon January 16, all three platforms should still benefit from a reduced file size, as outside of Honour Mode, the number of manual saves can easily pile up. Not only does the new update bring better compression, but it also removes stored data that the game no longer uses (such as summons).
The other key improvement concerns Gale, one of the maincompanions inBaldur’s Gate 3. The Wizard of Waterdeep notoriously gets hungry for magical artifacts rather early in the game, and if players fail to feed Gale when starting a conversation, he can end up leaving the party for good. Hotfix 17 gives players more leeway in how they can approach the situation, with Gale only storming off if it is made explicitly clear that players have no intention of ever feeding him artifacts.
Overall, Hotfix 17 is another incremental step in polishingBaldur’s Gate 3, and the team at Larian has certainly shown that they’re willing to support the game for as long as it needs. Though no DLCs or expansion packs were announced by the developers, the precedent established by theDivinity: Original Singames leaves the door open for a Definitive Edition ofBaldur’s Gate 3coming in the future.
Baldur’s Gate 3
WHERE TO PLAY
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCEChoose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPICForged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian’s next-generation RPG engine.
